Sanctuary (21 page)

Dan watched out the window as the buildings flitted past. Each one stood empty and still, a monument to the nightmares that'd been lived inside. Dan recognized several of them from his previous travels. He looked down at his lap. Quinn was nestled there. The hum of the truck was soothing, and he watched her eyes flutter and close.

For the first time in two weeks, he felt safe and secure, confident that things were finally going to get better. The hope he'd nourished for over a week had become a reality. It was unbelievable what they'd been through, but somehow they'd made it.

Meredith sat next to him, providing comfort to Grant. The boy leaned against her, his eyes wide as he stared out the windows. The other survivors in the vehicle were quiet. They'd already introduced themselves, and though they'd shared bits and pieces of their stories, they were anxiously awaiting camp.

There'd be plenty of time for talk later.
 

After twenty minutes, Dan saw a row of tents and military vehicles on the horizon. Soldiers scurried to and from the entrance, and several survivors hung behind the fence, as if they'd been awaiting their arrival. The sky was bright and radiant; several choppers clung to the horizon. Dan recognized a few of them as the military, several more as belonging to news crews.
 

Dan looked over at Meredith. Despite her wounds, she managed a smile. Neither of them spoke. There was no need.
 

They'd made it.

EPILOGUE

Dan set down his hammer and peered out through the half-finished window of the California house. The sun glinted through the trees, reflecting off the rooftops of the neighboring buildings. In the distance, he heard the sounds of hammers and saws, people chatting it up as they worked on the new constructions. Their voices were hopeful and excited.
 

He glanced next to him. Quinn was wearing a tool belt several sizes too large for her. She smiled as she met his gaze.

"Need something, Daddy?"

"Nope. Just taking a breather," Dan said.

He patted her head and took a breath of fresh air. He glanced at the cars and trucks that lined the street outside. A few people milled about, waving their hands and talking. All of them were calm, composed.
 

It was a scene he was still getting used to.

"You know what, Daddy? I think I'm going to like it here," Quinn said.

"Me too, honey," Dan said.

He turned and surveyed the newly constructed house. At the moment, it was little more than a frame, but it'd be finished soon enough. The rooms were about the size of their house in St. Matthews. Unlike their old home, this one had two floors.
 

Another change, but a good one.

Downstairs, he heard the clink of hammers, the scrape of tools. A few seconds later, footsteps ascended the stairs. Meredith entered the room, carrying several bottles of water. She offered one each to Dan and Quinn.

"Are you thirsty?" she asked.

"I sure am!" Dan reached out for a drink. "Thanks!"
 

Quinn took one as well.
 

Dan uncapped the bottle and took a slow drink as Meredith glanced around the room.
 

"The house is coming along great, Dan."

"I know. I can't believe it."

"I met a few more neighbors from the end of the road. They came from Arizona."

"Really? No kidding."

Over the past week, Dan had met a slew of neighbors and volunteers, and he was still attaching names to faces. He took another sip of his drink and set it on the windowsill. A few seconds later, another pair of footsteps charged up the stairs. Grant darted into the room, his face lit with a smile.

"Another car pulled up outside. I think we're getting more help!"

"Great!" Dan said. "We could use it."

"I've been helping out downstairs."

"That's excellent, Grant. You're doing a great job."

He watched the boy disappear down the stairs. Meredith had been granted temporary custody of the boy. If all went well, she'd provide him with a permanent home. Dan glanced out the window, catching sight of a new vehicle parked on the road. The occupants were still inside.

"Why don't we go downstairs and introduce ourselves?" Meredith suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea," Dan said. "Let's go."

The three of them walked downstairs, admiring the wood walls and beams that would soon comprise their home. As Dan stepped through the living room, a few volunteers took a break from their work to nod hello. He returned the greeting, casting them a genuine smile.

Dan stepped out into the yard, fighting the glare of the sun. He shielded his eyes with his hand, catching a glimpse of the people emerging from the car.

He was surprised to find they weren't volunteers, but people he knew. People he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Oh, my God…" he called out. "Sam? Delta? Noah? Is that you?"

His former companions rushed over to greet him, bags of tools under their arms. Dan's eyes welled up.
 

"We figured we'd lend a hand," Sam said.

Dan embraced Sam, then the others. His eyes roamed from one to the other. Their faces were wet with emotion. Sam's face was tanner than he remembered, Delta's eyes were wide and vibrant, and Noah wore a genuine smile. Although Dan had spoken with them recently, he'd had no idea they were coming.
 

He hadn't seen them since the salvage yard.

"How'd you know we were here?"

"I called and set it up," Meredith said, her face beaming. "I gave them directions."

"When we heard about the new house, we offered to pitch in," Delta explained. "It's nice to meet you in person, Meredith."

"You too!" Meredith said.

Dan shook his head in disbelief, still shocked to see his companions together and in one place. Quinn and Grant greeted the newcomers. Quinn couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"I'm not sure what to say," Dan said.
 

"Well, I hope you have room for a few more sets of hands." Noah laughed. "Otherwise, I'll have a long trip back to Portland."

"Of course! Come on inside," Dan said.
 

He led them into the house, unable to contain his emotion. When he'd last seen his companions, the world was uncertain, plagued with danger and death. The infection had robbed each of them of friends, family, and each other. But somehow they'd found their way back.

Somehow they'd survived.

"I don't even know where to begin," Dan said.

"Me neither." Sam laughed.

"Are you still in San Francisco?" Dan asked Sam and Delta.
 

"Yep, we're in the Bay Area," Delta answered.

"How do you like it?"

 
"We love it. Noah's been staying with us for the last few days. He came out to visit."

Delta looked over at Noah, who smiled and took her hand.

"What about Caddy?" Dan asked Noah. "Did she come, too?" Dan had never met the girl, but Noah had told him a lot about her.

"She stayed in Portland. She wanted to meet you, but she's back in school. She couldn't slip away. She's trying to finish her degree."

"That's great news. I'm sure I'll meet her sometime. Would anyone like a drink of water?" Dan asked. "I don't have much else, as you can tell." He gestured to the empty house, and his companions laughed.

"Don't worry about it," Sam joked. "We didn't come here to relax. We came here to work."

"I won't argue with you, then."

Dan laughed and led them upstairs. He reviewed the tasks that needed completing while his companions listened. When he was through, he gazed at all of them. "Anyone have questions?" he asked.

"Not now. But I'm sure I'll have a ton as we go," Delta admitted. "I've never built a house before."

"I'll guide you through it," Sam said. "Enough talk. Let's get to work!"

The group scattered, helping each other with their tasks. Dan surveyed their faces, unable to suppress his smile. He couldn't wait to catch up, to hear more from his companions. But that'd come later.
 

Right now, it was time to enjoy the moment.

Afterword

I just wanted to take a moment to express my sincere THANK YOU for reading the
CONTAMINATION
series. The fact that you've come this far with me (and Dan, Quinn, Meredith, Sam, Delta, Noah and crew) means more than you know. It's still hard to believe that a little idea I had back in June 2012 ended up growing into a series spanning over a thousand pages. And you've stuck it out to the end.
 

You rock.

Sure, we had some casualties along the way, and certain characters strayed from the path I had planned for them, but what fun would a zombie book be without that stuff, right? I only hope you had as much fun reading the books as I did writing them.

So what's next?

The main story arc is finished, but I DO plan on writing some more stories in the
CONTAMINATION
world. I'd always planned a definite conclusion to the series, but there are stories from other characters that need telling. Some of these will be told through standalone books; others might go longer if you enjoy them. The first of these, entitled
CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT,
is available now. Dead Instinct follows the story of Ken and Roberta from Contamination 4: Escape after they part ways from Dan & Quinn.
You can get it here now.

Aside from that, I recently released the first book in a series of werewolf suspense books called
OUTAGE.
The setting is based on a real storm we had here in Connecticut in 2011 where over half the state lost power and the governor declared a state of emergency. If that sounds interesting, you can
grab it here.

For a different take on zombies, check out my post-apocalyptic series with Bobby Adair called
THE LAST SURVIVORS.

Again, thanks for taking a chance on an indie author. I'm honored and humbled, and you are the reason I keep writing. I hope our paths cross again soon!
 

-Tyler Piperbrook, November 2014
 

To stay up to date on what I'm working on,
sign up for my mailing list.
I promise not to spam you with emails, but I'll be sure to let you know when I have something new out.

About The Author

T.W. Piperbrook was born and raised in Connecticut, where he can still be found today. He is the author of
OUTAGE
and the best-selling
CONTAMINATION
series. In addition to writing, the author has spent time as a full-time touring musician, touring across the US, Canada, and Europe.

He now lives with his wife, a son, and the spirit of his Boston Terrier.

Have a question or comment? Connect with me at the links below!

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Website:
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*Reviews*

If you enjoyed
CONTAMINATION 6: SANCTUARY,
please take a moment to leave a review!

If you have a question or comment about the
CONTAMINATION
series, feel free to drop me a line at
[email protected]
. I love hearing from readers!

READ ON FOR A PREVIEW OF

CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT!

PREVIEW OF CONTAMINATION: DEAD INSTINCT!

PART ONE - SITUATION DEGENERATES

Chapter One

Ken peered over the counter, past the aisles and through the shattered liquor store windows. Two men in dark T-shirts were heading toward the store, their boots crushing gravel. Both were tall and muscled—in much better shape than Ken—and both wore army pants. One of them sported a mustache, and his face was twisted in a grin.

In his hand was the head of one of the infected.

Ken had watched the man slice it from an already-dead body in the parking lot, joking with his friend at the mess he'd made. Now the man was holding it by the hair. Ken watched in horror as he tossed the head across the parking lot. The head rolled across the pavement, picking up speed, and then ricocheted off a nearby Dumpster. Ken could only guess what the man would do to him and his wife if they were found.

Ken pointed the gun at the man crouched next to him, who was one of their friends. "If you say a word, I'll kill you," Ken said. A few minutes earlier, the man had stumbled on Ken and Roberta and tried to attack them. Luckily, Ken had gotten the upper hand. Ken peered over at his wife, who was crouched on his right. She was holding a gun, too, but she'd never used one.
 

It'd been several days since they'd left Oklahoma.

A week ago, a virus had ravaged the Southwest, overtaking the majority of the population with sickness. Once-normal people had been turned into bloodthirsty lunatics, bent on rending the survivors limb from limb. Those that hadn't turned wished they had. Aside from the roaming infected, the streets were filled with violent, sadistic individuals.

Men like the ones outside.
 

Ken swallowed as he watched the men approach.
 
Their voices echoed across the parking lot.

"Let's have a look in the store," the mustached man said to his friend, gesturing toward the building.

"Sounds good."

"Is David in there?"

"Damned if I know. The fucker is always taking off. I told him to wait, but he wouldn't listen…"

The two men advanced toward the store.
 

Ken heard a muffled cough to his left and turned to face the man he was pointing the gun at. The man was covered in dirt and blood, and his forehead was bleeding.

"Let me go, or they'll kill you," the man hissed.