When the World Fell Series by Elle Richards

Book one in the WHEN THE WORLD FELL seriesLIVBeing one of the small percentage who made it through a zombie apocalypse should have made me happy—and I guess I am. Most of the time. It's just... I'm the sole survivor of my family, and I have one friend left; my eighty-year-old neighbour, Haruto.It's a lonely life. A dangerous life.And now my food supplies are running low... moreBook one in the WHEN THE WORLD FELL seriesLIVBeing one of the small percentage who made it through a zombie apocalypse should have made me happy—and I guess I am. Most of the time. It's just... I'm the sole survivor of my family, and I have one friend left; my eighty-year-old neighbour, Haruto.It's a lonely life. A dangerous life.And now my food supplies are running low.I've lived in the city for a decade, long before the pandemic took everything from us, but I need a rural property with room to grow vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and space to invite others to join—if I can find more people like me who still believe in old-world values in a new world where there are no systems or rules.The problem? Haruto's unwell and unfit for travel, and it's too dangerous to spend long stretches of time outside. It's not just the dead with their vacant eyes and hungry mouths that I need to worry about. It's other humans, too. There's a gang roaming the city; they're violent and unpredictable, and I've never seen women with them. They intimidate me enough that I try to make myself invisible every time I leave the safety of my apartment.There's another man lurking around, too. He's been staying in the building opposite mine, and I've spent the past week tracking his movements. Although I've kept my distance from him so far, just being around him makes me feel safer outside and less lonely.It's risky approaching other humans now, but Haruto isn't getting any better, and soon enough I'll be alone—completely alone for the first time in my life.And I'm reaching the point now where desperation is pushing me to risk it all and bear the consequences. less

CruzTaking a chance on a stranger in a world like ours can go either way, but assuming the worst of someone is always your best bet. I've been let down too many times by people who wanted to take my possessions or my life, and trusting an unknown these days comes with too many risks. Lower your guard for a minute, and it could all be over—especially when you throw in roaming corpses with their insatiable hunger for human flesh.There's no danger with Liv, though... moreCruzTaking a chance on a stranger in a world like ours can go either way, but assuming the worst of someone is always your best bet. I've been let down too many times by people who wanted to take my possessions or my life, and trusting an unknown these days comes with too many risks. Lower your guard for a minute, and it could all be over—especially when you throw in roaming corpses with their insatiable hunger for human flesh.There's no danger with Liv, though. Something about her feels like home and putting my life in her hands comes as naturally to me as breathing. I trust her; I rely on her, and after less than a week in her company, I'm falling for her. We've outrun a gang, escaped the city she called home for the past ten years, and now we're heading into unfamiliar territory.We're driving from one side of the state to the other in search of a house she's only ever seen in a magazine spread. It feels like an unattainable goal with too many speed bumps along the way, but I'll go anywhere as long as she's with me. I'll fight for her. I'll die for her. But most of all, I'll do whatever it takes to live for her.I want to turn this into something, make a life for the two of us in a world where that just shouldn't be possible anymore.I'm sure we'll meet new people on our journey—I'm counting on it—but no matter how many others join us, Liv will always be my number one. less