Stephen Drivick's Blog, page 3
October 1, 2016
New Cat
This is my sister's new cat, Charlie.
He comes to us after the late and great Linus. He lived to the grand old age of seventeen years old, which my veterinarian sister says is an old age for a cat. Linus was a ball of gray mush that loved to sit on the bed watching everybody from the high ground. He was also a well-traveled feline, living in no less than two states (Florida, Georgia) and a few apartments. Not a fussy kitty, he always took the frequent moves in stride. Linus spent his golden years in Woodstock, GA a well-loved cat. He was a nice kitty, and is missed.
Charlie is a pretty neat cat, too. While Linus was laid back, Charlie is a wrecking crew. He likes to climb and run all over the apartment. My sister keeps buying him toys to keep him occupied and out of trouble. Reports say he is not a destructive kitty, but just has a lot of energy. There were a few anxious nights of howling and running around, but Charlie settled in nicely after a few days. I know Charlie will be well-loved and taken care of. My sister will see to that. I think he will enjoy a long and healthy life just like his predecessor.
Till next time, zombie fans.
Into the Box Set
It started as an innocent post on KBoards.com. Author David VanDyke called for a few apocalyptic stories for some box sets he was putting together. I thought, "Hey...I wrote a few of those. Maybe I could get in.” I chose my first zombie novel, Sometimes We Ran, to submit. I figured it was the first part of the story, and readers of the box set would like to see how my series began.
Sometimes We Ran had to be formatted for inclusion. David requested a .DOC file, so I went into my 500GB hard drive to drag out a copy. That's when I ran into my first problem ...or maybe I'll just call it a challenge.
Sometimes We Ran was written three years ago on a website called Leanpub.com. The website did a great and tidy job of making files for Amazon, NOOK, Kobo, etc. However, Leanpub used fancy text files to make the book ready for ereaders. In short, I had no clean, final .DOC file to send to David.
This set off a panic search for converters or services that could make a .DOC file out of whatever scraps I could find. A long Google search turned up a file converter that worked on Chrome. Sending my Kindle files through, produced nice, clean Word files that would work. After a few rounds of editing with David, Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse was ready for the prime time and the box set. I would like to thank David for his extraordinary patience in the editing process. He needed it a certain way, and I think I finally got it in the end.
I am honored to be associated with all the fine authors in this box set, and Author David VanDyke. He does this box set thing often, so you never know. Sometimes We Ran 2: Community may hit the scene sometime in the future. You can bet though, I'll have a .DOC file waiting to go ...maybe.
If you want to check out this box set or any of the others, point your browser at Amazon's Kindle Book Store. I hope you have it bookmarked :) :
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LJPGKDK/
Till next time, zombie fans.
Sometimes We Ran had to be formatted for inclusion. David requested a .DOC file, so I went into my 500GB hard drive to drag out a copy. That's when I ran into my first problem ...or maybe I'll just call it a challenge.
Sometimes We Ran was written three years ago on a website called Leanpub.com. The website did a great and tidy job of making files for Amazon, NOOK, Kobo, etc. However, Leanpub used fancy text files to make the book ready for ereaders. In short, I had no clean, final .DOC file to send to David.
This set off a panic search for converters or services that could make a .DOC file out of whatever scraps I could find. A long Google search turned up a file converter that worked on Chrome. Sending my Kindle files through, produced nice, clean Word files that would work. After a few rounds of editing with David, Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse was ready for the prime time and the box set. I would like to thank David for his extraordinary patience in the editing process. He needed it a certain way, and I think I finally got it in the end.
I am honored to be associated with all the fine authors in this box set, and Author David VanDyke. He does this box set thing often, so you never know. Sometimes We Ran 2: Community may hit the scene sometime in the future. You can bet though, I'll have a .DOC file waiting to go ...maybe.
If you want to check out this box set or any of the others, point your browser at Amazon's Kindle Book Store. I hope you have it bookmarked :) :
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LJPGKDK/
Till next time, zombie fans.
January 22, 2016
A Little Something from Facebook...
From time to time, the Facebook group - Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans - posts an apocalyptic or science fiction photo and asks for a 300 word story. Here's one that I posted a couple of weeks ago. It was about 340 words...still working on my editing skills. :)
“The signal is gone,” the mechanical voice reported.
“Find it,” Maize said. “We can’t lose another one.”
RUNNER, Model number 231 waited for headquarters to get things straightened out. It needed that signal to get to the evac vehicle some distance away from the bunker.
A humongous machine shook the ground nearby. RUNNER shrank back, trying to be as small as possible. The whole area vibrated as the enemy robot ambled by. Humans called them Stompers, and they had a simple job. Lock onto human life signs, and stomp them.
RUNNER had a job, too. Get the delicate babies to the evac vehicle, and get them away from here. Humans were too slow. They built RUNNERS to get their most precious resource to safety. RUNNER was fast. Faster than the Stompers that patrolled the area.
“I can't find it. It's blocked.”
“Dammit!” Maize said. “RUNNER 231 you have to move.”
“Roger.”
The robot burst out of the hiding spot at full speed. The Stompers had all moved on. RUNNER found the evac vehicles heat signature. It waited ahead, perched on the remains of a building.
A Stomper came out of the haze, and blocked the road. The enemy machine raised up one of its giant feet to flatten RUNNER and its human cargo. With a horrible squeal, the foot moved downward.
RUNNER was too fast. It ran right under the beast machine and out the other side. It cradled the baby in his arms. Almost as good as a human mother. Almost, but not quite the same.
The Stomper flipped over onto its back, legs flailing in the air. The hero robot ran to the evac vehicle, and handed the baby to the human hanging out of the door.
“Thanks,” the human said. “Good job.”
“You are welcome,” RUNNER said.
The robot turned back towards the bunker. The job wasn't done. More vehicles were on the way, and there were many babies to save.
“The signal is gone,” the mechanical voice reported.
“Find it,” Maize said. “We can’t lose another one.”
RUNNER, Model number 231 waited for headquarters to get things straightened out. It needed that signal to get to the evac vehicle some distance away from the bunker.
A humongous machine shook the ground nearby. RUNNER shrank back, trying to be as small as possible. The whole area vibrated as the enemy robot ambled by. Humans called them Stompers, and they had a simple job. Lock onto human life signs, and stomp them.
RUNNER had a job, too. Get the delicate babies to the evac vehicle, and get them away from here. Humans were too slow. They built RUNNERS to get their most precious resource to safety. RUNNER was fast. Faster than the Stompers that patrolled the area.
“I can't find it. It's blocked.”
“Dammit!” Maize said. “RUNNER 231 you have to move.”
“Roger.”
The robot burst out of the hiding spot at full speed. The Stompers had all moved on. RUNNER found the evac vehicles heat signature. It waited ahead, perched on the remains of a building.
A Stomper came out of the haze, and blocked the road. The enemy machine raised up one of its giant feet to flatten RUNNER and its human cargo. With a horrible squeal, the foot moved downward.
RUNNER was too fast. It ran right under the beast machine and out the other side. It cradled the baby in his arms. Almost as good as a human mother. Almost, but not quite the same.
The Stomper flipped over onto its back, legs flailing in the air. The hero robot ran to the evac vehicle, and handed the baby to the human hanging out of the door.
“Thanks,” the human said. “Good job.”
“You are welcome,” RUNNER said.
The robot turned back towards the bunker. The job wasn't done. More vehicles were on the way, and there were many babies to save.
Another Facebook Story
Just a little something I put on Facebook. It was a writing prompt from the Band of Dystopian Authors and Fans....
It had been years since I had seen another human. The face that disappeared from the upstairs window as I approached my house told me that was about to change.
I broke into a run. My supplies...the sonofabitch is in my bedroom, I thought as I hit the porch. Checking out the door revealed it dented and broken. I ran my hand over the splintered wood. “Dammit to hell!” I said to myself. Something else to fix. I pulled my trusty shotgun out. Nobody broke into my house and took my supplies.
I pushed the door open, and burst into the living room. A dark shape was hunched over a pile of stolen items. My stuff. My entrance startled the thief, and they tried to get up and run. The interloper tripped over their own boots, and fell hard to the ground.
Shuffling forward, my mind raced. I debated shooting the intruder. The thief sat up against the wall, faced me, and fumbled under their clothes. I was soon staring at a huge revolver. “Stop! I'll kill you,” the supply thief yelled in a feminine tone.
It was a girl. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was wearing a tattered dress covered by a large jacket. She was just a wisp, a ghost...all hollow cheeks and pale skin. Her gun shook as she pointed it at my heart.
The ghost girl pulled the hammer back. “I mean it. I'll kill you.”
She had just been a baby when the war came. I wasn't going to kill her. I couldn't kill a kid. Putting the shotgun down, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a granola bar. Maybe the last granola bar on the whole planet.
The girl put her head down. She placed the gun in my hand, taking the granola bar at the same time. She sank to the floor and began to cry. I kneeled down to comfort her.
She was too weak to open the granola bar. I did it for her. Looking up with watery eyes, she said, “I'm sick. I think I'm dying...the radiation...”
I put my arm around her. “You're not sick...just hungry.” As she ate, I checked out her gun. Rusty and covered in mold, it was not operable.
“I wouldn't have killed you. Even if the gun worked,” she said.
“I know.” I placed her weapon on the nearest table. It joined a pile of other rusty and moldy guns.
It had been years since I had seen another human. The face that disappeared from the upstairs window as I approached my house told me that was about to change.
I broke into a run. My supplies...the sonofabitch is in my bedroom, I thought as I hit the porch. Checking out the door revealed it dented and broken. I ran my hand over the splintered wood. “Dammit to hell!” I said to myself. Something else to fix. I pulled my trusty shotgun out. Nobody broke into my house and took my supplies.
I pushed the door open, and burst into the living room. A dark shape was hunched over a pile of stolen items. My stuff. My entrance startled the thief, and they tried to get up and run. The interloper tripped over their own boots, and fell hard to the ground.
Shuffling forward, my mind raced. I debated shooting the intruder. The thief sat up against the wall, faced me, and fumbled under their clothes. I was soon staring at a huge revolver. “Stop! I'll kill you,” the supply thief yelled in a feminine tone.
It was a girl. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. She was wearing a tattered dress covered by a large jacket. She was just a wisp, a ghost...all hollow cheeks and pale skin. Her gun shook as she pointed it at my heart.
The ghost girl pulled the hammer back. “I mean it. I'll kill you.”
She had just been a baby when the war came. I wasn't going to kill her. I couldn't kill a kid. Putting the shotgun down, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out a granola bar. Maybe the last granola bar on the whole planet.
The girl put her head down. She placed the gun in my hand, taking the granola bar at the same time. She sank to the floor and began to cry. I kneeled down to comfort her.
She was too weak to open the granola bar. I did it for her. Looking up with watery eyes, she said, “I'm sick. I think I'm dying...the radiation...”
I put my arm around her. “You're not sick...just hungry.” As she ate, I checked out her gun. Rusty and covered in mold, it was not operable.
“I wouldn't have killed you. Even if the gun worked,” she said.
“I know.” I placed her weapon on the nearest table. It joined a pile of other rusty and moldy guns.
December 13, 2015
The Ongoing March of Tech
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I remember my first laptop. It was a 2 inch thick, HP Pavilion 5000 something-or-other from Walmart. It was a gift from my Dad, who saw it on sale and thought me having a computer would be cool. It was...but it had a few drawbacks.
The screen. No doubt the worst screen resolution ever bolted together with a computer chip. You actually had to stand up and step back to make out some of the pictures.
The slowness. 512MB of ram. Combined with dial-up internet (remember?), you could take a coffee break while websites came up. And God forbid if the site had heavy picture content, or...gulp, video clips. You could time the thing with a calendar. Surfing the web was sometimes an all-nighter.
The storage. 30GB of ram. That's it...and that was a big drive at the time. Cheap Micro SD cards from Amazon have more storage...and they're faster to access!
My Dad meant well, and it was a pretty good computer at the time for a beginner. It was quickly out-classed and made obsolete by other offerings, and it didn't last very long. The wire harness from the screen to the motherboard broke inside causing a black screen of death. The old Pavilion was replaced, and now I'm actually three computers removed from that first step into the world of laptops.
That brick of a laptop was first powered on only twelve years ago. My new laptop has 8GB of ram, 500GB of storage, and Windows 10. It makes short work of websites...good for research. It plays video like a champ, and can download in a flash. It even folds into a tablet if necessary. The quick march of technology amazes me.
Pictured in this post, is another milepost on the march. Leaning against my monitor, is one of my latest purchases...a Kocaso W700 Windows tablet. It sports 1GB of ram, 16GB of storage, and Windows 8.1 all in a device with a 7in screen. This is not some crippled device that won't do anything, but a functional computer. It may have modest specs, but it still blows away my laptop from just a few years ago. It's a travel companion that runs full Windows programs. For writers, you could bring this thing wherever you go and jot down a few notes for your next story or novel. Maybe even bang out a chapter or two. And it uses your favorite word processing program. No need to convert files to move your precious words around. Find your favorite spot, get inspired, and write away. Heck...you could even hook a monitor to it (Micro HDMI) and continue to write at home.
Technology moves on. One day, they might just build-in a small computer into your brain when your born. Just need to upgrade it every few years or so. Sounds like a good idea for a novel. Don't anybody steal it! :)
Till next time.
I remember my first laptop. It was a 2 inch thick, HP Pavilion 5000 something-or-other from Walmart. It was a gift from my Dad, who saw it on sale and thought me having a computer would be cool. It was...but it had a few drawbacks.
The screen. No doubt the worst screen resolution ever bolted together with a computer chip. You actually had to stand up and step back to make out some of the pictures.
The slowness. 512MB of ram. Combined with dial-up internet (remember?), you could take a coffee break while websites came up. And God forbid if the site had heavy picture content, or...gulp, video clips. You could time the thing with a calendar. Surfing the web was sometimes an all-nighter.
The storage. 30GB of ram. That's it...and that was a big drive at the time. Cheap Micro SD cards from Amazon have more storage...and they're faster to access!
My Dad meant well, and it was a pretty good computer at the time for a beginner. It was quickly out-classed and made obsolete by other offerings, and it didn't last very long. The wire harness from the screen to the motherboard broke inside causing a black screen of death. The old Pavilion was replaced, and now I'm actually three computers removed from that first step into the world of laptops.
That brick of a laptop was first powered on only twelve years ago. My new laptop has 8GB of ram, 500GB of storage, and Windows 10. It makes short work of websites...good for research. It plays video like a champ, and can download in a flash. It even folds into a tablet if necessary. The quick march of technology amazes me.
Pictured in this post, is another milepost on the march. Leaning against my monitor, is one of my latest purchases...a Kocaso W700 Windows tablet. It sports 1GB of ram, 16GB of storage, and Windows 8.1 all in a device with a 7in screen. This is not some crippled device that won't do anything, but a functional computer. It may have modest specs, but it still blows away my laptop from just a few years ago. It's a travel companion that runs full Windows programs. For writers, you could bring this thing wherever you go and jot down a few notes for your next story or novel. Maybe even bang out a chapter or two. And it uses your favorite word processing program. No need to convert files to move your precious words around. Find your favorite spot, get inspired, and write away. Heck...you could even hook a monitor to it (Micro HDMI) and continue to write at home.
Technology moves on. One day, they might just build-in a small computer into your brain when your born. Just need to upgrade it every few years or so. Sounds like a good idea for a novel. Don't anybody steal it! :)
Till next time.
October 31, 2015
Happy Halloween
Judging by the Christmas trees going up for sale at my local Wal-Mart, it must be Halloween.
Halloween has a special significance for me. I had a story in my head for Sometimes We Ran, but I didn't have the disaster that ended the world. I thought about a few ways the world could end – nuclear war, chemical warfare, pandemic, global government collapse, famine – and none seemed right. I even envisioned a scenario where a planet crashes into Earth, but it was too flashy.
A somewhat popular zombie apocalypse show with everyone's favorite unhinged sheriff was having a Halloween marathon. I watched, and jotted down creative descriptions for zombies and ways to eradicate them. Sometimes We Ran was born.
Two sequels followed, both as a result of that night. The third part of the series, Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is celebrating its sixth month of publication. A fourth and fifth part will follow, and then I won't know what to do. Maybe I'll nap a bit. :)
Like I do every year since writing these books, I've put them up for sale. Until 11/02, all three e books in the Sometimes We Ran series will be 99 cents each – if I set the Kindle Countdown deal correctly. You can also borrow all three with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. I thank you for your support. :)
Until next time, and Happy Halloween.
Halloween has a special significance for me. I had a story in my head for Sometimes We Ran, but I didn't have the disaster that ended the world. I thought about a few ways the world could end – nuclear war, chemical warfare, pandemic, global government collapse, famine – and none seemed right. I even envisioned a scenario where a planet crashes into Earth, but it was too flashy.
A somewhat popular zombie apocalypse show with everyone's favorite unhinged sheriff was having a Halloween marathon. I watched, and jotted down creative descriptions for zombies and ways to eradicate them. Sometimes We Ran was born.
Two sequels followed, both as a result of that night. The third part of the series, Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue is celebrating its sixth month of publication. A fourth and fifth part will follow, and then I won't know what to do. Maybe I'll nap a bit. :)
Like I do every year since writing these books, I've put them up for sale. Until 11/02, all three e books in the Sometimes We Ran series will be 99 cents each – if I set the Kindle Countdown deal correctly. You can also borrow all three with your Kindle Unlimited subscription. I thank you for your support. :)
Until next time, and Happy Halloween.
October 1, 2015
Add Another Laptop to my Museum of Broken Stuff
I pressed the rectangular power switch on my trusty, five-year-old HP Pavilion laptop, and sat back waiting for the familiar home screen to show up.
But nothing happened. Just a black screen stared back at me.
The drive began making some strange noises. CLICK...CLICK...CLICK...Whrrrrrr. Sounds expensive.
After several start attempts with the same ugly noises and the same black screen, I suspected my electronic writing buddy was dead. I panicked, then put my forehead on the cheap, folding table that passes for my desk.
“My book is on there. Oh crap...I mean my books.” Sometimes We Ran 1,2,and 3 are all stored on the hard drive, resting comfortably. They sit there along with all my other scribbles taking up disk space. “What the hell am I going to do?” I cried.
After trying a few more fixes that regressed into shouting at the poor sick computer, I pronounced it deceased. It was time for a new laptop. So, I did what everybody does when they need some new electronics. I dialed up Amazon.com. :)
And that's where the problems began. Amazon has – I think – a million and a half pages full of new laptops. My eyes glazed, and my back ached as I paged through dozens of comparisons. Besides needing a computer that handled word documents, I needed one that could run CAD software as well. This means more RAM and a higher end processor. The search became complicated.
It seemed like hours later, but I finally settled on a new model... An ASUS 2 in 1 flip with 8GB of RAM (remember the CAD!), 500 GB(!) hard drive, and a new Intel I5 processor. It ran Windows 8.1 when I bought it, but updated to 10 a week after setup. So far, it has worked out great. The little ASUS is quiet, quick, and boots up fast. The keyboard even flips around, and it becomes a giant (13.3”) Windows 10 tablet. Pretty cool. Hopefully, Sometimes We Ran 4 will get back on track. :)
There is one thing I took away from all this, and it's very important. Back up your work on a daily basis. Luckily, I made a backup of all my files from the old computer, so it was just a matter of plugging it into the new machine. If you write on a laptop, grab a couple of USB drives and back up your masterpiece. Two times on two separate drives if possible. Set up cloud storage with Google Drive, Dropbox, or whoever Apple uses. Throw a copy in there as well. You'll thank me when your laptop starts making those expensive noises. :)
Till next time, friends.
But nothing happened. Just a black screen stared back at me.
The drive began making some strange noises. CLICK...CLICK...CLICK...Whrrrrrr. Sounds expensive.
After several start attempts with the same ugly noises and the same black screen, I suspected my electronic writing buddy was dead. I panicked, then put my forehead on the cheap, folding table that passes for my desk.
“My book is on there. Oh crap...I mean my books.” Sometimes We Ran 1,2,and 3 are all stored on the hard drive, resting comfortably. They sit there along with all my other scribbles taking up disk space. “What the hell am I going to do?” I cried.
After trying a few more fixes that regressed into shouting at the poor sick computer, I pronounced it deceased. It was time for a new laptop. So, I did what everybody does when they need some new electronics. I dialed up Amazon.com. :)
And that's where the problems began. Amazon has – I think – a million and a half pages full of new laptops. My eyes glazed, and my back ached as I paged through dozens of comparisons. Besides needing a computer that handled word documents, I needed one that could run CAD software as well. This means more RAM and a higher end processor. The search became complicated.
It seemed like hours later, but I finally settled on a new model... An ASUS 2 in 1 flip with 8GB of RAM (remember the CAD!), 500 GB(!) hard drive, and a new Intel I5 processor. It ran Windows 8.1 when I bought it, but updated to 10 a week after setup. So far, it has worked out great. The little ASUS is quiet, quick, and boots up fast. The keyboard even flips around, and it becomes a giant (13.3”) Windows 10 tablet. Pretty cool. Hopefully, Sometimes We Ran 4 will get back on track. :)
There is one thing I took away from all this, and it's very important. Back up your work on a daily basis. Luckily, I made a backup of all my files from the old computer, so it was just a matter of plugging it into the new machine. If you write on a laptop, grab a couple of USB drives and back up your masterpiece. Two times on two separate drives if possible. Set up cloud storage with Google Drive, Dropbox, or whoever Apple uses. Throw a copy in there as well. You'll thank me when your laptop starts making those expensive noises. :)
Till next time, friends.
A Passage From Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue
“Could you use some company? Getting kind of cold and lonely over on the other wall.”
I picked my head up, and looked into Claire's smiling face. “Yeah...okay,” I said, moving over to give her some room. It had been a few hours since she had spoken to me.
She sat down with a heavy sigh, and put her head against the wall. “Got to say. Not one of our better trips outside.”
I managed a small laugh. “No. Not very smooth, I guess. Saw you talking to Lyle before. Did you get anything out of him?”
“No,” said Claire with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “He's pretty out of it.” She stretched out her legs, and flexed her injured ankle. “I guess losing everything does that to a person.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
Claire put her head on my shoulder. “You remember the time you and I had to hide out in that candy store?”
“Yeah. That was so long ago. I remember the rain. We were both drenched. The Red-Eyes surrounded the place, and you found that stale fudge with the green fuzz on it in the back.”
Claire laughed softly. “It wasn't so bad with the green stuff cut off. We pigged out.”
“Filled our bellies,” I said. The memory washed over me like an ocean wave. That had been a long night.
“How did we get out of that one?” Claire said.
“The rain got worse, and turned into hail. It drove the zombies back into hiding. We made a break for it out the back door,” I said.
“Oh, yeah...across the field with the black mud,” Claire said. “I remember running over all the bodies buried in that mud. Still have dreams about it, sometimes.”
“Stepping over skulls,” I said. “Are you saying that time was similar to this situation?”
“Maybe. We won't be able to use the back door,” Claire said.
“The cold may drive the zombies away from the bank. Maybe we can make a run for the bus,” I said. It was, at least, a little hope.
Claire took hold of my hand. “Do you think they miss us back home?” Claire was full of questions.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “Maybe they're looking for us right now.”
Claire was silent for a while, like she was thinking. Then she said, “That guy at the Fort. The one I hit with my bat. I killed him, didn't I?”
A chill ran through my tired body. “I don't know...”
She sat up. “Don't lie to me.”
Claire was my good friend. We had been through hell together, and came out the other side. I couldn't bring myself to her anything but the full truth. “It didn't look good.”
Claire looked down, and shook her head. “I knew it. Been thinking about it since we left the Fort.” Disgusted with herself, she continued, “I'm starting to agree with you. What you said before. It's getting too easy to kill.” She began to cry softly, tears running down her cheeks. “We will never be forgiven for what we've done.”
I looked into Claire's deep, blue eyes. The hard years after the zombie apocalypse had dulled them slightly, but they still sparkled with life. The toll of struggle was no doubt written on our faces. There was nothing I would have rather done at this moment than get her home. Get her home to her son. I wanted to get us both back home so we could live again, and try to forget about the bad world outside. She had never killed anyone with her bat before, just the undead. I always dealt with the living with my gun.
“Don't pay any attention to what I say,” I said. “I don't know what I'm talking about.”
Claire returned her head to my shoulder and put her arms around me. We often sat like this in the past when we were on the road together. I put my arm around her to try and comfort her, to comfort both of us. “We've both had a really lousy trip, I guess.” I kissed the top of Claire's head. Even with all the running around and dealing with zombies, her hair still managed to smell like fresh strawberries.
We sat like that for an hour or two, silent. Outside, the dead danced, and shuffled around on the sidewalk of the old town. The moaning and growling was picking up again. To drown them out, I tried to concentrate on my breathing, trick myself into closing my eyes to rest. It was difficult over the noise, but I managed to relax a little. I didn't notice when Claire stood up.
My eyes popped open. “What is it?”
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue available in the Amazon Kindle bookstore and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-We-Ra...
Till next time, zombie fans.
I picked my head up, and looked into Claire's smiling face. “Yeah...okay,” I said, moving over to give her some room. It had been a few hours since she had spoken to me.
She sat down with a heavy sigh, and put her head against the wall. “Got to say. Not one of our better trips outside.”
I managed a small laugh. “No. Not very smooth, I guess. Saw you talking to Lyle before. Did you get anything out of him?”
“No,” said Claire with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “He's pretty out of it.” She stretched out her legs, and flexed her injured ankle. “I guess losing everything does that to a person.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
Claire put her head on my shoulder. “You remember the time you and I had to hide out in that candy store?”
“Yeah. That was so long ago. I remember the rain. We were both drenched. The Red-Eyes surrounded the place, and you found that stale fudge with the green fuzz on it in the back.”
Claire laughed softly. “It wasn't so bad with the green stuff cut off. We pigged out.”
“Filled our bellies,” I said. The memory washed over me like an ocean wave. That had been a long night.
“How did we get out of that one?” Claire said.
“The rain got worse, and turned into hail. It drove the zombies back into hiding. We made a break for it out the back door,” I said.
“Oh, yeah...across the field with the black mud,” Claire said. “I remember running over all the bodies buried in that mud. Still have dreams about it, sometimes.”
“Stepping over skulls,” I said. “Are you saying that time was similar to this situation?”
“Maybe. We won't be able to use the back door,” Claire said.
“The cold may drive the zombies away from the bank. Maybe we can make a run for the bus,” I said. It was, at least, a little hope.
Claire took hold of my hand. “Do you think they miss us back home?” Claire was full of questions.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “Maybe they're looking for us right now.”
Claire was silent for a while, like she was thinking. Then she said, “That guy at the Fort. The one I hit with my bat. I killed him, didn't I?”
A chill ran through my tired body. “I don't know...”
She sat up. “Don't lie to me.”
Claire was my good friend. We had been through hell together, and came out the other side. I couldn't bring myself to her anything but the full truth. “It didn't look good.”
Claire looked down, and shook her head. “I knew it. Been thinking about it since we left the Fort.” Disgusted with herself, she continued, “I'm starting to agree with you. What you said before. It's getting too easy to kill.” She began to cry softly, tears running down her cheeks. “We will never be forgiven for what we've done.”
I looked into Claire's deep, blue eyes. The hard years after the zombie apocalypse had dulled them slightly, but they still sparkled with life. The toll of struggle was no doubt written on our faces. There was nothing I would have rather done at this moment than get her home. Get her home to her son. I wanted to get us both back home so we could live again, and try to forget about the bad world outside. She had never killed anyone with her bat before, just the undead. I always dealt with the living with my gun.
“Don't pay any attention to what I say,” I said. “I don't know what I'm talking about.”
Claire returned her head to my shoulder and put her arms around me. We often sat like this in the past when we were on the road together. I put my arm around her to try and comfort her, to comfort both of us. “We've both had a really lousy trip, I guess.” I kissed the top of Claire's head. Even with all the running around and dealing with zombies, her hair still managed to smell like fresh strawberries.
We sat like that for an hour or two, silent. Outside, the dead danced, and shuffled around on the sidewalk of the old town. The moaning and growling was picking up again. To drown them out, I tried to concentrate on my breathing, trick myself into closing my eyes to rest. It was difficult over the noise, but I managed to relax a little. I didn't notice when Claire stood up.
My eyes popped open. “What is it?”
Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue available in the Amazon Kindle bookstore and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-We-Ra...
Till next time, zombie fans.
July 11, 2015
Sometimes We Ran 3 - 3 Months Published.
Hard to believe, but Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue has been out for 3 months already.
It had a difficult birth. Halfway through the writing, I suffered a pinched nerve in my right shoulder. Pinched nerve is putting it lightly. It felt like someone was shoving a jagged piece of glass in my shoulder blade every time I tried to type. At one point, I was down to about 20-30 words a writing session.
Fingers went numb as well. On my right hand, the fingers got all tingly and sent shooting pains when I hit the keys. Long words and sentences almost made me pass out.:)
That wasn't all.
I recovered, my shoulder felt better, and the typing picked up. I managed to finish the manuscript. After a few self edits, I sent it to my editor and waited.
And waited...
Sometimes We Ran 3: The Manuscript just disappeared. The normal one week turnaround from my editor turned into a two month delay. Turns out the editor got the flu and couldn't do any manuscripts.:) After a slight delay, he got to SWR 3 and did his usually bang-up job. It was sent back with an apology.
So, after all the struggle let's put it on sale! 99 cents until next weekend.
Available in the Amazon Kindle bookstore. You can borrow it with your Kindle Unlimited membership if you want.
Quick link: http://tinyurl.com/SometimesWeRan3AMZN
Till next time zombie fans. And take care of your shoulder nerves.:)
It had a difficult birth. Halfway through the writing, I suffered a pinched nerve in my right shoulder. Pinched nerve is putting it lightly. It felt like someone was shoving a jagged piece of glass in my shoulder blade every time I tried to type. At one point, I was down to about 20-30 words a writing session.
Fingers went numb as well. On my right hand, the fingers got all tingly and sent shooting pains when I hit the keys. Long words and sentences almost made me pass out.:)
That wasn't all.
I recovered, my shoulder felt better, and the typing picked up. I managed to finish the manuscript. After a few self edits, I sent it to my editor and waited.
And waited...
Sometimes We Ran 3: The Manuscript just disappeared. The normal one week turnaround from my editor turned into a two month delay. Turns out the editor got the flu and couldn't do any manuscripts.:) After a slight delay, he got to SWR 3 and did his usually bang-up job. It was sent back with an apology.
So, after all the struggle let's put it on sale! 99 cents until next weekend.
Available in the Amazon Kindle bookstore. You can borrow it with your Kindle Unlimited membership if you want.
Quick link: http://tinyurl.com/SometimesWeRan3AMZN
Till next time zombie fans. And take care of your shoulder nerves.:)
