A.J. Baldwin

One year into a plague of flesh-eating, mind-altering worms, the nocturnal town of Ashland, Ohio, has embraced the parasites’ rule. Under cult-like Mayor Joshua, zealous Ranchers spread their gospel—by persuasion or by force. A trio of uninfected women cling to survival through scavenging, extreme hygiene, and evasion. But everyone breaks eventually, unleashing betrayal, sacrilege, and body horror.

Bennie Upshaw, the head of a Black working class family in Indianapolis, is a charming, well-intentioned mechanic and lifelong mess just trying his best to step up and care for his family and tolerate his sardonic sister-in-law, all without a blueprint for success.

Our story follows Jo, an overweight, impassioned reporter with hopes of becoming a news anchor. She is unsuccessful in her attempts until a revolutionary weight loss program is developed, in which trainers occupy the consciousness of their clients and work out their bodies for them.