Piercing Undead

by T.L. Decay

"So you think you know how the world ends? Think again! With Piercing Undead, T.L.Decay offers an alternative look at a very different apocalypse scenario. Tom and Melisa return from a week long camping trip to discover a world very different from the one they left behind. Narrowly escaping the claws of the Undead, they find themselves at a local Race track where they meet fellow survivors, Shawn and Kara. And it is here that they begin to realise that, in order to stay one step ahead of the piercing claws of death, they need to band together in order to survive... T.L.Decay has been described as one of this year’s hottest Indie authors and is certainly a name to watch. His other work includes the short story collection, Random Scary Writings and his book of poetry called Rhymes Of Passion And Lace” (Description by Mark Woods of J. Ellington Ashton Press) What D.A. Roberts (Author of the Ragnarok Rising Saga) has to say about Piercing Undead. Recently, I had the opportunity to review a short story called “Piercing Undead” by T.L. Decay. I am a big fan of horror and zombies in particular, so when I was asked to read and review the story, I jumped at the chance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. A few things, in particular, really set this apart from other zombie stories. However, I don’t want to give too many details and spoil the enjoyment for the readers. First, the source of the outbreak is plausible enough to be frightening. The way it is described, it seems realistic and well thought out. Few zombie stories give any idea of what caused the outbreak in the first place. This one not only reveals the source of the virus, it does so with enough realism to make you stop and wonder. Next, the characters were diverse and well thought out. It was easy to relate to the characters because they seemed so realistic. Good characters are the hallmark of a good story and Decay didn’t disappoint with this story. Very well done. Also, I found it interesting to find that the story carries you through to a rebuilding stage where we, the humans, are fighting to take back the world. This is great, because it is something you don’t see often in Zombie Apocalypse fiction. I really enjoyed that. And finally, the zombies themselves were different enough from the usual undead to make them unique and frightening. The dead were more than just walking corpses. The virus changed them into more efficient killing machines. That, to me, was cool. All in all, I’d have to say that Decay did a fantastic job creating his undead world for this short story. I definitely enjoyed reading it and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the zombie genre. Having had the chance to read some of Decay’s poetry in the past, it was great seeing him include this in the short story. It flowed well and was believable. I’d easily give it five stars. D.A. Roberts

Genres: Zombies

84 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2013

About the author

TL Decay enjoys horror and SciFi as a fan and an author. He began writing with "Contained Decay" during his time in Afghanistan. When not writing, or working you can usually find him finding some way to have fun outdoors.

Reviews

[Mark Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piercing Undead is a short novella from blossoming horror author, T.L.Decay that offers an alternative view of the Zombie apocalypse. An accident in a Lab, not properly cleaned up, leads to a deadly infection running riot throughout America. Suddenly the recently dead have begun coming back to life, hideously mutated with newly formed claws instead of fingers with which to better rip and tear the flesh of their victims....

A couple on a romantic getaway, camping in the mountains, miss most of the pandemic. Emerging back into civilization, they find a world dramatically changed from the one they left behind. Fleeing from a Gas station where they are greeted by horrific sights, the pair end up at a Race Track where two other survivors are holed up...and before long, all four head out in search of some kind of sanctuary and salvation....

This was a better than average little tale that I really enjoyed but which I couldn't help feeling lacked a little depth. I DID really enjoy this, I just found myself always wanting a little bit more. I thought the book needed more back story to the characters and the events that occur throughout, needed more details about how everything all began and that the whole story was just lacking....something. That said, it was a very good and engrossing read...

One character, Kara, reminded me a lot of Hannah from Cat Dahman's Z Is For Zombie series but for me, I just felt that some of the elements of her personality that make her so similar were never quite fully explored or explained. The plot though is a sound one and the concepts and questions it raises interesting ones.

It is obvious that this author has a lot of potential and it will be interesting to watch how their writing matures and grows in the future. I would certainly read more by this author and you can't say fairer than that!
Like I say, this was a good little tale- it just left me wanting more!!!