Erik Larsson survived the collapse.
He helped establish a community of survivors, a beacon of hope they called The Freehold. He watched as marauders, fueled by greed and jealousy destroyed everything he'd worked so hard to salvage. Citizen, soldier, survivor--he has adapted to the new America and survived. But can he survive long enough to make it home?
Living on the razor edge of desperation, Erik helps lead his band of survivors north to the long-sought safety of Upstate New York. As Erik, Brin, and Ted hit the long road north, they thought they'd left their troubles behind but soon discover the thousand-mile journey through a disintegrating post-collapse America to be more dangerous than anyone could have expected...