Don’t Feed the Animals

Nothing brings out the worst like knowing best.

Wren Halloway learned early to solve her own problems. She expects the teenagers in her care to do the same.

When flooded roads and a blackout isolate their remote Alabama retreat, nine high achievers discover how little their accomplishments matter without someone telling them what to do. Wren knows how to keep a fire going, stretch a meal, and make the decisions they won’t.

As supplies dwindle and rescue fails to come, her judgment becomes harder to question and more dangerous to trust.

They need her to keep them alive. She’s still deciding whether they’re worth it.

Don’t Feed the Animals is a psychological survival thriller exploring weaponized incompetence, learned helplessness, and the limits of responsibility. The characters show you what they do. Who you think they are—and what you believe they deserve—is what you bring to the story.