Run, hide, or fight are your only options in this deadly game of apocalypse...but you can only run so far.

Steele and his followers retreat before the might of Colonel Jackson's rogue military unit. Jackson is always two steps ahead in their apocalyptic war, and Steele's back is against the ropes. He must find a way to outlast his opponent while holding his loose confederation of allies and former enemies together or face certain annihilation.

Back in her small hometown of Hacklebarney, Iowa, Gwen struggles to convince her cautious neighbors to provide refuge for Steele's haggard forces. If she doesn't succeed, Jackson's noose will tighten, and her friends and loved ones will be crushed on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The remaining loyal United States military implements a daring plan to hold the nation's eastern flank against the dead. Operation Homefront hinges on the successful training of the civilian population for war. Colonel Kinnick quickly finds that not everyone wants their help.

The dead and the living alike march in a struggle for the ashes of a nation. Like a game of chess, every move dictates who will live and who will die in this epic fourth book of the award-winning End Time saga.