
The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum, /ˈhiːlə/ HEE-lə) is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. A heavy, typically slow-moving lizard, up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) long, the Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States. Its close venomous relatives, the four “Mexican beaded lizards” (former subspecies of Heloderma horridum) inhabit Mexico and Guatemala.[2][3] The Gila monster is venomous, although sluggish in nature and therefore not generally dangerous and very rarely a real threat to humans. Yet, its exaggeratedly fearsome reputation has led to its sometimes being killed, in spite of being protected by state law in Arizona.[1][4]

Dante wouldn't call himself a "serial killer." If anything, he's only playing the hand he was dealt when the world fell fifteen years ago to a zombie virus. In the years since, time spent hiking the ruined nation, tending to his pet lizard, and filling his journal with the names of those unfortunate enough to cross his path, Dante has found a quiet peace in the apocalypse. That is, until he encounters a group of survivors escorting a young girl who is immune to the deadly virus, and the perfect addition to his journal. Setting out together on a cross-country road trip, facing hordes of the undead, bloodthirsty raiders, and the wasteland itself, Dante will do everything in his power to see their journey through to the end, one way or another.
