The Red Rose
The world as humanity knew it ended on September 17, 2026, when the sky turned to ash and a brutal new era was born. In the lawless border town of Amber Fords, survival comes at a devastating price. For seventeen-year-old Aerian Lockborne, life is a daily nightmare of grueling labor, cruel masters, and the constant shadow of local tyrant Frankie Blades.
When a desperate choice forces Aerian to trade her miserable existence for a high-risk runner contract across the dead, monster-filled wasteland, she steps out of the gates with a hidden pre-war pistol, a cold heart, and a singular goal: freedom. But the wasteland is ruthless, and the powerful men of this broken world don't let their assets go easily.
Hunted by ruthless scavengers, haunted by the ghosts of her past, and bound by a dangerous delivery to the heavily fortified pre-war metropolis of Gold City, Aerian must navigate a treacherous web of betrayal, violence, and unexpected survival. Amidst the blood and ashes, she will discover that the hardest thing to conquer isn't the wasteland-it's learning how to trust, how to love, and how to take her life back.
In a world built on ledgers, debt, and flesh, the Red Rose blooms in the dark.
TW: This deals with themes of abuse and violence.