doug

When the black rain began to fall, it was a worldwide phenomenon that mystified everyone. There was little time to ponder the cause. Most animals died at the onset. While some humans were unaffected, others experienced a half-death of sorts, morphing into blood and flesh-crazed creatures with a desire to hunt the living. Climbing Fox Wattana of the Henomawi Nation claims responsibility for the black rain; he says it will will ensure the ultimate extinction of the United States government as revenge for robbing his people of their land. Cole "CB" Baxter isn't taking this lying down.

Lula, Georgia, in the year 2030. It's a nice place, post-apocalypse. It’s Flex’s former home, and he and Gem - many years older than when the apocalypse first came crashing down on them - have settled back into their former digs after leaving Kingman, Kansas, behind. They had important reasons for going to Kansas, but it turns out they had an even better reason to leave.

Since 2011, Flex, Gem, Hemp, Charlie, and their families have struggled to survive in a world gone dead. Nearly 20 years later, at the dawning of 2029, they are under siege yet again. After more than a decade of relative calm in the fortified city of Kingman, Kansas, a new onslaught of the walking dead has our heroes struggling to understand the reasons behind it. There is no time to come up with a plan. The fences appear inadequate and the Mothers and Hungerers are dead set on getting to the nourishment within....

Nelson Moore, our lovable stoner, takes over the telling of this, the eighth installment in the series. What he shares is terrifying and surprising. After encountering the living dead in Central Park, Nelson decides he must escape New York City and get to his grandfather, Jim Scofield, in Concord, New Hampshire. With his mellow, sweet demeanor, nobody could have predicted what this kind-hearted dude went through on his journey.

Max Chatsworth and Isis Gammon are Hybrids; special beings born of the apocalypse who have recognized a building threat. Somewhere to the northwest of Kingman, a horde of the walking dead awaits, and despite their efforts, the creatures resist the far-reaching summons of the Hybrids.

Some of our old friends have returned home safely, to be with the ones they love and trust. Even as their warm greetings of welcome are offered, another threat builds on the horizon. It enters their home in the form of a little girl.

We used to believe that mankind contaminated the Earth through our use of oil, coal, and other non-biodegradable consumables and pollutants. We never once considered that the planet might one day contaminate us. But that's what happened. More than a year has passed since an ancient gas started seeping from every surface of the planet. Nine out of every 10 humans have since transformed into walking dead creatures with an insatiable hunger for human brains and flesh. We, the survivors, are now food for the afflicted… and we are vastly outnumbered.

Hemp Chatsworth has already figured out how 90 percent of the Earth's population became what they are. Now he must find out why some of them are evolving into something else. Something more dangerous. With their families poised to grow, the stakes are now higher than ever for our friends. Each new discovery creates the need for a new defense. Hemp has his hands full as some among the zombie masses appear to be utilizing more of their grey matter in a horrifying way. Only brute force and innovation will save Flex Sheridan and his family and friends from the ever-changing zombie scourge.