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    VIRO: Book Three
    VIRO: Book Three
    VIRO: Book Three
    Ebook166 pages1 hour

    VIRO: Book Three

    By Barnaby Taylor

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    About this ebook

    As a viral pandemic turns the world into bloodthirsty creatures, a boy with special needs looks for his missing mum.
    Imagine a country broken by a virus. Society falls apart. Nothing works now. Nobody knows what has happened. There are no answers. No knowledge. No rules. No science. No God. The only truth now is the desperate fight for survival. Imagine all of this seen through the eyes of a boy with special needs.
    Jake wakes one morning to find his life is broken. His mum has gone missing. The world has fallen apart. Determined to find her, Jake is forced to comes to terms with what has happened to the world. Confronted by the horror, he initially struggles to make sense of everything.

    Helped by the new friends he makes, Ellis, kind and resourceful, and the twins, Amber and Abe, Jake starts to develop his independence. Forced to confront the apparent difference defined by his special needs, Jake realises that this difference doesn't matter any more. This gives him the strength to keep going.

    As they fight for survival, the four kids meet a wide range of other people also battling to stay alive and with each encounter Jake and his new friends learn a little bit more about themselves and each other. Ultimately, Jake's story is one of hope and determination in the face of complete and utter devastation.

    'This review is for the series. Capturing the voice of a young character with special needs (I spent 25 years as a special education teacher/administrator), Taylor's story of a group of young people coping with a world disintegrating in front of them; with the loss of structure and trust, and with betrayal by the adults who should be protecting them is both uplifting and horrifying. Do not be fooled by the simple language of the narrator: there are hard questions asked and realistic, unsentimental consequences to the apocalypse confronting the children, and an ending that you are unlikely to forget easily.'

    'Barnaby Taylor has a daring and rich imagination that transports you to new adventures in a re-imagined world, that are vividly written with a fresh and vibrant use of language. […] Barnaby can really write an action packed scene with fear inspiring characters such as the Tall Man. Baxter the dog who accompanies the children gives the story the delightful twist of feeling like an apocalyptic Famous Five. Genius.'

    'The writing style is beautifully compelling, and after the first couple of pages I couldn't put it down. The author very skilfully creates a world and characters through deceptively simple prose that draws the reader right in. It is a fascinating blend of one-after-the-other edge-of-the seat scares, alongside a haunting narrative about what it is to be human.'

    'Barnaby is an exciting and passionate writer. There's real depth of meaning behind his books. You emotionally engage with and care about the book's characters. Barnaby's books also have a strong visual sensibility. His stories particularly Viros I and II would translate superbly to television and cinema. I am a huge fan of all things zombie orientated and to see the zombie genre reinterpreted from the perspective of children is thrilling. I look forward to more books from Barnaby. He's one to watch out for. Children, adults and I suspect the film and TV industry people will love this book. I highly recommend it.'

    'I absolutely loved this book. Powerful and poignant, 'Viro' packs a punch. Sad and haunting, 'Viro' is a new take on the zombie genre. The characters are dynamic and interesting, finding strength despite their horrifying circumstances. Jake is a character that will stick with you long after the final page. The action sequences are thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat!'

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBarnaby Taylor
    Release dateOct 13, 2018
    ISBN9781999633257
    VIRO: Book Three
    Author

    Barnaby Taylor

    Inspired by his passion for films and video games, Barnaby Taylor loves writing dystopian science fiction and horror. He has recently written the VIRO series about a gang of teenagers struggling to survive in a world overrun by the infected. There are currently four books in the series. VIRO is rapidly infecting the Amazon charts and gaining rave reviews along the way. Here's one of the latest reviews: 'The writing style is beautifully compelling, and after the first couple of pages I couldn't put it down. The author very skilfully creates a world and characters through deceptively simple prose that draws the reader right in. It is a fascinating blend of one-after-the-other edge-of-the seat scares, alongside a haunting narrative about what it is to be human.'

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      Book preview

      VIRO - Barnaby Taylor

      VIRO

      BOOK THREE

      VIRO

      BOOK THREE

      Barnaby Taylor

      For Iris, as per usual and always …

      Copyright  Barnaby Taylor 2019

      All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

      ISBN 978-1-9996332-5-7 (Ebook)

      First Edition

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Barnaby Taylor

      www.barnabyftaylor.com

      Sweetheart

      Mum was talking to me.

      ‘There you are, Jake. I’ve been waiting for you to get here. I was so excited when the soldiers told me that they’d found you. I knew you’d come back to me.’

      I breathed her close. She filled me. Her arms made me safe. I knew nothing else.

      ‘Mum. I …’

      ‘Sssh! I know, Sweetheart. I know.’

      I held her forever. The more I did the betterer I got. All the pain and terror was going away The evil heartbreak. The loneliness. The horror. The frightenings. All terrible things. The dead with empty eyes. The broken body bits. The blood and mess. Running and hiding. Fighting. Seeing people getting hurt. Getting killed. Being bitten.

      The viros.

      None of that mattered now.

      Mum brushed my hair behind my ears. I liked that. Her lovely hands held my face. All softly. I could smell her. It was like always. My belly filled with warmth. The scared boy was going. I was turning back to me again.

      ‘Let me look at you, my darling.’

      Mum hugged me more.

      ‘I thought I’d lost you forever.’

      I nuzzled.

      ‘Me too. I thought you were dead.’

      ‘I’m not, am I? I’m very much alive, my darling. And so are you. I knew you’d be alright. You’re a fighter, Jake. You’re strong and fearless and kind and capable.’

      Mum’s love flooded me. I overfilled. The radio noise in my head went quiet. The jokes about my face. When people said I wasn’t able. Every tear that Mum cried when she thought I wasn’t looking. The million horrible things didn’t matter now. I could see past them.

      I could hear my thinking easily.

      I washed in the moment.

      The goodness warmed me.

      I opened my eyes.

      I closed them again.

      I opened them.

      I started to cry.

      I was in a bed.

      The narrow room was metal. It smelled rusty. Someone was sleeping on a picnic chair.

      ‘Mum. Where am I?’

      ‘It’s me, Ellis.’

      ‘Where’s Mum? She was here with me just now.’

      ‘I don’t know. I’ve been here for the last day and night and I haven’t seen anyone else.’

      ‘But …’

      I realized.

      ‘She was so real.’

      It was later. I had stopped crying.

      ‘So real.’

      Ellis held my hand. She squeezed it tight.

      ‘I know it was, Jake. I heard you talking in your sleep. You sounded so happy.’

      ‘I was but I never will be again.’

      Ellis squeezed my hand.

      ‘Well find her, Jake. I promise we’ll find her.’

      Ellis went quiet. She knew the truth. A promise like this is too heavy to hold. It cannot be carried by anybody. I looked at Ellis.

      ‘Please don’t make that promise. No one is strong enough for that.’

      ‘I only meant …’

      ‘I know, Ellis.’

      We stopped talking. It was alright. I felt we were close. There was no bad between us. Ellis cared. She tried to be kind. It was working. She was.

      Talking

      We were all talking in my metal bedroom. Everyone was here. Baxter licked my hand. Vinnie and Amber hugged me. Abe nodded. Vinnie said what happened.

      ‘When the mortar exploded, we all thought you were dead but one of the soldiers grabbed you anyway and we ran for the trucks.’

      Amber kept the story going.

      ‘It took ages for the soldiers to wipe out the viros. The Tall Man’s men got caught up in the battle. None of them survived.’

      Vinnie whistled.

      ‘The roads back to the army base were full of viros. There were two tanks in front of us and they had to force a path through the swarm for the trucks to follow.’

      Ellis wrinkled her nose. I liked her nose.

      ‘It was awful. You had the best idea, Jake, by passing out. You slept through all of it.’

      ‘I heard shouting. I thought I was flying.’

      ‘When we got here, the soldiers took us straight to the front of the queue and dropped us off here.’

      ‘What is here?’

      Vinnie told me.

      ‘The soldiers call this place Wait-and-See City. They dump any survivors they find here and wait and see what happens to them.’

      ‘That sounds bad.’

      Amber nodded.

      ‘I guess, Jake, but you should see the queues outside. Lines and lines of people all waiting to be let in. Refugees from all over the country. It is better in here than out there.’

      Vinnie kept speaking.

      ‘Someone told me that it used to be a town but the army took it over and turned it into a massive refugee camp. Apparently, there are even mine fields along the perimeter to help keep us safe.’

      Abe spoke to me as well.

      ‘This place is just one great big concentration camp. A giant prison ringed with concrete blocks and hundreds of these containers stacked up on top of each other.’

      Vinnie carried on.

      ‘I’m amazed that the army were able to get this place ready so quickly. Unless …’

      He paused. Ellis looked at her brother.

      ‘Unless what?’

      Amber answered instead of him.

      ‘Unless they knew way before everyone else that this was going to happen. That soldier in the ornamental gardens told us that they had all been mobilized a week before the outbreak but what if it had been longer?’

      I wasn’t sure.

      ‘How could they know?’

      Abe had his answer.

      ‘Easy, Jake. I bet they knew all along but also knew that if they told anyone then everyone would panic and the world would fall apart.’

      ‘But it has anyway.’

      Vinnie looked at Abe.

      ‘It has but at least they were ready for it when it did happen.’

      ‘That’s really bad.’

      I cried. My tears were angry.

      ‘If they had told us earlier then Mum wouldn’t have gone to work that night. She would have stayed with me. I wouldn’t be wandering the streets looking for her. We wouldn’t all be lost and lonely.’

      Amber agreed.

      ‘You’re right, Jake. It’s awful but it was going to happen anyway, and could they really have told everyone?’

      ‘The radio said no one knew. Were they lying?’

      Abe snorted.

      ‘Since when has anyone ever believed anything they tell us on the radio. All these politicians and presidents lie all the time. The only difference this time is that once they had told this lie there was nothing left for them to ever lie about again.’

      Sea

      A big grey beach. The sky and sea are the same colour. I have pyjamas on. I have no shoes on. Mum is in the water. She is washing her hands. I walk out to her. It is freezing.

      ‘What are you doing, Mum?’

      Mum turns around. Her face is rotten. It’s all ripped. Blood everywhere. She smiles. Her teeth are broken.

      ‘Nothing, darling. I’m just washing my hands.’

      ‘Why?’

      ‘The blood won’t go away, darling.’

      ‘Can I help?’

      ‘No. No one can.’

      ‘Let me. Please let me.’

      ‘I can’t ask you to help me wash the blood of other people off of my hands. No mother could ask that of her child.’

      ‘I want to. I only have you.’

      Mum stops washing her hands.

      ‘You’re too late, darling. I’ve got a new family now. They’re keeping me very busy.’

      Mum has empty eyes. They look at me.

      ‘I need you to know I waited, Jake. I waited as long as I could, but they kept looking for me and even though I tried to hide, I just couldn’t stay hidden long enough for you to find me before they did.’

      My heart breaks like a useless toy.

      ‘But Mum, I need you, not them. They’ve got plenty of people already. I haven’t got anyone.’

      Mum hugs me. She stinks.

      ‘Come with me, darling, Come and join my new family.’

      ‘But how? How do I do that?’

      ‘Easy. Just let me bite you.’

      ‘Will it hurt?’

      ‘Terribly. The pain is terrible.’

      ‘So why should I?’

      ‘Because like all pain, it will pass and once it does then you and I can be together forever.’

      Mum holds me tight.

      ‘Think of it, Jake. No more pain, no more upset. No more name-calling and feeling like you are different to everyone else.’

      Mum’s broken lips kiss my neck.

      ‘A single bite and everything will be back to how it always was; you and me against the world.’

      Stronger

      It was more days before

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