Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Viro
    Viro
    Viro
    Ebook166 pages1 hour

    Viro

    By Barnaby Taylor

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A virus has destroyed the world.
    Families are torn apart.
    Will Jake find his missing mum?
    Or will he just become another VIRO?

    REVIEWS FOR THE VIRO SERIES

    'Powerful and poignant, VIRO packs a punch.'
    'Sad and haunting, VIRO is a new take on the zombie genre.'
    'Absolutely thrilling. I loved every page more than the previous, to the point that I couldn't stop reading.'
    'Highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys zombie stories.'
    'I was left on the edge of my seat when I finished the book with a thirst for more adventure!'

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBarnaby Taylor
    Release dateMar 6, 2018
    ISBN9781999633219
    Viro
    Author

    Barnaby Taylor

    Inspired by his passion for films and video games, Barnaby Taylor loves writing dystopian science fiction and horror. He has recently written the VIRO series about a gang of teenagers struggling to survive in a world overrun by the infected. There are currently four books in the series. VIRO is rapidly infecting the Amazon charts and gaining rave reviews along the way. Here's one of the latest reviews:'The writing style is beautifully compelling, and after the first couple of pages I couldn't put it down. The author very skilfully creates a world and characters through deceptively simple prose that draws the reader right in. It is a fascinating blend of one-after-the-other edge-of-the seat scares, alongside a haunting narrative about what it is to be human.'

    Read more from Barnaby Taylor

    Related to Viro

    Related ebooks

    YA Horror For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin

      Jun 26, 2020

      Counselor of Chippewa Cabin
      5 min read

    • Article

      RUNNING Mates

      May 6, 2020

      RUNNING Mates
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Joy Of BOOKS

      Jan 19, 2021

      The Joy Of BOOKS
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Joy of BOOKS

      Apr 8, 2020

      The Joy of BOOKS
      7 min read

    • Article

      Metaphors

      Mar 10, 2023

      I’m knitting on my front porch when a car roars to a stop in front of my house. It’s a red Mustang convertible, top down on this warm Thursday afternoon in June. Two girls sit in the front, two in the back. They smile and wave at me. I smile back tho

      8 min read

    • Article

      See for YOURSELF

      Sep 1, 2021

      See for YOURSELF
      6 min read

    • Article

      Purr-fect reunion

      Jan 27, 2022

      Purr-fect reunion
      2 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      I Am the Ghost Here

      Jan 16, 2023

      I Am the Ghost Here
      12 min read

    • Article

      ATTACKED As I Slept

      Jul 5, 2023

      As the nurse handed our baby girl Erin* to my husband Nezam, then 34, his eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m so happy,’ he beamed. It was the happiest moment of my life too. Maybe things will get better now, I told myself. Nezam and I had grown up together

      3 min read

    • Article

      Ember The Elephant

      Aug 10, 2023

      Ember The Elephant
      5 min read

    • Article

      Lucky To Have You

      Mar 12, 2020

      Rushing around the house, I looked about for my keys and wallet, eventually finding them under a pile of laundry. Checking I had my shopping list, I popped my head into the living room to say goodbye. I’m off to Iceland for the food shop, see you bot

      5 min read

    • Article

      With The angels

      Jun 9, 2022

      With The angels
      2 min read

    • Article

      Stranger Danger

      May 18, 2022

      Stranger Danger
      10 min read

    • Article

      Playpark nightmare

      Jan 27, 2022

      Playpark nightmare
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Healthy Cigarette

      Sep 6, 2022

      A Healthy Cigarette
      5 min read

    • Article

      Choosing the Flowers

      Oct 10, 2022

      Choosing the Flowers
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Threat And A Promise

      Apr 7, 2022

      A Threat And A Promise
      4 min read

    • Article

      Awake For Christmas

      Nov 25, 2021

      Awake For Christmas
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Witch GIRL

      Oct 24, 2023

      The Witch GIRL
      6 min read

    • Article

      Her Hidden Pain

      Sep 9, 2021

      Her Hidden Pain
      4 min read

    • Article

      Jumping to CONCLUSIONS

      Oct 19, 2022

      Jumping to CONCLUSIONS
      6 min read

    • Article

      At 14, I Escaped A Lethal House Fire And Lost Everything. Comedy Saved Me

      Jul 18, 2023

      In previous, shorter standup shows, Krystal Evans tried to talk about her childhood experiences, but to say it didn’t work is an understatement. “Audiences just freak out,” she says with a laugh. “You can’t throw in a fucked-up joke at a 20-minute sp

      8 min read

    • Article

      You’re The Dirty Rascal

      Apr 6, 2023

      You’re The Dirty Rascal
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Worst betrayal

      Apr 21, 2022

      The Worst betrayal
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Viro

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Viro - Barnaby Taylor

      VIRO

      BOOK ONE

      VIRO

      BOOK ONE

      Barnaby Taylor

      For Iris, as per usual and always …

      Copyright  Barnaby Taylor 2018

      All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

      ISBN 978-1-9996332-0-2 (Paperback)

      First Edition

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Barnaby Taylor

      www.falconboy.ie

      Virus

      I am hiding on the roof of a shop. There is a strange girl with me. Everything was good yesterday. Presidents were saying mad things on television. That was like always.

      But today is different.

      The radio said about a virus. People are being zombies. A scientist said it was a disaster all over the world. No one is safe. The radio said apocalypse.

      Mum works at the hospital. She’s always gone when I get up. She feels bad about this. It isn’t her fault. She has to do these things. I don’t mind. I am independent. I like looking after myself.

      I always hear Mum go out. I always go back to sleep.

      Mum always says don’t worry if she is late. She will be back. It was different today. She did not come back.

      I was really worried. What if the zombies are chasing her?

      The hospital is quite near to home. I thought I would look for her. That was my idea. I did not think anything else.

      We live in a row of houses. The shop is at the other end. Mr. Bishop owns it. I like to go in before school. He lets me read the newspaper headlines.

      Mr. Bishop is very friendly. I like him. Mum says his wife was dead. He really misses her. It makes him feel really sad. He still smiles at me.

      ‘Hi Jake,’ he always says. ‘Come to read my newspapers again?’

      ‘Yes, Mr. Bishop. I like to know what’s going on.’

      ‘Be careful, I might have to start charging you.’

      Mr. Bishop likes to play this game with me.

      ‘How much?’ I have to ask.

      ‘It’s only doom and darkness, you can have that for nothing.’

      He always makes me laugh. Mr. Bishop is a joker.

      This morning I was thinking about Mum. I didn’t look where I was going. I bumped into someone.

      ‘Sorry,’ I said.

      It was Mr. Bishop. He wasn’t friendly. He growled at me. He caught my hood. I couldn’t get away. He wanted to bite me. I had to fight. I hooked his leg with my leg. I pushed really hard. Mr. Bishop fell over. He let go.

      ‘Quick! Up here!’

      Someone was shouting. It was a girl. I looked around. I couldn’t see her. She wasn’t near me. I was confused.

      Mr. Bishop was getting up. He was angry. He didn’t like falling over. He wasn’t joking now.

      ‘Up here,’ said the girl. ‘Look up here.’

      Ellis

      I looked up. There was a smiling girl on the roof of the shop. She had curly hair. The girl pointed.

      ‘Climb on top of that van and jump across.’

      I got on the van. Mr. Bishop was behind me. I started to climb. He caught me.

      ‘Help,’ I shouted. ‘He’s grabbed my ankle.’

      ‘Don’t panic. I’ll knock him down.’

      I didn’t know what she meant. Something rushed past my head. Mr. Bishop roared. He let go of my ankle. The girl had a catapult.

      ‘Good shot!’ I shouted.

      ‘I know.’

      I scrambled on the top of the van. I stopped. I looked over. There was a gap.

      ‘Jump,’ the girl said. ‘You can do it.’

      I didn’t know if I could. But I didn’t want to say. I didn’t know this girl. She might laugh. I didn’t want that to happen.

      I had to do something. I looked at Mr. Bishop. I looked at the girl. I jumped.

      I grabbed the wall. I didn’t fall.

      ‘Hi!’ said the girl. ‘I’m Ellis. Welcome to my roof.’

      ‘Jake,’ I said.

      I sat down. My head felt funny. I was winded.

      ‘My name is Jake.’

      ***

      ‘That’s when I knew that I had to get away,’ Ellis said.

      She looked over the wall. Mr. Bishop wasn’t on the van.

      ‘It all happened so quickly,’ she continued. ‘One minute they were Mum and Dad, the next they were something else.’

      Ellis was very sad. She tried to smile. It didn’t work. Her lips were broken. Her story was too horrible.

      I couldn’t speak. I had no words for her. I didn’t understand. This was so weird. I looked down at my trainers. They were brand new. The laces were very dirty. I needed new laces.

      Ellis cried. All was bad for her.

      ‘Viro,' she said. 'My mum and dad are Viros.’

      Ellis’s voice was choky. She sniffed as well. I didn’t know what to do. I had no words for her story. But I wanted to speak. I said about anything.

      ‘Viro is a funny word,’ I said. ‘What does it mean? Is it like zombie?’

      Ellis shrugged.

      ‘Virus. Viro,’ she said. ‘I made it up while I was sitting here.’

      The word sounded clever. I didn’t really know.

      ‘Is it a joke?’

      Ellis looked away. My words didn’t help.

      ‘They’re not coming back,’ she said. ‘They’re gone forever.’

      She cried again.

      I spoke quickly.

      ‘My mum is at work,’ I said. ‘She cleans in a hospital. I get myself up in the mornings.’

      My voice stopped working. Everything felt massive on my head. My face felt red and hot. I felt panic inside. Don’t cry. Don’t be a baby boy.

      ‘What if my mum’s a viro?’

      Ellis didn’t say. She didn’t know. She opened her rucksack. It was a ham sandwich. She gave me some.

      ‘We should eat,’ she said. ‘It might make us feel better.’

      Vinnie

      I looked around as I chewed. The morning was getting brighter. It was quiet. We were safe. No one could get us. But there was no roof. I saw black clouds. They looked angry. I didn’t want it to rain. We would get really wet. That would be bad. I didn’t feel better. My head felt fast. My brain was full. I wanted to know things.

      ‘What are we going to do?’ I said. ‘How am I going to find my mum?’

      ‘We need to find my brother Vinnie first,’ Ellis said. ‘He’ll be able to help us find your mum.’

      I liked this idea. It was good. We needed help. I asked another question.

      ‘Where is Vinnie?’

      ‘Vinnie didn’t come home last night. He had a big archery tournament coming up and his team was called in for extra training. He said he would see me when he got back.’

      Ellis smiled. It was better than tears.

      ‘He never came home but I know he’s still alive. He’s very good at looking after himself.’

      This was good. Vinnie sounded older. He was in a team. He could do things. I wanted him to help us. I felt better. We had a plan.

      ‘What school does he go to?’

      ‘St. Dunstan’s.’

      I didn’t know that school. I didn’t care. I only wanted to find Vinnie.

      ‘Let’s go there now.’

      Ellis shook her head.

      ‘We won’t get far during the day. We’d better wait until tonight. It’ll be much safer to travel then.’

      Ellis was sensible. I knew she was right. But I was disappointed.

      We waited for night to come. We spoke to each other. I said about my life. Ellis talked about hers. Nothing was normal now. We cried a real lot.

      ‘Mum and Dad have been married for ages,’ Ellis said. ‘They were childhood sweethearts. Now, they are just two of those things.’

      She sniffed.

      ‘We were at home. I was tired and went to bed early. Someone screaming woke me up. I looked out my window. Mum and Dad were fighting with our next-door neighbours in the street. They both got bitten. There was blood everywhere.’

      Ellis shivered. She was crying loud again.

      ‘More neighbours came out of their houses and Mum and Dad went off with them. I waited until they had gone and then ran away. I thought I would get to the school but I only got as far as this roof. I was waiting to leave when I saw you fighting with that viro.’

      She meant Mr. Bishop.

      ‘He was my friend,’ I said. ‘He isn’t now.’

      It felt funny to say that.

      Later on Ellis stopped crying. I did too. I said my story. I liked talking to her.

      I said about my dad going away when I was born. He knew I was different to other babies. He wasn’t happy. It was a genetical thing.

      ‘That must have been awful,’ Ellis said.

      ‘I was too young. Mum was too strong.’

      I shrugged. I was happy to say about me.

      ‘I’m different to other people. It’s okay. They’re different to me.’

      I smiled.

      ‘I know who I am. I am me.’

      Ellis nodded. I think she understood me. I liked that.

      ‘Have you always lived here?’ asked Ellis.

      ‘Two months and three days,’ I said. ‘Mum got a new job. She’s going to college. She wants to be a teacher.’

      ‘Your mum sounds amazing,’ said Ellis. ‘I’d really love to meet her.’

      ‘She is,’ I said. ‘You will.’

      Catapult

      We watched Mr. Bishop trying to climb the van. He couldn't do it. He was nothing like the old Mr. Bishop.

      ‘He looks so angry,’ I said.

      ‘Wouldn’t you be?’ Ellis replied. 'Once he was a normal old man, now

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1