She stopped at the gates to New Los Angeles, taken in by the images of life in the City of Angels as she'd just experienced it: the chaos before the end. It seemed like she’d been there just hours earlier, instead of over sixty years later. After a while it became too overwhelming to watch, and her eyes wandered to the first of several holographic placards that lined the walls leading to the city gates. She read the first one as she passed.
On September 20, the zombie virus was released into the dense population of transients on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. It spread like unstoppable wildfire in all directions, decimating everything in its path for six full weeks before measures were taken to cleanse the scourge. These stories take place in those final times.
The memorials are told through the eyes of several different Angelinos, each offering a unique perspective to the events as they unfolded, and to the aftermath of the virus. They have not been edited for content, but remain preserved in their initial capturing. They bear witness not only to the tragedies of that unforgettable period, but also to the city's former glory.
May they not be forgotten, but remain uncensored for future generations, so all may understand the choices that we made. And may they also serve as a reminder, not only of mankind’s infinite potential for good, but also of their latent animal desire for cruelty and suffering, and how the constant struggle between these two opposing forces defined what it meant to be alive in the era commonly referred to as the 21st century.
“May they not be forgotten,” Kathleen repeated by rote, holding her right hand up with her fingers splayed into a peace sign, as was the tradition among survivors in her colony when remembering their dead. She walked past the next one, stopping to read it.
Los Angeles, also known as the City of Angels, once had a racially and culturally diverse population of nearly 4,000,000 people. Prior to its fall, it was the most populated city in California and the second most populated in the entire United States. It covered an area of nearly 500 square miles.
In fact, the Greater L.A. Area contained approximately 18,000,000 people, making it one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas on the entire planet.
The city's inhabitants were referred to as Angelenos.
“May they not be forgotten,” Kathleen reiterated, her hand up again. There were dozens of these placards between her and the main gates to New Los Angeles. Kathleen planned on stopping and reading every last one. It was the least she could do to show her gratitude, and to pay tribute to those who'd been left behind.
-End-
Undead LA 2
Acknowledgements
First and foremost I would like to thank my loving and supportive wife, Angie. Your unceasing support for my passion gives me the strength I need to fight through the dark moments of doubt as a writer and just stay true to my voice. I love you baby.
Thanks also to my hardworking editor Patricia Bains-Jordan without whom this book and this series would not have been possible. Thanks to the Salerno family for their love and support.
Thanks to David Lord and DCypher for giving me additional insight into the adult entertainment industry.
Thanks to my amazing friend and fellow author Shana Festa and the Bookie Monster for always having my back.
Thanks to Dave Gammon for my first great review and for always supporting me as well.
Thanks to Shawn King for creating my Laughing Crow Media logo and the cover of this book and Undead L.A. 1.
Last but not least thanks to you, my incredible readers, for supporting my work. I love receiving feedback from readers and connecting with them on social media. I also love seeing your positive and encouraging reviews. They help more than you can know. So please, friends, if you enjoyed Undead L.A. 2, leave a review on Amazon for me. Thanks again.
About the Author
Devan Sagliani was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from UCLA. He is the author of the bestselling Zombie Attack series, The Rising Dead, A Thirst For Fire, Saint Death and the Undead L.A. series. Devan also wrote the original screenplay for the movie HVZ: Humans Versus Zombies. He writes a bimonthly horror column for Escapist Magazine called Dark Dreams. In 2014 he cofounded the At Hell's Gates horror anthology series with Shana Festa, which donates all proceeds to The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to help wounded soldiers and their families.
Devan is an active member of the Horror Writer's Association. His fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Million Writers Award. In 2012 his debut novel Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde won Best Zombie/Horror E-book on Goodreads. In 2015 The Rising Dead and Zombie Attack were both named on the Best Zombie Books of 2015 by Ranking Squad.
He currently lives in Venice Beach, California with his wife and dog.
You can visit him online at
http://devansagliani.com
.
Connect with Devan on social media:
http://www.twitter.com/devansagliani
https://www.facebook.com/ZombieAttackRiseOfTheHorde
Read his columns on The Escapist:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/columns/darkdreams
To learn more about
AT HELL'S GATES
, visit
http://athellsgates.com
.
Also by Devan Sagliani
Zombie Attack: Rise of the Horde (book 1)
Zombie Attack: Curse of the Living (book 2)
Zombie Attack: Army of the Dead (book 3)
At Hell's Gates: Existing Worlds