The main characters, Marty and Lucas, work in a restaurant.

While Lucas is in college studying pre-law, Marty is an Army veteran and, having fought in Iraq, he prefers solitude to people. After military intervention, the two cross quarantine and leave Los Angeles with the goal of going to a small town in upstate New York. The sights and smells of death seem to be everywhere and while Marty is accustomed to such things, Lucas‟ strength is continually tested. On their way through Corpus Christie, they meet Julie, a nurse who has been hiding in the attic of a hospital. Together, they plan their escape to New York, which includes travel by boat through the Gulf of Mexico.

After Lucas‟ untimely death, Marty and Julie are left to their own devices as they continue on their journey.

It is during their travels that Mary and Julie become involved in a passionate affair fired, in part, by the fact that all they have is each other and that death is always nearby. Picking a few people along the way, they hide in heavily wooded areas, knowing what humankind has become. One of those joining them is Tessa, who has birthed a still-born child in the woods as her three- year-old son Wyatt watched. Traumatized by unfolding events, Wyatt was left an elective mute as he watched a world he did not understand crumble away.

As if things had not become desperate enough, Tessa is raped by a young man who had been taken in as an act of kindness. She later commits suicide, leaving Wyatt in the hands of Marty and Julie. Suddenly having become parents, their first concern is in getting Wyatt to speak, as well as to offer him some small measure of education. All goes well until they are confronted by a man in the woods who seems to know everything about them. Now, Julie has disappeared into the woods and seeking her out, Marty finds her having been brutally murdered at the hands of the stranger. As wonderful as love can be, it can also lead one into cruel acts of barbarism. And having seen the only woman he had ever loved left as a pile of entrails, the demons locked away in Marty‟s soul suddenly break free. Confronting Julie‟s killer, Marty is shocked by the fact that he knows all of them by name.

Enraged by the man‟s taunts, Marty raises his rifle and kills him—first, inflicting a teasing non-lethal wound, then, delivering the fatal shot. But Marty is not alone and with Wyatt by his side, they continue to seek refuge. In an emotional state, Wyatt, for the first time, speaks to Marty, offering him words of comfort. Shocked by this turn of events, he breaks down. The loss of both Julie and Lucas has proved to be more than he can cope with. At the same time, he feels an obligation to care for Wyatt, raising him as his own.

Continuing their journey, the two finally reach their goal, taking up residence in Johnstown,

New York. Although it is a quiet place to set down roots, the town has not been spared the effects of the disease that has destroyed civilization. Living in an abandoned house, Marty finds himself irreparably damaged, spending more of his time sitting alone with the voice of Julie whispering in his mind. With the high cost of attending to the needs of others, Marty vows never to help anyone again. With his continuing grief, he spends his remaining days haunted by the voice of the only woman he has ever loved.

So what was it that inspired me to write this body of work? I have to say that my favorite book is „The Stand‟ by Stephen King. I found this writing to be anything but a normal course of events leading to a global apocalypse. The strange nature of the book grabbed me by my soul and I found myself enamored with the idea of such an event laced with the element of what I might think of as „hauntingly odd‟. In the recent past, a reader described it in his review as: “Excellent Read–awesome twists. I'm hooked. Marty is a Survivor!!! Refreshing, action packed and devastation at every turn–brilliant and addictive.”

Upon reading this, two words entered my mind—mission accomplished. I am currently working on a parallel story based on „The Onyx Seed.‟ 

I was raised in a small town in Upstate New York,

where I received the bulk of my education—earning an Associate degree from Fulton-County Community College and a Bachelor‟s degree from the State University of New York at Albany. Upon relocating to Maine some years later, I earned an Associate of Science degree in New Media. The sum of my education contributed heavily to my skills, as studying at the university level involved a great deal of writing.

Having spent a great deal of time working with people, I was exposed to more tragedy than one should be exposed to. Being unable to alleviate the pain common to the human condition, I began releasing my demons on paper, writing the work I now produce. It is my hope that those who read my work enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.