After enduring a kidnapping, brutal gang attacks, and the death of the man she loved, Avery Whitlock believed she could survive anything—until she crossed into hostile territory. The Withered had mutated, and she had reason to believe the soldiers holed up in the Grand Ole Opry knew more than they were letting on. When a perimeter breach forces Avery to risk it all, she will find herself flirting with death—and the horrific truth of how the Withered came into being.