All Chapters of ATLAS OF HIS FLESH: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

The beat was in Pete’s bones. The studio echoed with the rhythmic squeaks of Pete’s sneakers and that of his crew against the polished dance floor.Sweat dripped down his brow, but he didn’t care. The regional competition was three weeks away, and their routine needed to be perfect. The hip hop showcase was one of Axiom Studio's pride, and he was the headliner.His crew mirrored him, following his movements and body's fluidity at once—until their music cut mid-drop.“Again?” Pete growled, turning to face the studio glass. Sure enough, the ballet class on the other side had flipped the speaker connection. Their music—something orchestral and older than God himself, drifted in, reverberating through the glass.A cluster of ballet dancers lined up, chuckling softly in their flats, eyes darting toward them like they were wild animals they had to endure.And at the center, as always, was William Whitlock. With his curly hair, sculpted cheekbones, and the smugness of someone born to look do

The world had ended two years ago, and somehow, Jesse still hadn’t died. He blamed Marcus for that. Marcus, with his stupid muscles, gorgeous face, and unwillingness to die no matter how many zombies tried to use his guts as an offal meal.They were holed up in a half-collapsed roadside motel in Nowhere, Nebraska. The sky outside was smeared with blood-red clouds and ash. Their last meal had been nearly expired protein bars and something that might’ve been squirrel or worst—a sewer rat.“You know,” Jesse said, examining the dust-covered vending machine near the cracked wall. “There’s a fifty-fifty chance this thing dispenses snacks or severed fingers, which one do you wanna bet on?”Marcus grunted, prying open a boarded door with a rusted crowbar. “Better odds than usual, I call severed fingers.”Jesse opened the outlets and sure enough there was a severed hand inside it. “Sharp intuition you have, you know if the world hadn't gone into chaos, you would have won a guessing game show.”