by Gary Poole
First published 2016
The zombie apocalypse arrives with humanity's worst nightmare confirmed: the undead plague is real, and we created it ourselves. In Chicago's suburban outskirts, neighbors band together atop oil storage tanks, using height as their shield against the infected hordes below. Across the country in New York City, Biological Emergency Response Teams battle waves of zombies while competing with other survivor groups for dwindling supplies and safe zones. Meanwhile, a group of cheerleaders discovers what happens when physically fit young women channel their fury against the walking dead. Each community faces the same brutal question: work together or perish alone. From rooftop sanctuaries to urban battlegrounds, survivors learn that the zombie threat pales beside the challenge of staying human when civilization crumbles. This collection weaves together twelve stories of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, where split-second decisions mean the difference between life and death.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, horror, thriller, action, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, ordinary-people-in-extraordinary-circumstances
Setting: Chicago, New York City
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Baen
Content warnings: graphic-violence, violence