Voyage of the Dead - Book One Sovereign Spirit Saga Read Online Free
Author: David Forsyth
folks, I said zombies. I’ve been watching this develop as the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard and it’s the real Dawn of the Dead down there. Do not leave your house this morning. If you have already left your home, try to get back now. Lock your doors. Don’t take the kids to school. Don’t open your door to get the paper. This looks like Armageddon…”
Since the Captain would be gone for a few minutes at least, Scott decided it was time to wake his wife, Michelle, and tell her the crazy news. He walked quietly into the bedroom of the master suite and bent to kiss her on the cheek. Her long blond hair was draped across half of the regal and gorgeous face that had once graced the cover of fashion magazines. Scott took a moment to appreciate her beauty and his good fortune.
“Honey? Wake up baby,” he said gently. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly.
“It’s too early, Scott,” she complained. “I was up most of the night reading a book. Let me sleep, honey. Please…”
“Sorry, baby, but you need to wake up now,” Scott pressed. “I’m afraid there’s some terrible news.”
“What is it?” Michelle said as she sat up quickly. “Are the kids okay?”
“Take it easy,” said Scott soothingly. “Everyone on the ship seems fine.” He paused and tried to figure out how to explain the news to her. “The problem isn’t here. It’s the rest of the world. People everywhere are going crazy. They’re acting like zombies and killing each other. From what they’re showing on the news, it looks like the whole world is falling apart, or most of it anyway.”
“Stop it, Scott, that’s not funny,” she responded in a tone of voice that he recognized as impending anger. “I know it’s April Fool’s Day, damn it, but that has got to be the worst joke you have ever made.”
For just a moment Scott had to stop and wonder if she were right. It was April first. Could this be a practical joke of some kind? One concocted by the media? Something like Orson Wells did on his radio show with “War of the Worlds” back in the 1930s? Was it possible? Special effects were so advanced that they could generate anything with a computer these days. But whatever false hope he grasped at in that moment was crushed as he recalled how all of the news networks were reporting the same catastrophes. This was the real deal. Michelle must have seen the moment of doubtful hope in his eyes, followed by despair, and that more than anything else brought her up short.
“You’re really serious, aren’t you?” she said in a much more timid voice. Scott nodded sadly and bent down to give her a hug.
“I don’t know exactly what’s happening,” Scott said, “But whatever it is, honey, I promise I’m going to do everything I can to protect you and our family and everyone on this ship. But the first step in doing that is learning as much as possible about what’s going on out there. So I’m going back to meet the captain in the media room now. We’ll call a meeting of everyone aboard as soon as we get a grip on what’s happening and what we plan to do about it.” Michelle gave Scott a haunted look as she gathered the down comforter around her.
Scott returned to the media room and began channel surfing again. He stopped on C-SPAN when he noticed that it was displaying a test pattern with the words “Emergency Broadcast System” across it. The speakers relayed the familiar buzzing alarm that usually accompanied regular tests of the alert system. Then an automated voice gave a different announcement than Scott was used to hearing as printed
Since the Captain would be gone for a few minutes at least, Scott decided it was time to wake his wife, Michelle, and tell her the crazy news. He walked quietly into the bedroom of the master suite and bent to kiss her on the cheek. Her long blond hair was draped across half of the regal and gorgeous face that had once graced the cover of fashion magazines. Scott took a moment to appreciate her beauty and his good fortune.
“Honey? Wake up baby,” he said gently. She stirred and opened her eyes slowly.
“It’s too early, Scott,” she complained. “I was up most of the night reading a book. Let me sleep, honey. Please…”
“Sorry, baby, but you need to wake up now,” Scott pressed. “I’m afraid there’s some terrible news.”
“What is it?” Michelle said as she sat up quickly. “Are the kids okay?”
“Take it easy,” said Scott soothingly. “Everyone on the ship seems fine.” He paused and tried to figure out how to explain the news to her. “The problem isn’t here. It’s the rest of the world. People everywhere are going crazy. They’re acting like zombies and killing each other. From what they’re showing on the news, it looks like the whole world is falling apart, or most of it anyway.”
“Stop it, Scott, that’s not funny,” she responded in a tone of voice that he recognized as impending anger. “I know it’s April Fool’s Day, damn it, but that has got to be the worst joke you have ever made.”
For just a moment Scott had to stop and wonder if she were right. It was April first. Could this be a practical joke of some kind? One concocted by the media? Something like Orson Wells did on his radio show with “War of the Worlds” back in the 1930s? Was it possible? Special effects were so advanced that they could generate anything with a computer these days. But whatever false hope he grasped at in that moment was crushed as he recalled how all of the news networks were reporting the same catastrophes. This was the real deal. Michelle must have seen the moment of doubtful hope in his eyes, followed by despair, and that more than anything else brought her up short.
“You’re really serious, aren’t you?” she said in a much more timid voice. Scott nodded sadly and bent down to give her a hug.
“I don’t know exactly what’s happening,” Scott said, “But whatever it is, honey, I promise I’m going to do everything I can to protect you and our family and everyone on this ship. But the first step in doing that is learning as much as possible about what’s going on out there. So I’m going back to meet the captain in the media room now. We’ll call a meeting of everyone aboard as soon as we get a grip on what’s happening and what we plan to do about it.” Michelle gave Scott a haunted look as she gathered the down comforter around her.
Scott returned to the media room and began channel surfing again. He stopped on C-SPAN when he noticed that it was displaying a test pattern with the words “Emergency Broadcast System” across it. The speakers relayed the familiar buzzing alarm that usually accompanied regular tests of the alert system. Then an automated voice gave a different announcement than Scott was used to hearing as printed
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