"Some things must come to an end, my beautiful girl." Ever have a knife put to your neck? Let me rephrase that. Ever have your mother put a knife to your neck? Didn't think so. Carter Reed is trying to survive in the deserted land she calls home. But when the only birds left start getting people sick, she doesn't know where to turn. Running is all she knows. Killing is all she knows. Will that change when she meets the boy dying on the road? Or when she meets the girl that's alone? Will her heart soften, or will she become the monster her mother said she was?