Something went terribly wrong. Seemingly normal people suddenly were so aggressive, even violent. They took to the streets, protesting everything, which led to massive riots. Law enforcement was hard pressed to contain this inexpiable breakdown in society.
For Rob Larson and Brian Baron, it was just another evening at the neighborhood liquor store. People were coming and going, picking up a six-pack of their favorite beer or a bottle of inexpensive vodka. What a pleasant surprise it was, when a beautiful young Latina woman walked into the store to purchase a small bottle of tequila for a recipe. Along with her 5-year-old daughter Lizabeth, Arianna Delgado was a hard-working single mother, who also attended college part-time.
This was a magical reunion for Rob, who hasn't seen Arianna for several years. However, events conspired to throw these four people together for simple survival. In the midst of a wonderful conversation, all hell broke loose. Wild-eyed neighbors crashed through the doors and windows of the store, completely out-of-control.
This is a story of what happens when complete social breakdown occurs. Without any rational explanation, typical American citizens were rioting, destroying public and private property, assaulting police officers, and taking to the streets. These people are not only angry, but they're violently opposing everything and everyone around them. Our heroes take shelter in a vacated office building, hoping to wait out the drama, until help can arrive.
Yet this scary situation was not without its profound mysteries. This wasn't simply a case of social disobedience, because scores of people were dropping dead in the midst of marching and chanting. Why do some remain unaffected, while others self-destruct? The authorities have no explanation and the media was clueless, often adding to the hysteria with fake news. Yet one reoccurring rumor keeps cropping up. This meltdown was predicated by a nationwide cell phone call from outside the United States. There's no way to prove it, but when Hawaii is destroyed by some unknown force, things get real. Was there really a pandemic virus released into the atmosphere?
There were clues, of course, to what set all this in motion. Our central characters discover a world turned upside down. One of the greatest countries in the world ceases to exist, as the death toll mounts into the hundreds of millions. Yet this phenomenon sweeps other nations aside like dominoes. The dwindling population is hurled into darkness and despair.
Join our intrepid group as they band together with others, to eke out an existence amidst anarchy and deprivation. Eventually numbering more than 90 survivors, these everyday Americans seek answers, while striving to improve their meager existence. Unfortunately, there are others bent on ravaging the countryside, committing foul acts of murder, rape and taking slaves. Battle lines are drawn and while Rob and Arianna fall deeply in love, the world around them is in rapid decline.
