Season One: COMING 2021!

THESE AREN’T YOUR GRANDFATHER’S ZOMBIES!

What happens when the search for eternal life triggers a change in human DNA that extends longevity – but also wakes up long-buried genetic code that triggers the mutation of four completely new species of human beings.

And these species are fast and clever … and very hungry.

SPECIES Z is a three-part series by Theo Cage, premiering in 2021.

Here’s an excerpt from SPECIES Z: Season 1 …

Piper knew she was supposed to stay close to home for the first seventy-two hours after the injection. But her boyfriend, Taylor, had bought them tickets to the Country Fest. And she had never missed a year since going with her parents as a young girl.

It was funny. She wasn’t really a country music fan anymore. She preferred Katie Perry and Rihanna. But the nostalgic glow of the event never left her. She felt she needed that now.

Piper prided herself on being a bit of a health nut. Really more than a bit, if you asked her friends. She ran every day, which annoyed Taylor, who wished she would just sleep in a little longer every morning. But a habit was a habit. Out the front door of their walkup by 6 AM. Back for a protein shake at 7:00 AM. Head to the subway by 8.

Piper tracked every step and every calorie and every gram of fat on her iPhone app. Had been doing that religiously for years. So was that a bit extreme?

She was very lucky and she knew it. Healthy. No allergies. Rarely got a cold or flu. Hadn’t missed a day of work for five years.

Why did she volunteer for the age enhancement experiment? She had to admit, the idea of freezing herself at twenty-seven, in the prime of her life, was tantalizing. Part of the reason she worked so hard at her fitness was to allay all of those frightening possibilities. Her older sister had discovered years ago she had Type 2 diabetes and Piper knew there was a genetic influence. She was willing to do whatever it took t escape that eventuality.

So she took the injection on Friday – and here it was Sunday morning and for the first time in a long time, she was feeling out of sorts. Her grandmother used to use that expression. Out of sorts. She had no idea what it meant. But something wasn’t . . . right. They were in Taylor’s new truck, rolling down I-95. She began to feel like she was having an out-of-body experience. That was the only way she could describe it.

First, she thought she smelled rubber. But not anything like she remembered. This was a chemical odour that seemed to linger just below consciousness.

Her jaw felt odd. Like it was swelling and clenching uncontrollably.

What were the side-effects she might expect? Well, none actually. She had asked, and they said there were very few.

Within minutes, she had a vicious headache that seemed to emanate from every part of her head and neck. With the headache came a sense that she wasn’t really there; like she was detached from her body floating around in the cab above her head. Very strange.

Then came the most powerful urge she could ever remember having. It hit her like the punch of an airbag; made her head reel. She put her hands to her neck, which was now twisting and vibrating. She needed desperately to bite something, to feel pressure on her teeth and jaws. The need to chomp down was overwhelming.

She looked at her arms and for a brief second considered that option. Gnaw on her own limb? She had heard about girls who cut themselves. She couldn’t imagine why. Her stomach flipped at the thought. And then she felt herself urinating. Her face turned hot. Taylor’s new truck. What would he say? She wanted to say something, to scream, but she couldn’t find words. Her throat – and something in her neck – was moving. It hurt so badly, but no matter how she strained, words wouldn’t come.

She turned to her boyfriend. He was wearing a light green golf shirt, his eyes on the highway, totally oblivious to her agony. But she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Especially his neck. So tanned and muscled and beautiful and full of life. She ached for it. Her senses hummed. She undid her seatbelt without even thinking and slid over to his side. She turned to him, and then drove her new four-inch canines into his carotid artery with the kind of ecstasy usually reserved for drug-fueled sex.

The first five chapters of Species Z will be made available to my READER’S CLUB at no charge – as well as an introductory price for the complete novel. For more information just sign up by clicking on the JOIN button.