Keeping the Flame Alive Through the Long Night

When disaster struck, Chen Mo was just a college student about to graduate. The campus fell, the way home was cut off, and he and his companions fought to escape with their lives. At last, they made it back to his father.

He thought that as long as his father was still there, they could always find a way to carry on.

But eager to prove himself, he trusted the wrong people and lost the place where everyone had found refuge. His father died covering their retreat, and Chen Mo fled with the survivors. Among those following him were elders who had watched him grow up, friends who had escaped the campus with him, and people who had lost loved ones because of his decisions.

Food was running out, and their pursuers were close behind. Some wanted to leave; others were waiting for him to pay with his life. He had to find them their next meal and a place to stay, then figure out how to take back their home.

But first, he had to convince them that following him meant they still had a chance to survive.