The Dealer of Hope — Chris Philbrook

Adrian forgave himself. The undead have been banished and he's accepted the love of friends, family, and some strangers. He's started a better life. Bastion grows day after day as pilgrims come to put down roots near the vaunted Trinity. Crops are growing, babies are being born, supplies are being salvaged, restful dreams are being had, and there's even talk that the government is surfacing to reform. All his problems should be getting better now, right? But some battles begin after the last shot is fired. They call themselves The Northern Valley Cooperative. Adrian's known about them for years. Always on his fringe, never in his face, they built a fortress out of a ski resort, and brought everyone near them to heel. And now, with winter bearing down on Adrian's world, the NVC is marching south. Are they friends, or are they foes? Either way, Adrian's got a loaded gun on his hip, and he's surrounded by people he'd die for. He just might. The Dealer of Hope contains Adrian's Journal entries from September 21st, 2013 through November 30th, 2013. It also contains the side fictions Desperation, Junkyard Dogs, Strange Bedfellows, No One's Home, A City Laid Asunder, and One Last Hurrah.