WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD
The future of humanity is at stake
Summary
This adventure takes place in a future where "the Others" have taken over human bodies in order to exterminate the human race. Cassie Sullivan and Malika (Ringer) struggle to survive and keep themselves sane, while trying to figure out the true meaning of this "alien" invasion. The levels of extermination are referred to as "waves". The first was cutting all sources of power, the second a disease, and so on. The fifth was the implanting of "Others" into humans. This all takes place over the span of one or two years, whittling down the human population ever so slowly.
"The Ancient Art of Hunting With an Atlatl"
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Hope is Fading
In the Wilderness
Most of this story takes place in deserted woods and anywhere that can provide shelter from "the Others". This setting encourages the characters to feel a hint of safety, but also lonely and frightened. Cassie and Ringer, in the woods, are constantly on the move: running away from the aliens and defending themselves with semi-automatics. The endless trees provide a sense of being totally cut off from the world and a desperation that's almost palpable.
Camp Haven
Camp Haven is "the Others'" base headquarters for their mass extermination program disguised a survivor camp. Its technology and sterility provides a sense of exposure that Ringer experiences when she's captured. This causes her to panic and lose her sense of reality sometimes.
Abandoned Buildings
Cassie stays in a rundown hotel full of rats for most of the book. The rats are a constant bother, and they become a mental countdown for Cassie. She obsesses with exterminating them, but then she faces a crucial question: why did "the Others" really come to Earth? The hotel is so secluded that it produces a feeling of being alone. As in totally. As in the last human on Earth.