He's alone. The world has tossed him into an oblivion, he lives by his instincts, and there's almost nothing left for him. Benedict Cain is a hollowed-out shell of a human being. When an offer pits him against the very people he hates, Ben must betray his own moral code by helping an evil organization obtain an ancient artifact of untold power. The only thing standing between him and his goals is a mysterious man in a gas-mask. WARNING: Extremely strong language and graphic action sequences are present in this story. Reader discretion is advised. This is the second story in a continuing series called: The Age of Heroes

ORIGINAL DRAFT. SEE UPDATED NOVEL FOR REWRITE VERSION RELEASED 9/2025. Wattpad Featured Author | 800K+ Reads | AMC TWD Partnered Story | Ranking #1 in Adventure | Wattpad Beta book for text-to-speech accessibility A Dystopian Society 4522. Both a name and a number that had labeled many. Within a society of the alive, yet not living, 4522 struggles to conform. She finds herself lost while surrounded by strict rules of direction. Deep inside, she knows there is another way to exist than following orders in a herd of humans who do not think for themselves. 4522 believes there is more to life than numbers and laws; she just has to find it. When her hall Officer is replaced, and she forms an unlikely friendship with the boy next to her, the opportunity for change arises. When the mysterious Officer selects her and her friend, 4313, for testing she knows something is wrong; 4522 can only think she was picked because they know about her secrets that she had been keeping. They know she is different and different only meant one thing. Death. Pronounced: Four-Five-Two-Two