Red Dust and Ruin

Albert survived the apocalypse by keeping to himself—until Matilda and her mum came crashing into his life. Now, instead of solitude, he’s stuck with a talkative kid, a stubborn foster mother, and a golden retriever who thinks she runs the show. It’s not the quiet end of the world he had in mind, but it’ll do—more or less.

But peace never lasts.

When Jenny decides Matilda deserves an education—even if the world has ended—she ropes Albert into a half-baked plan to reach a crumbling coastal town where she once taught. She swears it’s for the books and teaching supplies. Albert swears it’s madness.

As the ragtag crew sets out across the red-dirt wasteland, Albert finds himself facing not just zombies and the occasional shotgun-wielding neighbor, but the far scarier prospect of caring about people again.

Because surviving the apocalypse isn’t just about keeping the world out. Sometimes, it’s about letting a little of it back in.