Nick and the boys return from the summer's last hunting trip to find the streets empty, the beachfront and park abandoned, and the windows of their own homes boarded shut.

The hunters have become the hunted, in an apocalyptic plague that pits man against beast—very tiny beasts. And Nick is determined to keep his strength, courage and family alive during what could very well be the last winter of their lives.

Note: This is part one of a stand-alone series. The story continues in The Hatch.