EVACUATION
A Vaccination Novel (Book 2)
by
Phillip Tomasso
Copyright 2013 Phillip Tomasso
www.philliptomasso.com
phillip@philliptomasso.com
Praise For VACCINATION
“I loved this book because of the concept; zombies didn't just appear after somebody woke up in a hospital bed! The group of survivors were believable, and I loved the fact that they weren't perfect. Highly recommended.” – D.A. Wearmouth, bestselling author of First Activation
“VACCINATION is a thrill a minute. Narrated in a gritty noir voice, Phillip Tomasso drags you into a zombie outbreak face first and doesn’t let you go until you’ve ripped your fingernails off clawing for help. Smart, intense and damn right frightening, VACCINATION is a must for any zombie fan.”– Max Booth III, author of Toxicity
“It’s hard not to get emotionally attached to the small group of survivors and root for them despite their personal flaws. It’s pretty much impossible to describe the end without giving away too much. I’ll just say that it was a great twist. Whether you are new to zombie fiction or have been a fan for years, I’d tell you to check this one out. It’s a great read.” – Ian McLellan, Zombie-Guide.com
“Tomasso created a Zombie book that seems all too possible! This book kept me wired tight from the beginning until the very end. If you like awesome adventure, and vivid storytelling, then you will LOVE Vaccination! 5 BIG Stars!” – Cedric Nye, author of The Road to Hell is Paved with Zombies
“There's a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of the book, which left me wanting more. I'm anxiously awaiting the publication of the second book. If you're looking for a great zombie book, then I highly recommend you grab a copy of Vaccination. Props to Phillip Tomasso for writing this fantastic zombie novel!” – J. Cornnell Michels, author of Jordan’s Brains
“Tomasso explores a humanity left dormant in the infected with graceful elegance. While we get glimpses into that unexpected possibility throughout the book, I would have loved digging deeper down that rabbit hole and see what he would have gifted us with. Simply put, however, VACCINATION is on fire!” — The Bookie Monster
Praise for Phillip Tomasso
“This is different … confident, addictive storytelling, great characters, and an intriguing plot. You’ll read it fast but remember it for a long time. ” —Lee Child, best selling author of One Shot and the Jack Reacher series
“(Tomasso) takes the standard fare of the private investigator genre and adds twists and turns to make it anything but standard. Tomasso’s writing is crisp and clear … thoroughly enjoyable.” —Joseph Nassise, author of Internal Games and King of the Dead
“Phillip Tomasso understands what drives people who live on the edge. His characters are three-dimensional and they engage your sympathy and your anger. . .”— William Meikle, author of Night of the Wendigo and The Midnight Eye Files
“I have a selection of authors that I turn to when I need a break from Fantasy and Phillip Tomasso has just become one of them.” —The Eternal Night Magazine
“Phillip Tomasso breathes new life into an old genre – an EXCELLENT read!” —M. R. Sellers, Author of In the Bleak Midwinter and Never Burn a Witch
Dedication
This book is for my son, Phil. He has been my sounding board, and biggest supporter. Without his help, I don’t think the second book in the trilogy could have been completed! Thank you, buddy!
Special Thanks
I need to thank my beta readers: Phillip Tomasso IV, Wendy LaForce, Sues Melia and Janice McFadden Mickolas. Also a huge thank you to Joe M. Diebold. He saved this story in a way most people could not. And to my family and friends at 911 for making VACCINATION such a success! You were the characters. i was just the scribe.
Prologue
Things spun out of control. Felt like months ago, instead of days, when life was . . . well, I wouldn’t call it normal. You will never catch me calling it that. I worked four to midnight at 911, dispatching fire trucks, ambulances, and taking emergency calls. Tough job. I was trained to take a call, send help, and move on to the next. No looking back. It was easier said than done. Which was what I did, and made a living at it. The divorce had been the hard part. It kept me from moving forward and drained me of emotions. I wouldn’t say I didn’t give a fuck about anything, but I’d be hard pressed to put together a list.
One saving grace, which was a term I absolutely hated, were my kids, so the term was accurate. I had two. Charlene, who was a teenager and, unfortunately, becoming quite the beautiful young adult quickly; and Cash, who was nine and quiet and looked a lot like me.
Signs were there in the days before what I now thought of as Armageddon, melodramatic, I know, but again it felt accurate so I used it. I saw them now, but I hadn’t realized what it all meant at the time. Don’t think any of us did. It was the simple things. At work, people called off shifts--meaning they were supposedly too sick to come in. Or didn’t call in at all and just didn’t show up.
Calls that came in at work were strange, but honestly, no stranger than most summer nights. Fighting, biting, stabbings, shootings, toothaches, and infant deliveries. Nothing out of the ordinary. What could have been a red flag were the increased missing person calls. Loved ones who never made it home from work, school, from grocery shopping, or nights out on the town. Again, standard. Just the increased volume was odd for October.
I don’t think the vaccination hit everyone at once. Didn’t turn them all into zombies on the same night. It was a gradual escalation that finally said fuck it and went haywire. The reports on the news started the panic. Some homeless guy on a freeway eating the face off some other guy or people in college partaking in cannibalism. Hospital security calling to say dead bodies were missing from the morgue.
The clues were there. The signs. The red flags. Shouldn’t need a group of kids in a Mystery Van with a dog connecting the dots. Yet, no one had done that. No one thought zombies. I mean, why would you?
You wouldn’t. In fact, if someone had, we would label them a 78 and send a cop to check on their welfare, and stage an ambulance ready to transport the patient to a psychiatric wing at one of our many treating facilities.
Me? My divorce had been far from amicable. I didn’t kill her or her boyfriend at that time. Thought about it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I wanted to, but what would have been the point? She didn’t want to be with me. Maybe I didn’t make enough money? Wasn’t a good enough husband? Didn’t pay enough attention to her because I was busy working my ass off; crazy hours, trying to pay bills and put food on the table. I wasn’t going to fight to keep someone who thought they needed a guy richer than me. Fuck that. Moreover, killing them would only land me in prison. Not that I would have cared. I think there would have been satisfaction in that. Rotting away in a cell, knowing, you didn’t make an ass of me. Just yourself, baby.
Couldn’t do it, though; I had two important reasons.
Charlene and Cash.
Bam! Right there it was. Cards on the table. I needed not to kill anyone so I could continue being a father to my children. They were, and always have been, my priority. My first and only priority.