The Undertakers: End of the World (41 page)

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Authors: Ty Drago

Tags: #horror, #middle grade, #boys, #fantasy, #survival stories, #spine-chilling horror, #teen horror, #science fiction, #zombies

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The four of us burst out laughing.

Tom, leaning on his cane, grinned and nodded at me as if to say, “Why don’t you take this one?”

So, giving Helene’s hand a squeeze, I marched up to the dude.

As I did, something in my face must have taken him by surprise, because he actually retreated a step. Suddenly, his anger was gone, replaced by that awesomely satisfying look of bewilderment that grown-ups always seem to wear when they find out a kid is more than they figured he’d be.

Trust me: There’s nothing better.

“Who are we?” I asked him.

He nodded, a little apprehensively.

So I told him.

I told him who we were.

Who we are.

And who we always will be.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A lot of my job involves going around to middle schools and talking to boys and girls about my books and about writing in general. And, almost since the Undertakers were first introduced, my bookselling partner on this adventure has been Karenne Snow.

I’ve honestly lost count of the number of schools Karenne and I have visited, with her sitting beside me and selling signed books to literally thousands of kids. Through it all, her good humor and enthusiasm have been of tremendous benefit. Whether the sales at a particular event were strong or poor, Karenne was always faithfully there at my side.

She retired in November of 2014 and, while I’m so happy to see her starting on this new chapter in her life, I will sorely miss my favorite bookseller.

And my friend.

TY DRAGO

Ty Drago
does his writing just across the river from Philadelphia, where the
Undertakers
novels take place. In addition to
The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses,
The Undertakers: Queen of the Dead
, and
The Undertakers: Secret of the Corpse Eater
, he is the author of
The Franklin Affair
and
Phobos
, as well as short stories and articles that have appeared in numerous publications, including
Writer’s Digest
. He currently lives in southern New Jersey with his wife and best friend, the
real
Helene Drago née Boettcher.