Nate has always feared the worst, but now the worst has become the reality. The Emergency Broadcast System blares its tone, he flees to his hastily prepped shelter with his infatuation Jeannette Leach. Together they grieve and find love.
They emerge a month later to a devastated world where countless lives have already been lost. The few desperate survivors huddled in Middlebrook, Connecticut, finally receive a hopeful radio transmission from the National Guard.
Heartened by the news that Maine has supplies to spare, Middlebrook selects a few of its residents to retrieve the necessary items. But the road is long and treacherous, and bicycles are their only mode of transport.
While Nate Wilder and the other cyclists attempt to make it to Maine and back before winter strikes, the Middlebrook residents are left under the tenuous leadership of ultra-religious Simon Huff.
The dangers of the road are to be expected, but when even the fragile safety of home begins to look suspect, concerned citizen Jeannette Leach strives to uncover what is driving Simon's strange behavior. Will Nate and the others return in time to save their hometown from more insidious catastrophe?
Touching on the effects of mental illness as well as the power of friendship, Wormwood takes a real-life approach to the post-apocalyptic thriller.
About the Author: Micah Ackerman is a phlebotomist who grew up during the Cold-War era. As a child, he was haunted by the looming threat of nuclear disaster. This experience inspired him to write the post-apocalyptic novel Wormwood, which also builds on his knowledge of living in rural Connecticut, suffering from panic attacks, and working in the medical field.
