This Prequel to the "After" series by Scott Nicholson sets up background information leading up to events in the first novel, "After: The Shock" and the second novel, "After: The Echo". It is a complete short story, able to stand on its own, but it will pique your interest in reading the entire series.

A massive solar storm erases the world's technological infrastructure and kills billions. While the remaining humans are struggling to adapt and survive, they notice that some among them have...changed. Rachel Wheeler finds herself alone in the city, where violent survivors known as "Zapheads" roam the streets, killing and destroying. Her only hope is to reach the mountains, where her grandfather, a legendary survivalist, established a compound in preparation for Doomsday. Other survivors are fleeing the city, but Zapheads aren't the only danger. Rogue bands of military soldiers want to impose their own order in the crumbling ruins of civilization. When Rachel discovers a 10-year-old boy, she vows to care for him even at the risk of her own life. And the Zapheads are evolving, developing communal skills even as they lay waste to the society they will eventually replace.

A massive solar storm kills billions and wipes out the technological infrastructure, and the few survivors learn that some among them have...changed. It's six weeks after the shock. The smoke on the horizon has diminished, and Rachel Wheeler and her two traveling companions head toward the mountains where Rachel's grandfather Franklin has built a survivalist compound. However, the strange mutated people known as Zapheads seem to be changing from bloodthirsty killers into a force far more menacing. A secret military installation holds the key to rebuilding civilization, but Franklin doesn't trust their intentions. And the Zapheads are adapting to the new world faster than the human survivors, who must fight for their place in a future that may have no room for them.

When massive solar flares wipe out the technological infrastructure and kills billions, Rachel Wheeler sets out across the Appalachian Mountain wilderness in search of her notorious grandfather’s survival compound. Rachel is separated from her traveling companions and is captured by Zapheads, violent mutants who are gathering in packs and collecting dead bodies while mimicking human behaviors. Then she undergoes startling changes herself, as her friends are hunted by a rogue military platoon that wants to impose its own law and order in the world of After. Can Rachel and her fellow survivors make the dangerous journey to Milepost 291 and evade the Zapheads long enough to form a new society and preserve the human race?

In the harsh winter of a post-apocalyptic landscape, Rachel Wheeler and her companions hole up in an Appalachian compound established by her notorious grandfather. A rogue military platoon plans to seize the compound and control the small band of survivors. At the same time, violent mutants organize into a tribe that threatens to wipe out the human race. Rachel is caught in the middle as she undergoes mutations herself, driven by an urge to kill those around her while drawn to the mysterious Zapheads. Rachel soon discovers the mutants are more than they appear to be. But will she remain human long enough to use their secrets against them?

In a post-apocalyptic world, Rachel Wheeler is caught between who she is and who she's becoming. A bizarre mutation has her humanity hanging by a thread, especially when the Zaphead inside her wants to kill her friends and lover. As the mutant Zapheads form a social order and shape a new world in the wake of catastrophic solar storms, the few remaining humans band together in a struggle for survival. But not everyone shares the same goal: a rogue military unit plans to attack the mutant settlement while Rachel’s group seeks a remote, peaceful life beyond their notice. And the Zapheads have a special role for her that could save the human race at the cost of her own identity. Torn between two possible futures, will Rachel sacrifice herself to prevent the extinction of her kind?

After a bloody battle with mutant Zapheads, Rachel Wheeler’s life hangs in the balance as the world falls apart around her. To save Rachel, a small group of survivors must find a missing baby, a hyperintelligent Zaphead with mysterious healing powers. The remaining Zapheads have reverted to mindless, violent savages who want to wipe out the human race. Only Rachel holds the key to understanding them and ending the devastating war. Even if they succeed, a rogue military leader is imposing his fascist vision of the future. But Rachel and her friends are determined to defend their freedom and humanity at any cost.