Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse

Chaos’ latest game is positively epic. Just look at the trailer: the hero Bastion Axestone striding through the city streets, fireballs exploding around him and zombies staggering in his wake. Seb can’t wait to play it. He downloads the works. Explosive effects, 3D upgrade, heavy metal soundtrack and a subliminal quotient—whatever that is. But the next day, Seb and his friends wake up to an apocalypse. Their teachers are missing in action, coach doesn’t come to practice, and Seb’s dad spends all day in his pyjamas. Even worse, not only has Mum not been in to work, she hasn’t bothered to brush her teeth. It’s beginning to look as if every grown-up in Bridgetown—possibly the entire world—has been zombified. They’re obsessed with their personal electronic devices and it’s all Seb’s fault because he’s the one who downloaded the game in the first place. Now, he has to fix it. But how? It’s not as if he can un-download the game. Along with his best mate, Darren, and Talia, The Prettiest Girl in School, Seb has to figure out how to reverse the effect of the computer virus. But in the meantime, the zombies need feeding, Seb’s little sister, Ava, needs minding, and someone has to walk the dog.

Lee Murray is a multi-award-winning writer and editor of fantasy, science fiction, and horror (Sir Julius Vogel, Australian Shadows), most notably for Best Youth Novel for Battle of the Birds, which NZ’s Dominion Post listed in its 2011 Best Books of the Year. Other works include the Taine McKenna military thriller series and Hounds of the Underworld, a supernatural crime-noir co-written with Dan Rabarts. She lives with her family in New Zealand.