Blackout: Book 3 of The Newsflesh Trilogy Read online

  June 12, 2014: The lower stratosphere

  Freed from its secure lab environment, Alpha-RC007 floated serene and unaware on the air currents of the stratosphere. It did not enjoy freedom; it did not abhor freedom; it did not feel anything, not even the cool breezes holding it aloft. In the absence of a living host, the hybrid virus was inert, waiting for something to come along and shock it into a semblance of life.

  On the ground, far away, Dr. Alexander Kellis was weeping without shame over the destruction of his lab, and making dire predictions about what could happen now that his creation was loose in the world. Like Dr. Frankenstein before him, he had created with only the best of intentions and now found himself facing an uncertain future. His lover tried to soothe him and was rebuffed by a grief too vast and raw to be put into words.

  Alpha-RC007—colloquially known as “the Kellis cure”—did not grieve, or love, or worry about the future. Alpha-RC007 only drifted.

  The capsid structure of Alpha-RC007 was superficially identical to the structure of the common rhinovirus, being composed of viral proteins locking together to form an icosahedron. The binding proteins, however, were more closely related to the coronavirus ancestors of the hybrid, creating a series of keys against which no natural immune system could lock itself. The five viral proteins forming the capsid structure were equally mismatched: two from one family, two from the other, and the fifth…

  The fifth was purely a credit to the man who constructed it, and had nothing of Nature’s handiwork in its construction. It was a tiny protein, smaller even than the diminutive VP4, which made the rhinovirus so infectious, and formed a ring of Velcro-like hooks around the outside of the icosahedron. That little hook was the key to Alpha-RC007’s universal infection rate. By latching on and refusing to be dislodged, the virus could take as much time as it needed to find a way to properly colonize its host. Once inside, the other specially tailored traits would have their opportunity to shine. All the man-made protein had to do was buy the time to make it past the walls.

  The wind currents eddied around the tiny viral particles, allowing them to drop somewhat lower in the stratosphere. Here, a flock of geese was taking advantage of the air currents at the very edge of the atmospheric layer, their honks sounding through the thin air like car alarms. One, banking to adjust her course, raised a wing just a few inches higher, tilting herself hard to the right and letting her feathers brush through the upper currents.

  As her feathers swept through the air, they collected dust and pollen—and a few opportunistically drifting particles of Alpha-RC007. The hooks on the outside of the virus promptly latched on to the goose’s wing, not aware, only reacting to the change in their environment. This was not a suitable host, and so the bulk of the virus remained inert, waiting, letting itself be carried along by its unwitting escort back down to the planet’s surface.

  Honking loudly, the geese flew on. In the air currents above them, the rest of the viral particles freed from Dr. Alexander Kellis’s lab drifted, waiting for their own escorts to come along, scoop them up, and allow them to freely roam the waiting Earth. There is nothing so patient, in this world or any other, as a virus searching for a host.

  We’re looking at clear skies here in the Midwest, with temperatures spiking to a new high for this summer. So grab your sunscreen and plan to spend another lazy weekend staying out of the sun! Pollen counts are projected to be low…

  June 13, 2014: Denver, Colorado

  Suzanne Amberlee had been waiting to box up her daughter’s room almost since the day Amanda was first diagnosed with leukemia. Her therapist said it was a “coping mechanism” for her, and that it was completely healthy for her to spend hours thinking about boxes and storage and what to do with things too precious to be given to Goodwill. As the parent of a sick child, she’d been all too willing to believe that, grasping at any comfort that her frightened mind could offer her. She had made her lists long ago. These were the things she would keep; these were the things she would send to family members; these were the things she would give to Amanda’s friends. Simple lines, drawn in ink on the ledger of her heart.

  That was thought. The reality of standing in her little girl’s bedroom and imagining it empty, stripped of all the things that made it Amanda’s, was almost more than she could bear. After weeks of struggling with herself, she had finally been able to close her hand on the doorknob and open the bedroom door. She still wasn’t able to force herself across the threshold.

  This room contained all Amanda’s things—all the things she’d ever have the opportunity to own. The stuffed toys she had steadfastly refused to admit to outgrowing, saying they had been her only friends when she was sick and she wouldn’t abandon them now. Her bookshelves, cluttered with knickknacks and soccer trophies as much as books. Her framed poster showing the structure of Marburg EX19, given to her by Dr. Wells after the first clinical trials began showing positive results. Suzanne could picture that day when she closed her eyes. Amanda, looking so weak and pale, and Dr. Wells, their savior, smiling like the sun.

  “This little fellow is your best friend now, Amanda.” That was what he’d said on that beautiful afternoon where having a future suddenly seemed possible again. “Take good care of it and it will take good care of you.”

  Rage swept over Suzanne in a sudden hot wave. She opened her eyes, glaring across the room at the photographic disease. Where was it when her little girl was dying? Marburg EX19 was supposed to save her baby’s life, and in the end, it had let her down; it had let Amanda die. What was the good of all this—the pain, the endless hours spent in hospital beds, the promises they never got to keep—if the damn disease couldn’t save Amanda’s life?

  Never mind that Amanda died in a car crash. Never mind that cancer had nothing to do with it. Marburg EX19 was supposed to save her, and it had failed.

  “I hate you,” Suzanne whispered, and turned away. She couldn’t deal with the bedroom; not today, maybe not ever. Maybe she would just sell the house, leave Amanda’s things where they were, and let them be dealt with by the new owners. They could filter through the spindrift of Amanda’s life without seeing her face, without hearing her voice talking about college plans and careers. They could put things in boxes without breaking their hearts.

  If there was anything more terrible for a parent than burying a child, Suzanne Amberlee couldn’t imagine what it would be. Her internal battle over for another day—over, and lost—she turned away, heading down the stairs. Maybe tomorrow she could empty out that room. Maybe tomorrow she could start boxing things away. Maybe tomorrow she could start the process of letting Amanda go.

  Maybe tomorrow. But probably not.

  Suzanne Amberlee walked away, unaware of the small viral colony living in her own body, nested deep in the tissue of her lungs. Content in its accidental home, Marburg EX19 slept, waiting for the trigger that would startle it into wakefulness. It was patient; it had all the time in the world.

  Amanda Amberlee is survived by her mother, Suzanne Amberlee. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Colorado Cancer Research Center…

  BY MIRA GRANT

  The Newsflesh Trilogy

  Feed

  Deadline

  Blackout

  Writing as Seanan McGuire

  Rosemary and Rue

  A Local Habitation

  An Artificial Night

  Late Eclipses

  One Salt Sea

  Ashes of Honor

  Discount Armageddon

  Praise for Feed

  “Welcome to the world of Feed. It’s perfect summer apocalypse reading.”

  —io9.com

  “Gripping, thrilling, and brutal… Shunning misogynistic horror tropes in favor of genuine drama and pure creepiness, McGuire has crafted a masterpiece of suspense with engaging, appealing characters who conduct a soul-shredding examination of what’s true and what’s reported.”

  —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)


  “… Complex, amazingly intelligent…”

  —blogcritics.org

  “It’s a novel with as much brains as heart, and both are filling and delicious.”

  —The A.V. Club

  “The zombie novel Robert A. Heinlein might have written.”

  —Sci-Fi Magazine

  “The story starts with a bang as corruption, mystery, danger, and excitement abound.”

  —Romantic Times (4-1/2 Stars)

  “What I know for a fact is that this book is terrific entertainment, likely to be remembered as the one that put zombies over for the previously uninitiated.”

  —greenmanreview.com

  “So if you want a dash of political intrigue, a dose of journalism, zombies, horror, suspense, brilliant writing, and a heaping and often steaming pile of truth—then go get yourself a copy of Feed by Mira Grant.”

  —flamesrising.com

  “While there’s plenty of zombie mayhem, political snark, and pointedly funny observations here, the heart of this book is about human relationships, which are still the most important thing in the world… even in a world where you might have to shoot the person you love most in the head, just to stop them from biting off your face.”

  —Locus

  “Feed is a proper thriller with zombies. Grant doesn’t get carried away with describing her world or the virus. She’s clearly thought both out brilliantly, but she doesn’t let it get in the way of a taut, well-written story.”

  —SFX

  “Like the most memorable works in the zombie canon, Feed uses its zombies (those reanimated corpses teeming with Kellis-Amberlee) to examine humanity. And this, dear readers, is really goddamn cool.”

  —thebooksmugglers.com

  “This is a thriller… the world building here is fascinating in and of itself. And the characters kept me hooked all the way through, particularly as Grant pulls no punches in showing just how ugly a conspiracy in high places can get… I can’t wait for the next book.”

  —N. K. Jemisin, author of The Broken Kingdoms

  “Feed is a cross-country tour through a post-apocalyptic America with certain contemporary digital trends blown up to satirical proportions, punctuated regularly by zombie attacks…. Grant delivers some excellent surprises along the way.”

  —Beatrice.com

  “A classic zombie tale with a great new twenty-first century media twist.”

  —David Wellington, author of Monster Island

  “Plain and simple, zombie fiction fans should definitely seek out and read this ingenious (and deeply thought-provoking) novel.”

  —Explorations, Paul Goat Allen

  Praise for Deadline

  “Grant… continues her postapocalyptic zombie series with this adrenaline-packed, quick-witted tale of medicine and mayhem…. Deft cultural touches, intriguing science, and amped-up action will delight Grant’s numerous fans.”

  —Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

  “Okay, all of you readers who want something weighty and yet light, campy and yet smart, horror with heart, a summer beach read that will stay in your head and whisper to you ‘what if,’ Deadline is just what you are looking for.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “… dear God, people, what is not to love about this book? It’s glorious! Always compelling, by turns terrifying and tragic, and with an ending that’s so evil that waiting for the next one becomes a torment, Deadline is a definite must-read.”

  —Britishfantasysociety.org

  “All in this title is a satisfactory addition to the Zombie genre and one that the reader will thrill, chill, and perhaps even spill to get their hands upon. A great offering and one that really will please that inner zombie.”

  —Falcata Times

  “The second futuristic Newsflesh Mason Zombie thriller is a fabulous suspense tale that grips the audience even before the prime story line begins.”

  —Alternativeworlds.com

  “Deadline is a roller coaster of a book.”

  —kbgbabbles.blogspot.com

  “Deadline is smart, scary, and impossible to resist—this book will climb into your head and make a home. Mira Grant, you are gloriously, gloriously evil, in the best possible way.”

  —bookyurt.com

  “Deadline is an intelligent, gripping read with the same skillful writing that so engrossed me while reading Feed. If you are looking for zombie horror with brains (sorry I couldn’t resist), then this is the novel for you.”

  —theeloquentpage.posterous.com

  “Deadline is a must-read. I can’t recommend this series highly enough. If you haven’t read Feed, get it and Deadline now. You’ll thank me later.”

  —Fanaticspace.com

  “Deadline is a rollercoaster story in every sense, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, the pace with leave you breathless, and at the end you’ll just want to go around again.”

  —fangtastic.com.au

  “… it is TREMENDOUS, a worthy successor indeed to its progenitor, and offers up yet another shock ending that I would never have seen coming. NEVER.”

  —geekspeakmagazine.com

  “Deadline obliterated my expectations, and I can’t even begin to tell you how high they already were.”

  —goodchoicereading.com

  “So, if you’re looking for a book that will make you gasp and laugh and weep and want to stockpile weapons—you know, just in case—pick up Deadline… Seriously. Do it.”

  —writingspectacle.blogspot.com

  Contents

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Book I: From the Dead

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Book II: Lost Souls

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Book III: Foundations

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Georgia: Twenty-three

  Chapter Shaun: Twenty-four

  Chapter Georgia: Twenty-five

  Book IV: Reservoirs

  Chapter Shaun: Twenty-six

  Chapter Georgia: Twenty-seven

  Chapter Shaun: Twenty-eight

  Chapter Georgia: Twenty-nine

  Chapter Shaun: Thirty

  Chapter Georgia: Thirty-one

  Chapter Shaun: Thirty-two

  Chapter Georgia: Thirty-three

  Chapter Shaun: Thirty-four

  Chapter Georgia: Thirty-five

  Chapter Shaun: Thirty-six

  Chapter Georgia: Thirty-seven

  Chapter Shaun: Thirty-eight

  Chapter Georgia: Thirty-nine

  Chapter Shaun: Forty

  Chapter Georgia: Forty-one

  Coda: Living for You

  Chapter Mahir: Forty-two

  Acknowledgments

  Extras

  Meet the Author

  A Preview of Countdown

  Countdown

  By Mira Grant

  Praise for Feed

  Copyright

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2012 by Seanan McGuire

  Excerpt from Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella copyright © 2011 by Seanan McGuire

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of th
is book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Orbit

  Hachette Book Group

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  First e-book edition: June 2012

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  ISBN 978-0-316-20218-3