How could it have come to this? Having suffered a head injury a year ago that left him with little remorse or empathy, Winter Townsend was suffering from what he felt was a distinct lack of problems. What was he to do if not entertain himself in any way he could find amusing, the entire school of Applegate West at his disposal as pawns on a chess board? He made allies, he made enemies. He took himself both too seriously, and yet not seriously enough, ending up as a rather hateful bully without even properly realising it. So what happens now, when the people start eating each other? When blowing off their heads only seems to make them stronger, and getting bitten or infected makes you into one of them? When gore fills the streets, allies become questionable, and enemies become redundant. This is the apocalypse. Nothing's boring anymore... But nothing's all that amusing either.

When everyone's gone, you're barred inside your own home, and the tumbling mists of the outside never end, you can hardly find good ways to entertain yourself. Especially if you spend most of your time trying to keep quiet. Keep quiet, keep away from the doors and windows, and keep your mind healthy. That's what Jordan promised himself he'd do. And the first two are, in retrospect, easy enough. But keeping your mind from crippling due to loneliness is another matter altogether. So... What happens when that loneliness is disturbed, not only by the announced appearance of other survivors, but also by... Something that's followed them in?