Cover illustrator: Jessica Ungeheuer (author) | Site
Publisher: Self
Release Date: August 23rd, 2024
Pre-Order Link: Amazon
GoodReads: Add to shelf
Z.E.R.O is book one in a new urban fantasy and horror series!
Blurb
Jeffrey Knight is a down on his luck self proclaimed loser. He can’t keep a job, forced into hours of work in the hell that is retail. His only stable thing in his life was his relationship with his longtime girlfriend…that is until he catches her cheating on him. Now with nothing left, he begrudgingly agrees to join his best friend on a night of fake zombie hunting paintball. The only solace he has in his pitiful life. That is, until he learns zombies are real…
Jennifer Mayer has spent her whole life hunting monsters. Working tirelessly for a secret organization of mercenaries to protect normal citizens from learning the truth. However, there are a growing number of undead, and her organization leaders refuse to believe her that something catastrophic is coming. She is in need of new recruits to prevent a coming “Day of the Dead” event.
After saving Jeff from near death Jennifer takes him on as a pupil. Jennifer must train Jeff in everything she knows while avoiding the growing feelings and memories he reignites in her — feelings she thought she buried long ago.
Jeff has never finished anything in his life, allowing his fears to stop him. If he chokes up now, there might not be a normal world to go back to.
Book Excerpt
Shared with the permission of the author–please do not re-share without additional permission from the author. This is an advanced excerpt and may not reflect final edits.
There was a noise of rustling leaves in the bushes behind him. Probably a small breeze caused by the coastal air. They were inland from the gulf coast, but that didn’t stop the windy weather. Especially during hurricane season in the summer. Jeff continued to scrub away the paint on the headstone in front of him, paying no mind to the warm breeze.
The leaves rustled again. The sound of heavy footsteps on the ground behind him. Jeff shot up, squinting as he looked around in the darkness. The solitude of the cemetery was fading, being replaced by a feeling of dread. Now that everyone was gone, the increasing fog reminded him more of the horror movie he watched with Adam yesterday.
“Hello? Anyone there?” Jeff called out, squeezing the dirty rag in his hands.
There was no response. He stood perfectly still as he tried to listen for any movement. There was nothing but the sound of cicadas chirping back at him. His heartbeat sped up as his natural survival instincts set in. Something was off. His instincts were telling every nerve in his body to leave. Jeff picked up his crate and headed back to his car. His stride got quicker, until he got to the dimly lit parking lot. Tension left his body as he stood under the low light of the nearby street lamp. The fact he did not see anyone the whole way back brushed off his sense of fear.
You are getting in your own head…Stop that. It was probably a stray dog or cat.
When he got to his car he dropped the crate in his trunk. Using the illumination of the trunk’s light he started to sift through its contents, counting everything to make sure he didn’t miss any items.
“That’s weird. I could have sworn Jen tripped on one of these…Did I go back to where she fell? Maybe I was in the wrong space?” Jeff riffled through the piles of pressure plates again, “They’re all here though.”
He looked back at the cemetery leering behind him. These plates were expensive and he didn’t want to leave any behind if there was another one still out there. Maybe Adam bought a new one and forgot to tell him. He decided it would be better if he took another look. Especially toward the back where Jennifer tripped. He reached in the crate and pulled out his flashlight. He gazed at the looming graves before him, as he closed his trunk and walked back into the cemetery.
As he approached the back outer fence, he heard the rustling of leaves again. He stopped, standing as still as he could to hear better. Someone had to be playing a trick on him.
“Alright, who’s there?” Jeff yelled into the dark where the sound came from.
Again, no answer.
He continued to walk through the graves, faster than before. He just wanted to finish here, lock the gate, and go home. He searched around him with the flashlight, ready to blind whomever might be stalking him in the fog. He heard the brush move again behind him. Jeff torqued his body, ready to confront his tormentor. Something cold grabbed his boot. Not able to get his balance centered fast enough, he fell over. His flashlight laid at his side, barely casting light in the direction of his leg. Jeff squinted to see what entangled his leg. It was a weird looking tree root, shaped almost like a claw.
He reached over to untangle the root, and recoiled back. He grabbed his flashlight.
Why is it so cold and slimy?
He cast his light, following the root into the shadows. It was not attached to a tree like he expected, but to an arm! Jeff shone the beam in the direction of the arm, revealing the torso of a man. The man’s face was disfigured from years of rot, covered in sand and grime. Maggots crawled out of its orifices. When the breeze flew in, he could smell rotten decayed meat. The creature let out a gurgling moan as it pulled Jeff’s foot towards its chomping maw.
Without getting time to process, Jeff kicked it in the head several times with his free leg with as much force as he could until its grip let up on his foot. He clambered backwards into a nearby tombstone, breathing heavily.
“Shit! What the hell!?”
The corpse began to pull itself out of the earth and clawed in his direction. Its eyes were pale and blind, but he could feel its hungry gaze on him. Jeff’s body was numb, his heart beat in his ears, and his brain told him to move, but he couldn’t.
“What the?” Jeff watched as the creature struggled to crawl forward. He slapped his face in disbelief, trying to wake up back to reality. Maybe he tripped on a branch and hit his head? The creature’s putrid smell continued to fill his nostrils, as its broken body wormed it’s way towards him.
This isn’t a fucking dream or video game. That is a fucking ZOMBIE! You have to get up, you have to move!
About the Author
Jessica Ungeheuer (she/her) is a writer and artist. While earning her visual arts and digital media degree she studied creative writing and screenwriting. Her favorite genres to read and write are dystopian sci fi and horror. She lives in sunny Bradenton Florida with her husband and two mischievous cats.
You can find her artwork and other stories on her socials and website through her Linktree, or on Twitter and Instagram @phoenixfire110.
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