The Withered Series (Book 1): Wither (35 page)
For
a while I envied them, their lack of emotion, or ability to feel
pain. Losing Cable nearly destroyed me...nearly.
I
adjust the pack on my back and lean forward, pressing tightly against
the tree limb as I lean over. Cable’s knife presses
against my thigh as I stare at the highway looming below. I
keep parallel to it, watching the road signs to make sure I’m
heading in the right direction. The Withered Ones move
steadily south. There is no rhyme or reason to this destination that
I can detect. Only single minded determination.
I
must adopt that same determination if I am to make it to my own
destination.
During
the final hours while I held Cable that last night, he spoke of his
family. Of his half-brother Lenny and his mother Teresa. Of
how after Lenny’s mother died, Teresa showed great compassion
and took the boy into her care and raised her as her own. The
sins of the father did not matter to her. A boy in need did. I
wish I could have met Cable’s mother, met the woman who raised
such an amazing man.
The
last time Cable spoke with his brother he discovered that his mother
had been lost, but Cable said Lenny was a smart one. He would
survive.
I
owe it to Cable to try to find him. A small suburb of Nashville,
Tennessee was his last known location. By best guess it would be a
three or four hour drive if I managed to find a car, and a passable
road to use. It would take me a month or so by foot, depending on if
I got into any trouble along the way.
Trouble
is exactly what I’m afraid lies between me and Nashville.
Narrowing
my gaze, I chamber a round and aim my gun into the air. It is
time to see if my suspicions are correct. The sounds of raspy
moans and shuffling feet fills my ears as the last droplets of rain
patter down on my face. I close my eyes and listen. For as long as I
live I will never get used to their sound, to the potent scent that
clings to their bodies. They will haunt my dreams till my final
breath.
I
slowly open my eyes, staring one last time at the sun before I pull
the trigger. The shot ricochets through the air, echoing off
the concrete embankment that rises on either side of the highway,
leading to the overpass less than a quarter of a mile ahead. Birds
take flight, escaping the trees around me.
The
tide of rotting and tattered Withered Ones come to a complete,
unified halt. Their faces tilt upward toward the sky. Silence
reigns as they pause to search for the source of the sound.
Numbness
settles over me as I lower my shotgun and look to the road ahead.
Thousands of Moaners stand motionless for the first time ever.
I fight against the sense of hopelessness and despair, knowing the
path before me will be dangerous. Gangs, desperate survivors,
and the lack of food were bad enough. This will be far worse.
The
Withered Ones are evolving.
The Withered Ones were never a threat before…but they are evolving.
In 2015 a new enemy rises…
RESURRECT
Book II of the Withered Series
With every book, there is always a slew of people standing behind the author who help make the novel possible. I wish that I could name each person who helped to encourage me along the way, but there are just so many of you. So to my readers, thank you not only for your continued support but also for your faith in me as I jump to a new genre. You have rooted me on, sent me emails of encouragement on days when I needed it the most and I am grateful to you for it.
A special thanks goes to my husband, Rick and my son, Landon. Without these two guys, none of this would even matter. They are my world and I love them dearly. Thank you for always thinking I'm the coolest author you know!
I'd also like to give a special shout out to the two guys who started this Wither craze, Russell Brown and Ray Aguilar. These two delightful zombie nuts encouraged me nearly two years ago to write a zombie book, they hounded me to watch the Walking Dead and they battled wits to create the best zombie ideas I'd ever heard. Thank you for the laughs along the way. You two were right...The Walking Dead ROCKS!!!
Books by Amy Miles
THE AROTAS TRILOGY
Forbidden
Reckoning
Redemption
Evermore
THE IMMORTAL ROSE TRILOGY (prequel to Arotas)
Desolate
THE RISING TRILOGY
Defiance Rising
Relinquish
Vengeance
Author Amy Miles has always been a bit of a dreamer. Growing up as an only child, and a military brat to boot, she
spent countless hours escaping into the pages of a book, only to spend the following days creating a new idea of how to
twist up the story to make it unique.
Since becoming a mother, Amy has slowly nourished her love of the written word while snatching writing time in the
midst of soiled diapers, tumbling over legos and peering around mounds of laundry and dishes that never seem to go away.
Once her only son started school, Amy was free to let her fingers dive into dark mythology, tales of betrayal and love,
and explore human nature in its rawest form. Her love of seeing the world from a different angle bloomed.
Amy is the author of several novels, including her popular young adult immortal books, The Arotas Series, which are
an Amazon and iBooks bestselling series. Unwilling to be defined by any one genre, she proceeded to flip over to a
science fiction/fantasy based idea with her Rising Trilogy. She then dove into contemporary romance with her novel,
Captivate and explored the depths of her own faith with In Your Embrace.
She is currently working on completing her Immortal Rose trilogy, a prequel to her Arotas novels. She has also
embarked on two new journeys this year, one in the form of a co-written banshee trilogy, The Hallowed Realms, which is
currently represented by GH Literary and she breached another genre with her upcoming adult horror novel, Wither.
Want to know what Amy will be working on next?
Join her at
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