Dead Wrong

By Renee Joiner

Cheated by her husband and left for dead, she's not just surviving, she's transforming...

Once a scientist who believed only in the explainable, her life is irrevocably altered when her husband poisons her, choosing murder over divorce.

Death, however, refuses to claim her. An experimental injection at her lab ignites a metamorphosis. She emerges, not merely alive but reborn, stronger and more powerful than ever.

In a world where her ex has unleashed monstrous creations, she stands as an unforeseen force. Her new mission is clear: eliminate the monsters he has spawned and then, exact her revenge on him.

A must-read for fans of Gone Girl with a twist of Resident Evil, this story blends suspense, betrayal, and a supernatural quest for vengeance.

Uncover this tale of resilience and revenge. Secure your copy today and delve into the extraordinary saga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oshun Publications, LLC
• Release date: Jul 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956319422

Renee Joiner

Renee Joiner has been in love with the supernatural for longer than she can remember, so it is no surprise that she is an author of paranormal urban fantasy. Although she discovered her passion for writing when she was only twelve years old, she didn’t make her writing debut until many years into the future. Adventurous and fun-loving, she enjoys traveling to new places, exploring new sights and meeting new people. Thus, she delights in creating fantastical worlds that are sure to give her readers an escape from the real world while simultaneously providing thrilling entertainment. Besides her special knack for writing, you'll also find a passion for metaphysics spirituality which she has been nurturing for over four decades. Renee hails from New York and currently resides with her husband in their empty nest—unless you count their three adorable fur babies—in Florida. She enjoys adding to her sea of knowledge and thus spends her free time learning new things.

Book preview

Chapter One

You only live once.

That was his motto. My husband.

As a scientist, I knew that to be a fact.

Reincarnation? No. That just didn’t happen.

This is why I was working for Barnes Pharmaceuticals and trying to develop a cure for Batten’s disease. Something no one else was working on at the moment.

But our CEO, Dr. Barnes, has a seven-year-old daughter born with it, and for the last few years, he’d been doing everything he could to find a cure.

But obviously, it wasn’t fast enough.

Sir, we tried this variant in the lab on our rats, and it may be slowing the disease, but it’s….

Dr. Barnes waved his hand.

He was a large man in size and stature.

Even in his massive office with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the city, the man seemed to swallow it whole.

I met Dr. Barnes when I started with the company five years ago. I was one of the first scientists to sign onto the project, and I was desperate for a job out of grad school.

We’d developed a rapport and worked well together.

Usually.

But there was something else behind those dark brown eyes of his today.

The rings around his eyes were more pronounced, his dark blond hair disheveled as he sighed, shaking his head.

How have we not found anything? Five years, Maisie. We’ve been working on this for five years, and this is the closest we’ve got?

I adjusted my lab coat, crossing and uncrossing my legs.

I didn’t think I’d be at this job for five years.

I thought by now, I would have left on maternity leave and stayed home with a brood of children. At the same time, my husband, Harrison, continued to work at his own laboratory.

But after two years of trying, my stomach was still flat.

The next stop was fertility treatments, and I had to keep this job to cover that.

So I couldn’t exactly piss off the boss.

Dr. Barnes… I started, running my fingers through my curly, spiky brown hair.

I kept it short since it was easier to work with than hairnets and ponytails in the lab. Even though I got called ‘Sir’ a lot in the stores if they saw me from the back in my shapeless lab coat.

Things like this take time. We are trying new variants and testing….

And? You said this one is affecting the rats? Is it slowing it down? he asked, raising his bushy eyebrows.

I sighed. It is, but it’s also giving them other symptoms.

What kind of symptoms?

I looked out the window instead of meeting his eyes.

They’re mutating.

Mutating? What, we have X-men rats out there with superpowers now? He chuckled, but there was no humor to it.

Finally, I looked back into his tired eyes. Not superpowers, exactly. But they’re growing at an alarming rate. Kade and I injected the first group of rats earlier this week, and they’ve already doubled their weight and grew two inches in size.

So they’re stronger? Able to fight the disease? Dr. Barnes leaned forward, a new twinkle in his eye and a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Well, they’re not exactly fighting it. When we draw their blood, it’s still there.

Dr. Barnes groaned, flopping back against his leather chair as it whined under the weight of his body.

Then what the hell are you and Kade doing in there? This is the third variant in a year, and all you’re getting is mutated rats? His words were laced with venom, but he wasn’t looking at me.

I couldn’t see the expression on his face as he stared at the ceiling as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Or maybe he just couldn’t bear to look at me. The head scientist who had failed him over and over again.

Batten’s disease was a genetic disorder that affected the cells and their ability to get rid of waste, so they built up throughout the body. This buildup caused seizures, vision loss, problems with movement and speech, and eventually an early death.

Dr. Barnes’s daughter had frequent seizures. When she came into the office with one of her nurses, it was usually in a wheelchair. Her bright blue eyes tried to focus on everything through her thick glasses.

She was always smiling and happy to talk to anyone.

She especially had a sweet spot for my lab partner, Dr. Kade.

Sure, even as a married woman, I could admit that the tall, broad-shouldered, raven-haired man was attractive.

But we’d been working together long enough that I saw past his dimples and understood him for the scientist he was.

And when he got down to Dr. Barnes’s daughter’s level and explained everything we were working on in incredible detail, my empty womb always clenched.

Someday, Harrison and I would have one of our own.

And someday, we’d find a cure for this little girl.

After our meeting today, Dr. Kade and I will go over what we’ve found in the rats’ blood. See where the mutations might have come from and see what we can recover, I said, clearing my throat as I tried to sit straighter.

I hated how often our research came into question.

I wondered if people in bigger companies trying to find cures for diseases like cancer dealt with this.

But I wasn’t afforded that luxury.

I was just staring at the broken CEO who wanted to make his daughter better. Even if he had to belittle the scientist trying everything in her power to help her.

And then what? Do you go through another year of research on this new variant? See what you can get from mutant rat blood? he spat, his hands now gripping the corner of his desk.

Dr. Barnes was in a perpetual bad mood, but there was something else to his voice today.

Something with more malice.

Maybe he had a rough night with