Dead State: A DayZ Fan Novel Chapter 1 "Teaser"

[TerminusR909 3]

Alrght so i started writing an online novel, just because i can't find any zombie apocalypse based books worth a read. The book will be called Dead State, but the mechanics and styles of the terrain and content, including "easter eggs" are heavily based on DayZ. It was a major inspiration/ motivation to me to start writing this. Please give me some feedback, I will enjoy hearing from anyone who actually reads it. thanks

~Zach

Xiserve hosting

Dead State

When the dead rise, will humanity fall?

Zach Hoffmann

2012-2013

This book is copyrighted to the authority of the above stated author and the following companies: XiServe

Dead State

Dedicated to all of you die-hard Zombie fans out in the world, and of course to my wonderful cat Simon.

Part One.

Chapter One.

June 27^th, 2013.

Somewhere on the road, Wisconsin.

The sky was dark. At this time of night, not a single person would be on these back roads for hours, not till the men and women of Hudgensville and the surrounding towns to head into larger cities to work. The red needle on the speedometer climbed to a speed of 90, right on the dot, the driver careless, knowing the roads are completely void of life, not a single police officer for miles.

The driver, gripped the wheel with one hand, cell phone in the other, texting friends about his soon approaching stop at a campsite that had been reserved for weeks, just waiting for this day, for the day just out of school that he could finally relax, do what he wants to, not have a worry in the world.

On the back of the truck, on the hitch, a trailer carrying a flat, white and green box on a single axel. The popup camper was not used to being towed at such speeds, although the driver had no care, he just wanted to get to the camp site to sleep, rest until tomorrow. Tomorrow being already today, the clock in the truck read 3:27 AM, an hour fast, at 2:27 AM he had been driving for 5 hours straight, only 2 stops, one for beer and one for gas.

The camper was filled with all kinds of goods, food, from Twinkies to barbeque smoked ribs. Equipment, from survival to practical camping equipment, hatchets, propane tanks, fishing rod and lures. He was prepared to spend a week in the woods, away from everyone he knew except for a few friends who had invited him to a few parties going on throughout the week. This is the week that every high school in the area had their first full week of for the summer, there was bound to be trouble, and parties, which normally go hand in hand.

As the road rushed underneath the truck, street signs passed by almost instantly. Just as the “ Welcome To Hudgensville” sign came into view, so did lights. Blue and red flashing lights. At that point the truck was moving at, what the speedometer read as 112 miles per hour, which slowly came down to a stop, on the side of the road just inside the city limits.

The driver waited until the officer stepped out of his patrol car, then rolled down his window just as the officer stepped up to the truck.

“Good morning there kid, I’m going to need to see your license, you were going awfully fast, clocked you at a hundred an’ two, do you know what happens when you hit something going that fast? It ain’t pretty,” said the officer, just as he received the license, “Okay, so mister Max Greene, do you have any explanation for why you were going so fast? I understand you probably just graduated and are excited to go out tonight, but that’s no excuse for speeding that fast.”

“No sir, I was just tired, been drivin’ since nine at night, tired, just want to set up camp and go to sleep, you need my registration?”, Max mumbled, groggy yet the fresh morning air seemed refreshing, almost invigorating to him.

“ I’m sure that won’t be necessary, I was a kid once, just be safe, don’t be out driving like a dumbass anymore you got it?” the officers almost sounded like he was joking, until he handed him back his license. “I’ll follow you back to camp, when you get there, I’ll just keep driving, hurry up.”

“Really? Thanks you sir! I’ve never…”

“C’mon, let’s go.” The officer, name tag Johnson, jogged back to his patrol car and within minutes they were back on the road. This time at a solid 45 miles per hour.

They passed through the city, in almost five minutes they were on the opposite side, almost no cars were on the road, now 3:07 on the clock, driving across the open unmarked road, this early, with no cars, was the most free feeling Max had ever experienced. The window still open, the crisp, cold air flowing through the truck.

The lights of their vehicles lit for a split second the sign that would change Max’s life forever. “Courcheval Camp Ground- Next Left”.

Max turned off the road, the officer continued on as promised. No ticket, no warning. The best morning of his life even? He pulled the truck and camper into the site, #117, out of two hundred spots, this one was the most gorgeous. The perfect downhill scene of pine trees, tall grass, and the reflection of headlights on the water. The truck’s engine came to a halt, an eerie silence filled the air. He climbed out of the cab with a flashlight in his hand. He shined it across his camper to find the lift, he found it and began cranking.

After twenty minutes of struggling, rebuilding, and fixing the camper, it was up. A bed on each side, on in front one in back, a dinner table fit for four ten year olds or two adults, and a mini fridge. The cooler placed outside, chained to the tire, filled with nothing but Pabst Blue Ribbon, a ton of food, and more Pabst. After the camp was completely set up with a fire waiting to be lit in the evening of the next day, cooler well stocked with beer, and a construction grade radio already loaded with the latest “Red Fang Album” plugged into the sites complimentary electrical outlet.

Max couldn’t help but grab a beer, he sat quietly at the table, slumped over half asleep, still astonished at how the officer let him go.

I could have been ticketed hundreds of dollars for that, yet he let me off, not even a warning. I wish every cop was like that.

With that thought, he fell asleep. Only to be woken up a few minutes later to a noise familiar to him more than anyone else he knew. The sound of a Twenty Gauge shotgun. He jumped up and bolted out the door in a flash. The sound came from somewhere extremely close. He clicked on his flashlight, only to find in the middle of the road, a dead raccoon.

“God damn thing tried getting at my food!” a voice, unknown by max, “He was in out cooler eatin my taters and broke a beer can open, damn near woke up the entire camp with this here gun but for crying out loud I payed for this stuff!”

“Shit man you scared me! I almost had a damn heart attack, just fell asleep, and bam a fucking heart attack in a plastic shell just goes off!” Max shouted, still unsure of where the man was.

“Oh sorry my boy!” he stepped out into the light, black tactical shotgun in hand, “Never planned on shootin’ anything this early in the mornin’!”

The gun was jet black, just a pistol grip with no stock. The barrel was short, some sort of customized Remington 870. Max was somewhat scared by the man, but could not help but laugh with him.

“I’ve been awake for 19 hours dude! I gotta sleep sometime, I’ll tell you what, you going to be here a while?

“Yeeessir, be here all week, by the way, the names Jonah, I’m from Wausau, where you from?”

“Down near Chicago, came up for the week for some parties and just to get away, you know graduation and all that”

“Oh yeah I hear yah, I just came from my party, got in a fight with my parents and came down here, screw them, I’d rather pay to sleep in the woods in my truck than live with them.” Said Jonah, apparently also eighteen, they were both in the same boat.

“You have a camper with you? Otherwise I got an extra bed and some heat in there if you want to chill in it” Max asked, hoping the stranger would say no, but at the same time thought it would be a better for the both of them.

“I think I’ll be good, but hey I got nothing going on down here, mind if I hit up some parties with you? I probably know half the people at them, grew up just north of here.”

“Sure, that would be great man, I’m heading back to bed, cya tomorrow?”

“Yeah man for sure, I’ll try and not shoot anything between now and then.” He chuckled and walked away into the darkness.

Max walked back to his camper, now awake more than ever, pulled out his old mp3 player and loaded up some music to sleep to.

Mastodon will do just fine, although this gun toting redneck might not be the best guy to hang around with, whatever I’m too tired to think…

He drifted off into black. The night quickly turned to day, the sun rising steadily, clouds moving through the sky at a breakneck pace. The day was moving, but Max was not.

A loud knock came from the sheet metal door, and then another, with three more to follow.

“Hey kid wake up! It’s noon already!” shouted Jonah through the screen door.

“Hmph huh, wait what???” Max mumbled, still tired from the night before.

“C’mon new guy, I gotta go to town, gotta get some more beer, accidently shot it all last night, not sure how but I did!”

“Huh? Alright? Are we new friends or something?” he chuckled, getting out of bed, let out a huge yawn, and got dressed.

He stepped outside, able to see, his 2001 Ford Ranger parked a lot line over from a 2005 Cummings Diesel. The Dodge was running, pretty loud, although the twin exhaust stacks in the box probably didn’t help the cause. Both trucks were black, almost the same glossy texture, except the Dodge was covered in mud and dirt.

The Campsite was surprisingly empty, they could only find themselves as the only people in eyeshot. There was no noise, besides the roar of the diesel. Max started his truck, sounding wimpy next to the beast of a machine next to it. He unhooked the trailer, and went over to Jonah, who in turn was pissing on a tree. Max stepped of, giving some room for privacy.

“What’s your name?” Jonah asked, “didn’t catch it last night.”

“The names Max,”

“Pretty generic, but still a name, you know the city very well?”

“No, I haven’t been here in ages, last time I was here was 2005.” Max proclaimed, it wasn’t even a lie either, he was only eleven years old at the time. On a trip with his father, they were up canoeing and camping for a weekend.

“Alright, basically there is a mall, a few drug stores, some fast food and the local grocery store. If you want, we can stop at the grocery store, Greg’s Supermarket. They got gas, food, and some electronics, although they are all generic, small town store right?” He laughed, zipping his fly and walking to his truck.

“Hell I ain’t got anywhere to go let’s hit up the town.”

“Alright, you got a CB radio?” asked Jonah, looking over to the ranger “Hell, never mind, some city kid like you don’t have a need for that, too much bounce off the steel buildings, won’t be able to talk, mount up let’s take two trucks, more bed space, the more beer you can bring back.”

The two climbed into the trucks and were off, leaving all their camp supplies behind. Only things they had were themselves and whatever Jonah had in his truck’s toolbox. They drove down the road, not even two miles did they make it before being stopped at a police checkpoint. Both men rolled down their windows, and talked to separate officers.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Max asked, surprisingly the same police officer from that same morning.

“Well son, looks like we’ve been having some troubles in town and we are doing some drunk driving checks, may seem unconstitutional to you guys but to us it is all for safety.”

“Alright well I ain’t drunk, at least not yet sir, we are just heading into town to get some of that miracle drink that causes such terrible, unsatisfying side effects.” He said sarcastically.

“Well, just drive safe, don’t want any o’ yalls getting hurt, better get going there goes your friend now. “He stepped back, just enough room for Max to punch the gas, in seconds he was caught up to the other truck.

As they entered the town, people were everywhere. More cars than he had seen the entire trip up, Max was surprised by this, he hadn’t realized this many people lived in a town like this. He followed the Dodge closely, they turned of into the parking lot of Gregg’s Supermarket, and parked sideways in the stalls.

No door dings today.

Max’s thought was well justified, as both of his Ranger’s doors were pelted continuously by doors of cars he had never even seen, all because of the parking lots at other stores.

They left the trucks for only five minutes, they walked inside, took two carts, and filled each with Pabst, for some reason both had an acquired taste for it, neither could tell anyone why, they just liked it. They checked out, had just only counted, five 30 packs, to last an entire week. This will be a long week for them, a very long week. As they were waiting in line, the flat panel televisions around the store all went black. Max walked up to one and waited, joined shortly after by Jonah with a single car filled with beer and beef jerky.

“What’s the matter, someone turn ‘em off?”

“No, they lost signal, I know while we were grabbin’ the beer it showed something about Wausau, wondering if you knew about some sort of riots?”

“Hell no, people around there aren’t too fond of others that feel enough hate to ruin things like business’, stores, buildings, and houses. Mostly kind people up there.” Jonah sounded worried by that.

“Oh well, probably just fed up yet with last year’s election or some lame shit, let’s go, we got a party to attend to tonight.” Max demanded, the sarcasm in his voice over powered the worry he was hiding.

The two loaded up the ranger and headed down the road. After a few turns, and one close call with a particularly old lady driving her Mercury Sable in the wrong lane. The two drove passed the spot where the Cop Stop was, not a sign of it ever being there. They continued on back to camp. As they drove on down the road, both shared a similar feeling of worry, it was a well-placed feeling that would prepare them for the future. The very. Near. Future.