The Survivors Series by V.L. Dreyer

The virus came from deep in Africa.By the time they had a name for the disease it had wiped out half the continent. Within a year, it had decimated our world. Our species is on the verge of extinction. Only a few of us have survived; those of us lucky enough to be born with a natural immunity to the plague. We scavenge amongst the ruins of our old civilizations, picking out a living from the devastation.Ten years ago, I watched my family die one by one. Now, I am alone... moreThe virus came from deep in Africa.By the time they had a name for the disease it had wiped out half the continent. Within a year, it had decimated our world. Our species is on the verge of extinction. Only a few of us have survived; those of us lucky enough to be born with a natural immunity to the plague. We scavenge amongst the ruins of our old civilizations, picking out a living from the devastation.Ten years ago, I watched my family die one by one. Now, I am alone. The year is 2024; it has been a decade since the virus reduced humanity to a scattering of survivors strewn out across the world.The rules that governed our society are gone.Without laws to protect the innocent, I have seen the worst of humanity throughout the years. Now, I have found a new family who are determined to show me the best. But a fresh mutation of the virus has started turning the harmless, pathetic infected into monstrous predatory creatures bent on our destruction; even the wildlife is turning against us.We are forced to leave our home and flee for our lives. It is only through unity that we stand any chance of survival. Enemies wait around every turn. For the sake of our children and our children’s children, we must find some way to survive and flourish again. If we fail, then the human species will cease to exist.My name is Sandy McDermott, and I am a survivor. This is my story. less

A 5,000 word short story set during the events of The Survivors Book I: Summer. The death of Sophie Chan is one of the driving factors of Michael, the hero of The Survivors - but what really happened? Now is your chance to find out.***The World of The SurvivorsTen years ago, a devastating plague put an end to humanity once and for all... almost. A handful of people struggle to survive amongst the ruins of the old world, living day-to-day on whatever they can scavenge... moreA 5,000 word short story set during the events of The Survivors Book I: Summer. The death of Sophie Chan is one of the driving factors of Michael, the hero of The Survivors - but what really happened? Now is your chance to find out.***The World of The SurvivorsTen years ago, a devastating plague put an end to humanity once and for all... almost. A handful of people struggle to survive amongst the ruins of the old world, living day-to-day on whatever they can scavenge.In Waikato, New Zealand, things are about to change. less

The virus came from deep in Africa. By the time they had a name for the disease, it had wiped out half the continent. Within a year, it had decimated our world. Now, ten years later, our species is on the verge of extinction. Only a few of us have survived, those lucky enough to be born with a natural immunity to the plague. We scavenge amongst the ruins of our old civilizations, picking out a living from the devastation... moreThe virus came from deep in Africa. By the time they had a name for the disease, it had wiped out half the continent. Within a year, it had decimated our world. Now, ten years later, our species is on the verge of extinction. Only a few of us have survived, those lucky enough to be born with a natural immunity to the plague. We scavenge amongst the ruins of our old civilizations, picking out a living from the devastation. After a decade of living a solitary existence, I have found a family, one that I would do anything to protect. Then tragedy strikes in the blink of an eye, and leaves my family in mourning. There was nothing any of us could do. We were helpless. My inability to protect them from pain and loss feels like a terrible failure. Despair becomes a constant companion, but I can’t live like that forever. I must find a way to move through the grief, and carry on. I choose to fight for what’s important. I can’t just stand by waiting for death to claim the people that I care about, one by one. What can one person do to save a world this far gone? I can try to bring hope to the people that are left behind. It will be a difficult battle, but I don’t have a choice. I have to try. We have to try. We have to find some way to move forward, or humanity will be lost forever. Someone must step forward and lead the way. My name is Sandy McDermott, and I say that merely surviving is no longer enough. less

The worst has happened. Humanity has fallen. There is no future. There is no hope. A virus has wiped out our species, with the exception of the lucky few who are immune. But now, a vicious new enemy has emerged, one that threatens everything that we're trying so hard to build.In its darkest hour, humanity needs a hero. I've decided I will be that hero... moreThe worst has happened. Humanity has fallen. There is no future. There is no hope. A virus has wiped out our species, with the exception of the lucky few who are immune. But now, a vicious new enemy has emerged, one that threatens everything that we're trying so hard to build.In its darkest hour, humanity needs a hero. I've decided I will be that hero. If I have to die in the process, I can accept that, but I cannot go to my grave without knowing I have done everything possible to save my species and the people that I care about.We cannot - no, we will not! - let this virus become our extinction event. We will endure. We will rebuild. It may take us generations, but the world we leave for our children will not be the one our parents left for us. Heroes are not born, they are created, when ordinary men and women to step forward and perform extraordinary deeds in the name of the greater good.My name is Sandrine McDermott. I was named to honour my grandmother, and I will make her proud. I am no longer just a survivor.***Author’s Note:Although this book does feature the undead, it is not intended to be horror. The Survivors is a little bit apocalyptic, a bit dystopian, a bit science-fiction, a bit zombie horror, but above all else it is a love story. To quote the very first blogger that got her hands on it: “(The Survivors is) a layered, touching, powerful story of humanity and survival.”The story takes place in the Waikato region of New Zealand, ten years on after a killer plague erased the majority of our species from the face of the earth. 99.5% of humanity is either dead, or has been reduced to the (mostly) harmless, lumbering undead. The few people lucky enough to be immune to the disease have spent the last ten years struggling to live amongst the ruins of a dead society.For some people, the time hasn’t been so bad. For other people – like our heroine and narrator, Sandrine McDermott – the last ten years have been a living hell. Without rules to keep people civilized, there’s nothing to keep a lone female safe except her own wits. Sometimes, that’s just not enough.Life has not been kind to her. In fact, it’s safe to say that fate’s been kind of a bastard. However, it’s also a whimsical bastard. When Sandy injures herself and is forced to go looking for the medication she needs to survive, she finds herself on the receiving end of kindness in the last place she expects. She’s forced her to reassess her place in the world, and her own humanity.The Survivors is a four-part tale that follows Sandy’s evolution from the psychologically-damaged wreck that she at the beginning of the story, to the true heroine that we need to preserve our species from extinction.Somehow, some way, she must go from being one of the hopeless wanderers, to being our hope for a new tomorrow. less

Tomorrow. For ten long years, that was a word no one was willing to say. The virus took so many, and the few left behind lived a hollow life, scrounging in the ruins of a dead society. Now, that is finally beginning to change. More and more people are flocking to Sandy McDermott’s banner, and with each new soul the group becomes stronger and more self-reliant. The virus still lingers, though. In the air, the water, the food they eat, and even inside their own bodies... moreTomorrow. For ten long years, that was a word no one was willing to say. The virus took so many, and the few left behind lived a hollow life, scrounging in the ruins of a dead society. Now, that is finally beginning to change. More and more people are flocking to Sandy McDermott’s banner, and with each new soul the group becomes stronger and more self-reliant. The virus still lingers, though. In the air, the water, the food they eat, and even inside their own bodies. Only their meagre immunity stands between them and the walking death. They live with the constant fear that the virus could mutate at any time, or that their own children may not inherit the gene that grants them immunity. In the darkness, a beacon of hope has appeared, a shining light to guide their way to a new tomorrow. There is a rumour that a cure for the virus was discovered, a vaccine that could finally render Ebola X obsolete forever, if they can only find it. This is the dawn of humanity’s reawakening. If the rumours turn out to be true, it will be their salvation. There will be nothing left to hold them back. They will be able to build their new city, and unite the remaining survivors with a shared vision of hope. Are the rumours true, though? There’s no way to know – but only one way to find out. THE SURVIVORS: A tale of love, hope, and humanity set against the backdrop of post-apocalyptic New Zealand. less