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I Dream of Zombies, book 2: it started with a dream and then London went to hell.
Marla, Ellen and Tommy have reached Haven in Rickslaw, near Salisbury, England. The story opens with them leaving quarantine, refreshed after a week spent 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.
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.
Marla, Ellen and Tommy have reached Haven in Rickslaw, near Salisbury, England. The story opens with them leaving quarantine, refreshed after a week spent 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.
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.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 25, 2014
8 people want to read
About the author
Vickie Johnstone
32 books74 followersHi, I live in London. I love reading, writing, films, the sea, art, animals, nature and travelling. Since 2011, I have self-published 17 books.
Books self-published in 2011:
Kaleidoscope (March) - 119 poems;
Travelling Light - a free book of 38 poems;
Kiwi in Cat City (April);
Kiwi and the Missing Magic (June); and
Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (October).
The Kiwi Series is written for readers aged 9 up. They follow the adventures of a magical cat called Kiwi and her two human friends, Amy and James. The books contain wonderful illustrations by Nikki McBroom.
Books published in 2012:
Day of the Living Pizza - a free comedy horror for ages 13 up (May);
Life's Rhythms - 316 haiku (June);
3 Heads and a Tail - a romantic comedy with walkies, written for NaNoWriMo (June);
Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle (August);
Day of the Pesky Shadow - book 2 in the Smarts & Dewdrop Mysteries series (October);
Kiwi in the Realm of Ra (November); and
Kiwi's Christmas Tail (December).
Books published in 2013:
The Sea Inside (Cerulean Songs, book 1); and
I Dream of Zombies (book 1).
Books published in 2014:
Haven (book 2, I Dream of Zombies).
Books published in 2015:
Mind-spinning Rainbows.
Books published in 2021:
A Poem a Day.
Good luck with your writing and happy reading :)
Vickie Johnstone
Blog: http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.com
Twitter: @vickiejohnstone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVickieJ...
http://www.facebook.com/KiwiinCatCity
http://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopeP...
Kiwi Series trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjmVg...
Books self-published in 2011:
Kaleidoscope (March) - 119 poems;
Travelling Light - a free book of 38 poems;
Kiwi in Cat City (April);
Kiwi and the Missing Magic (June); and
Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (October).
The Kiwi Series is written for readers aged 9 up. They follow the adventures of a magical cat called Kiwi and her two human friends, Amy and James. The books contain wonderful illustrations by Nikki McBroom.
Books published in 2012:
Day of the Living Pizza - a free comedy horror for ages 13 up (May);
Life's Rhythms - 316 haiku (June);
3 Heads and a Tail - a romantic comedy with walkies, written for NaNoWriMo (June);
Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle (August);
Day of the Pesky Shadow - book 2 in the Smarts & Dewdrop Mysteries series (October);
Kiwi in the Realm of Ra (November); and
Kiwi's Christmas Tail (December).
Books published in 2013:
The Sea Inside (Cerulean Songs, book 1); and
I Dream of Zombies (book 1).
Books published in 2014:
Haven (book 2, I Dream of Zombies).
Books published in 2015:
Mind-spinning Rainbows.
Books published in 2021:
A Poem a Day.
Good luck with your writing and happy reading :)
Vickie Johnstone
Blog: http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.com
Twitter: @vickiejohnstone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVickieJ...
http://www.facebook.com/KiwiinCatCity
http://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopeP...
Kiwi Series trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLjmVg...
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 21, 2014
The second book of the I Dream of Zombies series takes up at Haven as Marla, Tommy, and Ellen adjust to life after quarantine. Marla and Tommy seem to find a home in Haven's version of the military while Ellen gets therapy to try to get to the bottom of her seemingly prophetic dreams.
Soon the sanctuary like facade that is Haven starts to crumble and life on the outside suddenly doesn't seem as dangerous as life within the compound. Lots of thrilling episodes, mysterious intrigue, and action packed adventure ensue as the last third of the book is to exciting to put down. The end left me breathlessly awaiting the next installment. More than just a simple must eat brains blood bath (though there certainly is THAT), this series has taken a sharp turn into paranormal thriller-action adventure-hero's journey territory all the while not missing a chance to grab the reader and entrance them.
Soon the sanctuary like facade that is Haven starts to crumble and life on the outside suddenly doesn't seem as dangerous as life within the compound. Lots of thrilling episodes, mysterious intrigue, and action packed adventure ensue as the last third of the book is to exciting to put down. The end left me breathlessly awaiting the next installment. More than just a simple must eat brains blood bath (though there certainly is THAT), this series has taken a sharp turn into paranormal thriller-action adventure-hero's journey territory all the while not missing a chance to grab the reader and entrance them.
Displaying 1 of 1 review