After escaping a stalled elevator into a zombie apocalypse, Emily must learn how to trust people again or risk losing everything in this terrifying world. ***** For Emily, every day of the last two years have been a blur. She keeps her head down, takes her college courses online, and only goes out to work at her mandatory internship. But all that changes on the day the office elevator breaks down, leaving her trapped when the screams begin. And when the doors finally open, revealing a dystopian world ruined by bloody teeth and disease, Emily is launched into a terrifying run for her life, caught between the strangers she's not sure she can trust and the man-eating monsters that hunger for her flesh. Now she must learn not only how to survive in this new and dangerous world, but also how to overcome her own inner demons before they cost her something more precious than her life. [[Wattys' Shortlist]] [[Promoted by AMC]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: The story contains some gore, violence, strong language, and dark themes. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]

Avaryn Alastors life couldn't possibly get any worse. That's what she told herself the second her feet crossed the threshold of Crestwood Academy. But boy, was she wrong. She'd never wanted to attend the most prestigious stuck-up school only made for the rich and the smart. She'd never even wanted to apply. But tragedy struck her family and it had always been her moms dream. The first day she's there she makes a fool out of herself in front of the most popular group in all of Crestwood. And to make matters worse one of them is her roommate! They call themselves the Devara. (Stupid, she knows). And yet she can't help but feel drawn to them. Drawn to everything about them. So Avaryn does what she does best, she investigates. Only what she finds is a whole other dangerous world. A world of secrets and pain and even magic. The Devara is supernatural. They come from a whole other world. Not only that but they are heirs to this world. They are royalty. And with royalty comes enemies ... And now these enemies want Avaryn. And the only way she'll survive is sticking with the Devara. That is ... If she doesn't kill them first. Mystery, romance, death, lies. A plot twist you won't see coming. Shadows of Ash and Gold.