A brutal war. A girl raised as a proud soldier, all too willing to fight and die for her country. A man whose life has been shattered, remade into one of fear and rage and hate. A boy who is caught in the web of politics, who experiences horrible things not meant for anyone, much less a child as young as he. This is a tale of two countries at war, and the lives of the people who reside there. This is a tale of the consequences of hatred and love, of treachery and loyalty, and of evil and good. --------------------------- The story and its characters are my creation; any similarity to other works or to current events is not intended. Plagiarism is not acceptable... honestly, have a bit of self-respect. I don't particularly care if you vote for this work or not. My only desire is feedback so that I can become a better writer. Awards for this novel: Honorable Mention: Best Protagonist (The Lunar Awards). Reviews for this novel: https://www.wattpad.com/571163180-honest-reviews-the-balance-sscott8 This is the second draft of the other story on my profile, and these were awards received for the original: * FGU Awards November: Best Death Scene (1st Place). * Drill Sergeant Award (Best Dialogue). * Seraph Awards: Honorable Mention. * Snowflake Awards: 2nd Place, Fantasy. Reviews received for the original: https://www.wattpad.com/550562523-honest-book-reviews-forever-closed-the-balance https://www.wattpad.com/477273782-book-reviews-sscott8%27s-the-balance

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]]