Contagious
Book #1 in The Contagium Trilogy
Book #1 in The Contagium Trilogy
Emily Goodwin
Genre: Occult
horror/zombie
Number of pages:
Approx 340
Word Count: Approx
120,000
Cover Artist:
SweetDreams http://dream-sweetdreams.deviantart.com/
Book Description:
“I
wasn’t afraid of death. If I died, it would be over. My worst fear wasn’t of
dying, it was of living. Living, while everyone around me had their flesh
savagely torn from their bodies to be shoved into the festering and ever-hungry
mouths of zombies. It terrified me, right down to my very core, to be alive
while the rest of the world was dead."
In the midst of the Second Great Depression, twenty-five year old Orissa Penwell doesn't think things can get any worse. She couldn't be more wrong. A virus breaks out across the country, leaving the infected crazed, aggressive and very hungry.
Orissa will do anything-no matter if it's right or wrong- to save the ones she loves. But when she discovers that most of the world is infected or dead, she must decide if those lives are worth saving at all.
In the midst of the Second Great Depression, twenty-five year old Orissa Penwell doesn't think things can get any worse. She couldn't be more wrong. A virus breaks out across the country, leaving the infected crazed, aggressive and very hungry.
Orissa will do anything-no matter if it's right or wrong- to save the ones she loves. But when she discovers that most of the world is infected or dead, she must decide if those lives are worth saving at all.
Excerpt:
I grabbed a rifle, sticking
my head through the strap. I slung the quiver of arrows and the bow over my
shoulder, stuffed an extra clip in my pocket, and stood.
“What the hell are you
doing?” Padraic asked, over Argos’ muffled growls.
“I’m going to bring the truck
around. Get in the back as soon as you can.”
“No!” Raeya objected. “Rissy,
you’ll die! You-you can’t go down there with them!”
“They’re still far enough
away I can get to the car.”
“No, they’re not. Stay here
and they will pass us,” she pleaded.
“They will find us. Our best
chance is getting out of here. Then we can double back for the SUV.”
“Orissa, that is crazy!”
Jason shouted. “What if you don’t make it?”
“I have to try.” I moved to
the ladder.
“You could die,” Raeya cried,
scrambling to her feet.
“You either die trying or you
just die,” I told her, feeling like this wasn’t really happening. “I’m not
giving up yet. I said I’d keep you alive, and, well, this is the only way.”
My feet hit the cold cement, shock
stinging my ankles. I pulled an arrow, ready to shoot. My breath clouded around
me as adrenaline coursed my veins. The zombies were closer than I anticipated.
They surrounded the cars, passing them without a second look. Hungry, they
followed our human scent. I released the arrow. It zipped through the air and
passed through a mushy zombie skull, continuing its lethal voyage into
another’s eye.
I couldn’t do that again if I
tried. I ran around the barn, clambering onto the roof of some sort of out
building. I fired the rest of my arrows. Two fast zombies raced in front of the
rest, stretching their arms out when they caught sight of my movement. Firing
the gun would give me away for sure. I dropped the bow, jumped down and held
the rifle like a baseball bat. I whacked one in the head and kicked the other
in the chest.
Its skin slimed off, making
the bottom of my boot slippery. My foot skidded out from underneath me. The
zombie I kicked grabbed my foot, bringing it to his mouth. He couldn’t bite
through my boot. The M9 was wedged in my waistband, hurting like hell when I
landed on my back. I madly thrashed around, retrieving it. I held it to the
zombie’s head and pulled the trigger.
Spoiled bits of brain and
thick blood splashed across my face. Thank God I remembered to close my eyes.
Wiping zombie blood from my lips, I rolled over, shooting the other in the
cheek. Dammit, I thought, cursing
wasting a bullet. I fired again, this time hitting him right in between the
eyes. Yellow brain matter oozed from the bullet hole. I scrambled back onto the
roof of what had to be a chicken coup, based on the feathers. I emptied my
clip, burying each round deep into the skull of a zombie.
Though they dropped like
flies, it didn’t even dent the horrifying number that lumbered toward us. I
switched to the rifle, shooting anything that moved. I needed to get off of the
roof before I was completely surrounded. I dropped the rifle, shoved another
clip into the M9 and jumped off. I sprinted to a silo. I climbed six feet up
the ladder, twisting, and shooting.
A zombie moved through the
crowd with sickening speed and grace. I had one bullet left. I aimed carefully,
lining the scope up with his eye. I paused, thinking he was the best looking
zombie I’d ever seen. His eyes met mine right as I pulled the trigger.
A zombie next to him fell to
the ground. He put his finger to his lips and walked, unnoticed, through the
flesh eating monsters that clawed at the broken side of the barn. When he was
at the bottom of the ladder, he motioned for me to come down. I swallowed, not
knowing why in the world I would trust this person or who the hell he was
walking amongst the zombies. I shoved the empty M9 in my waistband and climbed
down, hands trembling almost uncontrollably.
As soon as my feet hit the
ground, he pressed himself up against me, pinning me between his body and the
silo. Over a black, long sleeve shirt, he was wearing a hairy, moldy leather
vest. It was wrinkled and rotten in parts. I wanted to shove him off me when I
realized it was made out of zombie skin. Fingers, tied to strings like freaking
decorations, hung from his neck. A hand was tied to his belt. I didn’t know
what part of the zombie was stitched onto the baseball cap he was wearing.
It was disgusting, having
zombie parts rubbing against me. It smelled revolting. So revolting, that the
zombies wouldn’t be able to distinguish his human smell from the rotting flesh
of one of their own. I closed my eyes and buried my face against his chest.
As if we didn’t exist, the
zombies milled by, grabbing at the weak wood that kept my friends safe. I was
grateful for this very odd stranger but I wanted to help my friends. A gun
fired. My body tensed, thinking somehow one of my friends had gotten a hold of
a weapon and shot the guy who was saving me, thinking he was really a zombie.
He put an arm around me,
obviously thinking the echoing shot scared me. My fingers closed around the
material of his shirt. A zombie stopped, eyeing us hungrily. I pulled the guy
closer to me, holding my breath. He inched closer, every part of him pressing
into me. Too scared to breathe, I held my breath until the zombie moved on.
Wasn't that just delicious? I loved it. If you want a zombie story that drags you in by the hair, then you have to check out Contagious.
Points of interest:
Dialogue good
Plot keeps you guessing
Victory is not assured-so I was thrilled. Zombies rule!!!
What would you do if your world was ripped apart and suddenly it really was a zombie apocalypse? Now, me being a zombie, I am totally rooting for the other team here, but humans...well they had better invest in a few baseball bats and some track shoes. Just sayin'.
For some fun zombie action, lots of screaming and some pretty good actions scenes, check out Emily Goodwin's first book in what will be a series. Yes, that's right! More wonderful zombie adventures to come...
4/5
The Interview:
1. Zombies are so much fun to write about! How did you get inspired to write Contagious?
1. Zombies are so much fun to write about! How did you get inspired to write Contagious?
I
had a really weird dream that I needed my appendix out. The surgeon asked me if
I wanted to replace it with pot roast or pasta salad. Of course, I chose the
pot roast because it is more filling. Once I woke up from surgery, I found
everyone dead. I wandered around the hospital until an attractive Irish doctor
(who inspired the character Padraic) saved me and told me that a zombie virus
had broken out. When I woke up, I not only thought that I just had the weirdest
and most random dream ever, but I also thought it would be awesome to write
about zombies.
2. What are some of
your favorite zombie authors?
I read The
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan years ago and the story has stuck with
me. I loved the way she told it; you almost weren’t sure she was talking about
zombies at first. The old fashioned, dystopian setting is haunting and just
perfect for the ZA.
3. Zombieland vs.
Shaun of the Dead?
Hmm…they both are good. But I’m gonna go with
Zombieland. Zombie clowns are full of win.
4. Twinkies vs.
Ho Ho's?
Tallahassee will be happy; I won’t fight him
for Twinkies. I’ll go for the Ho Ho’s.
5. Machete vs.
baseball bat?
Machete. Cutting off heads is always
effective.
6. What three things
would you want with you in the event of a zombie takeover?
A truck with a full tank of gas, a gun and a
ton of bullets (that counts as one, right?), and an ‘emergency bag’ with enough
food and water to last me several days. (And my family and friends, of course!)
7. Do you have a
playlist?
Yes. I think I have about 100 songs on my
Contagium Trilogy playlist that I listened to on repeat while writing. One of
these days I plan on making soundtracks for each book using music from that
playlist. There is a lot of Three Days Grace, Godsmack, and Nine Inch Nails on
that list!
8. What is your
favorite zombie movie?
Resident Evil. (I’m a fan of the game too!) I
guess I’m a sucker for strong women, I love Alice!
(I even have a horse named Alice…)
9. What are some of
your hobbies when you are not writing awesome zombie stories?
I have horses, so I like to spend a majority
of my time at the barn. I also have ferrets, rats, and a dog that I take care
of. I recently started a stock account on deviantart.com, so I spend a lot of
time sewing costumes for it and then taking pictures. I’m in an unofficial
ghost hunting club with my friends. I enjoy reading as much as writing. And I
like to hang out and relax with my husband, family, and friends! I have too
many hobbies!
10. What is next?
I am currently in the editing phase with my
novel, Reaper, which is the second book in The Guardian Legacies series. Once
that is done, I am going to finish The Truth is Contagious (the final book in
the Contagium Trilogy). After that, I plan on writing Moonlight, the third book
in the Guardian Legacies series.
Thanks!
Thank you for allowing me to be a guest on
your blog! It was fun!
Author Bio:
Emily
Goodwin resides in Indiana, where she lives with her husband and many four
legged children, including their much loved German Shepherd named Vader.
Accused of being a day dreamer, Emily began writing at an early age, making use
of her active imagination. She has a degree in psychology and is currently
working on her second degree in nursing. Emily likes anything paranormal, 80's
rock, going on crazy adventures with her friends, making (and wearing)
costumes, Renaissance Fairs, and is an animal rights activist.
0emilygoodwin –
Twitter
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