The dead are returning to life, intelligent, determined…and very hungry. Escape seems impossible for Jim Thurmond, one of the few left alive in this nightmare world. But Jim’s young son is also alive and in grave danger hundreds of miles away. Despite astronomical odds, Jim vows to find him—or die trying.Joined by an elderly preacher, a guilt-ridden scientist and an ex-prostitute, Jim sets out on a cross-country rescue mission. Together they must battle both the living and the living dead…and the even greater evil that awaits them at the end of their journey.

    . . EPIC Award finalist Howard Odentz has penned twenty-six disturbingly fascinating horror stories about the youngest predators among us. From Andy and Boris to Yuri and Zena, this eclectic anthology is filled, A to Z, with psychopaths, monsters, and murderers! So turn on the lights and huddle under your blankets because murder isn't just for grown-ups anymore. Come meet our gallery of little killers. After all, they're dying to meet you! Author and playwright Howard Odentz is a lifelong resident of the gray area between Western Massachusetts and North Central Connecticut. His love of the region is evident in his writing as he often incorporates the foothills of the Berkshires and the small towns of the Bay and Nutmeg states into his work. 5 Stars "a relentless, thrilling ride" - Court Street Literary, on Bloody Bloody Apple. "Howard Odentz takes this mis-mosh of dysfunctional characters and puts together a wonderful story that is equal parts horror and love." - Scared Stiff Reviews, on Bloody Bloody Apple.

    The trip takes a terrifying turn when they land in New York—this year’s destination—to find that JFK airport is almost deserted and that the few ground crew they can spot have all been brutally slaughtered. Is it a terrorist attack? Or something even more menacing? When a security guard appears and offers to help the passengers, but promptly shoots the first person off the plane and then kills himself, Harry realises that there is something very, very wrong in New York City.

    Day 1: How it all began Three teenagers find themselves trapped in a stuffy, warm basement. The old lady who used to own the house is now dead. She's also standing right on the other side of the basement door, scraping and moaning, trying to get in. Patiently. Tirelessly.How did they end up here? Just a few hours ago, all three of of them were sitting in Thomas' car, sweating and listening to music, not a care in the world. They were almost done with the paper route when they came to the old lady's house. And that's when everything turned to chaos.

    Billions died, civilization collapsed, and the human race teetered on the brink of extinction. Humanity's only hope was not a cure, but another bioweapon. When deployed it killed ninety percent of the infected, but the remaining ten percent transformed into even more terrifying creatures called Variants.  Heroes have risen up to meet these abominations. Men like Master Sergeant Reed Beckham of Delta Force Team Ghost and Marine Corporal Joe Fitzpatrick. Women like Dr. Kate Lovato and firefighter Meg Pratt. Throughout the world, survivors band together to fight the evolving monsters in an effort to save humanity. Now, for the first time ever in print, comes a collection of Extinction Cycle short stories that explore the human spirit and the fight for survival in the face of overwhelming odds from some of the leading voices in the post-apocalyptic genre.   Featured Authors Include:  Mark Tufo - Extinction Trippin'Anthony Melchiorri - Darkness EvolvedJeff Olah - The Bone Collector Russell Blake - Extinction Thailand Rachel Aukes - The Fall of Fort Bragg Note: All stories were previously published in the Extinction Cycle Kindle world, but are now being offered in print, and audio for the first time. Readers outside of the USA will also get to experience these stories for the first time as well. Thank you for reading!

    (60,000 words.)Meet Parker.In a world devastated by plague, Parker has to fight everything from mutant vermin to the horrific, hissing 'things' that were once human.Parker also looks out for other survivors, all the while trying to keep clear of the vicious, murdering road-gangs known as 'hogs'.Then he saves the life of a young girl, Abigail - and finds that his life once again has purpose and meaning.But with the odds hopelessly stacked against the mismatched pair, how can they possibly hope to survive...?'A nightmare world... Brutal biker gangs, flesh-hungry zombies and also the occasional 'good guy'... Much better written than the usual 'apocalypse/zombie' slush... Get PARKER...' Cliveinsydney

    A flu-like plague that infected thousands and killed roughly ten percent of its victims. Those who died awoke once again, but they were no longer among the living--they came back as soulless carnivorous corpses who desired only one thing: to feed on living human flesh. As the infection spread, across Europe and the rest of the globe, cities were overwhelmed. Nations fell. Humanity flickered like a candle flame in the wind. In the United States: the nation's great cities are becoming hunting grounds. New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles...all are falling victim to hordes of shambling dead who want only one thing: to devour the living. Single Tree, California is a small resort town in Inyo County. Between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, it's easy to overlook. And that's exactly what the citizens of Single Tree want, for the stenches and those fleeing them to ignore the town long enough for it to be transformed into a desert fortress at the foot of Mount Whitney. But time is not on their side. Not only do they have to worry about the dead... they have to fear the living.

    There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death. Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore. Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

    But monsters come in many forms. Teenage boys, drug addiction, underage sex - single mother Sarah battles to keep these demons from her daughters.As the long nights of worry start to feed Sarah's paranoia, she must take desperate measures to save her family.Although sometimes, the only way to kill a monster......is to become one."The epitome of chilling vampire noir. Cements Jenkins' pre-eminence in the realm of terror."NATHAN JONES - Author of THE NOWHERE

     TORMENT From the War on Terror a world crippling Bio-Weapon is released. The United States scrambles teams of scientists from the Centers For Disease Control. America's top field agent are tasked with collecting samples and developing a cure. In a national laboratory scientists race against the clock searching for a cure. Borders are closed, martial law and soldiers deployed across the homeland. Thus, begins the greatest outbreak in the history of human kind. A disease so deadly it pushes humanity to the brink of extinction. Entire populations and regions of the United States quickly wiped out, millions falling victim to the Primal Virus. In the wake of the fast spreading pandemic, state and local governments, desperate for answers, rush to provide relief to the devastated and overwhelmed communities. Experts in Bio-Medical Research are desperately summoned to Atlanta and military facilities across the country. On a cold morning, the men of India Company, Second Platoon, are alerted and rapid-deployed to Virginia. Their mission: to recover and escort experts in bio-medicine, specifically in the development and production of vaccines. With faulty intelligence and half-truths, Second Platoon moves forward. What they find is worse than anyone could have predicted. What was a rescue mission, turns into a struggle for their own survival. Author’s Note: Torment is a story I first began writing in 2014 shortly after WTF 5 Something to Fight For was completed. I wanted to tell the story of how things unfolded back in the states, and have it be a standalone book from the rest of the series. Because of the popularity of the primary story line, I kept shelving Torment and driving on with the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot primary band of characters. But then came The Invasion Trilogy, and then Donovan’s War. Torment, fell further and further down the to do list. Eventually I adapted some of the early chapters of Torment, into a short story and released it with Amazon Publishing’s Kindle Worlds under the title Battle for Orchard Hill. A decision I immediately regretted, because I knew then that the story may never be completed. Then something happened, Kindle Worlds is gone and with that those chapters went back to the bench. That motivated me to get back into the original manuscript and finish Torment. A story that I always enjoyed and thought needed to be told. Torment is not a rewrite of the Kindle Worlds novella; Battle for Orchard hill. Torment is the original imagining and telling of that story the way I always intended it to be. If you read The Battle for Orchard Hill and gasped at the Novella's ending hungry for more, you will be happy to know that Torment is no short story, the content has tripled, the elements expanded and the heat turned up to high. Torment is now the book I always wanted it to be, and the first book of the Soldier Series if the readers will it. As always thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy. – Torment: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller. The Soldier Book 1

    The bird flu out of China has mutated. Now able to latch on and replicate within humans, the virus will spread swiftly throughout the world. When you spread a virus before you even know you have it, everyone becomes a carrier. There is no preparation, and there is no cure. You can only hope that you are one of the few who are immune, or can survive long enough to fight. Wendy and Arthur have spent their lives in service to others. Having raised one child, and learned to live off the land, their only wish is for their son to give them grandchildren. They want to retire in comfort, knowing that they are self-sufficient and able to take care of themselves. Having never been apart for more than a few nights, Wendy has the opportunity to take a well deserved ladies vacation. Little do they know that their entire world will change in an instant, and they ll be left alone to live, or to die, a thousand miles apart.

    When the world crumbles and the dead walk, Kellie struggles to survive and find her way home, all the while sharing her tale with her diary.This is an account of our hypothetical past, present and future.

    Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

    An inner rage has been released and some people cannot fight it. For those who can, life becomes an ongoing battle to survive - at any cost!

    When she awoke, it was dead.In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it.A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.