Outbreak: Emerald City: A Story of Survival During the Zombie Apocalypse

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[Alternate cover edition for ASIN: B014S67QEO]

Outbreak: Emerald City is a story of three survivors during the zombie apocalypse in Seattle Washington; Dr. Clark Mason, a former plastic surgeon currently leading government research in the development of a cure; Tasha Winters, a recent high school graduate trying to survive on her own until she discovers she may be resistant to the zombie virus; and Luke Shelton, a good man surrounded by bad people, who just wants to get out of the city alive.

From Chapter 01: Clark

The disease had started as an experiment to extend life. It was created in the timeless quest for eternal youth and beauty. The scientists responsible for the virus had been trying to keep human skin cells from growing old and from the documentation in front of him, Clark now knew the developers had succeeded in a way to greatly slow down the aging process. Unfortunately, the experiments had also yielded unexpected, and horrifying, results. The virus they had created slowed the aging process down so well that it also slowed vital body functions, including heartbeat, breathing, metabolism, and core body temperature to the point that 99% of those infected died within twelve hours. For the remaining 1% however, the victim of the infection was still very much alive.

Of the 1%, the problems started with the slow pulse rate. One beat per minute did not provide enough oxygen to the brain for healthy function. This in turn reduced consciousness to the infecteds most primal level. Emotions were muted to the point of nonexistence. Rational thought no longer occurred. All that was left were the most basic instincts and the one that stood out above all the rest was hunger. Studies quickly determined the infecteds most vital function was to feed. To make matters worse for what remained of the human race, the virus mutated somewhere along the way and become as infectious as the common cold. The problem was further exasperated by the germs themselves, because they had such a long life, sixty times longer than anything studied before. If the virus contaminated food or was left on even a door handle, it lived longer than any other germ studied in recorded history. Endurance was part of the most basic makeup of the disease. It was designed to live forever.