Series: As the World Dies #4
Publication date: August 11th, 2020
Synopsis:
This is the new world.
Not the old.
The dead walk, demand human flesh, and howl at the wall surrounding a Fort on a hill.
A group of Texans stands against the zombie hordes, fighting to create a new community in a dead world. Unknown to them, their legend is starting to spread far and wide.
Emma Valdez's life was forever changed when the zombies destroyed the world. She spent all her time and energy systematically killing all the zombies in her town while searching for her missing son. After a yearlong search, she finally put him to rest and planned to take her own exit from the zombie infested world. But a dream about a mysterious woman with raven black hair wearing a red sweater compelled her to seek out a community of survivors in Ashley Oaks, Texas. Little did she realize this was the start of a new season in her life.
The Fort inhabitants, meanwhile, deal with the aftermath of the battle they fought against a massive horde of zombies and successfully redirected away from the town. Many mourn the loss of friends while helping repair and rebuild the Fort's defenses. Danger still lurks on the outskirts of town as the horde continues its trek into the west. Emma arrives just in time for yet another harrowing battle outside the walls.
Guided by Juan De La Torre, who is nursing his own wounded heart, Emma finds her place among the Fort inhabitants and uses her excellent survival skills to help save others. It's not easy being the newcomer among people who have formed a family since the rise of the zombies. She struggles with adjusting and is not always comfortable with the close proximity of so many other people. But the high walls promise safety and the friendly smiles are welcoming.
When a zombie of a former Fort inhabitant shows up outside the wall, Emma is part of a team that is sent out to investigate what happened to the group that abandoned the Fort before the big battle. What happened to them might alter the course of the Fort forever.
After Siege takes place in the days following the battle in Siege: As The World Dies, Book 3. Emma's background story is featured in The Untold Tales: As The World Dies, Book 3.5.
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Excerpt
"This isn't an easy world to live in sometimes," Juan muttered. "But you know that."
"All survivors know that." Needing a change of topic before she started to cry, Emma said, "So you said you used semi-trucks as a barrier first?"
"And the construction trucks. We also had chain-link panels as a barrier inside the truck line. Anything we could use to put a barrier between the zombies and us, we used. Added rebar spikes later on. The next section we built was this area we're in now, so we could go in and out with our vehicles without risking zombies getting into the main area."
"I like the double paddock."
"That was my idea," Juan said, puffing his chest a little. "We had to build fast and anticipate what might be coming our way."
"What I said earlier about us saving ourselves, I can see clearly you did that. I like how you didn't just wait around for someone to save you. You just kept building what you needed."
Looking surprisingly bashful, Juan shrugged. "We couldn't wait for the Army or FEMA or whoever to show up. The town survivors were all crammed inside the walls and ready to fight for their lives. Then the city folk started arriving and we needed more room. Taking over the hotel was one of our first victories."
"You should be proud of what you accomplished here."
"We are. I am. It's just... we did what we had to."
"I understand."
"I know you do."
They shared an awkward moment where neither one knew what to say next. It was Juan who pointed to the buildings across from the garage. Horses drank from a trough set near a stable while several teenagers put up some saddles. "We added that recently. When we found the horses, we needed to make them a stable. So we renovated those old abandoned buildings. It's temporary until we can take another block and build them a proper stable."
"Isn't walling in more areas risky? More to defend."
"Yeah, to a degree. We got the people to guard the walls. We also needed barriers between the main area and the zombies or banditos."
"Fallback positions."
"Yeah. It's designed like an old medieval fortress for a reason."
Staring at the map, Emma recognized the similarity. "Whose idea?"
"Me and Travis."
"The mayor, right?"
Juan nodded. "The new mayor. Architect in his old life. Leader in this one."
"And you?"
"Construction worker in the old life. Same in this one," he replied.
"I think you're more than that here."
"I just help get shit done."
"And you're the father of four adopted kids."
His smile widening, Juan cocked an eyebrow at her. "That I am. And I'm good at it too. Which was surprising to me. What about you?"
"Mom and student in my old life. Fearless zombie killer in this one."
"Shit, Em. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's okay. We all got our burdens to carry."
"I'm sorry about your kid."
"Me too."
About the Author:
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor) as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living. She also co-hosted the ZCast: a Z Nation Fan Podcast, interviewing the cast and crew of the Syfy show. Born and raised in Texas, she currently resides with her husband and furry children (a.k.a. pets) in South Texas. She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.
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