Fire

Megan once spent her nights in neon-lit rooms; now, she measures her life in dawn watches and dwindling rations. The collapse was sudden and complete: cities in flames, martial law declared, and the grid gone silent. From a locked ranger station in the Tucson foothills, she and a motley crew piece together a fragile existence. But "home" is a dangerous word, and the real struggle is just beginning.

Scorpion Canyon has become a beacon for the desperate, but every new face carries a cost. Some bring skills, some bring secrets, and some bring a history of violence. While a charismatic pilot and a stubborn organizer clash over the few rules left, a naval commander’s cryptic orders and an armored force moving across the map shift the calculus of survival. When betrayal breaches the perimeter, Megan must decide where mercy ends. The door left open for hope is the same one an enemy will use to get inside.

This is a story about the hard economies of survival: how leaders are forged, why communities break, and the heavy price of protecting the people you love.