The Before and The After — Catherine Sequeira

When looking back on the Before and the events leading up to the After, it was impossible to say precisely when everything went to shit. There were just two points in time, with a hazy space in between, leaving the carcass of the Before to be picked over by those in the After.  Having lost everything to Weeps, Trader fled the fire-ravaged California foothills to settle in the flooded capitol. To find purpose and escape the oppressive loneliness of the After, Trader now connects the surviving settlements by running the Nor Cal circuit. Though the season starts as planned, things quickly go south when Trader finds one of the last-standing cities in a pile of ash. As he trails in the destructive wake of an emerging cult leader, he learns how far he is willing to go to find meaning in a world filled with uncertainty. The Before and The After is a tale of loss, acceptance, and finding one's truth in a world stripped bare.