Life was ordinary for Cade Andrews. Forty-five, three kids and a great marriage. It all changed on April 29th with the impact of a giant solar flare. One minute he was finishing up a round of golf with his best friends and next he was next to his wife's crumpled SUV, cradling her lifeless body in his arms. There was no way he could have known that Rita's tragic death would only be the beginning of a series of horrors that would test him and his friends. It was a chance message that connected Cade with feisty field reporter Steve Gaines. With a strong understanding of space and NASA's projects, he could never quite figure out exactly what NASA was doing with their side projects. His intellect and tenacity quickly attracted the attention of the Director of Space Operations at NASA. An exclusive visit, offered by the Director John Newburg, to the lower chambers of the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena provided Steve with information on the true nature of what NASA was tracking. Intended to quiet the reporter, the visit only spurred his interest more. Newburg had his agenda. Secretly, he was leading a team that was attempting to create a new protein synthesis process. Along the way, Newburg's team had stumbled on to a protein cell; an alien protein cell that Newburg convinced the Department of Defense held limitless possibilities. Located within the tail of a highly toxic approaching comet, Newburg had plans to harvest the cells from space. He only needed Gaines for a computer program. Giving him a peek at the real prize was worth it to Newburg. Unfortunately for Newburg, a solar flare of before unimagined power blasted from the sun as the comet approached the earth. While the rest of the nation thought they were witnessing a meteor shower, Steve was quick to connect the solar flare with the arrival of the comet. The solar flare tore the toxic comet apart. The combination of the intense radiation and toxic proteins unleashed a deadly virus on the unsuspecting people of Fairbanks, Alaska. Newburg used the military to aid his cover-up. Steve and Cade kept digging for more information. With contacts in the NASA building, Gaines was able to keep Cade and a few of his friends up to date with what was happening. Even with a quarantine and communications black out, Cade and another friend were able to see the terrible effects of the virus. They were not prepared for the horrors they saw through a lone traffic camera in Fairbanks. Ever the planner, Cade did everything he could do to prepare for the death and chaos that began to spread south. Turning his house into a literal fortress, Cade was ready to wait out the wave of the virus until the government could take control. With incredible lethality and speed, the virus swept across the western states; infecting most of those who came in contact with it. Unfortunately, the government listened to Newburg; his secret was kept hidden even from the Department of Defense. Once they learned of the escalating death toll they leapt into action. But they were too late and ill prepared for the unspeakable second phase of the virus. Dying was only the first phase. Within minutes, the virus reanimated the bodies of the infected and put them on the hunt for healthy humans. Thanks to the black out by the military, thousands of infected bodies began to reanimate in the houses, hospitals and morgues. The virus spread exponentially. With his best friend Hawk Johnson stuck in an airport in El Paso and another held up in the top of a police tower in downtown Los Angeles, Cade could do little except coach them on how to survive long enough for the military to regain control of the country. Cade and his friends would have no way of knowing that would not happen. They were on their own. The once ordinary man Cade Andrews would become mankind's last gasp for life.
About the Author: William C. Sommers is a life-long fan of the zombie / apocalypse genre. After years of taking in the offerings of other enthusiaists, he decided to add his own spin to the zombie world. William spends his non-writing time working as an executive in the hospitality industry. You can directly access him via his website www. theliving-thenovel.com. Stayed tuned for more works from him in the near future.