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ESCAPE TO NOWHERE: A Planet of Last Resort Novella
Fleeing the zombie apocalypse on an isolated colony planet, two strangers find a common purpose and more as they strive to reach promised sanctuary in a refugee camp.
Les McDaniel barely had a chance to get a cup of coffee in the town of Rosewater before it falls to the swarming infected. He steps in to drive one of the two school buses designated as escape vehicles. He didn’t ask for the responsibility for the lives of all these other people, most of whom he doesn’t even know but he’ll do his best to get them to the refugee camp safely. Then he’s off on his own, no government-run camp for him.
Devora Sims was the police dispatcher for the town of Rosewater before the Western Flu hit and left hordes of vicious infected in its wake. The scion of a prominent local family stepped in when infrastructure failed and became a ruthless warlord. She found a temporary haven running his kitchen but then the compound fell to the infected, he was killed and she managed to get herself on one of the buses, with the additional responsibility for an abandoned toddler she rescued.
Les and Devora forge an alliance as the bus trip continues and her feelings become deeply engaged with the reluctant hero bus driver. But he’s made it plain he won’t stay at the refugee camp and she can’t imagine trying to live on the run in the open, especially with a child.
Will they reach the camp? Will it still be there? And what kind of future could Les and Devora build on a relationship born of the chaos?
Author’s This 36K word novella continues the story of the survivors of Rosewater and is related to books one and two of the Planet of Last Resort series. There’s a Happy for Now ending to this novella but Les and Devora will be continuing characters in book three, when the series reconnects with the main characters from the previous books.
Les McDaniel barely had a chance to get a cup of coffee in the town of Rosewater before it falls to the swarming infected. He steps in to drive one of the two school buses designated as escape vehicles. He didn’t ask for the responsibility for the lives of all these other people, most of whom he doesn’t even know but he’ll do his best to get them to the refugee camp safely. Then he’s off on his own, no government-run camp for him.
Devora Sims was the police dispatcher for the town of Rosewater before the Western Flu hit and left hordes of vicious infected in its wake. The scion of a prominent local family stepped in when infrastructure failed and became a ruthless warlord. She found a temporary haven running his kitchen but then the compound fell to the infected, he was killed and she managed to get herself on one of the buses, with the additional responsibility for an abandoned toddler she rescued.
Les and Devora forge an alliance as the bus trip continues and her feelings become deeply engaged with the reluctant hero bus driver. But he’s made it plain he won’t stay at the refugee camp and she can’t imagine trying to live on the run in the open, especially with a child.
Will they reach the camp? Will it still be there? And what kind of future could Les and Devora build on a relationship born of the chaos?
Author’s This 36K word novella continues the story of the survivors of Rosewater and is related to books one and two of the Planet of Last Resort series. There’s a Happy for Now ending to this novella but Les and Devora will be continuing characters in book three, when the series reconnects with the main characters from the previous books.
- GenresScience Fiction Romance
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 5, 2026
About the author
Veronica Scott
91 books243 followersUSA Today Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author.
Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.
MISC FACTS ABOUT VERONICA
Seven time winner ~ SFR Galaxy Award
Proud recipient ~ NASA Exceptional Service Medal but must hasten to add the honor was not for her romantic fiction!
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – I’ll improve your process (mwahahahaa)!
Elvis Presley’s best friend once serenaded Veronica on a local TV telethon…now that could be a novel…
Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.
MISC FACTS ABOUT VERONICA
Seven time winner ~ SFR Galaxy Award
Proud recipient ~ NASA Exceptional Service Medal but must hasten to add the honor was not for her romantic fiction!
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – I’ll improve your process (mwahahahaa)!
Elvis Presley’s best friend once serenaded Veronica on a local TV telethon…now that could be a novel…
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 15, 2026
After recently devouring the last installment in the series, Tamsyn, Escape to Nowhere came as a welcome return to the dark, exciting world of the sci-fi post-apocalyptic adventures of the Planet of Last Resort Series by Veronica Scott.
Escape to Nowhere follows Tamsyn in the series, but is chronologically happening parallel and then maybe a little beyond the timeline of Tamsyn. Escape to Nowhere follows the adventure and romance of two characters who appear about half-way into Tamsyn’s story and split from her with their own adventure.
Les Daniels, a retired sectors military guy now drives the tour bus for a rock star and the tour becomes fraught with danger when the ‘flu’ going around turns people into raving and rampaging zombies. He and some of the crew get the bus on the road and land in small town Rosewater where safety is a brief illusion and he’s now driving a bus to escape the ravaging hoard that is attacking Rosewater. He finds himself suddenly in charge of the lives of several people including a competent woman and an orphaned girl who tug on his heartstrings.
Devora encountered the zombies in the city while the government was still trying to cover up the danger. She returns to her job as police emergency operator briefly before Rosewater has its own zombie troubles and she ends up in a compound and her old high school nemesis has taken his bullying ways to a new extreme as a ‘warlord’ and now ‘protects’ the people with his rabble security team. But, nowhere seems safe and, before the zombies get them all, Tamsyn hands off an orphaned girl and gets her on one of the busses pulling away from the danger.
Devora has large crew cooking ability and learned to handle the logistics of making food stretch in the compound so she teams up with Les and his friend to help get the survivors to the government protected refugee camp. If only she can get Les to stay with them and care for her as much as she has come to care for him.
Escape to Nowhere was exciting and suspenseful as the little band must make their way to hopeful safety of the refugee camp. The zombies are only part of the danger as chaos, scattered resources, and human predators abound in the broken-down world that is as primitive as can be. The desperation and danger are high, but I liked that the character and relationship development are pacing right alongside, too.
I can’t wait to see what comes next for all the people trying to survive and stay safe in the Planet of Last Resort series. Those who like dystopian or exciting sci-fi adventure romance should definitely brave the zombie hoards for the read.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 5.6.26.
Escape to Nowhere follows Tamsyn in the series, but is chronologically happening parallel and then maybe a little beyond the timeline of Tamsyn. Escape to Nowhere follows the adventure and romance of two characters who appear about half-way into Tamsyn’s story and split from her with their own adventure.
Les Daniels, a retired sectors military guy now drives the tour bus for a rock star and the tour becomes fraught with danger when the ‘flu’ going around turns people into raving and rampaging zombies. He and some of the crew get the bus on the road and land in small town Rosewater where safety is a brief illusion and he’s now driving a bus to escape the ravaging hoard that is attacking Rosewater. He finds himself suddenly in charge of the lives of several people including a competent woman and an orphaned girl who tug on his heartstrings.
Devora encountered the zombies in the city while the government was still trying to cover up the danger. She returns to her job as police emergency operator briefly before Rosewater has its own zombie troubles and she ends up in a compound and her old high school nemesis has taken his bullying ways to a new extreme as a ‘warlord’ and now ‘protects’ the people with his rabble security team. But, nowhere seems safe and, before the zombies get them all, Tamsyn hands off an orphaned girl and gets her on one of the busses pulling away from the danger.
Devora has large crew cooking ability and learned to handle the logistics of making food stretch in the compound so she teams up with Les and his friend to help get the survivors to the government protected refugee camp. If only she can get Les to stay with them and care for her as much as she has come to care for him.
Escape to Nowhere was exciting and suspenseful as the little band must make their way to hopeful safety of the refugee camp. The zombies are only part of the danger as chaos, scattered resources, and human predators abound in the broken-down world that is as primitive as can be. The desperation and danger are high, but I liked that the character and relationship development are pacing right alongside, too.
I can’t wait to see what comes next for all the people trying to survive and stay safe in the Planet of Last Resort series. Those who like dystopian or exciting sci-fi adventure romance should definitely brave the zombie hoards for the read.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 5.6.26.
June 20, 2026
A terrible illness has overtaken an isolated colony planet, leaving the survivors fleeing from zombified infected. Les McDaniel arrives in Rosewater searching for sanctuary, and ends up fleeing another swarm of infected. He volunteers to drive one of two school buses with a load of survivors, including Devora Sims, who picked up a small unattended child on her way to the bus. Thus begins a harrowing trip to find sanctuary in a city they are told is safe, with plenty of action, danger, and an unexpected romance as well. The problem is, even if they all reach sanctuary, how long will it hold, what will the future bring, what sort of life will they have, or will they have to run again? Hopefully, these questions will be answered in future book of the series. I liked the adventure, the main characters are great, but I’m a little fuzzy on why the zombies don’t die out on their own at some point. Also, why do they attack people and why don’t the military just destroy them all? Realistically, zombies don’t really make sense anyway, you just have to go with it - they’re dangerous and nasty and you don’t want to get bit, so run away and/or have good weapons, basically.
January 20, 2026
Another entry in the A Planet of Last Resort series. All entries have been short novellas so far. I'm liking the series even though I hate zombie type entertainment. I would really like to get a little more meat to the story. Why it happened? How it happened? Etc...
This novella is basically a bus ride with Les and Devora and a little girl named Jenny.
This novella is basically a bus ride with Les and Devora and a little girl named Jenny.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews