In The After by Demitria Lunetta

They hear the most silent of footsteps.
They are faster than anything you've ever seen.
And They won't stop chasing you... Until you are dead.

Amy is watching TV when it happens, when the world is attacked by Them. These vile creatures are rapidly devouring mankind. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to escape, and even rescue 'Baby', a toddler left behind in the chaos. Marooned in Amy’s house, the girls do everything they can to survive, and avoid Them at all costs.

After years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she’ll lose Baby, and much more.

Rebellious, courageous, and tender, this unforgettable duo will have you on the edge of your seat as you tear through the pulse-pounding narrow escapes and horrifying twists of fate in this thrilling debut from author Demitria Lunetta

Imagine if everyone you knew, were violently killed, flesh torn from their bodies by what the world is calling, an alien race. Murky green, hairless skin, yellow eyes and a pungent stench, Them. They hunt during the day and retreat to the sewers as the sun sets. They're incredibly fast and on the hunt for human prey. It isn't survival of the fittest, it's survival of the meek and quiet. Don't turn on the light and don't make a sound, it's the only choice that may keep you alive. Amy is living proof.

Amy was fourteen when They arrived. Home alone, her security conscious mother installing fail safe measures to the house to protect her projects, now keeping Amy alive. Amy learns how to avoid Them, so imagine her surprise when she stumbles upon a little girl, alone in a derelict and destroyed supermarket. Starved for human company, Amy affectionately names the little girl Baby, bringing the supposed orphan home to care for. Baby is quiet and surprisingly understands the need for survival, and the two girls learn to communicate through their own form of sign language. 

It isn't until years later, when the girls come across the loud and dangerous Amber, and Baby takes an instant liking to her, after fleeing her brother and a group of males using her as bait, to lure Them out. But as quickly as Amber begins to settle into the quiet and seemingly complacent life, she disappears. 

When the girls are captured, by what they believe is Them, instinct survival kicks in. But it seems that Amy and Baby are only two of a community of survivors, rescued and taken to New Hope, a post apocalyptic, converted college campus. First impressions are that New Hope is a hideaway haven in a decrepit world, over three thousand citizens who live happily within the safety of the pulse the perimeter omits to keep Them at bay. Amy suddenly finds herself thrown into a world of new friends and familiar faces, but there is something amiss about the community compound. That citizens are strongly discouraged from asking questions, women of age are impregnated every three years by a stranger, that those who don't comply with their ideals are sent to The Ward, questions are answered via practised slogans and that they are keeping Them detained for experimentation.

When Amy discovers what New Hope isn't telling it's citizens, she'll need to learn to fight for her survival... Again.

In The After had me intrigued from cover to cover, and wasn't at all what I'd expected. It was thrilling, entertaining and surprising. The concept was unique and the storyline held a few twists that I couldn't anticipate.

I found it hard to put down, driven by needing to know about Them, and kept reading into the early hours of the morning. It just needed that extra something more to move onto incredible, but In The After is just really, really good.

In The After

(In The After: Book One)

Written By Demitria Lunetta

Published 25 / 06 / 2013

464 Pages