Kody Boye - Sunrise

“Us,” Dakota said.

“Us?” Erik asked.

“Yeah. Us. Together. As a family.”

“We sure are a family,” Rose said when she overheard Dakota. She raised her glass of water before her. “Shall we toast to ‘us,’ everyone?”

“To us,” Ian said, raising his glass. “To the people who helped me realize that there can be second chances in life.”

“To us,” Erik said, “to the people who help me get past the fear of the future and help me escape the pains of my past.”

“To us,” Kevin then said, “for helping me and my children realize that life does exist beyond today.”

“To us,” Steve agreed.

“To us,” Jamie said, locking his hand even tighter around Dakota’s shoulder.

“To us,” Dakota concluded.

Together, they clinked glasses in the cozy room as the snow continued to fall.

The following morning, Dakota rose from the deepest sleep he’d had since the zombie apocalypse had begun and walked to the sliding glass doors. Naked, save for the blanket around his shoulders and the undershorts hanging from his waist, he stepped out onto the balcony and looked out at the world.

So cold, he thought, yet so… so…

“What?” he whispered. “So… what?”

“Warm?” Jamie asked. Dakota jumped. Jamie laughed and wrapped his arms around Dakota’s waist. “Sorry babe.”

“Don’t be,” Dakota said. “I was just waiting for the sunrise.”

Jamie bowed his head into Dakota’s shoulders. “Is it coming?”

“Right now,” he said.

Jamie looked up.

Above the mountains, near where a jagged, snow-capped peak merged into a sea of black shrubbery, the sun began to rise. Like a newborn infant just entering the world, it took its time, first peeking its head over the mountaintop, then slowly pushing itself forward, toward the new world and heralding a new day.

Just like us, Dakota thought.

The sun thrust itself over the jagged peak and began to brighten the world with its radiant light, casting away any and all darkness and whatever it had to hide.

“Jamie,” Dakota murmured, closing his eyes as the sun’s warmth began to take him over.

“Yeah?”

“Are we gonna be ok?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… us… the future… everyone here. Are we going to be all right?”

“I know we are,” Jamie said, tightening his grip on Dakota’s body. “You know what I think, Dakota?”

“What?”

“I think we’re going to be just fine.”

With that knowledge firmly implanted in his mind, Dakota opened his eyes.

Together, they watched the sun rise.

Throughout the inception, creation, mutation and reformation of this novel, there have been several individuals who have not only inspired, but supported me throughout this endeavor.

First and foremost, to Brian Keene—thank you for inspiring me to write this book. Sunrise wouldn’t be where it is today without you.

To Rhia and Corey—thank you for providing safe haven for me here in Texas, for believing in my art and the stories I want to tell, and for being two of the greatest friends I have.

To my mother—thank you for braving the three-day long bus trip to go to Pittsburgh, PA with me in order to debut this book. You know how much I love you, and I’m sure you know how much it meant for me to go there and actually see that I had all those friends, but thank you. There’s nothing I could do or say to ever compensate for that journey you took with me. I’m glad I did.

To my amazing friend and wonderful editor Felicia—there’s no amount of thanks I could give you to compensate for all of the love and effort you’ve put into this work. You whipped this book into shape and it’s a million, billion, zillion times better for it.

And last but not least, to Dr. Pus over at Twisted Library Press—thank you for believing in this novel enough to put it out. I hope we break numbers with this book, and if my gut feelings are right, I think we will.

Copyright 2011. All Rights reserved

Originally published in 2009 under the same title.

Kindle Edition

Edited by Felicia A. Sullivan

Cover art by Kody Boye (with photography by Nevyn Noir)

Interior formatting by Kody Boye

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the proper written permission of both the copyright owner and “Library of the Living Dead Press,” except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situation are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead or undead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.