Like everyone else he knew, Steven's heart did not beat. Instead it lay dead in his chest, as docile as his brain and his lungs and his soul. So when he first heard the faint beating sound coming from outside his bedroom window, he didn't know what to think. "In the Land of the Blind" is a 3,000-word nontraditional zombie story that won the 10th Annual Chiaroscuro Short Story Contest. It was also the inspiration for Robert Swartwood's zombie thriller The Dishonored Dead. The prologue and first three chapters of The Dishonored Dead are included in this e-book. Note: "In the Land of the Blind" appears as a bonus story in the e-book version of The Dishonored Dead Praise for The Dishonored Dead: "The Dishonored Dead is one of the most original and gripping zombie novels I have ever read, offering a glimpse into the life of a zombie in a world turned backwards, where zombies live and humans are feared. Highly recommended!" -- Jeremy Robinson, author of Instinct and Threshold "The Dishonored Dead is simply brilliant, and its telling a superb achievement. Robert Swartwood has given us a wonderful twist, not only on the zombie novel, but on the dystopian tale as well. It's like Brave New World meets Logan's Run, but with a bite all its own. Strongly recommended!" -- Joe McKinney, author of Apocalypse of the Dead and Flesh Eaters