Whether you call them zombies or the infected or creepers, one thing's certain -- the undead have changed the world forever for the survivors in these five stories of the zombie apocalypse.

The first story in Annie Reed's popular zombie series and the title story in this collection, "Patient Z" centers on a homeless woman who raids the wrong recycle bin late one night, unleashing a future she never imagined. In "Bait," a former party girl faces the toughest decision of her life when she and her traveling companions discover a child tethered to a roadside sign. A young boy traveling the Oregon coast alone finds a friend in "Jessie" but discovers that friendship in this new world of the infected comes with a heavy price. The petty thief of "Ella and Mo" runs into a whole different kind of child survivor when he robs the wrong house in Las Vegas. And appearing in this collection for the first time is Annie's brand new story "Zombie Parade," a harrowing tale about survival in a New York City overrun by the undead.

"The appearance of a new Annie Reed story is a treat. Try one and you'll be hooked." -- Dave Hendrickson, author of CRACKING THE ICE, forthcoming from WestSide Press

"Annie Reed draws a pitch-perfect portrait of the Nevada desert and peoples it with folks so real I want to drive out by Vegas and try to find the Forty Winks Motel and check up on how everyone's doing. Its quiet voice and fast pace weave together to make any reader care." -- Cindie Geddes, Editor, Lucky Bat Books (reviewing Annie Reed's story ONE SUN, NO WAITING)

"A friend recommended the works of Annie Reed. I was not disappointed. In fact, if her other shorts are as good as this one, I plan to read many more." -- Carol Davis Luce, author of NIGHT GAME (reviewing Annie Reed's story CHANGELING)

Author Annie Reed is a prolific, award-winning writer whose stories have been published in numerous science fiction and fantasy anthologies, as well as in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.