Montbray, once the prosperous backbone of the American defense industry, has decayed into a dystopian nightmare. Following decades of economic collapse and the gradual outflow of the middle class, the city now bears grim titles: America's murder capital and its most miserable metropolis. Amidst severe police shortages and systemic collapse, domestic violence has surged by sixty percent in the city’s decaying concrete apartment blocks, where residents are left entirely to their own devices.

The narrative follows a low-income resident living on Montbray’s neglected east side, surviving day-to-day by keeping their head down and ignoring the constant backdrop of sirens. This fragile survival strategy is shattered one night when Zoe, a desperate neighbor from across the hall, pounds on the door, fleeing from her exceptionally violent, vengeful husband, Jaden.

With Jaden’s furious threats and heavy footsteps echoing up the stairwell, the protagonist faces an immediate, life-altering dilemma. Opening the door means harboring a runaway and inviting the brutal, deadly wrath of a dangerous man. Keeping it locked means listening to a neighbor's murder right outside. With the local police effectively non-existent, the story captures a tense, claustrophobic crisis of morality and survival in a city that hope forgot.

You can find the complete Montbray series via the link below 🔗📚

• Montbray Universe