Welcome to a special spotlight for a fresh talent.
Bio:
Ron Rening was born during the Eisenhower Administration (1956 for those who aren't up on dates.) In the middle of Redlands, Ca. He started the majority of his writing while in Germany during his time in the Air Force. He cites Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, James Peter Longstreet, Sandy Koufax and George Patton Jr. as his heroes and the cause of his insanity. He currently lives in Las Vegas, NV with his loving wife, and his greatest accomplishment, his daughter.
Ron Reining's new Paranormal Crime and Punishment story has a new twist on zombies I found quite intriguing.
BLURB:
Jeff’s life is destroyed in one single act of violence. The
only thing left for him is revenge against the one who savagely killed his
family. Recruited by Zee Castle, a covert organization that brings unspeakable
events to a close. With his partner, Victoria, a newly animated zombie known as
a Zed, he learns there may be more than revenge to live for. Together, they
must learn to trust each other if they are to stop the atrocities being committed
in the world.
Excerpt:
When the men entered
Victoria pulled its face out of the half can in its hands and hissed, long and
loud. It cradled the can protectively away from the men, cut fingers and
absolute defiance etched on its features. A ring of cut flesh with a smattering
of dried blood formed a circle around the face. Victoria had been breathing the
essence of the coffee grounds as if a feline was overdosing on catnip. The
creature of the floor was undeniably intoxicated. Movement and sound were slow
and slurred. It was responding as if it perceived everything as a threat to its
possession. While Dale did his best to maintain a straight face Jeff crossed
his arms and glared.
“Bad Zed! Bad, bad
Zed!” he growled.
The defiance remained
and another hiss followed. Drunk or not, a low growl could be heard. Jeff
repeated himself.
Victoria began
straining and shaking. Finally,” Hun…ger!” Her first word.
Jeff growled, “What?”
Fighting, Victoria
stammered, “Hun-ger! Hun-gry!” It then nearly screamed, “Hun-ge-ry! Vic-tor-a hun
-ger-y!”
Jeff maintained his
stern parental posture and demanded, “Bad Zed! Zed 306, remove your clothing.
Bad Zed!”
Dale caught on
instantly. Victoria didn’t understand at all. “Vick-tora hun-gary,” it
repeated.
“Bad Zed! You have no
name! You are a bad Zed! Remove your clothes! Bad Zed has no clothes!”
While Dale watched in
amazement, Victoria was crushed by Jeff’s words. The Zed stared at Jeff, then
at its lap. Then it began moaning. While the men watched, the Zed slowly fought
itself out of its bra and shorts and laid both gently on the floor before
itself. Zed 306 then laid its arms and lifeless hands across its lap as if they
had come to the end of their usefulness. From deep within its throat came a
most pitiful wailing cry, not unlike a kicked puppy in lingering pain.
Dale turned to face
Jeff and, holding a finger across his lips, motioned outside with his eyes.
Jeff turned and they heard, “Vic-tor-a…. Vic-tor-a sor…ry. Vic-tora sor…ry,
Vic….”
Jeff growled, “Bad
Zed! Bad Zed has no name!” The two men then left the apartment.
Once the outer door
was closed they both lost it. They eventually shook hands in success. Jeff then
mentioned that the true result was waiting for them. If Victoria remained as it
was, remorseful and empty handed, it had learned its lesson. If its head was
back in the coffee grounds they really had their work cut out for them. Well,
he did. Dale was an advisor, not an investigator in training.
The two returned to
the scene of the crime a little later. Victoria hadn’t moved. It sat and
moaned, “Bad Zed is no name,” over and over while staring at her clothing. It
was quite possibly the most pitiful display either man had yet witnessed. It
took a supreme effort to keep a straight face and even temperament.
Jeff walked up to the
unfortunate and held out both hands. “Zed 306, come.”
After a number of
“Bad Zed is no name,” repetitions aired, and were counteracted by Jeff’s soft
command, Victoria took his hands and stood. Jeff released one hand and led it
out. A smiling Dale took another couple of minutes to survey the damage. With a
silent chuckle he began returning the kitchen to this world. Once the major
damage was resolved he retrieved a previously unopened can and made a fresh pot
of coffee. He then continued cleaning while the pot gurgled. Jeff couldn’t use
cleaning as a form of punishment. Victoria’s motor skills were yet unequal to
such a task, and this was hardly bad enough to warrant calling in an engineer.
All part of the job, he told himself.
In the meantime Jeff
was back at parenting. He took Victoria to the bathroom and wiped it clean,
then put it back inside a fresh set of underwear. Victoria tried to resist at
first, and it was a feeble effort. It repeated, “Bad Zed has no name.”
“Good,” Jeff replied.
“Bad Zed has no name. Bad Zed has no clothes. When bad Zed learns good, Zed
becomes good Zed. Good Zed is named Victoria. Victoria is good.”
The words were simple
enough for Victoria. Unblinking eyes said a lot, and understanding was in the
forefront. “Good Zed now?
Jeff smiled down on
the redhead. “Victoria remembers how to speak now. That is very good. Victoria
will remember more soon. Victoria will become smart again.”
Victoria began
beaming in an undead sort of unblinking way. “Victoria is good? Victoria is
good.”
Jeff then frowned.
“If Victoria wants coffee, Victoria must ask for it. If I say no, no coffee. If
I say yes, small coffee.”
Victoria understood.
She then remembered how to smile.
Now it's contest time. Want more?Ron is having a giveaway.
One lucky commenter will be getting a copy of Unspeakables for their own. Be
sure to leave your email address so he can inform you if you won.
It’s now available
for Kindle too!
Ron can be found at:
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