Lily Herne is the pseudonym of the mother-daughter writing team Sarah and Savannah Lotz. Sarah, a writer known for her penchant for multiple identities, also crafts urban horror under the name SL Grey, alongside crime novels, internationally anthologized short stories, and screenplays under her own name. Savannah, a devoted fantasy enthusiast, is currently pursuing her screenwriting studies, bringing a distinct imaginative flair to their collaborative work. Together, they leverage their diverse backgrounds to create compelling narratives that blend genres and capture readers' imaginations.
Lele, Ginger, Ash and Saint - aka the Mall Rats - are hiding out in the Deadlands, a once-prosperous area of Cape Town, now swarming with the living dead. Exiled from the city enclave for crimes against the Resurrectionist State, the Rats face a stark choice: return and risk capture - or leave Cape Town and go in search of other survivors.
Since the apocalypse, Cape Town's suburbs have become zombie-infested Deadlands. Human survivors are protected from the living dead by sinister, shrouded figures - the Guardians. In return, five teenagers are 'chosen' and handed over to them for a mysterious purpose: this year, Lele de la Fontein's name is picked but she escapes, willing to take her chances in the Deadlands. Alone, exiled and unable to return home, she runs into a misfit gang of renegade teens: Saint, a tough Batswana girl; Ginger, a wise-cracking Brit; and handsome Ash, a former child soldier. Under their tutelage, Lele learns how to seriously destroy zombies and together they uncover the corruption endemic in Cape Town, and come to learn the sickening truth about the Guardians.