Saturday, October 20, 2012

Spooktacular Pitch #25: DEAD NEW WORLD

Background came from this design.


Title: Dead New World
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Word Count: 79,000 words


Three line pitch:

Seventeen-year-old Holt spends his days in the Army hunting down zombies in a rebuilding United States. Everything changes when the leader of a powerful cult kidnaps Nancy, the girl he loves. Can Holt save what the person he most cares for without sacrificing his humanity?

First 250:

Sunlight filtered through the trees, brightening parts of the forest while leaving others in shadow. Birds chirped and chattered serenely. Everything seemed peaceful.

That’s what frightened me so much.

Nothing was ever peaceful anymore. Not since I’d been alive, at least. I tightened my grip on my M16 and tried not to let the guys see my hands shaking.

It was my first time out. A search and destroy, away from the relative safety of the bases or towns. No walls or fences to hide behind. No machine guns or bunkers for protection. Out here it was just your rifle, your squad and, if they happened to be in the area, air support.

The summer heat weighed down my bite-proof fatigues. Sweat drenched my body and dripped into my eyes, stinging. I flipped up the visor on my helmet to wipe my face.

Ambrose patted me on the shoulder. “Cold enough for you?”

I turned to him and grinned, struck again by how he’d changed since basic training. He didn’t look like the kid I’d known practically my entire life anymore. He’d shot up and filled out, his built frame and square jaw making him look older than sixteen. Even though we were the same rank, I couldn’t help looking up to him, and I wasn’t the only one.

“I hate these things. It’s like wearing an oven.” I closed the visor.

“Better than being dead, Holt. Or worse, dead-ish.”

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