Go Play

By Kailin Gow and Kira G.

Schitt's Creek Meets Stranger Things AND the Walking Dead...

I moved with my mother from Hollywood, California to a small town in Texas.
I thought my life was over, but...
It was the move that would save our lives when the world suddenly turned crazy!

**The Last Lodge on Earth Series s a YA Fantasy Action Adventure with a nod to Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Walking Dead and is appropriate for age 14 and up!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sparklesoup Inc.
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781597481335

Kailin Gow

It's official! Read about Kailin and her books being adapted into films and tv series here: https://filmdaily.co/obsessions/kailin-gow-loving-summer/ FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KAILIN GOW AT: https://linktr.ee/KailinGow including how to get a free book from her! Kailin Gow is a million-selling international and USA Today Bestselling author of over 680 published books! She writes in many genres under her name and other pen names. She has been an invited speaker on Book Expo America, appeared on CBS News about writing books with social issues, and the Top 15 National radio regularly on women's issues, women in film and Hollywood, and leadership. She holds a Masters in Management from USC and degrees in Social Ecology, Criminology, and Filmmaking. She is an author influencer on Instagram, owns a podcast network with multiple channels, is a multi-award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, actress, and host. Her books have been made into games, animated short films, and series. Currently, a number of her book series have been optioned, are in development, or pre-production, including her YA Fantasy Sci Fi Thriller FADE (which has been optioned) and Red Genesis (also optioned) by Netflix producers. Kailin Gow is a regular guest in radio and television on women in Hollywood and filmmaking, naming the top Women Execs to Watch. She is a judge in film festivals, writing contests, and is also a voting member in the Academy Awards. AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL MILLION-SELLING AUTHOR, PRODUCER, AND TV PERSONALITY Kailin Gow is an internationally-recognized multi-award-winning multi-genres USA bestselling Asian American author and woman director/filmmaker who has written and published over 400 books under Kailin Gow and her pen names. She is both traditionally-published as well as indie. Considered a digital publishing pioneer, her books have been downloaded over 10 Million times around the world. She is known as one of the most prolific authors internationally who not only writes novels but screenplays fast, but of world-class quality they win prestigious awards like the ALA YALSA Awards and Los Angeles Film Awards. Besides having gone to law school, she holds a Masters Degree in Communications Management from USC and Drama/Film and Social Ecology Degrees from UC Irvine. She has also been a longtime member of TED Talks. She is the first Asian American author to have sold over 1 million books and to be featured on Amazon.com's homepage as an indie Author Success Story. Her success as an Indie Author and advocate for Indie authors during the early Kindle days has inspired many to take a plunge to become authors. The first Asian American woman who is independently published to appear on Amazon's homepage as an Author Success Story, she also represented Amazon as an author spokesperson during Amazon's Kindle Family Launch press conference in Santa Monica and at Book Expo America where she was an invited speaker. A digital publishing pioneer, she was one of the first authors and publisher to publish digitally back in 2001. Prior to becoming a full-time author and filmmaker, she worked as an Exec in Legal and Production at Walt Disney Company, a writer/producer for Cable Television, an Exec at high tech start ups, and Exec at Fortune 100 Hotel and Travel Corporations where she has managed and trained hundreds of employees on world-class service and operations. She has also been a professional model, a tour director, journalist, re-organization consultant, a secret mystery shopper/consultant for top brands, and professional speaker who has been an invited speaker at Book Expo America, Girl Scouts, Asian America Heritage Week, and more! FUTURIST AND SOCIAL INFLUENCER A social influencer, she has over millions of views on her YouTube channel and her Vimeo channel with over 1.5 million views on her Bitter Frost trailer and award-winning animated short film alone. She is a judge on writing contests for writing incubator social sites, has been a member of TED Talks, and is one of the most quoted modern living authors today. She has also been regularly published as a contributor on Fast Company magazine on articles about publishing, leadership, business, and social issues. https://www.fastcompany.com/1800256/social-media-and-future-publishing-industry

Book preview

"I think that this building has just proven to us why it is called the Last Lodge on Earth."

~ Grandpa Sam

Last Lodge on Earth is dedicated to the fighters within us.

I moved with my mother from Hollywood, California to a small town in Texas.

I thought my life was over, but...

It was the move that would save our lives when the world suddenly turned crazy!

**The Last Lodge on Earth Series s a YA Fantasy Action Adventure with a nod to Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Walking Dead and is appropriate for age 14 and up!

PROLOGUE

When Sh*t Hits the Fan

San Angelo, Texas

Present

Maura

––––––––

After the first wave of zombies, we’d decided to all meet two times a day in the diner. We discussed strategies and gave each other updates on what was going on.

For lunch, everyone was on their own, but for dinner, Mom went all out making something that warmed the hearts of all.

And tonight, Mom had made a large chicken pot pie and we all waited hungrily at the table set for six.

Three days of quiet bliss, Nick said as we all waited for Mom to emerge from the kitchen.

The calm before the storm, Grandpa said.

It might be quiet, Kimberly said.  But it sure is bleak out there.

Yeah, Kenzie added.  All we see are these hordes of zombies roaming around aimlessly.

The lodge is keeping them at bay, Grandpa said.

Mom came out with the piping hot pot pie.  Here we are, straight out of the oven.

Smell that, Grandpa said, taking a whiff.

Isn’t it nice having dinner together? Mom said as she set the pie in front of her.

Sure feels like home, Kenzie said.

Better than home, Kimberly whispered.

Mom sliced into the pie and scooped out a piece.  She handed me the plate which I passed on to Nick.  One by one, the plates were doled out.

Well, Mom said.  Dig in.

Kenzie loudly cleared his throat.

Is everything okay? Kimberly said.

It’s just that... Well...  He looked around the table with discomfort.

Spit it out, son, Grandpa Sam said.  We’re all family here now.

I just thought... I mean, I’ve never done it before... but it seems like a good time to start.  So, maybe I could say...

Grace? Kimberly said.

He nodded.

Well, why the hell not, Nick said as he reached for Mom’s hand on one side and Grandpa’s hand on the other.

We all reached for our neighbors’ hands and bowed our heads.

Oh, Heavenly Father, we are blessed in this moment to have found one another.  In this moment we rejoice over a good hot meal, and together, with your blessing, we will fight the evil at our doorstep.  God save us. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Amen, we all answered.

I don’t know much about saying grace, Nick said.  But that sounded pretty good to me.

Now eat up while it’s hot, Mom said.

The chicken pot pie was perfect; a golden crust, big juicy chunks of chicken, a nice blend of vegetables all in a nice, creamy goo.

Do you think they’ll try to come back? Kenzie said.

No doubt, Grandpa replied with absolute certainty.

This is all just so insane, Kimberly said.  I can’t believe we’re just sitting here having dinner and politely talking about a zombie invasion.  How did it come to this?  Just a few weeks ago I was enjoying a nice shopping spree, I went to the movies, I had my hair done and my channel was growing.  I was on my way to becoming a worldwide sensation; one of the big time influencers.  And now... now I’m swinging a sledgehammer into a zombie’s head.

You have to admit, Kenzie said through his rapid eating.  That is kind of fun.

She smiled at him and shrugged.  I guess.

I’ve been reading up a lot on zombies, I said.  The folklore, the myths, the legends.  A lot of cultures have their own version of zombies.

Like what? Nick said.

Last night I was reading about wendigo and how it can turn humans into cannibals.  The Algonquin believes that this beast, this thing can actually imitate a loved one.  Isn’t that creepy?

It sure is a frightening thought, Mom said.

I guess they reel you in by pretending to be a loved one and then...  I brought my hands up as if ready to pounce.  They can turn you into a sort of zombie creature... a wendigo, or they can just devour you... Kill you.

Nick set his fork down in a very deliberate manner then wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.  I’ll tell you all this now, he said.  If those things manage to get me... I don’t want to go on as a zombie.  I’d rather be dead.

I nodded.  I know what you mean.  I hate the thought of being turned into a monster and hurting the people I love.  People taken by wendigo are said to have killed and devoured their own families.  It’s horrible.  Just horrible.

I agree, Grandpa Sam said.

We need to make a pact, a promise to one another, Mom said.  We don’t let any of us become one of them.

We all nodded.

Hello, came a faint cry.

No one reacted.

Did anyone hear that? I asked.

Hear what, honey? Mom said as she halted her fork an inch from her mouth.

Everyone froze and went silent for a moment.

I don’t hear anything, Kimberly said with a dismissive shrug.

Me neither, Kenzie said.

Everyone was still for another few seconds, but when no sound came, they resumed eating.

Is anybody there? the voice came again.

There! I shouted.  You heard that, didn’t you?

Everyone looked at me.

Maura, Mom said.  What is it exactly that you hear?

I think someone is at the front desk, I said, getting up.

There can’t be, Grandpa said.  That barricade is airtight.

I headed to the door.

Where are you going? Mom said, setting her fork down.

I’m just going to go check it out.

I’ll come with you, Nick said.

Thank you, Mom said, relieved to have Nick accompany me.

We went to the front desk.

There’s nobody here, he said.

I looked around, wondering where else the voice could be coming from.  Maybe it came from the stairwell.  Maybe someone came in through the back.

Or maybe you’re just really tired.

I looked at him, not wanting to argue, but wanting him to believe that I had indeed heard something.

I have very good hearing, I said.  I know that I heard a voice.

I didn’t hear anything, he said with a shrug.  Come on.  Let’s go back and finish dinner.

What did you find? Grandpa said.

Nothing.  I sat down and continued to eat, my ears at full attention in anticipation of that voice.

Minutes ticked by.

Where is everybody! a loud booming voice called out.

Everyone stopped eating and froze.

You guys heard that one, right? I whispered.

Still frozen, Mom and Grandpa nodded ever so slightly, while Kenzie, Kimberly and Nick simply blinked.

What do you think that is, Dad? Mom whispered.

He shrugged as he frowned with concern.

Get out! came another shout.

Ah!  The shrill cry filled the diner.  Ah!

Oh no, Kimberly whispered, her eyes filling with tears of fear.

The portal, Grandpa said softly.  It might be people coming in through the portal.

Could it be Simon? Mom said, suddenly optimistic.

Grandpa shook