Rise Again Below Zero

“Zombie mayhem gets an interesting modern American makeover in Ben Tripp’s notable debut” (
Publishers Weekly
)

RISE AGAIN

New York Times
bestselling author Cory Doctorow hails
Rise Again
as “not just a zombie novel—it’s an indictment of the us-versus-them mentality that chooses authoritarianism and control over cooperation and compassion. As such,
it does more than scare—it both moves and enrages
, and transcends mere spookiness for something much more satisfying. . . . Tripp raises the stakes so high that the book becomes nearly impossible to put down.”

“
Rise Again
would make a terrific action movie due to a strong cast of characters struggling to survive by choosing to become heroic or malevolent. . . .
A fabulous futuristic apocalyptic thriller.”

—
Alternative Worlds

“Danny’s journey through a land of death to find [her sister] Kelley makes for a remarkable character-driven story, and
the final sentence takes it to another level.”

—
Library Journal

“It will delight fans of zombie fiction
and post-apocalyptic stories, including Charlie Huston’s
Sleepless
and Justin Cronin’s
The Passage
.”

—
Booklist

For Tucker

He could hear its garments rustling in the leaves, and every breath of wind came laden with that last low cry. If he stopped it did the same. If he ran, it followed—not running too: that would have been a relief: but like a corpse endowed with the mere machinery of life, and borne on one slow melancholy wind that never rose or fell.

—Charles Dickens,
Oliver Twist

Questi non hanno speranza di morte.

These have no hope of death.

—Dante Alighieri,
Divina Commedia

E
verbode nos yu dont get neer th zeros, caus neer th zeros is neer th deth. We feerdem, but we nodem wel lik oldentiim salors gon to see but duno how to swim, th danjar al rown an them in thaar wuden ships liik us in owr caravan. Feerdem or feedem, gos th sayin.

Im telin this story bowt dany wo is non rown th worl for her derin egsploids agins th zeros bc noobode riits anethin down animor an wat she don changit everthin tords man agin from when th zeros rulit th worl. This story is imporn for that rezin alon, but also bc peepel think dany is a legint wen she was jus a huumin liik yoonme. Onle she was a speshil huumin hoo was not afraad to dy. An ii was lucky enuf to no hir that is dany adelman or th zombikiler or th ledir of th triib, an she no me aswel an tretit me good wen she cud av kilt me that firsten daa, th daa thay founit me bludy an dyin.

It was neer 2 yeer sin th worl endit an th zeros, or as yu miit cal em th zombis or th unded or th maneetirs, riz agin and startit ther nu worl on th runes of th ol 1. As preecher say al th sins of th worl maketh th dum clay of th ded bestir an riz agin an turnip on th livin woo askit for destrucshin on acownt of thay doan lisin to th wird of th Lord. Th Lord is alwaas angry alwaas kilin peepel for 1 thin or anuthr dependin on preechirs mood. U wud hav thot if th Lord was so disapoynit with his creashin, that beein mankind ii meen, he wud of just startit ovar anu. But th Lord is an meen ol sunbich
he wantit to kepe sum peepel alive so he kin make em sufir. Dany she fot agin th preechir an th Arkitkt and savit mee.

B4tiim ii liv in a superb of a big sity, Kansis Sity in the graat staat of Kansis. Awr hows lookit like ever uthir hows in the hool street and the hool superb and proly th hool sity for all ii noon. Ii dint think abowt other plasis vary ofen or nevar rily. We wen on vacashan wunst or 2 tiims an seen other plasis but thay dint seem al that difernt from Kansis Sity esept as miit be thay hav sum hils or mountens or mabe th oshin shoor.

On th daa th worl endit ii was plaan in the yard of my hows. ii was proly 2 ol to be plaan with toys but shaam as ii am to amit it th truuth mus be sed. Ii ges in th tiim befor it was oka for a boy 7 yers ol to play with toys enstet of ril guns an niifs and expeshily slinshots. My toys war prety gud thay war mosly wepin kind of toys but not danjaris bc thay war onle faak. Th guns had ornj plastic narzils on th ends and went bakabakabaka until th bateris diid or ii leftem owtsid ovarniit and thay got ranit on or th sprinklars watrit them. Ii had also a rubir niif not danjris wotsowivar and mani arme men in lyfliik posis lokt in combat with my toy diinoosoors.

In the midel of th daa my mam cum owt an tel me there was sum weerd nus on th tevy bc this was wen we still had tevy U unerstant and cud wach muvis and shos my favrets beeng th 1s wif sooljars fiiten, ane sho as long as th sooljars was fiiten rily. Ii likit viilent shos ii am not shamd to amit that. Now I don liik vilent shos not evin to think bowt em. Ii seen enuf of vilens to las me th rest of my liif.

Th weerd nus was abowt peepel runin and scremin everwaar in th worl but th nus kep chanjin th subjec like thaa dint want to tawk abowtet adal. Prolem was thar was so much news abowt it, onle thing hapenin rily esep for 4th of July paraads an warnin peepel to be caarful of fiirwurks so they don’t blo off thaar hands or get blinet in ther iis.

We dint see aneethin rong at 1st only sum nebers cum owt of thar howsis and lookit around like U cud chek if th nus was troo jes by goin owtsiit and luuken down th street. Our neber mises kirshner saad to my mam ii am worit abowt what ii seen on th nus do U no a chanil waar they show wat is hapnin I cant fine 1, and my mam saad no ii cant finger owt why they don’t jus sho us wat is hapnin ii think it miit be a teristatak and mises kirshner put her hand ovar hir mowth an saad oh biit yoor tung margrit plees god don let it be a teristatak do U think it miit rily be a teristatak, and riit then our neber kid on tother side my frend jerry he liiten a hole string of fiirkrakers
and they wen pakabang and my mam an mises kirshner both of them jumpit bowt 3 fut in th aar an scremit.

Anewa my mam she makit me cum insiid th hows an ii 8 a snak last snak evar in my lif that was a nordinry snak sitn at th cawntar betwen th livin room and kichin an tevy goin liits on fijrater humin dishwasher washen dishs—las norml daa in th worl an ii dint no it at th tiim ii jus aten my snak an wundar wen ii can go outsiit an pla some moar cus ii wantit to liit firecrakers with jerry. It was a gud snak tho it was strin chees thar isnt ane strin chees ane mor also krakers graaps an milk. It was 10 minits after ii was dun an mam wantit me to sta insiid but ii wantit to go out an pla with jerry wen 1st craazz persn cum runin down th street.

It was liik a sirin on a firetruk in olden daas U no when U heer a sirin cumin tords yor hows an U don no if it is cumin to neer yor haws only it gets lowder an lowder an then U start to think maabe it cum to yor blok an then maabe it cum to yor hows. Th craazz man was runin an scremin hands in th aar an he run riit pas owr hows. Ii run owtsiid to see an my mam she was escaart she grabit me an pul me insiid th haws and th man run pas an fel down ded riit in frunt of jerrys hows. Ii was jelis at th tiim cus jerry got th ded man in frunt of his hows not me an he that is jerry wud get on th nus an be famist. But ther was another craazz man cumin down th street an ii thot mabe he dy in frunt of my hows. He dint dy he kep runin. Ii was wachen from th livin room windo an my mam was on th foon we had telefoon bak then an she was telin my dad cum hoom don’t caar wer yar jus cum hom dont caar if yor helpen yer frend get his vintij car redy for th 4tha juli paraad cum hoom an he sed he wud cum hoom but he nevar cum hoom proly he diid runin an scremin iil nevar no.

Lots mor scremin peepel cum runin down ar street an even sum of ar nebers 2 runin with ther hans up in th aar. My mam lokit th dor turnit of th liits an tukit me upstaars an we hidin in hir bejrum an lookit out th windoo at th craazz peepel runin. Mane of th peepel diid in th street 1 of them diid riit agins owr fens an another crashit into th fens an wen riit ovar th top an landit in my toy sooljars an la stil. That 1 was a laade a nold laade she had a merikin flag shirt for th holida. Ii saw wen she diid she pupit a big shit in her pants an ii laf an my mam hiten me on th hed an saa don be a nanimel peepel are diin this is no tiim for lafen.

Jerry my neber cum to owr door an nok an nok and he was scremit his mam diid so my mam wen down to let him in ii staad upstaars to keep
wachen th spetakl of a worl gon craazz owt th windo. But then my maam dint cum bak upstaars so ii thot she was given jerry a snak but she nevar cum bak upstaars. It was getin dark wen ii fiinly cum downstaars an th reesin ii dint cum down suner was cus ii was scaart so much ii dint hav th curij to cum down. Ii ges ii nu thar was a prolem or my mam wud hav cum bak up th staars with jerry but she dint. Ater a wiil th scremin stopit an onle ded peepel wur everwar not ane livin peepel ii cud see from th windoo.

Ii cum don an it was dark insiid th hows an ii felt liik ther wur spiidars crolin on my skin. My hart was hamrin. Ii dint fiin ane siin of my mam or jerry ii thot maabe they wen to jerrys hows so ii got a flashliit even tho it wasn rily dark owtsiid yet an I saw al th ded peepel everywar a milin ded peepel. Sum1 sed latir on ther was 100an50thosin ded in th graatr meterpolitin aarya includen saan lewis.

Ii gon ovar th fens between th howsis bc ii was so escaart of th ded laade on th lon with th shit in hir pants. Ii wen into jerrys hows th dor was opin ii wen in an it was qiiit in thar qiiit as th tuum as dad wud of sed. Ii luken arown but ii was 2 escaart to go upstaars an it got dark so ii turnit on th lites an was escaart al niit. Ii peed in my pants also so it wasn fune.

Th nx mornin ii wen owtsid an th ded peepil was on thaar feet. Sum survivars was luken for other survivars so ii calit 2 them an tha cum 2 get me. Ii cud tel tha wer aliiv bc tha cud tok an th ded peepil wu got up agen tha cud not tok. Noor hardle even wok or mov arown. The survivars jus push th zombis owt th wa. Tha war zombis as u alrede no this so ii wil calit them zombis even tho we dint no tha war zombis yet. Tha pushit th zombis owt th wa an cum get me an I criid I amit it I criid lik a smal baabe and a laade survivar she strokit my haar an presit my faas 2 hir busim. She gavit me a smal dog hu bcaam mi bes fren. We al got in a van an droov tween the zombis wakin arown lik a videeyo gaam.

Ii don reemembar wen th zombis startit biiten al th peepil. Ii was sleepin in th van ii was tiirit from not sleepin al niit. We stopit at a hows an the men went to see if thar was a survivar, ii was tool that latar. A zombi biten 1 of th men an blud went everwar an th zombis wen craazz an biten everbode wu was owtsiid th van. We drovit awa vere fast then an aftar that mor an mor peepel got biten on arms legs nex eers fasis or fingars ever tiim we stopit it seem liik sumbode get another biit. Thar was so mane zombis.