The following section provides a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of content that may be distressing to some readers.

This guide is intended to help you make informed decisions about how you engage with the story, whether that means preparing for certain themes, reading with awareness, or choosing to skip particular sections.

If you continue through this guide, please keep your mental and emotional wellbeing in mind. Some of the content may be challenging, and it’s important to pause, take breaks, or step away if needed. This guide is here to support your reading experience, not to pressure you - how you engage with the story is entirely up to you.

While much of the story is dark, there are also moments of compassion, resilience, and fleeting hope. Acts of kindness, tenderness, and small sparks of joy appear amidst the difficult circumstances, reminding readers that even in the harshest situations, humanity endures.

Due to the nature of this format, some entries may contain contextual spoilers, though no names are mentioned. Reader discretion is advised.

While care has been taken in the portrayal of sensitive material involving minors, this story contains scenes that some readers may find distressing. Violence involving minors is not described in explicit detail, however, references to harm, including injury, death, and the aftermath of traumatic events are present. This includes the off-page death of a young child, the death of a teenage character, and references to sexual violence involving a minor, with focus placed on the aftermath rather than the act itself.

The novel also contains frequent interpersonal conflict, including heated arguments between friends and loved ones, which some readers may find emotionally confronting.

Themes of complex relationships are explored throughout, including emotional intimacy involving multiple characters. While no explicit commitments are established, some readers may interpret these dynamics as infidelity or find them distressing.

As a broader note, scenes throughout the novel include varying degrees of violence, injury, and death, with descriptions of blood, physical harm, and their aftermath.

Real-world locations are referenced throughout the story, often depicted in a state of abandonment and decay. Readers familiar with these places may find these portrayals unsettling. A full list of locations can be found below:

• Eatonville, Washington State

• Spokane, Washington State

• Redding, California (and surrounding areas)

• San Bernardino, California

• Los Angeles, California

• San Diego, California

• Catalina Island, California

• San Francisco, California

• Alcatraz Island, California

• Australia (in general)

◦ The main female character is Australian and, having become stranded in the United States during the events of the story, occasionally references her home.

Chapter 1

• Starvation and physical deterioration

◦ A female character is found severely malnourished (prior to the start of the novel) and is cared for by others.

◦ The novel opens with her disoriented and regaining her bearings.

Chapter 2

• Suggestive sexual threat / coercive attitudes

◦ A male character implies a female character’s value is tied to sexual usefulness.

• Alcohol use

◦ A few of the characters drink socially around a campfire.

◦ A female minor (16 years old) references that she no longer drinks alcohol, implying underage drinking previously.

◦ A male character mentions being sober.

• Grief, loss, and emotional distress

◦ A female character and two male characters discuss losing loved ones prior to the story.

◦ A male character mentions the death of his girlfriend during the initial outbreak.

◦ A male character mentions not knowing where family members are.

• Infidelity (referenced)

◦ A male character mentions his mother having an affair and refers to her in a derogatory nature.

• Gun violence

◦ Gunshots are heard from far away which startles a female character and two male characters.

Chapter 3

• Discussion of weapons and gun use

◦ Various firearms and weapons are discussed by multiple characters and specific firearms are mentioned by name.

• References to execution

◦ Distant gunfire can still be heard, and the noise is compared to the style of executions by several of the characters.

• Discussion of gun laws

◦ A female character and a male character briefly discuss gun regulation in Australia and the United States.

◦ A female character makes an off-handed remark about gun control.

Chapter 4

• Graphic violence (storytelling)

◦ A male character describes a past gunfight involving many of the characters with references to injury and death, including the death of a "kid" but the age is not referenced as he is referring to a younger male instead of a minor.

• References to rape

◦ During the storytelling, the male character references the implied rape of another female character.

◦ The female character listening to the story implies that she has been raped.

• Insensitive discussion of sexual violence

◦ The male character makes an offensive remark in regards to rape, and the female character chastises him for it (this is quickly rectified and apologised for).

Chapter 5

• Threat with a weapon against a minor

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) is held at gunpoint.

• Post execution (observed)

◦ Two male characters witness dead bodies from a distance and mention that it looks like they’ve been executed.

• Implied sexual assault (observed)

◦ Two male characters witness women being mistreated from a distance in a way that suggests sexual violence.

• References to stabbing and death

◦ A female character mentions that her husband died from being stabbed.

Chapter 6

• Threat with a weapon against a minor

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) is still held at gunpoint from the previous chapter.

• Extreme violence and mutilation

◦ A male character violently dismembers and kills another man by cutting off his arm with a machete and then slicing his throat with it.

• Killing in self-defence

◦ The act is framed as protecting another person.

• Lack of remorse following violence

◦ The character expresses no regret for the act.

• Trauma of a minor

◦ The female teenage character (16 years old) is extremely traumatised and distressed from this interaction.

◦ During this, she urinates on herself.

Chapter 7

• References to violence, murder and rape

◦ A male characters tells a female character (who is unfamiliar with the information) that the group had previously heard of groups along the highway committing various acts of violence.

• Verbal aggression and mistreatment

◦ An unknown voice on their radios taunts them.

◦ A male character speaks harshly and aggressively to a female character.

Chapter 8

• Survival violence and societal collapse

◦ A male character describes widespread violence over resources.

• Dead bodies (referenced)

◦ The male character references large numbers of corpses in cities.

• Coerced sexual exchange (referenced)

◦ A female character recounts her husband asking her to exchange sex for protection, which she does.

• Alcohol use & smoking

◦ A male and female character drink around a campfire.

◦ They also smoke cigarettes.

Chapter 9

• Dead bodies (hanging)

◦ Bodies are discovered hanging outside a house and they are described in detail.

Chapter 10

• Animal confrontation

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) encounters a black bear at close range though neither she nor the bear is harmed.

• Starvation

◦ A group of severely malnourished people is encountered at a campsite.

• Medical condition

◦ One of the starving characters also displays symptoms of a health condition (orthostatic hypotension) and has run out of medication.

Chapter 11

• Animal death (hunting)

◦ A deer is killed for food (not graphically described) but a male character mentions needing to tie it up to carry it back.

Chapter 12

• Animal processing (skinning)

◦ The deer from the previous chapter is skinned for food preparation.

Chapter 13

• Abandonment

◦ A male character considers leaving members of the group behind and taking two female characters with him (his family members).

• Physical altercation

◦ Two male characters engage in a fist fight.

• Alcohol misuse

◦ A male character becomes heavily intoxicated.

• Execution

◦ An unarmed male is shot and killed by a male character in an execution style.

Chapter 14

• Alcohol use

◦ A male character is intoxicated from the previous chapter.

• Grief and loss

◦ Many of the characters reflect on what they have lost and what they miss.

Chapter 15

• Misogynistic and degrading language

◦ A male character makes derogatory comments about and towards women.

• Physical altercation

◦ Two male characters fight.

• Coerced sexual exchange (referenced)

◦ A female character describes being pressured into sex for survival (the same reference as chapter 8 with a bit more detail).

• Confession of killing a spouse

◦ The female character then admits that she was the one who stabbed her husband (the same reference as chapter 5 with a bit more detail)

• Lack of remorse following violence

◦ The female character justifies the act without regret.

◦ The male character she is speaking with agrees with her.

Chapter 16

• Physical assault

◦ A male character attacks a female character.

• Misogynistic and degrading language

◦ During the altercation, the male character makes derogatory comments about the female character.

• Stabbing

◦ The female character stabs the male character in the shoulder at the end of the altercation.

Chapter 17

• Dead body with mutilation / branding

◦ A male corpse is found tied to a fence with carved markings in his chest.

Chapter 18

• Assisted suicide

◦ An elderly female character requests the help of a female character to end her life.

◦ This is not described in detail, as the female character assists the elderly character to a secluded area and leaves her to end her own life alone, at her request.

Chapter 19

• Handling of a dead body

◦ A male character buries the body from the aftermath of the previous chapter.

Chapter 20

• Dead body (hanging)

◦ A male body is found suspended from a lamp post.

• Insensitive remark about school shootings

◦ A female character makes an insensitive comment about school shootings, and a male character is offended.

◦ He remarks that he lost a cousin to a school shooting, and the female character apologises and they move on from the conversation (he does, however, make a dry joke about it too).

• Forced separation / abandonment

◦ A male character is made to leave the group by another male character.

Chapter 21

• Execution (aftermath)

◦ Three characters discover bodies that have been executed.

• Accidental physical injury

◦ A female character is struck by a male character during fighting training, causing her lip to split.

• Threat with a weapon

◦ A male character threatens another male character and holds him at gunpoint.

Chapter 22

• Ongoing threat with a weapon

◦ A male character still holds another male character at gunpoint from the previous chapter.

Chapter 23

• Animal death (hunting)

◦ A deer is killed for food, but not described in great detail.

• Romantic conflict / perceived infidelity

◦ A female character, having previously become close with a male character, shares intimacy with another male character (both of these male characters are close friends).

◦ They later share a kiss.

• Emotional & physical distress

◦ A male character becomes increasingly distressed and belligerent towards others, and later faints.

Chapter 24

• Near-car accident

◦ The characters are all nearly in a car accident when the tyre blows while riding in an RV together.

• Near-injury with a weapon

◦ A female character narrowly avoids being impaled by a machete during the accident.

• Threat with weapons

◦ Multiple male characters are held at gunpoint by other male characters and a stand-off begins.

Chapter 25

• Ongoing threat with weapons

◦ The standoff continues from the previous chapter.

• Reference to poisoning (non-serious)

◦ A female character makes a comment about another female character poisoning her (the comment is made in front of her, and she is not offended).

Chapter 26

• Hopelessness and confinement

◦ The characters are trapped indoors during extreme winter conditions with little food.

• Consensual sexual content

◦ A sexual encounter between a male and female character is described in detail with mild language.

Chapter 27

• Illness

◦ A female character becomes unwell (they do not know what it is).

• Emotional mistreatment following intimacy

◦ After the previous chapter, the male character behaves harshly towards the female character.

Chapter 28

• Argument and minor physical altercation

◦ A disagreement escalates into brief physical contact between two male characters who are close friends.

Chapter 29

• Consensual sexual content (more explicit)

◦ A sexual encounter is described between the same male and female characters as in chapter 26, but with greater detail.

◦ This interaction is also more physical than the first interaction.

• Ambush and kidnapping

◦ The group is attacked during the night and caught off guard, and taken captive.

◦ During this, various characters are physically mistreated and forcefully being pushed to the ground.

• Death of a child (off-page, implied)

◦ A young child (3 years old) is taken and killed, implied through sound.

◦ This scene does not go into detail, and the mother does not witness it as she has been rendered unconscious.

◦ Some of the male characters reference that children are not welcome where they are going.

Chapter 30

• Captivity and restraint

◦ The characters are bound, gagged, and transported against their will.

• Suggestion of sexual assault

◦ A threat of sexual violence towards the females is implied but not carried out.

• Near execution

◦ A female character is nearly shot at close range.

• Forced nudity

◦ The female characters are made to undress in front of others in order to bathe, then forced to wear other plain clothing.

• Physical abuse

◦ Some characters are beaten while restrained.

• Grief and trauma

◦ A female character reacts to the loss of her child (shown through various moments of violent outbursts, as well as slipping in and out of a catatonic state).

• Death (off-page)

◦ The female characters are taken outside to discover a male character has been shot in the head.

Chapter 31

• Psychological torture

◦ A male character attempts to mentally and emotionally break others.

• Physical abuse

◦ A female character notes that the male characters had previously been beaten.

◦ Some of them are continued to be beaten during the psychological torture.

• References to pregnancy and termination

◦ A male character (doctor) references that his daughter had fallen pregnant and without the necessary tools for termination, she was killed (as they don’t allow children where they are, previously referenced in chapter 29).

• Violent restraint

◦ A female character is forcibly subdued after attempting to harm someone with a knife.

Chapter 32

• Emotional & mental instability

◦ The male antagonist is extremely unhinged.

• Psychological torture

◦ Ongoing attempts to break characters mentally and emotionally.

• Physical torture and branding

◦ A female character is branded on her arm with a hot iron.

• Threats with weapons

◦ A male character uses a gun to intimidate the other characters.

• Sustained violence

◦ Multiple forms of violence occur throughout the chapter.

• Vomit

◦ A female character vomits on herself, causing another male character to vomit as well.

This chapter may be extremely distressing for readers, as the group is forced to witness the torture of a female character, with some members also experiencing intermittent physical abuse. The antagonist provides detailed explanations of how the characters will be treated, and mistreated, while in captivity.

Chapter 33

• Intentional infliction of pain

◦ A female character deliberately causes another female character pain while treating her injuries (they are arguing during the interaction and she uses antiseptic to cause the pain).

• Isolation and emotional distress

◦ Characters are separated and left alone for extended periods.

• Taunting and verbal cruelty

◦ A female character is repeatedly mocked by another female character.

Chapter 34

• Explicit rape (graphic) / physical injury

◦ A prolonged and detailed sexual assault occurs with a female character.

◦ During this scene, blood, sweat, and semen are all referenced, as well as physical injury.

◦ The male antagonist is described to bite her, as well as lick her blood.

• Suicide (referenced)

◦ A male character references the suicide of his wife following a rape similar to the one witnessed.

• Dead body (referenced)

◦ The male character references his wife’s body having been thrown into the bay to dispose of her.

This chapter may be extremely distressing for readers, as the main female character is violently raped by the primary male antagonist. Another male character is present and forced to witness the event, though his internal experience is not described.

Chapter 35

• Aftermath of sexual assault (minor)

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) is treated for injuries following a sexual assault.

Chapter 36

• Attempted rape (minor)

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) is nearly assaulted by a male teenage character (17 years old).

• Death of a minor

◦ A male teenage character (17 years old) is killed.

◦ This is an accident which happens quickly and not described in great detail, however, his body and eyes are referenced by the female teenage character.

• Taunting

◦ A female character is verbally targeted by another female character, causing a brief physical altercation.

• Physical and psychological abuse

◦ A male and female character are restrained, harmed and interrogated.

Chapter 37

• Taunting and verbal abuse

◦ Three female characters are verbally degraded by another female character.

• Physical and psychological torture

◦ A male and female character continue to be restrained, harmed and interrogated (from the previous chapter).

• Forced removal of medical treatment

◦ A female character’s stitches are forcibly removed as a form of torture (the male antagonist rips them out with his fingers).

Chapter 38

• Sexual assault (aftermath)

◦ Injuries from further assault are described from another attack on the main female character by the same male antagonist.

• Self-inflicted injury (with purpose)

◦ A male character intentionally harms himself (though this is established prior to be intentional in order to visit a female character in the infirmary to talk privately).

• Violent intent

◦ Some characters discuss killing their captors.

• Psychological abuse

◦ A male and female character continue to be restrained and interrogated (from the previous chapters) though this has changed to coersion.

Chapter 39

• Emotional distress and outburst (including a minor)

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) reacts with fear and anger towards another female character she is close with.

◦ The female character violently reacts (though not towards the female teenage character).

◦ The female teenage character then breaks down emotionally.

• Psychological abuse

◦ A male and female character continue to be restrained, interrogated and coersed (from the previous chapters).

• Threat with a weapon

◦ The male antagonist threatens a male character with a gun.

• Threat of self-harm with a weapon

◦ The female character briefly turns a gun on herself before attempting to harm the male antagonist.

Chapter 40

• Discussion of trauma

◦ Two female characters speak about their experiences as mental health caregivers.

◦ They briefly discuss the wellbeing and mental health of another female character.

Chapter 41

• Intense violence and combat (initially off-page)

◦ A large-scale conflict erupts between many characters.

• Graphic injury and death

◦ Fatal wounds are described in detail.

• Blood and gore

◦ Significant bloodshed is depicted.

• Multiple dead bodies

◦ Numerous casualties are present and described.

◦ A male character is killed with a gun and his death is described in great detail.

• Betrayal

◦ A male character is revealed to have betrayed numerous other characters.

• Revenge killing

◦ A male character kills a male antagonist while a female character witnesses it.

• Lack of remorse following violence

◦ The characters expresses no regrets for the act.

Chapter 42

• Intense violence and combat

◦ Fighting continues between many characters (from the previous chapter).

• Graphic injury

◦ A male antagonist stabs a male character in the eye.

◦ A male character is discovered to have been shot.

• Death and dead bodies

◦ Some characters are killed during the conflict, sustaining woulds from gunshots and stabbings.

• Attempted rape (of a minor)

◦ A female teenage character (16 years old) is targeted but saved by a female character.

• Defensive killing

◦ A female character kills a male character to protect the female teenage character.

• Abandonment

◦ Two female characters are left behind during the escape.

If you feel ready to continue, I truly hope you enjoy the story ahead. If not, thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. Your wellbeing and mental health matters, and it’s completely okay if this journey isn’t for you.

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