David Wellington

Plague Zone

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60.

Friday, September 7th, 2007

Author’s Note: Well, that wraps up another one! Thanks to everyone who read this far, and everyone who commented, and everyone who supported me in the process of writing Plague Zone. Special thanks as usual to Alex, who made it all happen, and who inspired me to write another zombie story.
I will be back with another serial in 2008. In the meantime, have a great Halloween!

The bastard was across the street, no more than twenty yards away. He was wearing that stupid plaid shirt. All of his hair had fallen out and black drool had coated his chest and groin. He looked painfully thin, as if he hadn’t eaten enough, and his eyes were dead empty pools.
“There,” Tim said. This at least made sense. Droolers didn’t wander. They were opportunists—Helena had told him as much. They stayed close to the scene of the crime. It made sense on another level, too. Wherever Tim had journeyed, wherever his feet had taken him, this little intersection was all that remained of his world. Everybody that counted was right here. Karen, Jake, Nero.
“What, him? That’s the guy?” Sasha asked. She didn’t fit into the nice little tableau, not really. It had been her role to get him this far, but now she was extraneous. “You want me to grab him?” she asked.
“No. He’s mine. I came this far—”
He stopped in mid-sentence and looked straight up.
He was not surprised to hear the rotors of a helicopter again.
“Not now,” he said.
Not now! This was it, his primal scene. He was supposed to be left alone in it long enough to do what was necessary. But of course he had screwed up too badly for that. He had made a mess of things. Nero was so close, though, he could still finish the jerk off and—
And then what? Jake needed medical help. He knew it. Jake would die if he didn’t get him to a hospital. How long could a child live on just cookies?
A light came on in the sky. It was bright enough to blind Tim for a second. It descended in a dusty cone from right overhead and it lit up the intersection perfectly, freezing everything in place with its illumination. It sent long sinister shadows streaming away from him. He felt like an actor on a stage in a nasty, brutal play with a bad ending.
Across the street Nero slipped into the shadows, lumbering away. Had he been scared off? Doubtful. Yet maybe he knew, on some level, how close he had come.
Sasha moved first, stepping backward, away from the center of the light, toward the motorcycle. A bullet whined through the air and sent dust puffing up from the ground near her feet. She jumped back, her hands going wide.
“Stay right where you are,” an amplified voice insisted. “We have ground units closing on your location. Do not attempt to flee.”
The light stayed centered right on Tim. If he tried to move while inside that cone of light he would be shot down and his journey would be over and complete.
If he didn’t move, he would be picked up by the boy soldiers and put in jail, probably for a very long time. He looked not at the helicopter above but at Sasha.
She frowned a question at him. While Tim stood perfectly still, his arms raised, she slowly reached down to her belt. Tim tensed his legs while she carefully drew one of her revolvers, then the other. They were hidden inside the voluminous folds of her fur coat, for the moment.
She was willing to distract the helicopter pilot for him. She understood her part, finally, in this grim scenario. Almost certainly she would be killed, torn apart by machine guns, if she lifted her weapons. Yet it would give Tim one tiny fraction of a second to run. To chase after Nero, to take him down. To end what he had started.
“I’ll do it,” she said, looking him right in the eyes.
She would do it for him. Who knew why? It didn’t matter. She would do it.
And with that tragic offering, that act of offered sacrifice, she broke the spell.
He owed her. He owed her his life, and he could not take hers.
Nothing had ever been as simple as he thought. Everything had always mattered, even the things he’d shouldered free from, the irrelevancies and the obstacles. He had hurt so many people on his road, or let them be hurt.
“No,” he said. “No.”
He had a duty to her. And much more important, he had a duty to Jake. If Jake was still alive—then Nero didn’t matter. What he’d done to Karen was unforgivable, yes. But if Jake was alive then Tim’s purpose wasn’t revenge any more. It was to protect his son. To save his son.
Phil Nero was gone, swallowed up by the night. Tim doubted he would ever see the man again.
He threw his weapon in the gutter, and gestured for Sasha to do the same. They would go to the stockade. They probably deserved to go to the stockade, after what they’d done.
Maybe they would let Jake visit him, though. And eventually he would be released. Then they could go home.
“Hey,” he shouted, and started waving his arms in the air. “Hey! Come get us! Come rescue us! We’re clean! We’re clean!”
Slowly, picking its way carefully down through the air, the helicopter came in for a landing.

53 Responses to “60.”

  1. FIRST

    September 7th, 2007 at 12:55 am

    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! SO GOOD!

  2. SECOND

    September 7th, 2007 at 1:29 am

    another turn in Tim’s mind
    very good of him not to sacrifice Sasha or his son
    hopefully everyone can be saved now……………

  3. Ardenstone

    September 7th, 2007 at 1:49 am

    I read Wednesday’s post and enjoyed the image of all my fellow readers joining me in gnashing our teeth until Friday. This is much, much worse. It’s like a plot to get us to want a shorter weekend.
    Love it.

  4. Rakie

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:01 am

    *lip trembles* ohhhhhh, can’t believe that’s the end! that’s so sad, and so sweet as well… this is been such a cool, intense story, i’m really quite sad that it’s over. Nice ending tho, it fitted just perfect! personally i could have used an even bigger happy ending, with a few group hugs and maybe a song/dance number… okay, maybe not the dancing, but you know what i mean… anyway, i think this is plenty happy. :D there’s so much more i’d like to know tho – what’s going to happen to buzzard? is jake really okay? what about the masterly corn-starch plan? i would really REALLY like another ten or so chapters of this. Any chance, dave? go on, just a few teeny more chapters…? :D
    awesome job, you are truly da man. :D

  5. Ardenstone

    September 7th, 2007 at 5:05 am

    Holy crap, I hadn’t noticed that this was #60. Talk about leaving the audience wanting more!

  6. Dizet

    September 7th, 2007 at 5:27 am

    The whirling chopper blades, the slow fade to black as Tim and Sasha look up and the music fades in from underneath …
    “This is the end, beautiful friend, the end …”

  7. August

    September 7th, 2007 at 6:56 am

    Wow….not to counter the previous comments, but it was an awesome (not perfect but pretty damn close) ending. As a parent, once you believe your child is safe and that you’ve done everything humanely possible to achieve that safety, everything else doesn’t matter. Great job Dave and thanks for another wild ride.

  8. SlipperyJim

    September 7th, 2007 at 7:42 am

    And, just like that, the constant theme of the story disappears in the final chapter. Tim gets a chance at his revenge, and he abandons it for his son. It’s a powerful (and accurate) reflection of how children change all of our priorities and turn our worlds upside-down….
    Hey, I think there’s a theme here! Remember Mael’s riddle from Monster Planet?
    Q: “What’s more important than the end of the world?”
    A: “The next day.”
    Nicely done, Dave. Nicely done!

  9. Don

    September 7th, 2007 at 7:58 am

    Excellent chapter Dave. Excellent chapter.

  10. Ed Adkins

    September 7th, 2007 at 11:44 am

    dave, this one was my favorite. gripping and enjoyable throughout, as usual. thanks.

  11. mendoza

    September 7th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

    Good for Tim not letting Sasha give her life.

  12. I'maLoyalFanofDavid W.

    September 7th, 2007 at 1:35 pm

    So is this it? Is this the end? I have a feeling Phil and Tim will meet again, thank you for 60 wonderful chapters off intense and emotional reading, you are one of a kind mr. David Wellington. (stands up and applauds*)

  13. differenceofopinion

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:08 pm

    yo dave, altho im sure ill catch flak from everyone else i really dont care it has to be said, this ending and overall this story was the worst, it was long dramatic and full of borderline preachy messages huge parts of it lulled and seemed pointless and thrown together, i mean come on one guy searching for one zombie wtf????, not to mention if this is indeed the end this is easily the worst last chapter of any book you have ever written anyone here can back me up in saying that had this been in any of the monster series books nero woulda been capped so fast and in possibly the bloodiest way ever. I mean come on this is a zombie book what better forum than this to hold no punches blow brains everywhere without any remorse. it makes me wonder what happened to the dave wellington i orginally fell in love with the, shoot em up action packed descrpitive powerhouse i came to know and value, somewhere between frostbite ( which also couldve been better) and this u lost it man i can only hope that things get better keep it up i still look forward to reading ur future writings peace.

  14. differenceofopinion

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:08 pm

    yo dave, altho im sure ill catch flak from everyone else i really dont care it has to be said, this ending and overall this story was the worst, it was long dramatic and full of borderline preachy messages huge parts of it lulled and seemed pointless and thrown together, i mean come on one guy searching for one zombie wtf????, not to mention if this is indeed the end this is easily the worst last chapter of any book you have ever written anyone here can back me up in saying that had this been in any of the monster series books nero woulda been capped so fast and in possibly the bloodiest way ever. I mean come on this is a zombie book what better forum than this to hold no punches blow brains everywhere without any remorse. it makes me wonder what happened to the dave wellington i orginally fell in love with the, shoot em up action packed descrpitive powerhouse i came to know and value, somewhere between frostbite ( which also couldve been better) and this u lost it man i can only hope that things get better keep it up i still look forward to reading ur future writings peace.

  15. dissapointment

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:19 pm

    yo dave, i know im prolly gonna catch flak from everyone else but i really dont care it has to be said, this whole story and indeed this particular chapter is the worst thing you have written that ive ever read. this plot seemed pointless, thrown together and obviously in the end useless seriously man one dude lookin for one zombie wtf???? this whole story seemed to lull parts of it wer just plain ridiculous (the plane chapter) and most of it was just like a drama packed soap opera for middle aged housewives the only difference here was ther wer monsters and a little bit of action, seriously dave what happened to the dave wellington from the monster series or from 13 bullets, anyone who has read a shred of anything else u wrote would kno that phil nero woulda been capped in a second in probably the most descrpitive and goriest way ever but in this book that aspect of your writing is noticeably absent and really it takes away from everything that your writing is. honestly somewhere between frostbite(which wasnt that great either) and now u fell off man. regardless i hope u keep writing and im waitin in antcipation for the next thing u make
    peace

  16. dissapointment

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:19 pm

    yo dave, i know im prolly gonna catch flak from everyone else but i really dont care it has to be said, this whole story and indeed this particular chapter is the worst thing you have written that ive ever read. this plot seemed pointless, thrown together and obviously in the end useless seriously man one dude lookin for one zombie wtf???? this whole story seemed to lull parts of it wer just plain ridiculous (the plane chapter) and most of it was just like a drama packed soap opera for middle aged housewives the only difference here was ther wer monsters and a little bit of action, seriously dave what happened to the dave wellington from the monster series or from 13 bullets, anyone who has read a shred of anything else u wrote would kno that phil nero woulda been capped in a second in probably the most descrpitive and goriest way ever but in this book that aspect of your writing is noticeably absent and really it takes away from everything that your writing is. honestly somewhere between frostbite(which wasnt that great either) and now u fell off man. regardless i hope u keep writing and im waitin in antcipation for the next thing u make
    peace

  17. sunrise089

    September 7th, 2007 at 4:32 pm

    Nice work Dave, and thanks again – not many people give so selflessly and entertain so many people in the process.
    @the above poster – you are entitled to your own opinion, but you need to realize the zombie genre appeals to a few VERY SMALL subsets of the overall population. One is the hard-core survivalist set, who like stories that focus on the breakdown of civilization and lists of guns and ammo and the like. Dave’s stories have never been aimed that them. The other set are the blood and gore fans – those who like slasher films and brutal descriptions of violence. Nothing wrong with that either, and parts of Dave’s earlier books do cater to that audience a good deal, but not so much the later ones. Dave is really writing about psychology – inferiority and abandonment in 13B, and parenting, loss, and obsession here. While the pacing and plot will vary in strength, I think all can agree he fulfilled his goal of writing a character full of understandable single-minded purpose, and taking us on a wild ride alongside him.

  18. alnjo

    September 7th, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    dave today is my birthday
    for real
    9-7-62
    if you wanted to give me and all of the original a chapter 61 as a gift we would love it
    as we have the first 60
    if not, next year will be ok too
    you are still the man
    unfaithful tim looking to get laid
    sasha a true warrior like ayaan
    shoots his wife in the face
    kid trapped in the car like a feral cookie monster
    c’mon dave kill nero
    have the rescue squad do it with hellicopter blades
    have them toss sasha her guns
    lite the fucker up dave
    thanks for everything again
    have a great weekend
    peace out later

  19. Mark

    September 7th, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    Dave, just wanted to say I loved the story. I have read everything you have written in this format and have bought all the Zombie books and plan on getting 13 bullets soon. I don’t comment much but I thought you might like to know that you are rapidly becoming one of my favorite horror writers. I await your next story with much anticipation. Thank you!!!!

  20. jay u

    September 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm

    you my friend are abosolutely amazing. i mean the time spent on the whole novel… wow. i just been reading the whole book for the past 3 hours… lol :D from the very start. not many people would be as willing as you to use their talents like this. good work mate. and i look forward to seeing more of your work. oh and i slightly think tim is a bit obsessive… lol :D

  21. jay u

    September 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pm

    and i would just like to say this would been an amazing film to make if it ever does hit the big screen. i can even imagine it right now. Heck, i’ll write the script for you lol :D .

  22. Nemesis0

    September 7th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

    Great story, keep it up. Looking forward to your future projects.

  23. Nemesis0

    September 7th, 2007 at 9:35 pm

    Great story, keep it up. Looking forward to your future projects.

  24. thanatos

    September 7th, 2007 at 11:31 pm

    I love the monsters, the mayhem, the story, the plot, the characters, Tim’s son surviving on cookies for a month inside a car. BUT, I was wondering if the ending of this could be more like the end of the Romero movies with brief snips of news reports and soundbites showing what is still going on elsewhere. After all, this is just one story from a common nightmare situation.
    you the man, Dave. yeah!

  25. Ben

    September 8th, 2007 at 1:56 am

    I’m sorry, but that was not your best story Dave.
    I mean, it grabbed you by the throat at the begining, and your all like, “yeah. whoo hoo, search and destroy!!!!!” and by the end it’s like “I’m..I’m sorry, I swear this never has happened before…” But I’m here to say, it’s alright, it happens to all writters, and hey, atleast the foreplay(first quarter to half of story) was good, right?

  26. Jordan

    September 8th, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    While it was a bit of a predictable ending, it was the rdie that was amazing, and that’s what counts. Plus, as a free book, it’s still one of the best out there. Here’s to next time.

  27. Zeinah

    September 9th, 2007 at 5:19 am

    Thank you Dave for this experience this is my first novel that i read while it is posted and i really enjoyed it so much.
    I liked the ending and how the parents would sacrifice everything for their children… wow, me like it… nonono me love it :)

  28. Don

    September 10th, 2007 at 9:15 am

    Oh No!!! Not the end, not yet. So many questions……….
    Dave…epilogue, epilogue.

  29. Meek

    September 10th, 2007 at 9:18 am

    A good story, enjoyable, but not your usual work. Felt a little thin. I was just getting to know the characters, Sasha, the army guy, etc and then BLAM one gets it in the head and the other is left standing in the middle of the street. The potential was there to connect with the characters but it just never happened for me. I never disliked the army guy, started to like Sasha and Buzzard but never quite got there. Tim wants to avenge his wife and son and kill Nero. That’s the goal, 57 chapters worth and then the last two it all happens a bit too quickly, shots wife in face almost without flinching, finds kid, sees Nero…..and roll credits. Enjoyable but thin. 13 Bullets by far your best, a 9 on a scale of 1-10. This one, a 5.

  30. Tim

    September 10th, 2007 at 9:28 am

    More please….
    More monsters, more zombies, more books! Great work on this, especially when Tim found Jake alive. The people I work with thought I had gotten some really bad news because I was sitting there reading going “Oh my god he made it….” Keep up the great work, my lunch breaks were never so much fun!!!

  31. Chris

    September 10th, 2007 at 10:46 am

    Well Dave, I’d have to say this is my favorite one (except maybe 13B) so far.
    Despite reading all of your zombie works, I can’t say I’m actually a zombie fan. I am a fan of solid, believable characters set in a rich, detailed world.
    From the first chapter I found Tim, the librarian, a likealbe.. crazy.. obsessed, everyman.
    The internal conflict, the quiet rage that drove Tim across the continent… hidden under a ‘mild mannered’ librarian was what made him my favorite character that you’ve ever created.
    Thanks again Dave, can’t wait ’till this one, and the next one end up in print. I’m looking forward to filling an entire shelf with your work.
    Chris

  32. bagelgod

    September 10th, 2007 at 11:05 am

    Well! The end of yet another book! Honestly, I’ve seen the ending of a lot of your books, and love them. Even when gary lost the vote in MP, I still loved the ending. What I love about your stories is the fact that you will kill any bastard who is in the story, and conclude it well.
    This book…it was just frustrating. But I like it in a way. To be honest, chapters 1-59 were my favorite. I loved the plot of this story. Revenge, plain and simple. I’m a bit of a viking, in that revenge is something I love. When I read “Tim wouldn’t let Sasha kill herself” I had assumed he was going to make a break for it. I don’t know.
    I had inklings back in the 20′s or so that the kid would be alive; I honestly was expecting you to write the kid as dead, and then Tim finds out, kills nero, and dies himself. I was hoping for that, atleast =P.
    I think a reason a lot of people are upset with the book is because the ending wasn’t what they wanted. But thats the way life is.
    Haha, as far as bagel is concerned, I liked the book a lot. The ending irked me, but just because it wasn’t what I wanted. All in all, great story.
    I wonder what you’ll have in store in 2008…could it possibly be a Bannerman adventure, starring Bannerman?

  33. Geoff

    September 10th, 2007 at 11:55 am

    Ah, good. Good ending. Enheartening.
    Speaking of Halloween…what about a next book ABOUT Halloween. Like how it used to open up the door between worlds, so that witches and goblins and ghosts and the lot became real? That might be an interesting one.

  34. Jason

    September 10th, 2007 at 12:21 pm

    I’ve been pretty quiet since the beginning, but I’m going to have to admit that I’m in the camp that doesn’t like this story. For me, it has nothing to do with the ending, the ending is the best part. The last few chapter had the fast-paced action and excitement that most of the previous stories were built on.
    I’m sure you’re evolving as a writer, and perhaps you’re finding stories that you enjoy telling, or perhaps you’re attempting to appeal to a wider (and more lucrative) audience, or perhaps you just somehow forgot to write like you did for the first few books. Maybe some combination of these? It is very apparent that the style has changed drastically in the last two stories and I think there is a percentage of your old fans (myself included) that miss the good old days.
    The difference to me is that the first books were about people acting relatively reasonable in completely unreasonable situations. They were filled with action, excitement, characters that people fell in love with (Bannerman, anyone?) and nearly every chapter ended on a cliffhanger.
    By comparison, Plague Zone and Frostbite are both pretty boring and flat. The main character in each is driven by an intense desire for revenge with little concern for their own survival, or anyone else’s for that matter, and that leads them to some pretty irrational and confusing actions. Many chapters go by with little of interest happening and it feels like filler. We don’t ever really get to know the other characters that well and their motivations are also confusing and unclear (why was Sasha willing to do all that for Tim at the end, even going so far as to sacrifice herself? Does anybody really buy Bobby’s reason for sending Chey in to kill a werewolf by herself?)
    I genuinely cared for pretty much all the characters in the Monster trilogy and 13 Bullets, but I dislike Tim, and I thought Chey was kind of pitiful.
    I’ll check in on the next book, but if it’s going to be more of the same, I’ll probably just drop it and continue to love the earlier books. Don’t worry, I’m sure for every “old school” fan you lose, there are several new ones to take their place.
    Good Luck!

  35. Billy Bob

    September 10th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

    What? That’s the end? I was expecting more….not just another “Ooh, I’ve been captured again!”. Disappointing and doesn’t seem to be final.

  36. Linda

    September 10th, 2007 at 2:33 pm

    I wanted to wait until most of the comments were in before speaking up……most of you have never much cared what my opinion was anyway so why stop now right?
    Dave….where were you going wih this book? I agree with Jason in that your style has reduced to pretty much that of a storyteller to cub scouts around a campfire in the woods. Nothing, not one word, even comes close to anything you have written before. Some of them have put off on Frostbite and I’ll grant them that it wasn’t the same kind of talent that we saw in the monster trilogy and/or 13B. But even so, there were those moments when your creativity shined through as when Chey woke up in the out-post cabin and saw the damages to the walls and floors done be her wolf. We could “feel” the emotions she had to be going through….the awe of knowing that it indicated the kind of strength she had when she changed…..the fear of how she could be going through all the changing and what her outcome would be….etc.
    Plague Zone didn’t even reach ghost story potential. As a reader we couldn’t feel a time line. There are loose ends every where…. there are moments of confliction as in the part of the story where their very weight as a mass could bust the windows and doors of the office he ran into, yet all this pressure on a thin little auto glass never yields?
    Please don’t get hurt feelings over this…..grow from it and go back to what you were doing before. My personal favorite was 13 B. I own both it and the monster series and have purchased 2 more sets as Christmas gifts this year.
    Bring back the Dave Wellington we love. I’ll read everything your write and with the exception of this one, ( and please know it is a good story, not my favorite, but it was o.k.), I know talent, I’ve seen it, remember me? I ran all over northwest Randolph County, N.C. putting out stickers for 13B.
    I believe in you!!!!!!!!

  37. maryelser

    September 10th, 2007 at 3:20 pm

    well….. i loved that his son was still alive, almost unbelievably still alive. but the ending didnt wrap everything up. it would have been better if we had found out what would happen to sasha and tim. if his son would survive after all. and wonder how come it took the army boys so long to pursue tim. i would still read it again, i like all of your novels, i just wish you had wrapped the ending up all nice and neat. looking forward to your next novel, dave!

  38. Sven

    September 10th, 2007 at 3:51 pm

    While I wouldn’t have called this story bad I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as the past ones. A part of me would like a sequel as it feels like so much has been left hanging — that their hasn’t been proper resolution. On the other hand I’m not so certain I’d bother investing the time in it if there was a risk it would end up as flat as this one.

  39. Adesva

    September 10th, 2007 at 5:54 pm

    Hi all!
    How are you?

  40. Clint

    September 10th, 2007 at 6:57 pm

    I liked this until it stopped becoming believable. In all the other stories, the actions and circumstances were believable. This one took a turn for the OMG, that is cheese, around the latter third of the story. From the plane part on, the story was not well planned it seemed. Did you find that the story was taking to long and decide to quickly end it?
    There was a bunch of infected around the car, then Tim throws up and they all disappear? Should have at least been a shoot out or a event luring them away from the car to rescue Jake.

  41. Carlos

    September 11th, 2007 at 12:42 am

    Really nice story, just like the others. What i like about them is that Dave knows our expectations, but refuses to be predictable. This was a very anticlimax ending but its the most realistic one. And then he let us wanting more. In the end of the day thats what he was supposed to do.
    Dave is da man, no doubt!

  42. OgunSensei

    September 11th, 2007 at 1:35 am

    Kudos, Dave. Thanks for sharing yet another enthralling work. Can’t wait for the next one.

  43. sunrise089

    September 11th, 2007 at 2:23 am

    Nice to see some of the old regulars chiming in at the end. It would be even nice to hear from Dave or Alex. Epilogue perhaps?

  44. Bryan

    September 11th, 2007 at 10:56 am

    Nice job. I enjoyed it, left me wanting much, much more. PLease revisit this one again. Maybe other parts of the country, maybe 2 years later, anything to see what happens…
    thanks

  45. JD

    September 11th, 2007 at 2:40 pm

    Why didn’t Tim comment on all of the feces in the family’s car…his son had to use the bathroom too. I definitely hope there is a sequel to find out what happened to Tony and the rest. It did feel unfinished, but still satisfying. What am I going to read now?

  46. Muggins

    September 13th, 2007 at 12:20 pm

    I have to agree with the minority. I did not find this story as good as MI, MN, MP, 13B. I felt that much of the time I was hovering in one place in the story without a lot of forward motion. There is nothing wrong with an ambiguous ending. They are frustrating, sure. But they can make one think. I do feel, however, that the ending seemed way to neat, coincidental and convenient…and definitely sudden. Many scenes in the story were played out over the course of many chapters, right up to the sudden final chapter. The writing style is easy to follow and does support quick reading, as always. But, overall, this one didn’t do it for me.

  47. Carlos

    September 13th, 2007 at 2:55 pm

    On a second thought, i agree that an epilogue would be nice here.
    In the whole story, i just missed a detailed description of the behavior of the drollers.. the whole time i didnt know what to expect from them.
    But i still see Plague Zone at the same level as MI, 13b and the others.

  48. lurking

    September 13th, 2007 at 11:14 pm

    I posted one other time about the story becoming unbeleivable, and got lambasted by another poster. I believe what I was looking for was things got too “convenient.” It was too perfect. Things fell into place all too easily for the characters. I too, thought things fell apart after the lear jet incident. I wish the cornstarch dummies angle would have gotten played out. It felt WAY too rushed at the end. Excellent beginning, sorry finish.

  49. lurking

    September 13th, 2007 at 11:15 pm

    I posted one other time about the story becoming unbeleivable, and got lambasted by another poster. I believe what I was looking for was things got too “convenient.” It was too perfect. Things fell into place all too easily for the characters. I too, thought things fell apart after the lear jet incident. I wish the cornstarch dummies angle would have gotten played out. It felt WAY too rushed at the end. Excellent beginning, sorry finish.

  50. Lee of the Dead

    September 14th, 2007 at 9:14 am

    Another great story Dave.
    No comment after the story? Or epilogue page? Why so quiet over there?

  51. Michael

    September 14th, 2007 at 2:26 pm

    I read this during psychology class on my Braille computer (computer for blind people), and I started to cry just a little bit. I’m not ashamed of that, although the people around me thought I was insane. It was such a good ending, so emotional. I’m getting all choked up again. Still in psychology class as I write this, I must resist the urge to feel sadness! Great story. :)
    PS: An alternate ending with a show-tune theme and dancing droolers would be nice.

  52. Don

    September 14th, 2007 at 9:41 pm

    Dave…
    Epiloque…..Please.

  53. alnjo

    September 17th, 2007 at 7:56 pm

    c’mon dave
    say something
    you can’t forget about us
    originals
    from day one
    just like your thoughts
    neither we nor you gave up

Latest Book: Frostbitea werewolf tale

Frostbite cover

Frostbite is the start of a new series by David Wellington. You've seen his fresh new takes on zombies and vampires. What will his werewolves be like? What dark secrets await in the Northwest Territories? Find out now in this exciting new novel by the author of Monster Island and 13 Bullets.

Learn more about David's books and join in the discussion at the Hail Horrors Ning forum.

Table of Contents

Plague Zone is a serial novel by David Wellington. It was originally published online, starting with chapter one on April 23rd, 2007, also known as International Pixel-Stained Techno-Peasant Day (and the author's birthday, for that matter). For five months chapters were posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The book is now complete, and can be read in its entirety at this site. To get started, please go to Chapter One, and meet Tim Kempfer, the toughest librarian in post-apocalypse Seattle.

Chapters

Latest News

FROSTBITE novel version serialized on Neatorama

October 26th 2010

RAVAGED now available in UK!

October 12th 2010

David Wellington at McNally Jackson and New York ComicCon

October 3rd 2010

“Cursed” available now in the UK!

September 7th 2010