I Dream of Zombies Series

I Dream of Zombies, book 2: it started with a dream and then London went to hell. Marla's tough, but is she strong enough to survive Haven? Marla, Ellen and Tommy have reached Haven in Rickslaw, near Salisbury, England. The story opens with them leaving quarantine, refreshed after spending a week in isolation. Once a secret government building, Haven has become a refugee centre, offering sanctuary, and its scientists are focused on finding a cure for the virus that is sweeping across the UK. The facility appears to offer everything that its inmates could possibly need: food, shelter, companionship, safety and even entertainment; everything that is, except freedom. People are advised not to leave the building – they do so at their own peril. The dead drifting across the fields are a daily reminder of the danger lurking outside. Suffering a bad case of cabin fever, Marla chooses to join the guard, under Commander Caballero. Their job is to protect the regular Joes and search for survivors in the nearby villages that the army failed to evacuate in time. Meanwhile, Dr Grice, fascinated by Ellen’s dreams of the dead, is convinced he can cure her, if she will first face her darkest fears. What if the greatest danger isn't the dead outside? Excerpt from Prologue: Ellen’s dream So hypnotic, the man’s eyes draw her in, but they are different. White in colour, their irises erased; translucent, staring globes of nothing with lines of red etched across. He offers a grim smile as bile slides out from between his cracked lips, once so full and sensual. It drips upon the surface of her hand, burning into the skin, searing, and she withdraws it quickly, yet it remains there on top of the bed. Why doesn’t her hand move? She gazes down at her skin turning red from the liquid, bubbling, as a stinging pain spears all the way through to her palm. Fear grips her senses, squeezing. Turning, she wills her body to run in the direction of the exit, stumbling into a wild sprint, not daring to glance back. She feels the movement, slow but sure, like gliding through a thick fog, yet her body is still there; she can see it frozen by the bed as the man gapes at her, his eyes fixed on her face, the mouth opening wider to reveal a black endless nothing. She screams, but its existence snaps silent. Out of the corner of her eye she notices the tick-tock sway of the bulb flickering its last and she senses she is doomed; knows it as surely as the fact that the rusting chain will swing again, back and forth, relentlessly, forever. His face moves closer, the skin flaking in the way of old paint curling away from a wall, the edges creeping up. Then it disintegrates altogether. Beneath, the muscles continue to ebb and flow like water as he smiles. Blood oozes, dripping, as his teeth sink into her flesh. From the far distance creeps the incongruous ripple of laughter.

A zombie novel set in London over six weeks in 2013, with a strong female lead character. It starts with a dream and then the nightmare takes over. It all begins on a summer’s day with the media reporting with some hilarity that people are dreaming of the dead coming to life, but those who have dreamt them are convinced they are a warning of things to come. Marla takes it all with a pinch of salt until she experiences the nightmares herself. Cue paranoia and disbelief until reality shows its new face. All over London there are incidences of people becoming sick and aggressive. As the attacks mount, the media is forced to take the matter seriously, but what is causing it? Is it a virus, and is it natural or man-made, and is the government responsible? Marla, her sister, Ellen, and friend Tommy find themselves fighting for their survival as their sense of reality is smashed. Will the army and police maintain control or will the country find itself in lock down, isolated from the outside world? 97,990 words. “This book's strength lies in two areas: character development...[and] the graphic descriptions of zombie attacks and their effects.” - Stewart Bint. "I am pleased to say Vickie has written the novel I have been waiting for. I do not want to give the game away too much but will say there are no cop outs in this book which makes a change. Recommended." - AM Campbell Excerpt from the novel... the dream... "A sickening sense of dread ravages him as fear drifts over the surface of his skin like fingers, icy cold and unrelenting. He turns again and sprints towards the exit, his pace becoming increasingly slower as if something is pushing him back. Yet still he finds himself in the exact same position, his feet rooted to the spot, his arms sweeping, useless. His hair blows in the breath that the creature now turns on him, sickening in its putrid scent of death and putrefaction. There is not a word he can think of to describe this thing in front of him. Fear creeps, regardless. Twisting, crawling, the maggots swarm across its bloodied face as it opens its mouth wider. Something rips. The yawn seems to swallow him whole into this darkness of despair as a jagged, ripping pain overwhelms him; the sharp teeth chafing, gnawing at his neck, seeking to pierce the jugular vein within. From far off in the distance comes the ripple of laughter."