Outside

by Stephen Cross

Don't go past the fence...

It's three months since the Zombie Apocalypse, or the Fall, as survivors call it. Jack and his daughter Annie have found sanctuary in a Holiday Park on the Cornish coast, protected by high and solid perimeter fences.

Having witnessed his wife being torn apart during the Fall, Jack is haunted by a fear of the undead that leaves him barely able to leave his chalet, never mind join other members of the community on the vital, and dangerous, supply runs to the surrounding towns.

It's not long, however, before others begin to challenge his absence from the runs, and he realises that to remain a part of the community, he must go outside with the others to help keep the park, and his daughter, provided with vital supplies.

Once beyond the protection of the fence, Jack finds that the world is even more terrifying than he feared... Can he survive the Outside and overcome his fears to become the man his daughter needs to survive?

Outside is the first novelette in the After the Fall series, which tells the story of the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, each story told through the eyes of a different set of characters.

They don't have to be read in order - dive in anywhere!


Read how it all began in the Surviving The Fall series -

Genres: Zombies

47 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2016

About the author

Stephen Cross lives in the North of England with his family.

In the event of the apocalypse he is in close proximity to the Peak District, and has his bug-out bag primed and ready.

A very sparse blog can be found here : https://stephencrossauthor.wordpress.com

And twitter, of course: https://twitter.com/SCrossAuthor

Reviews

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three months after the Fall, Jack struggles with survivor's guilt, depression, and grief while taking care of his young daughter in the relative safety of the Chalet. Paralyzed by fear, he closets himself and his daughter inside the house until one day a neighbor shames him into going on a supply run outside the fence. And suddenly finding herself free to wander the neighborhood, Annie and her young companion also find themselves on the other side of the fence line.

I really enjoyed this one. For post-apoc, the ending was hopeful.

[Bonnie Racki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Still struggling against what has happened within the last 3 months with the Apocalypse, Jack is caring for his daughter Annie where they are living with other survivors. She is all that he has left in this world and would make sure nothing will ever harm her. He finds out that the fence that they have built seems to not be as strong as it should be. He starts to prepare to construct the fence to be much stronger for those that are outside trying to get in and also for those trying to get out where it's not safe.

[Chrystal Roe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Jack continues trying to find his way in the apocalypse while caring for his daughter Annie. She is all he has left in this world and nothing is as important as keeping her safe. Great story.

[Paulette Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

I really enjoyed the book. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. You are a wonderful author. I like the pass of your books..

[Lookbeneaththeground · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a girl who’s a fan of zombies, the walking dead, fear the walking dead, and all the movies, day of the dead and so on.. so I personally was excited to read this story and it mostly did not disappoint, I just wish it was longer, I would have loved to see the story or jack protecting his daughter go longer say onto fixing the fence and building more hope and strength but other than that I really loved the story ☺️