[Ambys 2022 NA Winner] Ivanna has shared an unconditional love for music throughout her 24 year old life, and being born in a family of musicians, being a third generation singer of her family, the future seemed bright for the young prospect. This was all until Ivanna's health began to crumble. Usher Syndrome - infamous for claiming the hearing and sight of many victims, claims all of her hearing ability and she is now stuck, completely unable to hear the sounds she loves most. Ivanna falls apart, losing her sense of purpose in the world, that is, until she meets the most optimistic musician in the world - Kuyeya. With her refusal to fold under the worst of situations, Kuyeya has a strong faith in the power music holds, and through the time she spends with Ivanna, hopes to restore the faith that she once had in music, despite her inability to hear it. [55 000 Words]

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]]