Joe Klingler

Claire's scream shattered Damon's peaceful existence. Army snipers don't scream, not in a normal world. But the world had been anything but normal since the first "redhead" corpse was found. Now it was Claire's turn. The victims of this mysterious illness only lived for 51 days. Millions had already died, and the government was rounding up children. There were still many unknowns about the illness. How was it transmitted? Was it man-made or natural? Would neighbors turn on each other for the government's bounty? Conspiracy theories were rampant on social media. "These are the new lepers!" they cried. "What are they hiding in those secret labs?!" Damon had seen his share of violence and chaos. He had ridden a motorcycle through a typhoon-ravaged jungle, landed in Washington with money and power at his fingertips, and witnessed a missile attack and landmine explosion. But nothing had prepared him for Claire's scream. Now, with only seven weeks and two days to live, Damon knew he had to do something. He had to find a way to stop this illness, even if it meant defying the government. But as he stood in Claire's empty condo, listening to the echo of her scream fade into the distance, he knew there was only one option: flee.