Jack York, high school history teacher, is not having the best spring. He blew his knee out on the day his ex-wife was moving out and became addicted to pain killers, and his rehab sponsor suggested he start writing a journal. Little did Jack realize that this journal was going to chronicle the outbreak and aftermath of the Feral Flu and the destruction of society as we knew it.

The Feral Flu, as it is dubbed, spreads like wildfire throughout the world. The flu first hits like any other strong one, with fevers and chills. But within 48 hours, seventy-five percent of the victims become...