Robin's Review

The Dying Butterfly
by D.L. Fletcher

A post-apocalyptic zombie story. Though it is about an illness the message remains true, and that is when there seems to be no light hold on to hope. It is about never giving up when it appears there is nothing left to fight for. 

It is about not taking anything for granted from the simplicity of tasks to the little noises, all the way up to the people we cherish; and that sometimes the strangers we meet along the way, even if we don’t see it, are the ones that give us that strength. Holly and Tony were a young couple in love. They thought they had all the time in the world, but they were wrong... As the illness spread and the population was dying, chaos sprang forcing Holly, Tony, and her family to flee their homes. A plan set and necessities previously stocked for this anticipated moment they took to the road. One night as the deranged charged their camp they were forced to scatter, separating Holly from everyone she knew and loved. In her search for her family and Tony, she stumbles upon a small community. By the light of a flickering candle, from a typewriter she found in her travels, Holly tells us about the illness, her new life, and her search for the ones she lost. She shares her new philosophies on life, all that we take for granted each and every day, and human vulnerability as she reminisces the past, and her dreams of one day being reunited with the love of her life and her family.

Robin's Review: This was a well written, well thought out story with intense bits that made it a real page turner. The writing was descriptive enough to give you the idea of what the author was trying to portray but not overly gory. So, in that this is not your typical zombie apocalypse story. It focuses on the characters, their lives, their trials, and their trauma.

This story is told through the main character, Holly as she journals her thoughts of what she went through.

Introduction of charaters:
Her boyfriend/husband Tony Gardner
Her parents Jim and Georgie Wood
Their neighbors Joyce and Brad
Landon and Dahlia who were stragglers
Mr. Donald Clay Head of the community
Her rescued dog, Maxine
Lucy and Jordan part of the community

Zombie Apocalypse Tips:

It was no longer a world to trust first and see if they disappoint you later.

Describing the amount of infected as a pyramid scam. “Hundreds hooked hundreds more in, turning it to thousands overnight and thousands more the next."

“I know it's risky, but practice and learning is the only way to get strong now; and being close to some sort of supply source.”

"Look for a place maybe no one will want."

Learn how to be stealthy, and how to fight without getting bit.

Pre-packed bags of personal necessities or Bag for Running

Flashlight
two-way radios
freeze dried food
sleeping bags that attach to the outside of packs
small survival books on edible and healing plants
large variety of vegetable seeds
two shirts, three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, bottle of tablets to purify water, and one thin jacket

Medical kits:
antibiotics, inhalers gauze, slings, safety pins, cotton, alcohol and antibiotic creams. Gravol, Advil and Pepto-Bismol.

Other Items to Collect:

Pre-packed bags of personal necessities or Bag for Running,
Flashlight
two-way radios
freeze dried food
sleeping bags that attach to the outside of packs
small survival books on edible and healing plants
large variety of vegetable seeds
two shirts, three pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, bottle of tablets to purify water, and one thin jacket
Candles, packs of every size of battery
flashlights, windup radios, Water, water, water

Prep the house by putting boards by the windows ready to be hammered up and fill pillowcases with sand, stacking them as needed for barricades inside entrances.

I remember asking my dad why we didn't just leave right then and there rather than do all that work to protect something we had no power to hold on to. This isn't to protect the house Holly. It's to protect those in it.

We need to save our resources for when there aren't any resources left. If we run now, we burn through everything unnecessarily. We will be looking for food and water when we should be working at getting as far away as we can. This is all to make sure everyone is safe.


Rules To Live By:

No fires for any reason

No yelling and to watch the volume when laughing

Keep your eyes open and watch the perimeter.

Set up a schedule and ration the food and portions.

All washing of any kind should be done with lake water. No exceptions. We need to conserve the fresh water - drinking only.

Save the use of flashlights to when they are a must. Batteries will be rationed like everything else.

Have multiple plans

Stay put when told


#dystopian #apocalyptic #romance #thriller #horror

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