Eric Riordan was once a wealthy man leading a comfortable, easy life. Until one day Gabriel--his oldest friend, a Marine Corps veteran, and a former mercenary--told him how the world was going to end. He did his best to prepare. He thought he was ready for anything. He was wrong. As the dead rise up to devour the living, one man finds himself struggling to survive in the ruins of a shattered world. Alone, isolated, and facing starvation, his only chance is to flee to the Appalachians and join forces with Gabriel. But the journey will not be easy, and along the way his humanity, his will to live, and his very soul will be tested. This is the beginning. This is his story.