Thunder and Ashes

THE MORNINGSTAR STRAIN WAS THE END OF THE WORLD.

In the wake of the zombie apocalypse, two separate bands of survivors journey across a decimated America, each with the desperate goal of finding the cure for the virulent plague that threatens the existence of humankind—or what’s left of it. Now it’s up to these inheritors of the future to outlive their waking nightmare, any way they can.

BUT FOR THESE SURVIVORS, IT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Armies of undead have risen up across the U.S. and around the globe;there is no safe haven from the diseased corpses hungering for human flesh. But in the heat of a Texas wasteland, a small band of survivors attempt to counter the millions closing in around them.

INTERCEPT COMPLETE

Survivor,

Day by day, the handwritten journal entries of one man caught in a worldwide cataclysm capture

the desperation—and the will to survive—as he joins forces with a handful of refugees to battle

soulless enemies both human and inhuman from inside an abandoned strategic missile facility.

FROM: SECRETARY OF WAR

TO: PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED ST ATES

SUBJECT: VESSEL RECOVERED. FOUR IN CONTAINMENT. ONE ALIVE, EN ROUTE, WRIGHT FIELD

DECEPTION OPERATION UNDERWAY, DEBRIS STAGED,

ROSWELL, NM

In a desperate bid to take back the continental United States—where hordes of undead now dominate the ravaged human population—a Navy commander leads a global mission to the heart of the pandemic. Task Force Hourglass is humanity’s final hope, and his team’s agonizing decisions could mean living one day more—or surrendering to the eternal hell that exists between life and death.

SHATTERED HOURGLASS

Battered by five cataclysmic hurricanes in three weeks, the Texas Gulf Coast and half of the Lone Star State is reeling from the worst devastation in history. Thousands are dead or dying--but the worst is only beginning. Amid the wreckage, something unimaginable is happening: a deadly virus has broken out, returning the dead to life--with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. . .

Within hours, the plague has spread all over Texas. San Antonio police officer Eddie Hudson finds his city overrun by a voracious army of the living dead. Along with a small group of survivors, Eddie must fight off the savage horde in a race to save his family. . .

There's no place to run. No place to hide. The zombie horde is growing as the virus runs rampant. Eddie knows he has to find a way to destroy these walking horrors. . .but he doesn't know the price he will have to pay. . .

"Hair-raising. Do yourself a favor and snag a copy... thank me later." --Gene O'Neill, author of Deathflash

They Rise. . .

Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines.

They Feed. . .

Houston is quarantined to halt the spread of the zombie plague. Anyone trying to escape is shot on sight--living and dead. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton has her work cut out for her. Salvaging boats and gathering explosives, Eleanor and her team struggle to maintain order. But when civilization finally breaks down, the feeding frenzy begins.

They Multiply. . .

Biting, gnawing, feasting--but always craving more--the flesheaters increase their ranks every hour. With doomsday looming, Eleanor must focus on the people she loves--her husband and daughter--and a band of other survivors adrift in zombie-infested waters. If she can't bring them into the quarantine zone, they're all dead meat.

Praise for Joe McKinney and His Novels

"A merciless, fast-paced and genuinely scary read that will leave you absolutely breathless." --Bram Stoker Award-winning author Brian Keene on Dead City

And a warning that would come all too late . . .

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun—starting with what might very well be the end of the world. Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit . . . and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself. . . .

Five ordinary people must pay the price of survival at the end of the world.

A mysterious virus suddenly strikes down millions. Three days later, its victims awake with a single purpose: spread the Infection. As the world lurches toward the apocalypse, some of the Infected continue to change, transforming into horrific monsters.

In one American city, a small group struggles to survive. Sarge, a tank commander hardened by years of fighting in Afghanistan. Wendy, a cop still fighting for law and order in a lawless land. Ethan, a teacher searching for his lost family. Todd, a high school student who sees second chances in the end of the world. Paul, a minister who wonders why God has forsaken his children. And Anne, their mysterious leader, who holds an almost fanatical hatred for the Infected.

Together, they fight their way to a massive refugee camp where thousands have made a stand. There, what's left of the government will ask them to accept a mission that will determine the survival of them all--a dangerous journey back onto the open road and into the very heart of Infection.

"Not just another zombie story ... a disturbing, nightmarish read." -David Moody, author of HATER

"Brilliant and terrifying!" -Jonathan Maberry, author of PATIENT ZERO

"28 DAYS LATER meets THE MIST ... a definite page-turner right from the get-go all the way to the insanely intense final scene." -TheGOREScore.com

"Proves that just because it's 'indie' horror doesn't mean it can't stand alongside the greats. The book is simply stunning." -Rhonny Reaper, Dollar Bin Horror

"Gripping ... DiLouie carefully recreates our society and our military ... then proceeds to bring the horror, devastation, and heroes we require." - Fangoria

"A road trip through hell." -Zombies & Toys

"DiLouie has created a vivid world of mayhem and destruction." -Doubleshot Reviews

"An entirely new way to look at the apocalypse." -ZombieSlam.com

"Intense and graphic ... a completely engrossing read." -SwampDweller

"One of the best zombie books I've read." -THE FRINGE Magazine

"Beyond the regular apocalyptic novel." -LivingDeadMedia.com

"Inventive and fresh, offering an insider's perspective on pain and terror." -SHOCK TOTEM Magazine

"A frighteningly nightmarish twisting of the zombie formula." -AwilltoAct.com