Dark Road Series

Ben Davis was prepared for disaster. He just didn't know it would come so soon. He and his teenage son Joel, are miles deep in the backcountry of the San Juan Mountains when high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic detonations light up the pre-dawn sky. Ben, Joel, and their dog, Gunner, must make their way home - or whatever's left of it - on foot.

Ben Davis was prepared for disaster. He just didn’t know it would come so soon. He and his teenage son, Joel, are miles deep in the backcountry of the San Juan Mountains when high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic detonations light up the pre-dawn sky. Ben, Joel, and their dog, Gunner, must make their way home - or to whatever’s left of it - on foot.

Recent EMP attacks have left the country in a state of chaos and upheaval. With two of his children on the East Coast, Ben Davis has left Colorado behind, embarking on a cross-country journey with his eldest son, Joel, one of Joel’s classmates, Allie, and the family dog, Gunner. Very few modern vehicles remain functional, but thanks to Joel’s 1972 Chevy Blazer, Ben and his crew are mobile and able to carry supplies. But that doesn’t mean they’re safe in this post-apocalyptic world. They soon discover that life as they know it is over. Danger fills every moment of their new reality.

The struggle to get through the post-apocalyptic wasteland in an effort to find Allie’s dad in Pittsburgh and reunite with Joel’s brother and sister in Maryland tests Ben’s abilities as a former Army Ranger. But the teenagers have trials of their own, namely coming to terms with their lost youth as they are forced to grow up fast and make some tough decisions. As the group passes through one devastated town after another, it becomes apparent that only the strong and prepared will survive in these dangerous days.

The journey continues for Ben, his son Joel, Joel’s classmate Allie, and their dog Gunner as they struggle with the harsh realities of this dangerous new world. Forging their way past countless obstacles both natural and manmade, they slowly make their way across the country, never knowing where they will sleep, or what challenges lie ahead. But the drive to reunite with family pushes them toward the East Coast. Setbacks wait around every turn. Ben and his crew must adapt and overcome, honing their survival skills as they are repeatedly forced to fight for their lives.

Ben, Joel, Allie, and their dog, Gunner, have faced down foes of all descriptions in their odyssey across the EMP-ravaged country in search of their families. Now, as they approach the final leg of their journey, the stakes are raised. With no way of knowing what danger lurks ahead, they encounter a new and never-ending gauntlet of challenges and threats. Their ability to work as a team is tested anew, and they realize survival in this new world will require them all to make sacrifices.

After a grueling trip, Ben, Joel, Allie, her mother, Sandy, and Gunner have reached their destination on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Ben is reunited with his two younger children who have been surviving with the help of their ailing grandfather, Jack, and his dog, Sam. But reaching Jack’s farm doesn’t guarantee their safety, however, and the struggle to survive continues.

Are there any decent people left? Having reached his kids in Maryland, Ben is faced with the challenge of crossing the country once more and getting everyone safely home to Colorado. The struggle to survive is the only constant in their otherwise unpredictable lives. With each passing day, Ben becomes increasingly cynical about the state of mankind and worries that the children will grow up to feel the same. Remaining vigilant is no guarantee that they will avoid problems on the journey back.

Will they ever see home again? Colorado seems farther away than ever for Ben and his crew. Especially when a road block lures them deeper into the Appalachian Mountains. Ambushed and captured, they fall prey to a gang of backwoods moonshiners turned post apocalyptic outlaws. After being led back to camp and locked up, the crew’s morale is at an all time low. Ben knows they must come together as a team if they are going to survive. 

With a second chance ahead of them and the moonshiner’s compound in the rearview mirror, Ben and his crew can resume their cross-country trek to Colorado. Or can they? Three newly rescued acquaintances and another canine companion complicate their life on the road. And the addition of two more vehicles to their west bound convoy only adds to Ben’s responsibilities. Making matters worse, the open road quickly proves more hostile than they remember.

Things go from bad to worse for Ben and his crew as they struggle to push on toward Colorado. Unfortunately, due to Emma’s deteriorating health, they’re forced to alter their plans. But a delay might not be their biggest problem. Battling the elements and their own physical limits proves to be almost as treacherous as the roving gangs of highway bandits that lurk in the shadows, looking to prey upon the weak or unprepared. It’s more important than ever to remain vigilant.

Ben, Joel, and Ed find themselves in the belly of the beast. During a heroic mission to find Emma’s much needed medicine, the trio, and Max, Ed’s highly trained canine companion learn that, sometimes, the person you’d take a bullet for is standing behind the trigger. They must find a way to escape. The only thing standing in their way is a blood thirsty gang of lawless extremists. Now, they must face their biggest adversary yet, while at the same time struggling to come to terms with some hard truths about the post-apocalyptic world they live in, and the people they trusted.

Fresh off the heels of a major firefight with the Patriot Hooligan gang, Ben and the others must turn their attention to the treacherous road ahead and the final task of reaching Colorado. In addition to the dangers they face in their everyday struggle to survive, there are tough decisions to be made. Ben is forced to choose between a guilty conscience and what’s best for his family when they find themselves at odds with a member of the group. Amid the chaos that their lives have become, one thing still remains the same. Life on the road is as brutal as it ever was.

Courage isn’t having the strength to go on, it’s going on without having the strength. Betrayal by one of their own leaves Ben and the others with more questions than answers as they push westward toward Colorado and their home in Durango. Or what’s left of it.

Ben and his crew have come a long way since they first began their dystopian road trip from hell. But hard-learned lessons and discovering what it takes to survive in a world that doesn’t tolerate the weak or unprepared has molded them into a cohesive team.