Bishop is trapped deep inside Montana’s Apex Valley along with his injured wife, a shotgun-wielding stranger named Colbrick, and a sneaking suspicion he's never making it back to Chicago. Things no man has seen before haunt the woods. Strange animal species creep behind pine trees, some of them with flashing red tags that blink faster and faster. Giant birds mimic the sound of humans and lord over the sky. Leaf-shaped creatures attack anything that moves and flash vivid colors across their glistening backs. As Bishop and his companions scramble across the Montana wilderness, they find human remains and animal carcasses littering the woods. The small town of Elmore is empty, the windows broken and streaked with blood. Trout Bridge—their only way out—is blocked by abandoned cars, none that were inbound. With the strange animals species closing in, Bishop realizes his group must take a stand. He’s got a plan, and maybe they've got one last shot before the invasive species spread to the rest of the U.S.
Author
Michael Hodges is an American speculative fiction writer. His debut novel, The Puller, was released on April 24, 2015. Film rights for The Puller were purchased by Sonny Mallhi, producer of the film classic "The Strangers". The Puller was acquired by award winning publisher PYR in 2021. Tentative release date is November 2021. Michael's latest release is a short story collection called "The Gloaming". Michael's short stories have been published in over twenty magazines and anthologies, and he's a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He's also taught writing with Game of Thrones editor Anne Groell. His novel, "Black Friday" was called a "Glorious work of literature" by Horror Novel Reviews. Along with writing fiction, Hodges is a professional nature photographer, with work appearing in Outside Magazine (Best Adventure Photography of the Year) and newspapers, amongst other places. Animals often play a big role in his fiction, and the two art forms feed each other. He loves hearing from readers at: facebook.com/MichaelHodgesAuthor/ or his website: https://michaelhodgesfiction.com/
