Waves of Undead
About:
When a tsunami and a zombie outbreak strike simultaneously, what lengths must one go to in order to survive? Twins Paul and Ana Zuessen fight for their lives when they encounter people who are violent and cannibalistic… The undead.
At the end of the road along the 49th parallel sits the remote town of Tofino, a surfers’ paradise in the Pacific Northwest. Ana travels to this idyllic beach town hoping to rekindle a romantic relationship, when horror and disaster strike.
Meanwhile, in Ladner, a suburban farm town near Vancouver, Paul learns his sister is on Vancouver Island where civilians are being warned of an encroaching tsunami. Will Paul find a way to get his sister to safety despite the impending apocalypse?
Waves of Undead
Genre: Horror, Science fiction
Format: Novel
Publication Status: Self-Published
Intended Audience: New Adult/Adult
Comparable Films / Books:
Resident Evil, World War Z, The Impossible
Notable Achievements:
- 1000 copies sold in the 14 months since publication.
- “My mom loved it.”
- 4.34 stars on goodreads
Content Considerations
Content Warnings:
- Violence or weapons, Injury, death, or gore, Substance use or addiction, Illness or medical trauma, Flashing lights or loud sounds, near drowning, natural disaster (tsunami)
Additional Notes:
- Zombie, sci-fi horror elements
About the Author
The nightmares began around the tender age of eleven after Rebecca Cuthbertson spent endless hours watching her older brother play Resident Evil.
Plagued with zombie dreams for decades, she decided that writing might indeed be cheaper than therapy, and wrote her first novel, Waves of Undead—the first book in her Undead Waters series.
Rebecca resides in Tsawwassen, where she feels unsettled living amongst more people than trees, lest an apocalyptic scenario should occur.
Short Film Adaptation Idea
Option 1:
Ana, Skylar, and Martha arrive at the firehall with a horde of zombies at their heels. When Dion lets them in, they have a moment to catch their breath for the first time since the tsunami struck and an outbreak of zombies overran high ground.
Skylar cautions Ana to wash off a purple stain caused by the very substance that turned her friends into zombies. Tensions grow as Martha suggests they exterminate her, and Dion makes a predatory move after taking narcotics.
Ana is faced with the decision of staying in the firehall or attempting survival amidst the chaos outside.
Option 2:
The surf is going off and Cox Bay’s parking lot is packed. Lara drops off her terminally ill husband, Mark, at the entrance to the beach. He tells her he’ll meet her at “Land of the Lefts”, a popular surf spot at the edge of the bay. Distracted by her phone, she responds but doesn’t register his words.
Exhausted, Mark struggles to carry his board to the water and paddle out beyond the break, but he perseveres for what he knows may be his final surfing session.
Meanwhile, Lara is walking up and down the beach trying to find her husband, not realizing he went in the water ahead of her.
A blaring siren wails: the tsunami alarm. Screams erupt on the beach. Mark watches as nearby surfers paddle for shore. He’s about to follow until exhaustion and a coughing fit take over. Accepting his fate, he decides to live out his final moments surfing the big one.
He rides the biggest wave of his life until the nose of his board dips under the water and he’s an ant in a washing machine getting throttled by the tsunami.
When the water rushes over the shoreline, Mark’s surfboard is wedged between two trees, where he’s tethered by his leash. Once the water subsides, Mark notices a tent floating nearby and hears a moan from within. When he’s finally able to pull his leash off he wades towards it.
Pulling open the polyester, he finds his wife, Lara. But she’s not herself. Broken blood vessels encircle her eyes. Lips blue. Skin pale. She wades towards him and grasps his arms, nails digging into his wetsuit. He attempts to reassure his wife as she lifts her lips to her husband’s throat and bites into his jugular.
