When last we had left the survivors, they had managed to find shelter at a hidden military base. Here they believed that they would finally have respite from constantly being surrounded by the dead who seemed to want nothing more than to tear them apart. With nothing left to do but think about the future thanks to the fact that they have been sectioned off from the military the survivors being to hope for the day when the zombies will finally finish rotting and stop being a plague. They worry that the day will come when they are sent out to get more supplies because the soliders embedded at the base are still subject to the poison in the air that they are immune to and they wonder about how this terrible event all started.
The safety of their new residence quickly comes into question when they discover that they are so surrounded by the dead that the air purification vents aren't functioning properly, thus forcing the military to look for a solution. When this turns out to be successful the military attempts to push their advantage, leading to disastrous results that cause the survivors to leave and search again for somewhere safe. Is there anywhere left where they can potentially be free from the continuing threat of the dead?
Fortunately for them, the have a chance meeting with a helicopter pilot who tells them of a small island, which had a tiny population. Suddenly a ray of hope is presented to them. Could they actually find a place to build a life and finally stop running? Is this humanity's last stand?
For the the first time since the virus was unleashed, the survivors think about what the future might hold. It is then that they realize that simple things like running to the corner store for a pack of smokes. Not running and not fearing for their life every moment of the day, forces them to process the things the horror of everything that they have seen, and those that they lost. Even blunting these emotions with alcohol is not an option as the days of a jot down to the local pub is no longer possible. With each passing page, as a reader I could feel the weight of loss and change even as I kept rooting for the survivors not to give up.
