Ann Werner

The Melt Ann Werner

Members of the last tribe of reindeer herders discover a body in the melting permafrost of the northern Mongolian steppe, and the virus dubbed the Red Scourge is unleashed on the world. Unaware of the coming pandemic, Rina and Ethan Hampton shop for their first house in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D. C. After months of searching, they find the perfect place to start their family, with the added bonus of a bomb shelter that Ethan plans to use as his man cave. Their excitement quickly turns to fear when news of the fast-spreading virus and the havoc it is wreaking around the world becomes public. As the news continues to pour in, the couple realizes the virus is unstoppable. They quickly make provision to survive the plague by locking themselves in the shelter. When they emerge after two months of living in the cramped space, ninety-five percent of the world's population is gone. Their neighborhood lies in ruins, destroyed by a massive storm. Body bags filled with the dead are stacked in the parking lots of local hospitals. All around them, unknown dangers lurk, but the worst danger unexpectedly appears, adding to the trauma they've already experienced. Fleeing the devastation in the city, they head for the tiny town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where Ethan's father owned a vacation cabin. They settle into a new life in the place survivors have christened New Hope. All is well until a stranger arrives on the scene and foments discord in the fledgling community. The response of the citizens of New Hope to the newcomer lays the groundwork for the events that follow. Where do you go when your world comes to an end?