Chromozone Flesh and Blood

By Paul D Roberts

The first book of The Sinister Series features Sara Greene. A mother to an adorable seven year old who is deaf from birth. Straight away their world is thrown into turmoil when a contagious infection is spreading across the United Kingdom, turning the living into a new breed of zombie like no other. Fearful for their lives, Sara has no choice but to build up the courage to protect her only child one way or another. She learns the hard way that the rules have changed. It’s kill or be killed.
Just how far will Sara go to protect the one thing that means everything to her? Can she put all her instincts aside and become a killer?
#Chromozoneseries

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul D Roberts
• Release date: Jun 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310180033

Paul D Roberts

Paul Roberts is an author, specialising in the zombie horror genre. His passions are reading books, watching movies and playing video games. He is keen to write about new ideas and give a fresh take on the world of zombies. Paul has been writing since a young age, but in the last five years it has changed from a hobby to a career choice. His most recent novel, Chromozone – Flesh and Blood, has received great feedback from his readers and he is currently working on the second book. When Paul is not chained to a desk writing, he likes to get out into nature and find inspiration for his stories.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The South coast of England, 27th October, 10am

Sara plunged the knife into deep red, the edge of the silver blade scraped against its body as she pulled out the just sharpened tool. The gleaming lumpy substance covered the soft pale body in front of her and dripped down its side. Shiny droplets of crimson darted to the cream tiled floor and splashed onto her shoes.

Damn, she cursed under her breath.

She placed the knife back onto the table and bent down to clean up the mess. It soaked through the kitchen towel and found its way onto her fingers. It was sticky and still warm. Harry, Sara's seven-year-old son, came over and put his finger into the scarlet liquid. He licked it and showed his approval by nodding his head. The smoke alarm went off, causing her to jump and crack the top of her head underneath the hard wooden table. She winced, rubbing her head. Looking up she knew at once what the culprit was when the rancid smell of burnt sugar hit her nostrils. The jam she had been heating on the stove had now turned into a charred gooey mess. Sara tried to wave her oven glove under the alarm and resorted to opening the kitchen window. Outside had a strange calmness about it for October, the air felt still and quiet. Sara stared, almost hypnotised by the sound of the alarm ringing in the background. A sudden breeze swept into their home and a shiver ran down Sara’s body causing a tingling feeling from the top of her neck to the bottom of her spine. She took in a deep breath and exhaled, before smiling. She was excited to hold a surprise birthday bash for her husband, just for the three of them.

She turned to Harry and wrapped her loving arms around him as the smoke alarm ceased. Harry had a disability, he was deaf, so he hadn’t heard all the fuss. They hadn’t found out he was deaf until he was a few months old and Sara, having just reached her twenties at the time, had to grow up fast. Other women her age were going out socialising in the evening, but she found herself attending sign language classes and reading endless parenting books. Not that she minded for one second, Harry made everything worth it. He watched his mother springing around the kitchen and he looked amused by it. Her big brown eyes met his as she signed to him.

Mummy burnt the jam, oops! Sara, playing, put her hand over her mouth. She wasn’t the best cook, no matter how many recipe books adorned the kitchen shelf.

Harry was smiling and he copied her and put his hand over his mouth too. Sara beamed, she had never felt so much love for anyone in her entire life. It was clear that he had got the cute-factor from his dad. He became distracted and wandered over to the washing machine as it started its spin cycle. He watched as it spun faster and faster, he seemed mesmerized by it.

Want to help Mummy wash some more clothes?

He continued to smile and giggled as she tickled his stomach. He signed back,

I was just watching it spin fast again. He turned and pointed as it stopped spinning.

Come on, help Mummy take out the wet clothes. She opened up the door and began to pull out the wet tangled clothes. Harry pulled over the basket and helped his mother. Daddy will be home soon! She grinned with widened eyes. Have you wrapped his gift yet? she signed to him.

He sprung up and dashed to the front room to wrap up his father’s present, leaving her to fight with the heap of clean clothes. Mark, Sara’s husband of three years, had turned thirty-one today and his favourite cake was baked and his presents wrapped - almost! Harry set himself down in front of the television and cut a large piece of blue and white striped wrapping paper from the roll. He was careful as he cut each strip of sticky tape to the desired length. He wrapped the framed drawing that he had drawn of his father at school. He had picked out a shiny silver frame, from a shop in town, with the word ‘Dad’ on it. He finished it off with a giant blue bow and a label.

After getting things ready, from decorations to blowing up balloons all day, Harry chilled on the sofa. He put on his favourite cartoon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As soon as the programme began, he put on his red felt eye mask in the colour of his favourite turtle: Raphael. It was worn at the edges and beginning to fray. Sara had made it for him when he had first discovered the cartoon and since then he rarely took it off. He rolled over the sofa and jumped onto the floor, mimicking one of the turtle's fight scenes. He stopped when a news bulletin interrupted the show. He stood and watched as the bulletin seemed very serious. He didn't know what the news reporter was saying, but there were lots of photos and videos of brutal attacks. He walked over to the kitchen to fetch his mother. She was putting the finishing touches to her husband's surprise cake, piping sky blue icing around the edge. She had envisioned it to look more spectacular in her head, but in reality, the cake was slanted and the icing was messy. She stood back and admired it, wrinkling up her nose and cocking her head to the side. Harry grabbed her leg and tried to pull her towards the living room.

Two seconds Sweetie. She looked down with a concerned look in her eyes. She picked up her best attempt at a cake ready to put it on the coffee table in pride of place.

Her phone buzzed and, with one hand balancing the cake, she rummaged in her bag to retrieve her phone. She smiled at Harry and answered her call.

Hello? She wedged the phone between her cheek and her shoulder. She smiled, it was her husband. Oh hey babe, you on your way back?

Sara, listen to me I’ve been in an accident. Her smile dropped from her face and the cake slipped from her hand and splattered upside down onto the floor. I’m okay though, but I need you to do something. I need you to pack a bag for you and Harry and get yourselves over to your parents’ house. When you get there, lock the doors and windows okay?

What? Is this a joke or something?

Hun, I’m deadly serious!

What? Why? What’s wrong? He wasn’t making any sense, was he concussed? She could hear phones ringing and machines beeping. People were shouting in the background, it sounded chaotic. Are you at the hospital, I’ll come and get you. She stepped over the cake and picked up Harry’s coat.

No Sara, Mark shouted. Please just go to your parents, I can’t explain right now but I will meet you there, I love you. The phone line went dead. What was going on?

Her heart was racing and her body trembled. She snapped back to action and ran to Harry who had resumed his place in front of the television. His innocent face looked up at her and the room started to spin. She put her hand on her head and pain shunted through her skull. She looked at her hands, blood, her vision became blurry and she fell to the floor.

Sara’s eyes flickered and she was confronted by a hazy figure kneeling and crying over her, it was Harry trying to wake his mother. As she opened her eyes fully, Harry, relieved to see her awake, hugged her tight.

Oh my God Harry, she mumbled, dazed, getting up and feeling her head. It was stained with dry blood. Flipping table. How long was I out for? She had always had a fear of blood and passed out at the smallest drop of it. She had hoped that giving birth would have cured her, but if anything it made her worse.

A sudden rush of urgency filled her veins as she remembered the phone call, she had to pack. Her head still spun a little and she felt a twinge of nausea. Harry pointed towards the window and she noticed the colour had drained from his face. She tapped him on the shoulder to ask what was wrong, but all he did was stare. Sara could hear loud noises like a mass panic coming from outside. She pulled the net curtain aside and gasped. She was speechless as they both watched the commotion outside unfold.

What the hell is happening Mark? she questioned under her breath. "This has to be some kind of joke."

The roads were covered in cars, people seemed to be desperate to get away from the area. There were families loading suitcases into their vehicles and people were shouting out for their supposed loved ones. Sara opened the window and was hit by a wall of sound. She grabbed onto Harry’s arm and hurried to pack a bag, her eyes were watery and her panic set in. She tried to call her husband on his mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. She searched for clothes for Harry and his shoes.

Where is your other shoe? Sara continued to panic as she attempted to put a cold compress on her throbbing head.

Harry’s face remained expressionless, he had no clue what was going on - but neither did she. Finding both his shoes, she put them on him and his coat and fetched a small bag with some clothes and essentials. After grabbing her car keys, she dashed to the front door only to be startled by fierce knocks. Frightened, she pushed Harry behind her to shield him from whoever it was. The sound of running from outside only grew louder, it seemed frantic. She had to make it to her parents’ home. The pounding subsided. She walked up to the door, slid the chain on and peeked outside. She could hear helicopters speeding through the air and the wind brought the screeching sirens to her from the distance. Her neighbour Alison darted towards her waving her arms in an urgent manner, she seemed in a state and she was covered in specks of red. Alison approached them, hysterical, gripping onto a fire poker with the end drizzled with blood.

Alison! What the hell is going on? Sara was desperate to know, even the smallest detail.

Alison kept repeating that her husband Frank was dead. Tears poured down her wrinkled face as she gripped onto the long metal poker.

Alison, listen, just breathe okay. Sara kept looking around, watching people race past them. The roads were a mess. Now tell me what’s going on and what happened to Frank? She tried to keep her voice as calm as she could.

He... he is my... Frank, she babbled, waving the poker around.

Alison, you’re scaring the hell out of my kid. Please give me the poker or get out of my way.

Frank! she wailed.

Alison give me that bloody poker! Sara flipped and cursed at her, but it seemed to work as she gave in and handed it to her. Sara felt her stomach churn as she looked at the blood that had now begun to drip down the sides of the poker towards her hand. She dropped it on the doormat before she passed out again.

Come on sweetie, it's okay, we're going to find Daddy yeah? Sara signed, as she knelt down to Harry, his bottom lip quivered. Sara kissed him on his forehead. She stood up to talk to Alison again. Come with us, this place isn’t safe.

I can’t leave Frank, she sobbed.

Where is he? Is this Frank’s blood?

He... he tried...

What did he try? She could feel Harry’s arm grip around her left leg.

I stabbed him! she yelled.

Sara had no idea what hell was breaking out around her and now it seemed like her long-term neighbour had just killed her husband.

He tried to kill me! Alison screamed.

Sara wasn't sure if Alison was having a breakdown or something else, but it was clear that she was very upset and she couldn't just leave her amongst the chaos. She picked up Harry and convinced Alison to come with her. She agreed and they both rushed to the car.

With luck her car was still parked at the bottom of the driveway and more important than that, it was intact. People continued to rush past, the majority of them were covered in blood, their own or someone else's Sara wasn't quite sure. She strapped Harry into the back of the car and jumped into the front seat. Alison was a mess, she was shaking and her vacant face stared out of the passenger window. If only she could talk to Mark, maybe he could tell her what the hell was happening. Sara turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the drive. As she turned onto the main road the mayhem seemed to be even more apparent. The roads were jam-packed with abandoned vehicles and she had to be careful to manoeuvre her way through the obstacles. Inside the car it was silent, neither of them said anything as Sara could see the turning for the motorway approaching. The lights at the roundabout flickered to red and Sara stopped. There were no other cars coming, but with Harry in the car, she opted for safety first. At last the lights changed and she pulled away just as a big SUV swerved around behind her and knocked her wing mirror clean off. All three of them jumped as Sara slammed on her brakes. It was clear that the driver of the SUV was in a hurry as he didn’t stop to swap insurance details, he just sped off down the motorway. Sara made sure Harry was uninjured and then she too proceeded onto the motorway. It was somewhat clear and they had made it twenty-five miles before Sara spotted traffic in the distance. As she got closer she saw that, again, the cars had been abandoned. People were screaming out for help as she drove further up the road going only 20mph. Suitcases stuffed with people's belongings were scattered everywhere. A couple of police cars were parked up with no one inside, the lights were still flashing. There were so many bodies lying still on the ground and Sara couldn't tell if they were dead or alive. There was no way she could stop, she wasn't going to risk it.

Where are we going? Alison asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence.

We are heading towards the coast, my parents live there. Sara was trying to concentrate.

I don’t want to go to your parents! Alison screamed, making Sara jolt in her seat.

"Alison we have to get to safety. Mark told me to go there, so that’s where we are going. Sara snapped back unsure of Alison’s mental state, she may have just killed her husband after all. Alison became silent and tears fell down her face. Sara softened towards her. Look, Alison, I’m sorry. But you have to try to stay calm, I have no idea what the heck is happening. Mark knows more, which is why I have to get to my parents."

Alison remained silent. Sara looked in the mirror at Harry in the back staring out of the window unaware. She looked back for a second and smiled at him, but out of nowhere Alison unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself out of the car.

Alison! she screamed.

She lost control of the car as she swerved to avoid hitting the crash barriers and the car sped off down the grassy hill. It flipped and tumbled into the woodland. It carried on going until it came to a sudden halt by a large nettled shrub. Her vision was blurry and her head spun. She turned around to check on Harry and through the shattered back window she could see two indistinct figures stumbling towards her mangled car. She mumbled Harry’s name and reached her hand out to him. She felt her eyelids close as the wind blew through the broken windows and down her sleeve. The sounds around her deteriorated.

Harry, she mumbled again before passing out, still strapped in the driver’s seat.

CHAPTER TWO

Sara regained consciousness, her face was scratched and her shoulder length hair was hanging past her face. The car was on its roof and swayed side to side as she shuffled around in her seat. The bodywork creaked under the pressure.

Harry! she freaked, forcing herself to look at the back seat, but Harry was nowhere to be seen.

The back window had been shattered and fresh blood dribbled down the pointed shards.

Harry! she screamed again, trying to unbuckle her belt to exit the wrecked vehicle. She assumed the blood belonged to Harry.

Sara, struggling and sobbing, managed to unclip the belt and fell down with a thud. The car rocked back and forth. She reached for her bag and searched for her mobile, thankful it was still in one piece. She was about to dial Mark’s number when she heard leaves crunching and twigs snapping at the front of the car.

Harry? she yelled, even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to hear her.

Her tear filled eyes could make out two tall figures approaching the car. It wasn’t Harry, but maybe they would be able to help her.

Please help me! she called out to the strangers. Quick I need help! She could smell a strong scent of petrol and it was anybody’s guess when it would ignite.

The sound of leaves halted and all of a sudden two men reached inside through the front of the car snarling.

Jesus! she screamed, fearful and confused.

One of them grabbed onto her leg, but she managed to break free by kicking him in his face with the heel of her boot. Without a moment to lose, she crawled into the back of the car screaming and she pushed herself through the broken back window. She injured herself in the process as the glass cut into her arms. She called out for Harry, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. As the two men darted towards her, she noticed they were police officers. They had fluorescent yellow Hi-Vis vests on with reflective silver stripes. She skimmed the forest floor and picked up a large branch, just bigger than a baseball bat, which had fallen from a tree. It was heavy and difficult to manoeuvre as she swung for one and missed him by a whisker. She tried again, kicking at them and pushing them away with the end of the branch. She used all her might and took another swing hitting one on the side of his skull. Blood splashed from inside his head knocking him to the ground. She lowered her wooden weapon at the sight of blood and the other one took advantage of her weakness and leapt onto her. It pinned her to the ground.

What do you want? she cried. She forced his body away from her with her hands, as he scrabbled around.

His mouth stretched open reaching towards her face and neck. It was as though time stood still as she could smell the foul stench of blood excreting from his mouth. Her eyes watered and were wide open as she stared at his face. It wasn’t a normal looking face, his eyes were swollen and covered in blood and protruding veins. His forehead was bulging out and his lips were larger than normal. His arms were cut and pieces of glass were stuck in his skin. Had they got Harry? In the struggle, she could see the other one trying to stand up as she remained pinned. She freaked as she spotted Harry holding onto the back of the man, hitting him with his fists. He was trying to defend her, but he wasn’t heavy enough to stay on him and ended up being thrown back from the scuffle. He stood up and adjusted his eye mask that was beginning to slide over his eyes. He knew that violence was wrong, but his mum was in danger.

The man edged his teeth closer to Sara’s neck, but then he stopped struggling and fell to the floor, still.

Harry stood there, looking down at his mother holding a jagged muddy rock. She pushed herself up from the ground and hugged him.

Oh my God baby! Are you alright? She squeezed him and began to check him all over, but she was interrupted as the other man had managed to stand up.

Without thinking, Sara clasped Harry's hand and they both raced through the woodland. The skinny branches whipped at their bodies and faces as they continued to push through the dense shrubbery. They didn't dare to look back in case the man, or whatever it was, was following them. After they had run for a gruelling twenty minutes through the unruly maze of trees and bushes, Sara was exhausted and stopped in a ditch to catch her breath. Why was everyone going crazy? Did her seven-year-old son really just kill a man to save her life? Her hands trembled so much she could just about hold her phone. No signal, typical. The only time she needed signal and she didn’t have any. Still gasping for breath she looked at Harry, she could tell by his face that he was terrified. She pulled him close to her and rested her hands on his shoulders.

Are you okay? she signed.

Harry nodded, scratching his ear.

Did those men hurt you?

Harry didn’t sign back, he just shook his head. He turned around and pointed, his little face was red.

Hush baby, they’re gone, shh.

Sara wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She had no idea where they were, but she knew she needed to get somewhere with shelter. She picked up her phone again and dialled 999 on the keypad. She waited with baited breath and exhaled in relief as it started to ring.

‘I’m sorry, but no one is here to take your call right now. Please hold...’ Crap! Why were they putting her on hold? Something wasn’t right.

The message repeated and Sara knew she needed to conserve her battery. Although she didn’t want to hang up, she had too. No one was going to answer. She had to get to her parents’ house, Mark would be there and everything would be okay. She looked up at the bright afternoon sun and tried to remember what her dad had told her when she was younger about using the sun as a compass. She was sure it rises in the east meaning if she followed it as it set she would end up reaching a main road at some point.

She took hold of Harry’s hand and they trekked through the wilderness. It was quieter amongst the trees and they could hear birds singing and wildlife flying around. Harry stopped and pointed at a tree, noticing a squirrel running up the side of it. It seemed almost idyllic, a stark contrast to the mayhem they had just left behind. The crisp golden leaves crunched with every step they took and the pleasant damp smell of the forest wafted in the air. Even Harry was smiling now as he collected pine cones from the forest floor. Sara jumped as her phone rang, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled it out.

Mark? she said into the receiver.

Sara, it’s Dad. She felt relieved to hear a familiar voice, even if it wasn’t Mark’s. Thank God you are alright, is Harry okay? Are you safe? His voice seemed frantic.

Yes, we are both fine. What about Mum?

Don’t worry we’re both doing okay, we’re lucky our town hasn’t been hit too hard.

What do you mean it hasn’t been hit too hard? Where’s Mark? Can I speak to him? Her father remained silent. "Mark is there right? He told me he would meet me there." Sara felt a pang of dread in the pit of her stomach.

Sara, we haven’t heard from him in about four hours, he called us to say everyone was heading here. I have tried calling him, but no answer so far. Sara fought back the tears, where was he? Sara? Are you still there love?

Yes I’m here, we are on our way to you now. She had to put a brave face on as Harry looked up at her waving a large golden leaf around.

You can’t come here, the army has set up a barricade and no one is allowed in or out.

Dad, what's even happening? People are turning crazy and attacking each other. Sara