The second strain of a deadly virus, Neuro Type 2, ravages the globe, outrunning every medical breakthrough. In the small, rural town of Rosedale, Virginia, life clings on like a flickering candle, but the virus's relentless presence is undeniable. Every day feels like a countdown.
Andrea McNeil, a mother of six, races against time as a nurse on the frontlines, facing the chaos of the pandemic while searching desperately for her missing daughter. With her ex-husband's shadow looming and his hand in the virus's spread growing ever clearer, Andrea must protect what remains of her family. She holds tight to her five remaining children and her moral compass, hoping it will guide them through as the world falls apart.
Megan Mullen, a childhood friend of the McNeil family and girlfriend to Ezrah McNeil, battles her own ticking clock as her mother's illness worsens. Each moment feels fragile, fleeting. Ezrah, trying to support her, struggles to keep their love alive, but fate tears them further apart-flinging Megan into despair and Ezrah into the flames. As the minutes tick by, and they grow spiritually, physically, and emotionally distant, their love faces a race against time.
Can they hold on to each other in a world where time itself seems to be running out? Or will they fall victim to madness or the disease in the wake of preserving everything they hold dear?
In a world ravaged by the collapse of civilization, where the dead walk and the living fight for scraps, survival is more than instinct- it's the only thing that matters. Bella Grant, a 21-year-old engineering student, finds herself thrust into a chaotic new reality. When she's saved by Max, a stoic military captain with a dark past, the two must rely on each other to stay alive.
But the infected are not the only danger. In this new world where trust is a fleeting memory, Max and Bella discover that the greatest threat to their survival may come from the living. Ruthless and desperate survivors are willing to do anything to claim what's left, testing their courage and their growing bond in ways that could break them.
With enemies at every turn and their bond growing stronger, Bella and Max must face the question: will they make it through this brutal new reality, or will the dangers of survival tear them apart? Is there hope left, or is humanity truly lost? And most of all, can they find a way to keep what remains of their lives intact?
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Note : This is the first book in a three-part series, but can be read as standalone. The story will continue in ALL THAT FOLLOWS, where the scars of survival run deep, and the world is far from done.