Burnout

This is not the story of how humanity discovered it wasn't alone in the universe. That story is practically history, a chapter in the social studies book that students learn about along with the Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II. For almost seventy years, humanity has benefited from technology scavenged from the failed Invasion-made leaps in science that were previously only dreamed of. Sure, the odd piece of Invasion-era tech washes up on some beach every now and again, but it's not like there are any big discoveries to make anymore. The story of how humans found out they weren't alone in the universe is ancient history.

Until it isn't.

Sixteen year old Lydia St. John doesn't know where the Burnouts came from. No one does. She doesn't know how people-living, breathing, normal people-become the terrifying creatures that have forced survivors to the brink of extinction. She doesn't know what happened to her mother, away on a business trip when cities started evacuating. She doesn't even know if she'll be alive next week. What she knows is this: no one is coming to rescue them, and she will do whatever it takes to protect the family she has left.

Fortunately, technology is not the only way that Invasion changed the human race...and the secret Lydia has kept her entire life may save them all.