𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒆

𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐒 his whole life planned out from beginning to end, until the apocalypse washes it all away in a matter of hours. When an asteroid which has long been predicted to inevitably crash into Earth finally does, it crushes everything it touches, wiping out entire countries and sending reverberations across the planet that destroy everything in their wake. By a stroke of luck ⸻ good or bad, depending on who you ask ⸻ Fray and his outdoor woodshop class at R. Lovecraft High in Orlando, Florida, are the sole survivors of a tsunami that overcomes the entire school, making a narrow escape armed with power tools and their wits.

The Floridian peninsula goes dark to the rest of the world. Many suspect it's because all the floods destroyed the power lines. No communication with anyone in another state, another country, anywhere. But when aircraft and helicopters fail to return from the state's edge, everyone outside starts to realize that there's much more to the story than dead lines. They're calling it the Dead Zone. No one comes in, no one comes out. But for Fray, who's stuck with a handful of friends, his idiotic classmates, his teacher, and the girl who he definitely isn't grappling with feelings for, giving up isn't an option ⸻ not when they're running out of resources fast and the radiation is rapidly poisoning the only remaining air and water.

The goal? To make it to the mainland, to make it out of the Dead Zone before the end of the world kills them first. They can accept death or they can keep walking. Get off the peninsula. Survive. Survive. Survive.

Total Word Count: 16,002
#3 in #teenlit 4/30-5/1 & 5/16-5/18
© Ginger Beckett 2024