Carly Daniels knows what it is to suffer loss. She knows what it is to sacrifice. In the two years since a pandemic virus-known only as the Infection-decimated humanity, she's made choices she never could have imagined. She's condoned violence in the name of peace and done the unthinkable in the name of mercy. But with Justin at her side, she's also learned there's nothing she can't face and nothing she wouldn't do to protect those she loves. But now another threat has arrived in the form of a uniformed man driving an army truck, claiming to represent the remnant of the United States military. Someone has set their sights on their community . . . and on Justin. The struggle to defend their little homeland is far from over, and the visitors may have brought more danger with them than just their weapons. The shadows are closing in. Carly has to find out whether she has the strength to stand on her own when all of her support has fallen away. What remains when the shadows have gone?