Zombie High Read online

  ACCLAIM FOR AARON PATTERSON

  AIREL

  “Move over Twilight! Here comes Aaron Patterson!”

  —Joshua Graham, bestselling author of Beyond Justice and Darkroom

  “I was surprised by how much I really, really liked this book. I have not jumped on the whole “fallen angel” bandwagon, just as I didn’t jump on all of the vampire stories that came out after Twilight. This is not your typical fallen angel story. It is one that has left me breathlessly waiting for the next one in the series. Hurry up please!!!”

  —Sandra Stiles

  “It takes rare talent for a man to write a novel from a male POV and have it published to great critical and commercial acclaim. But it takes a miracle for that same male, or in this case males, to write a novel from the POV of a teenage girl and have it turn out as incredibly as did the new StoneHouse YA by Aaron Patterson and Chris White, Airel. From the first sentence, I felt compelled to dive into this young woman’s story and just as importantly, I felt like I personally knew her, which means I laughed, stressed and cried right along with her. A beautifully written and crafted fiction about teenage innocence, faith, loss and love. A must read for teens and adults alike.”

  —Vincent Zandri, International Bestselling Author of The Remains, The Innocent, and Concrete Pearl.

  I am happy to say that this novel is one of my favorites of its kind. I never thought I could read a novel like this and be so swept away! I am always willing to try new books, but I usually steer clear of this kind of novel. Not anymore! Not when I can be so engrossed into the character’s story, like I was with the beautiful Airel, that before I know, it’s over. I kept turning the pages, wanting to, no-NEEDING, to know what was going to happen next.

  —Molly Edwards,Willow Spring,NC

  “I just finished reading Airel. One of the best book I’ve ever read, if not the best. Of all the books I read, I related to Airel the most. I mean she’s just so REAL. I’m blown away that two guys could write a girl’s character so perfectly, so right. Better than a lot of female writers. I loved this book. It’s so versatile, I was never bored. The story is told from various points of view. Normal girl, check. Epic warrior angel, check.Psycho killer, check.The manifestation of all evil ‘the seer,’ check. Even Kim and Michael had their share. And it’s so great to see how everyone thinks and what really goes on in their mind and how it goes on there. Also, it had different times and places and that was very cool. I mean when I first started reading the part in Stuttgart, Germany, 1897 I was intrigued. I was a little disappointed that it was too short until I got into Airel’s mind. Then out of nowhere visions of 1250 B.C. Arabia, I was blown away. The characters were beautifully written, I related to each of them in a way but Airel is just out of this world! She’s me! Minus the half human, half angel thing lol. And the end was something else.”

  —E.M. Book Review

  SWEET DREAMS

  “Sweet Dreams was a book I read in 2 days. I truly enjoyed the read. It kept me wanting to know more. I’m looking forward to Part 2 of the WJA Trilogy!”

  —Sharon Adams, Novi, MI

  “Suspense, thriller with a perfect ending, leaving me wanting more. An on the edge of your seat, all night read. I most certainly will be reading “Dream On.”

  —Sheri Wilkinson, Sandwich, IL

  “New authors come and go every day. Very few come on the scene with the ability to weave a tale that will make you sad to reach the end, longing for more. At a time when the world needs a real hero, Patterson delivers big with the WJA’s Mark Appleton—an unlikely hero for the 21st century.”

  —The Joe Show

  “Aaron Patterson spins a good tale and does it well.”

  —W.P.

  “SWEET DREAMS is packed with action, suspense, romance, betrayal, death, and mystery.”

  —Drew Maples, author of “28 Yards from Safety”

  DREAM ON

  “Once again, Aaron Patterson has made a home run! ‘Dream On’ is a wonderful read from cover to cover! I am now anxiously awaiting his next book ‘In Your Dreams.’ I originally purchased his first book by mistake, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it... so now I’m hooked! Aaron has got to start writing faster!!! Although his books are definitely worth the wait! Bet’cha can’t read just one! This guy has real talent for writing and keeping the suspense growing... the worst part about the book is the last page... I hated it to stop!”

  —Ruth P. Charlotte, NC

  “After reading Patterson’s first novel, ‘Sweet Dreams,’ I was really looking forward to reading ‘Dream On.’This book was amazing. I couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for an exciting read, read this book.”

  —Paul Carson, Boise, ID

  “I read the first book by Aaron Patterson (Sweet Dreams) and was very anxious for this sequel. I was not disappointed. This book kept me guessing with every page turn. It’s very well written and I really enjoyed the technology employed, which makes it just a bit futuristic without being overdone. This was a fantastic suspenseful thriller that kept me guessing throughout the entire book. Mr. Patterson has become my favorite fiction writer.”

  —Donna H. Boise, ID

  “This is the second book of Aaron’s I have read and I have to say he is a very talented writer!!! I read this book in under 12 hrs; it was so good I couldn’t put it down. He managed to surprise me with a twist that I did not expect! It is filled with suspense and keeps you guessing throughout. I will be suggesting this book to everyone I know…”

  —Amanda Garner, Oklahoma

  Also by Aaron Patterson

  Sweet Dreams (Book 1)

  Dream On (Book 2)

  In your Dreams (Book 3)

  Airel (Book 1)

  Michael (Book 2)

  Uriel (Book 3 Coming Soon)

  19 (Digital Short)

  The Craigslist Killer (Digital Short)

  Zombie High: Chick Fight (Digital Short)

  Breaking Steele

  Twisting Steele (Coming Soon)

  Melting Steele (Coming Soon)

  For Ashley, Kate and Matt, keep rockin my face off!

  ZOMBIE HIGH:

  Chick Fight

  “WHO’S THAT?” KATE SAID with a flip of her hair. Her gaze was fastened on a tall, blond guy across the cafeteria.

  “Who, him?” Jill said as she shoved a spoonful of yogurt in her mouth.

  The guy in question sat one table over from where she and Jill were sitting. He was wearing dark sunglasses and a black suit.

  “Seriously Kate, he’s wearing sunglasses inside. And what’s with the suit? We’re not in Canada.”

  “I know, but he’s cute … even if he is a bit odd.”

  “A bit odd?” Jill gave Kate a half grin.

  “Shut up.” Kate looked at her cell and checked Twitter—the talk was already in full force as Airel and Kim tweeted on and on about the new guy.

  Matt was, in fact, from Canada—that explained the suit—but the word was he had been exiled, kicked out of his own country. What did you have to do to get kicked out of a country?

  Kate spotted Ashley across the room wearing her usual getup—stilettos and a mini skirt. Her small frame and thick brown hair made her look more like a doll instead of the biggest, meanest freak in school.

  “Great, here comes the Zombie Queen.” Jill rolled her eyes and polished off the last of her yogurt. “Can she be any more obnoxious?”

  Ashley was walking—no, strutting up to Matt with a lollipop in her mouth. Kate groaned. “Oh my gawd. She’s doing the lollipop thing.” Kate faked a gagging sound and at once had no desire to finish her lunch.

  Kate eyed Matt. She could not sit by and let Ashley steal yet another hot hunk-of-man-meat out from under her. So for no saner rea
son than that, she stood up and marched over to Matt’s table and sat down next to him just seconds before Ashley could.

  Kate felt her face flush. No matter how insane it sounded she was not going to let Ashley win again. If it wasn’t for Airel, Ashley would have had Michael too.

  “Hi, I’m Kate. Welcome to our little school.” Her voice was calm, collected, and yes, smooth. Kate was so relieved that she almost missed his response.

  He stuck out his hand and she saw her reflection in his dark glasses. When he didn’t say anything, Kate wondered if he was shy or something. He just gave her a cockeyed grin.

  Kate was waiting for Ashley to turn around and walk her perfect little body back to wherever she came from, but she sat down across from him and blinked like a fish.

  “Matt, I’m Ashley. I see you met Kitty.”

  Kate hated the name Kitty, and hearing it in that tone from Miss Zombie Queen herself was more then she could stand. Kate flew to her feet so fast that she smashed her knee on the underside of the table. The pain never registered, all she could see was Ashley.

  She grabbed the lollipop from Ashley’s mouth and threw it across the room. The cafeteria fell silent.

  “You bitc—” Ashley swung her hand across Kate’s face. The loud slap rang across the room.

  “Chick fight!” Someone yelled and the quiet hush turned into a thunderous mass of shouting and catcalls.

  Kate didn’t stop to think. She would not stop until the Zombie Queen was down. Kate grabbed her hair and dragged her across the table. Matt fell backward and when he landed his glasses fell off and his eyes showed for the first time.

  They were dead and lifeless. One hung at a weird angle, and before Kate could register what she was seeing Ashley was on her back and Jill jumped in the fight screaming like a banshee.

  Ashley clawed and scratched at Kate, leaving red marks on one side of her face. Kate flung her over her shoulder and Matt came to life and grabbed Ashley by the hair. He flashed his teeth and tried to bite her arm. What the—?

  Kate yanked her away. Why was she saving Ashley? With Jill pushing from behind Kate fell forward. Right into Matt’s arms. He wrapped her up and she felt his iron grasp crush her lungs. Matt bit down and ripped into her neck. It didn’t hurt, but Kate did not really remember what pain was anymore. Things would never be the same again, not after the outbreak.

  * * *

  All that remained were screams and the dull pain of hunger that nagged her at all times. She smelled the brains of the humans and craved it, needed it, and had to find more. How she had any memories or thoughts, she couldn’t say for sure. Maybe it was what all zombies went through—having a dead body and soul with memories trapped within of a life once lived.

  Kate wandered the streets with Jill scavenging for food, for flesh, and no matter how hard Kate tried to talk or communicate with Jill it was no use. They were zombies, and simple things like speech were now impossible.

  To hear a human talk of zombies you would think they were brain dead lumps of flesh. But Kate was different. She did not have a heartbeat but she did have dreams, goals, and needs—was not that life?

  Her one overpowering goal was to find her next meal, to kill, and to eat. But above all she wanted to find one person, one miserable human—the person who started it all.

  Ashley the Zombie Queen.

  She’d died to save her. And now that wench was alive and the most feared zombie killer around. The click clack of heels struck fear into Kate’s kind, the smell of coffee and that laugh … just the thought made Kate salivate. And it was time to pay; today she would get her revenge.

  Then she smelled it, the human—fresh blood. Picking up her pace she dragged her broken left leg and turned the corner to see the Zombie Queen trying to pull an ax from a stupid zombie’s head. The man clearly had no hunting skills.

  She still wore her stilettos and Kate planned to rip them from her detached legs.

  This was what Kate had been working up to. It was going as planned, all they had to do was get her into that alley. To make her run through the maze like the little rat she was.

  Kate lumbered behind the horde and watched as the left side closed Ashley’s escape just like she hoped they would. It was not easy directing a horde of zombies, but she had nothing but time.

  Ashley took hold of the ladder and fought her way up. It was beautiful, just perfect. The best part was that Vincent was waiting at the top for her. He was the leader of a large vamp clan and was frickin hot to boot. The vampires came up with the pact in the beginning but Kate was more than happy to join them if it meant killing Ashley.

  Vampires wanted blood, Zombies wanted the brain and meat … it was a match made in hell. The vamps rounded them up and drained them and the zombies came in to clean up the remains.

  Who’s got the hot guy now?

  * * *

  Kate ran as fast as she could but one leg refused to work like it should. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she saw Jill pop an eyeball into her mouth. It burst and eye juice shot out of her chin.

  Was that a smile?

  Kate wondered if Jill liked being a zombie, or did she just like the food? She didn’t imagine human brains and flesh tasting good, it gave her stomach cramps just thinking about it. But it curved the hunger pains.

  The horde converged in the alley. Kate rounded the corner and caught Vincent leaping across the rooftops with something on his back. His smooth skin and muscled arms gave Kate pause, could she still feel lust or even love?

  “Argh!” the Zombie Queen interrupted her thoughts.

  So, she was hitching a ride. What a loser.

  Something ran into Kate from behind and she turned to see Jill gaping at her.

  What?

  All she had were her thoughts but somehow the others could hear and understand what she wanted. She could not hear anything but moans and grunts from the other zombies, but they obeyed her without question. It was nice to have a little army at her command, especially when it came to hunting Ashley.

  Let’s just get everyone to the meeting place and then we can eat, we can all eat!

  Kate gave the order and the horde lumbered down the street toward a large shoe factory. It was purposeful that she chose this as the final resting place of the human wench known as the Zombie Queen. It was perfect. She would die surrounded by her precious stilettos.

  The gutted out factory had fifty-foot arches with broken-out glass letting in fragmented light. The concrete floor was littered with debris, and standing in a semi-circle was the Vincent clan. All sixty-two of them. Cold, without expression, and deadly … to anyone who was not already dead, that is.

  “Let me go … what is this?” Ashley squirmed and swore at Vincent but he seemed unimpressed.

  Kate walked forward and her horde let her through like Moses parting the waters. This was it, the moment she had waited for, dreamed about for the last three years.

  Kate heard Ashley gasp and Vincent shoved her forward. She tripped and hit the ground hard. “Here she is … we held up our part.”

  Kate nodded and she reached for a hanging wire with a box on the end. It had a red and green button. She pressed the green button and two huge doors in the floor off to the left groaned and popped as they opened.

  That’s when the screams came.

  If zombies were good at anything it was herding. This group of a hundred or so humans did not take long to gather; and the vamps were so thirsty that it took only seconds for all the humans to be sucked dry. Vincent’s clan slowly leapt out of the pit and they all had a look of satisfaction.

  Vincent jumped out of the pit and wiped blood from his lips. He sucked each finger, making sure to get all the blood off, and a smile took the corner of his mouth. “Well done,” he said.

  “You’ll never get away with this!” Ashley was seething. “I’ll kill every last one of you!”

  Vincent threw his head back and laughed. “You’re the Zombie Queen, not the Vampire Killer.”

&nb
sp; “I’m a quick study, blood sucker!” She was in attack mode, and as the vamps emerged full and happy they made a ring around Kate and Ashley. Vamps and zombies stood side by side as the two arch enemies faced off.

  “Let’s finish this, meat bag!” Ashley hissed.

  * * *

  Kate felt hunger rise inside her hollow gut. She’d not eaten for a few days so her hunger would giver her strength. It was the need—the reaction and reflexes that could make a slow zombie turn into a lightning fast killer.

  Ashley grinned and blew hair out of her face. She gripped the hilt of a rusty hatchet. Kate didn’t wait. She flexed her legs and lunged forward, diving to the right as Ashley swung the weapon.

  Air flicked by her face as Kate turned on her back in the air. It was a beautiful dive. She turned, and on the way past Ashley she grabbed a handful of her dark brown hair and pulled.

  Ashley screamed.

  Yanked off balance, Ashley flew backward and the two girls tumbled end over end. Kate landed on her feet in a crouch. Not wasting any time she leapt on Ashley’s back and bit into her shoulder, tasting the blood and flesh.

  “You witc—” Twisting, Ashley threw Kate across the room and stumbled to her feet. Kate smiled and wiped her bloody mouth with the back of her hand.

  Just you wait … I’m just getting started.

  The circle of zombies and vamps groaned, grunted, and growled as the two fought. Kate rolled her eyes and marveled at the way, even after death, that boys were still boys.

  Something hit Kate across the face and she saw the room spin out of control. She was paying for her lack of concentration. Ashley stood over her, fist clenched.

  “You like that?” Three more hits came in rapid succession. Kate did not feel pain; there were no working nerve endings to register it anymore. For this she was thankful.

  Jerking her knee up she caught Ashley between the legs. From the look on her face she saw that it hurt. But your nerves are working just fine!

  Kate took the opportunity and clamped down on Ashley’s left leg. Biting and clawing she tore into her flesh and felt the bone snap.