Caged 3 is the third book in the Zombie Lockup series and continues the story of unlikely and trapped survivors behind prison walls and bars with the undead inside and out. Wild action and bold characters make this series a strong action adventure and horror story for fans of zombies and fans of great stories.

— Jay Wilburn #CaptainThreeKidneys

Excerpt from Caged 3 by Chuck Buda

“That’s a lot of blood.”

Warden Gorgon stared at the bag which hung alongside his cot. He watched Dixie force a grin his way before exiting the room. Dr. Shipley nodded as he removed the needle from the Warden’s arm. He indicated the Warden should raise his arm above his head while holding onto the cotton ball.

“The chances of this working are highly unlikely.” Dr. Shipley spoke with his back to the Warden. His attention appeared better spent on securing the bag of blood and tidying up after himself.

Warden Gorgon chose not to argue with Dr. Shipley. He knew it would be no use. Dr. Shipley had no clue what had happened outside the scope of his Infirmary. And the Warden intended to keep the doctor in the dark as long as he could.

“All options must remain on the table, doctor. We cannot allow small-minded thinking to cloud our abilities. Maybe there are methods beyond current medical knowledge we can tap into.” Warden Gorgon stared into Dr. Shipley’s eyes.

The doctor wrapped medical bandages around the Warden’s arm to secure the cotton covering the wound. “I prefer to keep my eye on the medical ball rather than the metaphysical one. If God were real, then His intervention would have been revealed by now.” Dr. Shipley adjusted his glasses. “Or maybe He would have prevented this catastrophe before it ever happened.”

“You have to have faith, doctor.” Warden Gorgon stood up from the cot. He lowered his shirt sleeve and began fixing up his appearance as he spoke. “Faith in the cosmos. God has nothing to do with this.”

Dr. Shipley shook his head and began scratching notes in his journal. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me, Warden. You know that. As much as I disagree with your methods and decisions, I don’t have any other choices.”

Warden Gorgon clapped Dr. Shipley’s shoulder. He grinned and chuckled. “That’s the spirit.”

The Warden pulled his suit jacket on. He glanced around to be sure the nurses weren’t in range before speaking. “Make sure you stretch the blood as far as you can. And how long will it take to administer to…them?” He nodded his head in the direction of the zombies in the next room.

“It won’t take long to inject them. Although, it will be hazardous.” Dr. Shipley ran a hand through his greasy hair. “I would think it would take a few hours to let the blood integrate. Then I will draw samples and inspect the results under the microscope. Give me a few hours. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

The Warden watched the doctor carefully. He needed to be sure Dr. Shipley was still on board with his wishes. He chose not to believe Dr. Shipley’s words. He’d rather read the doctor’s body language.

“Very good. If I don’t hear from you in two hours then I will return.”

“It’ll take more than two hours.” Dr. Shipley’s whine cut through the Warden’s patience.

“Then I’ll give you three hours.”

Warden Gorgon spun to leave the doctor to his work. He heard Dr. Shipley groan about the fraction of extra time he had been given. The Warden knew how to raise the bar to get the most out of his people. Even when he asked the impossible. He passed Samantha on his way out of the Infirmary. She smiled at the Warden. He thought, at least one of my employees is happy to see me. The warmth of his thoughts quickly evaporated as he walked the empty hallway. His mind recounted the events of the last few hours.

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If you like what you’ve read, pick up Caged 3 along with Caged 1 and Caged 2.

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Jay Wilburn

Jay Wilburn has a Masters Degree in Education that goes mostly unused since he quit teaching to write about zombies. Jay writes horror because he tends to find the light by facing down the darkness. His is doing well following a life saving kidney transplant. Jay is the author of Maidens of Zombie Kingdom a young adult fantasy trilogy, Lake Scatter Wood Tales adventure books for elementary and middle school readers, Vampire Christ a trilogy of political and religious satire, and The Dead Song Legend. He cowrote The Enemy Held Near, Yard Full of Bones, and The Hidden Truth with Armand Rosamilia. You can also find Jay's work in Best Horror of the Year volume 5. He is a staff writer with Dark Moon Digest, LitReactor, and the Still Water Bay series with Crystal Lake Publishing.

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