Edward J. McFadden III | Severed Press

The Jackal’s Gate

severed_press_ — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:17:22 +0000

Some secrets were meant to stay buried.

Deep beneath Khafre’s Valley Temple, hidden within a long-lost catacomb, an ancient gateway to the Triassic lies dormant.

Malone comes from a family of explorers, but he never believed the legends that whispered of what lay buried beneath the sands of Giza until his daughter vanished into them. To rescue her, he must unlock the gate’s secrets and follow her into a savage era of volcanic skies, primeval jungles, and apex predators, where his only hope is to survive long enough to find her.

But something else is watching. Waiting. And it controls the Jackal’s Gate.

From the author of Throwback, Time’s Claws, Jurassic Ark, Dinosaur Red, Hell Creek, and Primeval Valley comes The Jackal’s Gate, an unforgiving quest through mystery and danger that builds like a storm: fast, tense, and unpredictable, holding back its final strike until the last word.

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Sleeper Species: A Cryptid Thriller

severed_press_ — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:39:16 +0000

Before the first kingdom rose, they ruled…

Now the Salamantis stirs, hungry and forgotten.

Knight thought it was just another high-paying side gig, an off-the-books expedition through jungle and ruins, chasing whispers of a lost civilization. But what begins as a descent into legend quickly turns into a fight for survival. Beneath Madagascar’s monsoon-drenched soil lies a buried city, crumbling, forgotten, and sealed for a reason. What once stood as a monument to an ancient world has become a prison for something that should never have been disturbed.

Fleeing the infestation, Knight and his fellow adventurers find themselves trapped. Every step draws the predators: cold-blooded relics of a bygone era who hunt in silence, see in the dark, and remember the taste of blood.

In the pitch-black, surrounded by stalking horrors, the rules of survival change: make no noise, trust no path, and above all… never be last.

From the author of HOWLER, TRAGIC, Terror Lake, and Crimson Falls comes Sleeper Species, a harrowing adventure that melds pulse-pounding action with the dread of awakening an apex killer our world left behind.

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HOWLER: Terror in the Ozarks

severed_press_ — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 00:41:12 +0000

The wilderness and its creatures are a harsh mistress, unforgiving in their trials.

Borderland Game Preserve, nestled in the Ozark Mountains, is a lodge catering to those who enjoy luxury along with their hunting experience. It’s a place steeped in history, where past conflicts merge with the present and the ghosts of the fallen wander seeking retribution.

The myth of the Ozark Howler dates back as far as the mountains themselves, with gruesome stories of violence and death woven into the fabric of local lore. While some doubt its existence, dismissing it as mere fiction born of creative minds, those who claim to have encountered the creature tell a chillingly different story.

Jake Kahn is hired to hunt a deadly predator after a guest at the preserve is brutally killed. The guide blames a rabid bear, but the terrifying truth pushes Kahn to his limits. The deadly game escalates as the chaos spills from the preserve onto the interstate, and Kahn finds an unlikely ally in a drifter haunted by his own tragic encounters with the Howlers.

In a battle for survival, can the newly forged alliance conquer the bloodthirsty creatures, or will these savage cryptids prove themselves the ultimate hunters?

From the author of TRAGIC: A Cryptid Horror Thriller, Terror Lake, The Cryptid Club, Crimson Falls: A Monster in the Mist, and Landfill Lizards comes HOWLER: Terror in the Ozarks, a new adventure-horror novel that takes readers on an unforgiving ride through chaos and loss, where every turn brings new danger, and the relentless force of fate leaves no one untouched.

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Purgatory Beach

severed_press_ — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:16:08 +0000

When the sea turns against its champions, only the boldest dare ride its fury.

The Funnel is the gnarliest break in North America. It’s where fame whispers on the salty breeze, and surfers gamble with death to claim their glory. Only hardcore riders are welcome—posers need not apply. Here, skill, moxie, and money rule. But this season, an unnatural fog creeps over the Pacific, thick with the reek of decay, and the ocean churns with something far worse than the usual risks hiding beneath the surface.

Fallen surf legend Gerard Noll is grappling with life beyond his pro career while The Funnel Big Wave Competition, his lifeline for Liigei Too, teeters on the brink of cancellation as a series of unusual events disrupt the calm of Purgatory Beach. The blue void stirs, concealing creatures of the deep hungry for flesh, and Gerard is caught between saving lives and facing the relentless tide threatening to wash away everything he holds dear.

To survive, he must summon his lost courage and rediscover what once made him a champion. Will Gerard conquer the terror in the tide, or will Purgatory Beach earn its name?

From the author of Wolves of the Sea, Drop Off, The Breach, and Terror Lake comes a new sea monster thriller that blends relentless suspense, visceral fear, and the raw, untamed spirit of surfing.

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Time’s Claws: A Dinosaur Domain Thriller

severed_press_ — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 19:19:21 +0000

Through an ancient gateway the dark universe yawns, casting a group of unsuspecting travelers into the jaws of primordial terror.

A thunderous roar echoes through the ages as a Tyrannosaur fossil is unearthed in the same geological stratum as Native American artifacts, signaling the beginning of Marshall Stanton’s transformation from history professor to prehistoric adventurer. He is a stranger in a strange world that time forgot, and his only hope is unraveling the mystery of returning home.

With apex predators lurking at every turn, Marshall must rely on his wits and new companions to navigate this unforgiving land. But even the most cunning strategies can’t prepare him for the brutal reality of the dinosaur domain.

As time runs out, Marshall faces the ultimate question: Can he find his way back to where he belongs, or will the ancient world claim another victim? The claws of time are closing in.

From the author of Throwback, Primeval Valley, Predators & Prey, and Jurassic Ark comes Time’s Claws: A Dinosaur Domain Thriller—a relentless, edge-of-your-seat adventure that will keep readers guessing until the final page.

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Landfill Lizards

severed_press_ — Fri, 24 May 2024 04:28:53 +0000

In the desolate expanse of Scorched Mesa, where fear clings like desert dust and horrors fester beneath the searing sun, a veteran’s refuge becomes a battleground.

Oscar Rayos, a broken and disgraced ex-Army sergeant condemned to toil in the sprawling landfill neighboring the Cactus Ridge Proving Grounds, must confront his past and fight for a future shrouded in uncertainties as he navigates the treacherous terrain of a garbage dump tainted by secrets.

Something stirs within the depths of the Patriot Landfill & Recycling Center—a grotesque fusion of nature and military hubris. Mutant Gila monsters prowl the refuse in search of prey, and as the line between man and monster blurs, Oscar battles not only for survival, but for redemption. For in the heart of darkness, where genetically altered predators wait in ambush, lies the chance to reclaim his honor—or perish beneath the claws of monstrosities unleashed by mankind’s folly.

Welcome to the inferno where terror reigns, and only the fearless will survive.

From the author of CRICS: A Cryptid Thriller, TRAGIC: A Cryptid Horror Thriller, Terror Lake, The Cryptid Club, and Crimson Falls: A Monster in the Mist comes Landfill Lizards, a fast-paced cryptid thriller that combines creature feature elements with sci-fi intrigue, exploring the consequences of unchecked government power and the resilience of a former soldier determined to protect his community.

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Crics: A Cryptid Thriller

severed_press_ — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 02:48:43 +0000

A hub of scientific innovation burns, and its ashes ride an easterly wind. What was for a brief time is no more, but the ecology of Long Island is forever altered…

Terror crawls from the shadows and Scott Ward emerges from his mundane existence into a waking nightmare.

Mutant camelback crickets with razor-sharp teeth prowl the streets, turning the village of Stones Throw into a battleground where survival becomes the only instinct and due process is a bullet. As the infestation grows and the town’s charming facade deteriorates, fear tightens its grip and Ward is forced to grapple with the primal choice of flight or fight. Scuttling horrors hide in every shadow, and each move plunges him deeper into the harrowing abyss of his once-familiar world.

Can Ward and his companions escape the monstrous onslaught, or will Stones Throw and its citizens succumb to an unspeakable fate?

From the author of TRAGIC: A Cryptid Horror Thriller, The Cryptid Club, and Crimson Falls comes Crics, a fast-paced cryptid-thriller filled with deadly creatures so real you’ll feel the mutants crawling on your skin.

Please… don’t forget to click the FOLLOW button on Ed’s Amazon page for new release alerts.

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Terror Lake

severed_press_ — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 02:57:13 +0000

The Inuit people call it Akhlut, and legends tell of a horrific monster, a freak of nature from the depths that appears every six years in search of flesh and blood.

Mount Aire is a secluded enclave on the Kenai Peninsula where folks do their best to live quiet lives away from the chaos of civilization. The town’s peace is shattered when a musher is killed during the annual Terimore 200 sled dog race, and signs of a strange creature are found at the murder scene. Murmurs recalling the year of the beast percolate through town. Six years ago, three died, five the cycle before that.

Wildlife Trooper Terry Wyatt had seen and heard it all before. His father and uncle were lost on the lake when he was a boy, and it had been a year of the beast.

And it was all happening again.

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TRAGIC: A CRYPTID HORROR THRILLER

severed_press_ — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 09:22:08 +0000

Borderland Pass is a desolate ravine in the Ozark Mountains that only the strongest dare to call home. It’s an ancient place of battle, struggle, and survival where the past and present collide, and the spirits of the fallen roam in search of vengeance. The legend of the Ozark Howler is as old as the mountains themselves, the bloody tales of terror, mutilation, and murder a foundation block in the region’s folklore. Skeptics dismiss the Howler as nothing more than tall tales and the work of overactive imaginations, but those who have seen the monster tell a different tale. Carter Renfrow is hiding from his past and living the life of a wanted man when a multi-car pileup interrupts his plans, and two worlds collide in an epic clash with life and death hanging in the balance. From the author of The Cryptid Club and Crimson Falls comes a new adventure-horror novel. Fast-paced and exciting, TRAGIC is a roller coaster ride through disaster and heartbreak, where the hits just keep on coming, and no one is safe.

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PREDATORS AND PREY

severed_press_ — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:33:06 +0000

Stranded in the Cretaceous. Betrayed, bitter, and separated from those he loves. What is Drew Locke willing to do to find his way home? When the Triumph crashes and the mission to investigate Earth’s past goes sideways, the ship’s crew is forced to fight for their lives in a world where dinosaurs roam Earth hunting prey and huge Pterosaurs patrol the skies. As the adventurers struggle in the primordial jungle the party discovers the monumental relics of an ancient civilization that could help them get home. If they can survive long enough. From the author of Throwback, Primeval Valley, Jurassic Ark, and Dinosaur Red comes Predators & Prey, a fast-paced dino-thriller that will leave the reader guessing until the very last page.

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WOLVES OF THE SEA

severed_press_ — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 08:43:29 +0000

They are the most ferocious and clever predators in the sea. Their brains are the second largest of any animal. Highly intelligent, social, and persistent, their coordinated hunting efforts rarely fail in securing prey. Their diet consists of anything unlucky enough to be in their crosshairs: fish, sharks, squid, seals, whales, sea birds. And now, humans. Tuesday Harbor is an isolated village on Orcas Island north of Seattle in the San Juan Islands where folks do their best to make a living serving the tourists and adventurers that come to use their home as an outdoor adventure playground. The town’s peace is shattered when a kayaker is killed, and the community’s cash cow, the bi-annual Pink Salmon fishing season, is threatened. When a rabid orca pod is suspected of attacking a civilian fishing boat and killing all those aboard, Conservation Officer, John Starker, is pitted against local businesses, the authorities, and native traditions as he hunts the rogue killer whales and searches for the cause of their odd behavior. But Starker and his team soon discover there’s much more at stake than their corner of the Pacific Ocean.

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FORTUNE’S CYPHER: A TREASURE HUNT THRILLER

severed_press_ — Sat, 23 Jul 2022 07:16:57 +0000

A legend of lost treasure. Nonstop action. A journey of immense danger and hidden pitfalls. In 1886 Thomas Jefferson Pealle discovered an enormous amount of gold in the Rocky Mountains. He hid and protected the treasure in a natural vault and set off home through the wild and untamed west to collect his trustworthy brothers to help him transport and sell his massive fortune. To ensure the gold wasn’t lost forever should he be killed or unable to return to the vault, he wrote a cypher for his son so he could find the family treasure. Pealle never made it home, and the location of the gold was lost. The cypher has never been decoded. Jesse Fortune is a high-end adventure tour operator and failed treasure hunter struggling to keep his life afloat. When an old flame, Sitara Avantibai, Professor of Archaeology, comes looking for help and promising new clues she claims will lead to the Pealle treasure, Jesse is pulled into a quest that takes him across the globe, deadly peril chasing him at every turn. Jesse isn’t the only one searching, and not everyone is playing fair.
“McFadden is back with a brand-new, heart-pounding adventure!” -Matt James, International Bestselling Author of The Jack Reilly Adventure Series

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CRIMSON FALLS: A MONSTER IN THE MIST

severed_press_ — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 09:36:28 +0000

Crimson Falls: A Monster in the Mist Niagara Falls is a powerful and magnificent series of waterfalls along the border of New York State and Ontario. A combined six million cubic feet of water goes over the crests of the three falls every minute, fed by the Niagara River as Lake Erie flows into Lake Ontario. In 1969 New York’s section of the falls was drained for maintenance and terrifying truths were revealed. One discovery was so peculiar and chilling it was buried, swept under the raging waters of the falls when they roared anew. The bill for that decision has come due. Alex Weston runs Mist’s Edge River Tours, but his obsession with an ancient myth that foretells the return of a ravenous sea creature puts him at odds with the law. Alex knows the beast’s ancient hibernation cycle is complete, and it’s time for the leviathan to feed. When tourists start disappearing along the river’s edge, and an iconic Lady of the Mist tourist vessel is attacked, Alex must act or watch the falls he loves flow crimson.

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HELL CREEK

severed_press_ — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 08:15:43 +0000

There’s a town in Montana called Hell Creek. It’s not on any map, there’s no post office, a census has never been taken, and the most permanent structure is a saloon. It only exists because the ramshackle settlement is next to one of the world’s largest dinosaur graveyards. It’s a hard place to live, and a worse place to die. Summer digs are in full swing and thirty-four-year-old graduate student Jack Templeton doesn’t have time for distractions, but when prehistoric predators overrun his dig site, he becomes prey. Hunters from another age stalk the transformed iridium-rich badlands, but the real enemy waits where Jack least expects it. Who will survive the day the dig came alive?

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BARRACUDA SWARM

severed_press_ — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:03:23 +0000

Ex-US Merchant Marine officer William Drake has a new name and a new life, but trouble follows him like sea lice. Drake’s barfly friends see him as a mysterious outsider, but when one of their crew goes missing, they show up on Drake’s doorstep pleading for help and telling tales of rabid barracuda. Drake’s hunt for his friend takes an ominous turn when he encounters a red tide spreading through the sea. Chaos and hysteria spreads across Tetu Island when a school of ravenous barracuda devour a fisherman. With little help from the undermanned and inexperienced local authorities, Drake must find his friend, and figure out what’s affecting the barracuda before the swarm grows and consumes everything in the Caribbean Sea. Fast-paced and exhilarating, Barracuda Swarm is a memorable sea monster romp through paradise. If you’re a fan of Clive Cussler, Peter Benchley, and Steve Alten , you’ll enjoy Barracuda Swarm.

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THE CRYPTID CLUB

severed_press_ — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:53:27 +0000

When cryptozoologist Ash Cohn receives a gold embossed printed invitation inviting him to join The Cryptid Club, he sees the resolution to all his problems.Famous cryptid scientist and biologist, Lester Treemont, one of the world’s richest men, and the leader of the Cryptid Club, is dying. What he offers via his invitation is a chance to succeed him. To take over his wealth, laboratory, and discoveries. All Ash has to do is beat eight others like him in a series of tests both mental and physical involving Treemont’s collection of cryptids. Seems simple enough, and Ash has nothing to lose.Nine strangers from across the globe, all with reasons for wanting to win. When they start dying one by one, the competition shifts to one of survival. Who among them will rise to the top and reign over The Cryptid Club?

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DINOSAUR RED

severed_press_ — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 17:59:46 +0000

There’s a doorway on Mars that has mankind’s greatest minds perplexed.Deep beneath Aeolis Mons an ancient secret is revealed, and a team of explorers led by Forest Judge, Deputy Commander of Gale Base Alpha, are dispatched to investigate. The prehistoric gateway reveals a biosphere preserving Earth’s distant past, and as Judge and crew stand on the threshold of mankind’s greatest discovery the Martian ground trembles.A roar thunders from within, the doorway closes, and the team is trapped.Six mission specialists, each with unique skills, each with different reasons for wanting to break free of the primordial trap. To get home Judge is forced to choose between escape and changing the course of humanity.What will he do?

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DROP OFF

severed_press_ — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 11:02:13 +0000

Nature morphs and twists, and beasts that shouldn’t exist stalk the sea. At the edge of the abyss, where the Blake Plateau abruptly gives way to the deepest parts of the Atlantic Ocean, biologists investigate the largest marine die-off in history. An Everest-style base camp supporting scientists, staff, and eco tourists sits at the edge of the drop off, but the scientific mission turns to one of survival when mutant sea creatures threaten the base. Steven Hunte is a sea dog for hire, an ex-Navy biologist turned environmental activist whose been hired to support scientists studying the die-off. When the base is attacked and overrun Hunte must fight for the sea he loves, or watch it be destroyed along with everyone he cares about. At the drop off the fate of the world’s oceans will be decided.

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KEEPERS OF THE FLAME

severed_press_ — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 20:42:33 +0000

The world has been ravaged by flesh eating zombies called Virals.

Two families twisted together over three generations. An epic quest spanning the fall and rebirth of the human race. There’s hope for a small group of survivors if an expedition can face the onslaught of zombies and follow a trail of clues to a new society where people live in peace protected from the Virals.

Can humanity come back from the brink of extinction?

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JURASSIC ARK

severed_press_ — Sat, 09 May 2020 07:34:54 +0000

Howler monkeys are dying in the Amazon rainforest at an alarming rate and anthropologist Michael “Mic” Kingsbury and botanist Liza Mastretti are determined to figure out why. Led by Brazilian guide Diogo and a contingent of mercenaries, the husband and wife team trek into the jungle to investigate.

The trail of dead monkeys leads deep into the rainforest and the group fractures when Mic describes seeing a fifteen-foot spinosaurus prowling the forest. Despite the defections of their guide and two guards, the scientists track the dinosaur in search of answers.

The horrors they discover quickly turn their mission to one of survival as the team fights monsters of the past… and the unknown.

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SEA TREMORS

severed_press_ — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 17:33:09 +0000

It survived in the darkness, but it craved the light.

The quake of the century rocks northern California, splitting a tectonic plate and unleashing the Pacific Ocean on the sheltered vale of Gullhaven. The inlet to the sea through the steep bluffs is blocked, and Blackwater Bay rises, flooding the valley as the foundations of the Earth shift, causing a rift in the bay floor and awakening a bloodthirsty leviathan.

Trapped sharks prowl the flooded streets, orcas stalk the bay, and something darker emerges from the depths. With the water rising and time running out, Blackwater Bay Constable Leonard Cannon devises a desperate plan to save Gullhaven, but an ancient beast with a primal hunger stands in his way and it must feed.

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PRIMEVAL VALLEY

severed_press_ — Wed, 29 May 2019 18:38:58 +0000

Reserve is a secluded enclave high in the Rocky Mountains where folks do their best to live quiet lives away from the chaos of civilization. The town’s peace is shattered when a young boy is taken by a strange creature, and a distraught father goes on a desperate hunt only to uncover a valley that shouldn’t exist.
A world where dinosaurs roam hunting prey. A world better left hidden.

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SHADOW OF THE ABYSS

severed_press_ — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 16:48:13 +0000

Out of the past comes an immense horror. An ancient creature that must feed its voracious hunger. A massive landslide on Grand Bahama Bank sends a thirty-foot wave traveling at 150MPH toward the east coast of Florida, and the tsunami drags in something horrible from the depths of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley. Now a monster roams Florida’s east coast and its shallows, searching for prey. Matthew “Splinter” Woods lives in Sailfish Haven. He’s a washed-out Navy SEAL who lives off the grid on his dilapidated boat and has withdrawn from society rather than face his demons. But when his ex-girlfriend, charter boat captain Lenah Brisbee, comes to him for help, Splinter gets drawn into a battle that pits him against the strongest enemy he’s ever faced as he races against time to find the monster before it turns the waters he loves blood red.

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THROWBACK

severed_press_ — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 09:31:03 +0000

A space cloud of unknown composition is on a collision course with Earth as the world holds its breath. The anomaly sails through the solar system and the International Space Station along with three astronauts and one cosmonaut are thrown back to the Cretaceous period where dinosaurs roam Earth hunting prey and great pterosaurs patrol the skies. Supplies on the station run low and desperation takes hold, but morale grows when the crew sees a bright multi-colored light blinking on the surface below. The astronauts decide to evacuate the station in the Soyuz escape capsule and investigate. As the adventurers struggle to survive in the primordial jungle, the party discovers artifacts of an ancient civilization that could help them find the light beacon. If they can stay alive long enough.

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THE BREACH

severed_press_ — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 09:51:28 +0000

A Category 4 hurricane punched a quarter mile hole in Fire Island, exposing the Great South Bay to the ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean, and the current pulled something terrible through the new breach. A monstrosity of the past mixed with the present has been disturbed and it’s found its way into the sheltered waters of Long Island’s southern sea. Nate Tanner lives in Stones Throw, Long Island. A disgraced SCPD detective lieutenant put out to pasture in the marine division because of his Navy background and experience with aquatic crime scenes, Tanner is assigned to hunt the creeper in the bay. But he and his team soon discover they’re the ones being hunted.

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AWAKE

severed_press_ — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 08:41:38 +0000

Agent Don Oberbier is trapped in the quarantine zone as a virus that transforms its victims into ravenous maniacs rages out of control. What is causing the disease? How is it transmitted? Can the infected be saved? Don and his ragtag crew must find out, but they’re outgunned, outnumbered and running out of time. The need for a pure sample of the pathogen leads them into the Everglades, where the fate of the world, and their lives, will be decided. With each passing minute the virus spreads, and to survive they must stay AWAKE.

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