The end of the world? That’s the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters and deep philosophical exercises in school. No need to sweat it. So when sixteen-year-old Tess’s doomsday-dad builds a bomb shelter in their suburban backyard, everyone thinks he’s gone crazy…. …Until fire rains down from the sky, sinking whole cities into colossal craters and setting much of the world ablaze. Tess’s dad gives her a few short minutes to gather her emergency bag and her freaked-out kitten, then leads her outside and into the underground shelter. Terrified, the last thing she expects is for him to leave her there all alone, but he has no choice—he must find her missing brother. Before leaving, he makes Tess promise to keep the hatch door shut, not to open it for anyone but him, and to stay put until he returns. But he forgot to tell her one thing: What is she supposed to do if he never comes back?

Surviving an apocalypse sucks. It totally does. Instead of counting herself lucky to be alive, Tess struggles to find the will to keep placing one foot in front of the other, especially when the most she ever had to worry about before the meteor catastrophe was whether she’d have a date to prom. Climbing mountains—again—dealing with the lack of food, clean water, and wondering what the point of it all is doesn’t feel much like luck at all. More like punishment. Maybe it’d be different if she had Cole by her side, as troublesome and irritating as he could be. But he doesn’t seem to be anywhere, and Tess wonders if he’d ever truly been there in the first place. Her dad and brother don’t buy her story of a lone wolf coming to her rescue, and as things become more and more difficult, she’s slowly beginning to doubt herself, too. Real? Imaginary? A product of her delusional mind? Cole’s existence—or nonexistence—remains a mystery because this time around, there’s more than just herself and a kitten to take care of. This time, someone vulnerable depends on her strength and bravery more than ever before.