The Rattle of Bones

There is something terrible about horrors in the middle of the day. Tabitha is a thirty-two year old woman with a predilection for cynicism.  She is content to live her life without friends or family aside from her brother, Charlie. Her days are spent reading, doomscrolling, or trying to not think about the world in general. However, when she is blindsided by the invasion of creatures that can mimic any human, she finds herself injured in a car accident after her brother leaves for a weekend hunting trip. When Miguel, a nineteen year old neighbor kid, saves her, things seem too good to be true.
She quickly finds out that he needs the skills of her prepper upbringing, and she needs his able body. The two decided to look out for each other, learning to trust the other with their lives. Armed with only a walkie-talkie to talk to her brother, Tabitha and Miguel make their way towards Charlie, as well as Miguel's grandmother. Charlie is stranded at his hunting cabin, while Miguel's grandmother is disabled and needs someone to look after her in the wake of the horrors. However, after killing a human out of necessity, Tabitha must grapple with the guilt of taking a human life in the midst of the apocalypse.
When one mimic sets its sights on Tabitha, she desperately tries to keep Miguel alive. While dealing with an infection and medication withdrawals, she must convince Miguel, and herself, that the mimic is not only real, but hunting her. THE RATTLE OF BONES is 74, 000 word cosmic horror set in rural Texas. It will appeal to readers whose favorite movie includes The Thing, and has a light queer twist.