STAY ALIVE
A POST-APOCAPYTPIC SURVIVAL THRILLER
DEREK SHUPERT
Copyright
Stay Alive
Copyright © 2021 by Derek Shupert
Cover design by Derek Shupert
Cover art by Covers by Christian
Cover Copyright © 2021 by Derek Shupert
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictionally and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For information contact :
Derek Shupert
www.derekshupert.com
First Edition
Contents
Also by Derek Shupert
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Enjoy the book? Make your voice heard…
Also by Derek Shupert
About the Author
Also By Derek Shupert
THE COMPLETE BRINK OF EXTINCTION SERIES :
SUDDEN IMPACT
STAY ALIVE
GET HOME
THE COMPLETE SURVIVE THE FALL SERIES :
POWERLESS WORLD
MADNESS RISING
DARK ROADS
TOTAL COLLAPSE
FIGHT BACK
THE COMPLETE DEAD STATE SERIES :
DEAD STATE : CATALYST (PREQUEL)
DEAD STATE : FALLOUT
DEAD STATE : SURVIVAL ROAD
DEAD STATE : EXECUTIONER
DEAD STATE : IMMUNE
DEAD STATE : EVOLVED
THE COMPLETE DEAD STATE SERIES BOX SET
THE HUNTRESS BANE SERIES :
THE HUNTRESS BANE (SHORT STORY)
TAINTED HUNTER
CRIMSON THIRST
THE COMPLETE BALLISTIC MECH SERIES :
DIVISION
INFERNO
EXTINCTION
PAYBACK
Stay up on the latest news!
For updates about new releases, special promotions, and the latest insider information, visit the author’s website. Head there now and get your FREE copy of Survive the End.
Note: (I loathe spam with a deep dark passion and promise to never spam you.)
www.derekshupert.com
Social Media Links
Let’s connect! You can follow Derek Shupert on Amazon, Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, and BookBub.
I also created a fun Facebook group, The Official Derek Shupert Fan Club, where readers can come and interact with me on a more personal level. Ask me questions and learn more about my crazy world. Stop by and join in on the fun!
CHAPTER ONE
CORY
The sky blackened and the tempest raged. Lightning crawled across the dark abyss like white, glowing veins, illuminating the ether before the nimble jet. Thunder rumbled in the distance, twisting my gut into a knot.
I closed my eyes, gulped, then gripped the phone even tighter in my hand. It was the only link I had to my wife, Janet.
Anna, my companion on this peerless journey, sat in the seat next to me—calm and collected. Not a bit of worry lingered on her young, flawless face.
“How are you so calm?” I asked, white knuckling the arm of my chair.
“It’s just a bit of turbulence.” The slight distortion from the headset made her voice sound more robotic than human. She looked my way, adjusted the strap of the seat belt across her thin waist, then pulled it tighter. “All part of flying through a storm. It’s always bumpy.”
“If you say so. This seems to be a bit more than just regular turbulence to me.” I shoved the phone deep into the front pocket of my jeans and tightened my seat belt.
The pilot thumbed the battery of switches and knobs on the dash before him. His other hand kept a firm hold on the yoke, fighting to maintain our current course. He spoke into the mic attached to the headset, but I couldn’t make out what he said.
“Hey. Is everything all right up there?” I called over the tumult outside of the plane and the roar of the engine.
The gauges dimmed, then flickered. He tapped the glass fronts with the tip of his finger.
I leaned forward in my seat and grabbed his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
He pointed out of the split windshield at the violent storm that waited for us. “That’s what’s wrong. I’m getting a bunch of interference that’s wreaking havoc on the avionics and communications. Make sure your seat belts are locked and secured.”
“Meaning?” I shot back, my tone rising an octave.
“Meaning that we need to get out of this mess or it’s not going to end well,” he answered.
Anna tilted her head back, then sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”
I leaned back in the seat, then sniffed. The foul stench of rotten eggs or sewage assaulted my nose. “Yeah. What the hell is that?”
“Sulfur maybe. I don’t know,” Anna answered, her face contorted in disgust.
“Why would we be smelling sulfur?” I shot back, confused.
She shrugged. “There could be something burning. Not sure. It can’t be good, though.”
A loud clap of thunder shook the heavens, stealing my breath. My heart skipped a beat. The hairs along my arms stood on end.
I cowered in my seat, then peered out of the window. Long snaking lines of hot-white lightning burst in the dismal sky like fiery explosions next to the plane. Odd--gray snowfall fell, coating the outside of the window.
The lights in the fuselage died, then flicked back to life. The turbulence grew more violent, hammering the jet to its metal skeleton.
The pilot’s hands shook with worry as the plane tilted toward the ground. He pulled back on the yoke, trying to keep the nose of the aircraft stable and in the air.
A klaxon filled the fuselage. Dark, red lights flashed on the dash.
“Shit. Are we going down?” I asked, my voice rising an octave.
The pilot held his tongue, focusing on keeping the bird in the air and finding a way out of the furor they’d flown into.
A layer
