Border Crossing: A Return Man Short Story

by V.M. Zito

A thrilling, post-apocalyptic short story from the world of V. M. Zito's THE RETURN 'Bloody excellent' Financial Times.Corporal Noah Brodeur's job is a lonely one. In the aftermath of the outbreak, from his remote Canadian border station, Brodeur must guard the a formidable wall protecting his countrymen from the Evacuated States and the ravenous creatures that roam there.All is quiet until the day a stranger emerges from the safe side of the forest. He says he is on a classified mission for the CIA. He says his name is Special Agent Kenneth Wu. He demands that Brodeur break rank and allow him across the border into danger.But when everything is at stake, can appearances be trusted? And on the edge of civilisation, who is more dangerous, the living . . . or the dead?Praise for THE RETURN expertly piles on thrills, cliffhangers and numerous twists, investing renewed life into the shambling, cliché-ridden corpse of the zombie subgenre.' Guardian'An overload of thrills, spills and adventure.' Sun'Hands down one of the best zombie novels I've read in a long, long time. From first page to last, THE RETURN MAN is an astonishing read. With characters you genuinely give a damn about and a story that'll keep you turning page after page, this is an outstanding debut.' David Moody, author of Autumn'In a relentless.' Sunday Telegraph'Contagion meets Mad Max.' The Times

Genres: Zombies

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 13, 2012

About the author

Vincent Michael Zito resides in Connecticut, USA with his wife and daughter. When not writing, he spends his weekdays working as Creative Director at a New England ad agency and his weekends running on trails. The Return Man is his first novel.

Reviews

[Steven Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as short stories go, this one is pretty good. The story is set on a lonely Canadian border outpost. Zombies have overrun the Western United States and the Canadian military keeps a lonely vigil at an abandoned border checkpoint in Alberta. The soldier provides exposition for his mission. Corporal Noah Brodeur spends a considerable time focusing on his mental state. His prolonged tour on the border by himself is causing him some distress. Brodeur's isolation is ended when a mysterious visitor approaches from the Canadian side of the frontier.

I liked the character of Brodeur quite a bit, and I liked the perspective the short story gave on the Canadian size of the quarantine. I think it should be noted that the story is a prequel and has a character from Zito's novel, Return Man. I think that undermines some of the tension because we know, in part, how this has to play out.

Still a worthwhile read if you enjoyed the novel.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish Zito would have followed up on this stand alone. Intriguing take on the zombie genre and just BEGS for a series. Be that as it may, certainly worth the read.

[Jim1970 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one blind sided me a bit, I'm relatively new to the zombie genre, and only really downloaded this to my phone, to relieve a dull afternoon and ended up reading the whole text and then getting the return man book on my phone. The story was tight and well written and got my interest quickly, looking forward to the larger volume.

[Nathan Flamank · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short story that ties in nicely to Zito's debut novel. A fresh voice in a crowded 'zombie' market.