In an apocalyptic world where the dead roam the earth, Carl Teegarden lays dying. Fatally wounded by the undead, he watches his lifeblood drain from his ravaged body and struggles to come to terms with his inevitable fate. Knowing that this fate will not necessarily end with his final breath, he fights through the pain and looks back upon his life, remembering the events which have led to his lonely demise. Only he isn’t alone. The spirit of a woman with whom he’d found love in a ruined world stands by his side, her loyalty transcending the barriers of life and death. Smoldering across the room is the ghost of a small child whose hatred of this man burns with such intensity that no amount of suffering can sate his thirst for revenge. All the while, legions of the walking dead scour the countryside for the slightest sign of life. As their destinies intertwine, stories of love and devotion intertwine with failing and regret across a timeline marked by the grim struggle for survival. And in this nightmare world, each will come to understand, in their own way, exactly what it means to be numbered among the dead and dying….

Is anybody out there? After a long winter spent hunkering down in Wyoming, Bree, Nate, and the gang are back on the road. The harsh temperatures up in the northern regions might have decimated the undead scourge somewhat, but soon they have to face reality: it’s not just zombies that are out there to hunt people down and kill them. For humanity to have a fighting chance to rebuild a semblance of civilization, everyone will have to work together—and resources are scarce. Someone will have to go out there and face the danger—and maybe find out what happened to the undead that were smart enough to flee the cold. Only the strong and smart have survived, making everyday life just a little more deadly for everyone.

Outside, the city is embroiled in violent chaos: street fights rage with the ferocity of urban warfare, buildings burn unchecked, and blood flows along the sidewalks and drips into the depths of the hungry gutters. The entire country, it seems, has gone collectively insane. But all that seems so far away. Despite the fact that they can see the anarchy through their apartment window, two young couples struggle to maintain a sense of normality and civility within the confines of their four walls. They listen to the helicopters clatter overhead. They watch as news reports roll in, trying to ignore the explosions that rock the very foundations of their home. They sip coffee and debate the finer points of the collapse of civilization, never dreaming that the shadow of death has already begun to fall across their little refuge. Never dreaming of the lengths some of them will go to just to stay alive in this violent, new world. It's time to evolve or die . . . and the end is just the beginning.About the AuthorWilliam Todd Rose is a speculative fiction author currently residing in Parkerburg, West Virginia. His short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Macabre Cadaver, OG's Speculative Fiction, and the now-defunct Twisted Nipples as well as being featured in various anthologies. His experimental horror novel, "Shadow of the Woodpile" was released in 2009 and he is currently at work on his next project