[After the End 01] • After The End (Book 1) · The Furious Four

‘What happened out there?’ she asked as he returned to the counter and collected his food. ‘There were a million people running for their lives out there earlier. No one’s come in here since.’

‘Oh, that,’ said Preston, ripping into his first muffin and taking a bite.

‘Did you see what happened?’ she repeated.

‘Yep,’ replied Preston with a grin. ‘It was zombies.’

The year is 2024. The world is overrun with Ailing: bloodthirsty monsters who used to be people. Every city left standing is walled in. Anyone outside them is locked out.

Preston found his second chance when the Ailment spread. Having escaped arrest during the first wave, he has never looked back. Well, he could do without the three stragglers who follow him around, but you can’t have it all. Along with Kerry, Beth and eight year old Gabriel, Preston attempts to navigate the lawless Outlands where Ailing aren’t the only dangers.

But with cities still falling and infection numbers growing, how long can the Furious Four last in a brutal No Man’s Land? Can they survive gun-toting enemies, harsh winters and mindless zombies?

Honestly? Preston just hopes to keep his cat alive.

The Furious Four is the first novel in a series entitled After the End. It’s a thriller set both before and after a zombie apocalypse, focused on four main characters: Preston Lancaster (28), a notorious, antisocial criminal who thrives in the chaotic new world; Bethany Singer (24), a young parent whose only motive is to keep her son alive; Kerry Twain (17), the closest thing Preston has to a relative; and Gabriel Singer (8), who has only ever known life after the outbreak and who at eight years old is already a fearsome fighter.

While Beth, Kerry and Gabriel adjust to each other and build emotional bonds, Preston secretly battles inner demons and struggles to embrace his new family. Secret romantic feelings slowly come to light, and the group unknowingly creep closer to the truth about the beginnings of the apocalypse itself.