"As far back as I can remember, I've been surrounded by water. The salt in the air even now makes it hard to breath, forcing me to squint. Sand clings to every inch of me, caking my pants and shoes. The wind from the ocean picks my hair up, sending it blowing back towards the multi-colored houses lining the shore line.
***
'Quinn, don't panic,' Lexi says through gritted teeth. She holds fistfuls of my shirt now, and I hear the rubber soles of her shoes squeaking.
'Too late,' I whine, grabbing the barbed wire in a last desperate effort to regain some balance. The razor sharp blades cut into my palms, making me jump again. Lexi sucks in air and loses her grip on me.
I hold my breath and close my eyes, feeling the wind cradle me from all sides as I fall at about twenty-four miles per hour, considering the height of the wall and my weight. Now, I wish I was surrounded by water."
South of Compound 4, another compound exists. Within the wall of Compound 5, children are trained and tested for perfection through the Intelligence Exam, a test that every student takes during their sixteenth year. Pass, and you stay within the compound. Fail, and you are sent to another compound. It's common knowledge that they are building a perfect population to remain when the rest of the world falls to the Virus.
Yet, what happens when Quinn faces the threat of Compound 5, a short blonde girl whose name he can't pronounce, and begins to question everything he's ever been taught, pushing the limits of the system and his own comfort zone? When a student receives the compound's first ever perfect IE score, a storm makes its way in from the ocean. Can Q unravel the secrets held within the walls, or will he lead his family and friends to a war they can't win against a woman who seems to be triumphing against all odds?
Selected is the sequel to Immune, found on my profile.
Record Ranking: #25 in Science Fiction
This is a second view point from my original story - A Different Virus - Heartfire. I highly advise reading the original book first.
Intro:
Laura was a happy child without a care in the world. She loved her parents and life was perfect. Nothing seemed like it could go wrong.
People started talking about a bad flu that was spreading and sending some into a coma. Her parents grew worried and stocked the house in case of a pandemic.
Months later another virus appeared. Her family was shocked when the news people started reporting that zombies were actually real and not just part of a horror movie. They were appearing in every country. Her parents reassured her that none of the zombie sightings had been anywhere close to them.
Her life is turned upside down when her father ends up in hospital with the bad flu and mother exiles her upstairs for her safety. She was never allowed downstairs again. Weeks pass and the streets become deserted with the exception of the red eyed zombies that wandered around.
One night she notices a swiftly moving figure with glowing blue eyes in the street below. Should she call out or remain silent? Is this fleeting shadow something that can help her or could this mysterious figure be even more dangerous than the zombies themselves?
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Ranked #1 Apr 10, 2018 (A huge thank you to all who read and voted!)
This story is copyright and built from my own imagination.
This book was a special request from someone who helped me a lot. This viewpoint has less action than the original.
The cover was made by @All_AboutAssymetry. A huge thanks to her!
Copyright September 2016. All Rights Reserved. Readers may not copy, alter, or steal this story. Fanfictions are allowed to use my *world* and *zombie rules* as long as credit is given.