THE RISING:
SELECTED SCENES
FROM THE END OF
THE WORLD
Brian Keene
© 2008, 2009 by Brian Keene
Cover Artwork © 2008, 2009 by Alan M. Clark All Rights Reserved.
For Shane Ryan Staley, who knows a good thing when he sees it. Lets ride the wave of mutilation. Special Thanks to:
Trygve V. Botnen, Mark Beauchamp,
Shannon and Allison Wuller, Roman P. Wuller, Tony and Kim at Camelot Books, Terry Tidwell, Chris Hansen, Brian Lee, Michael Nolan, Jade Rumsey, Robert T. Shea, Jamie La Chance, William A. King, Eddie Coulter, Penny Khaw, Leigh Haig, Larry Roberts, Paul Goblirsch, Michael and Karen Templin, Mike Goffee, Terry Schue, Stephen Griglak, Edward Etkin, H Michael Casper, Donald Koish, Michael Bland, Paul Legerski, Robert Lewis,
Christopher Lee Shackelford, Jason Houghton, Bob Ford, and Paul Puglisi.
ALSO BY BRIAN KEENE
NOVELS:
The Rising
City of the Dead
Terminal
Ghoul
Dead Sea
Kill Whitey
The Conqueror Worms (also published as Earthworm Gods) Dark Hollow (also published as The Rutting Season) Clickers II: The Next Wave (with J.F. Gonzalez) COLLECTIONS:
Fear of Gravity
No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest at All
Sympathy for the Deviclass="underline" The Best of Hail Saten Vol. 1
Running with the Deviclass="underline" The Best of Hail Saten Vol. 2
The New Fear: The Best of Hail Saten Vol. 3
NOVELLAS & CHAPBOOKS:
Take the Long Way Home
The Resurrection and the Life
Shades ( with Geoff Cooper)
The Rise & Fall of Babylon (with John Urbancik) The Rising: Necrophobia (with Brett McBean, Michael Oliveri, and John Urbancik)
MISCELLANY:
Talking Smack
The Rising: Death in Four Colors (with Zac Atkinson) AS EDITOR:
In Delirium
The Best of Horrorfind
The Best of Horrorfind II
INTRODUCTION
This is a book about the end of the Earth, specifically, the end of the Earth at the hands of the Siqqusim, Elilum, and Teraphim, led by Ob, Ab, and Api. It does not have a happy ending.
(Can’t say I didn’t warn you this time, fuckers.) I can’t imagine this holds true for any of you, but I guess I’d better say it anyway. If you haven’t read The Rising or City of the Dead, you might want to do so before going any further. Like The Rising: Necrophobia (which it also wouldn’t hurt to re-read), The Rising: Selected Scenes From The End Of The World chronicles what was happening across the rest of the world during my entire zombie mythos; from the appearance of the very first zombie (“Don’s Last Mosh”) to civilization’s breakdown (“Last Chance For La Chance”) to the finale; the planet’s fiery, post City of the Dead destruction (“Two Suns In The Sunset”). There’s even a glimpse of what lays 7
The Rising: Selected Scenes...
beyond that—a peek into the Labyrinth. I don’t recap the previous books, and I’m assuming that readers will understand what the hell is going on. So if you aren’t familiar with the series, and refuse to do your homework, hang on tight and try to figure it the fuck out as we go along. The rest of you know very well what’s in store (insert evil laughter here). These stories coincide with events from the previous three books. Although you won’t see any of the main characters, you’ll catch glimpses of how Jim, Martin, and Frankie’s actions affect these tales. You’ll find references to events from the books, including The Rising: Necrophobia. You’ll even run into a few minor characters from The Rising. And, if you look carefully, you’ll find these stories overlapping with each other, as well. When Shane Staley of Delirium Books originally pitched this idea, I was less than enthusiastic. He offered money. I waved it away. Prestige. I just laughed. He sent over a Swedish Women’s Volleyball team, but even then, I had my doubts. To be honest, I didn’t want to write this book. I’d said all I had to say about zombies, and figured I was burned out. But Shane, being the two-fisted editor (read: slave-driver) that he is, twisted my arm until I relented. (As I write this, he’s trying to convince me to do the same thing with the Earthworm Gods mythos, and the fact that he’s still alive to publish this book is a testimony to our relationship because I would have shot anybody else by now.) In all seriousness, I’m glad Shane convinced me to do this, because halfway through the first story, I remembered why I love zombies, and why I enjoy writing about them so much. It was very easy to become “The Zombie Guy” again, and I was glad for the opportunity. You’ll find some more new twists, things that I wish I could go back and add to the other books (and make sure you read the Afterword for a nice bit involving undead opossums from New Zealand).
This was a lot of fun. I had a good time with it. I hope you do, too.
Our first stop is Escanaba, Michigan, and the show is about to start…
Brian Keene
Journey’s End, Pennsylvania
November 2005
DON’S LAST MOSH
The Rising
Day One
Escanaba, Michigan
Don Koish shuffled forward with the rest of the sheep. In front of him, a bleached-blonde girl with an ass that was barely concealed by her low cut jeans, giggled in excitement. Behind him, a surly Goth, decked out in black and smoking a clove cigarette, sneered at nobody in particular and bumped into Don again.
Don preferred the blonde. She looked nicer. Smelled nicer, too.
He studied the other fans in line. It was a mixed crowd. Thirty-something metal heads and twentysomething backwards baseball hat-wearing homeboys and skate punks in tattered Ramones T-shirts (paying homage to a band that some of their parents listened to). With its hip-hop rhythms and vocals and its mind-searing, Slayer-like guitar riffs, Necessary Evil’s music appealed to a wide cross spectrum, and they were out in force tonight. The Delft Theatre used to be a movie house, before the multi-screen complex opened up across town. It was nothing special, but bands, on their way up or their way down, played there from time to time. It could hold a thousand people, and Necessary Evil looked like it would fill that bill.
The blonde giggled again and backed up, pressing her ass right against his groin. She gasped, and turned around.
“Sorry,” Don said, grinning. His ears turned red. The blonde snapped her gum at him and resumed her conversation with her friend. He didn’t blame her. Don knew all-too well what an imposing figure he cut. He was built like a refrigerator and his shaved head made him look like a club bouncer or mob muscle. He dug the look. It worked for him. Especially in the pit…
Necessary Evil’s mosh pits were legendary, and Don had been waiting six months to try it out for himself, ever since the concert was first announced. He watched some of the younger concert-goers, cocky, arrogant little fuckers that would get in the pit and try to break noses, arms, head—stomp, punch, hit—and call it moshing. He couldn’t stand that shit, and if any of them pulled it on him, they’d be sorry. Stupid fucks. It was that kind of a mentality that led to what happened at that Suicide Run concert in Pennsylvania a few years back. Or even Dimebag Darrel’s death—no respect for the artists. Don wasn’t sure when, but sometime between Anthrax’s Among the Living and Hatebreed’s latest release, it had all become about the violence. The music was forgotten. Same thing happened with hip-hop. From Run DMC’s “Adidas” to Dr. Dre capping motherfuckers’ left and right. The whole world seemed to have gone insane lately. Everybody was angry. Everybody wanted to break things.