Aperture

The whole world holds its collective breath after witnessing the impossible: a meteor crashing into Chicago and the ensuing mayhem. The blame rests solely on the familiar minority, the Paranormals, the men, women, and children who blend into society yet are capable of manipulating matter and emotion without pause.

Twenty-two-year-old college student and aspiring writer Jessica "Tess" Carter is, surprisingly, alive. Being a born and raised "city-girl," Tess is indeed lost when she finds herself in rural Kansas after being separated from her family and is forced to experience the true extent of a Paranormal's suffering; she is an Empath. She can feel and manipulate others' emotions with supernatural ability, but has never had a reason to do so until now.

The Catastrophe in Chicago creates a deep divide within the country. With basic infrastructure and communication coming to a standstill in the most central states, what were once seemingly civilized men have become outlaws who try to take advantage of young women like Tess for their own reward, but they fail to understand who they are truly working for—or, rather, what they are working towards.