Those stories you hear? The ones about things that only come out at night? Things that feed on blood, feed on us? Got news for you: theyÕre true. Only itÕs not like the movies or old man StokerÕs storybook. ItÕs worse. Especially if you happen to be one of them. Just ask Joe Pitt.

ThereÕs a shambler on the loose. Some fool who got himself infected with a flesh-eating bacteria is lurching around, trying to munch on folksÕ brains. Joe hates shamblers, but heÕs still the one who has to deal with them. ThatÕs just the kind of life he has. Except afterlife might be better word.

From the Battery to the Bronx, and from river to river, Manhattan is crawling with Vampyres. Joe is one of them, and heÕs not happy about it. Yeah, he gets to be stronger and faster than you, and heÕs tough as nails and hard to kill. But spending his nights trying to score a pint of blood to feed the Vyrus thatÕs eating at him isnÕt his idea of a good time. And Joe doesnÕt make it any easier on himself. Going his own way, refusing to ally with the Clans that run the undead underside of ManhattanÐit ainÕt easy. ItÕs worse once he gets mixed up with the CoalitionÐthe cityÕs most powerful ClanÐand finds himself searching for a poor little rich girl whoÕs gone missing in Alphabet City.

Now the Coalition and the girlÕs high-society parents are breathing down his neck, anarchist Vampyres are pushing him around, and a crazy Vampyre cult is stalking him. No time to complain, though. Got to find that girl and kill that shambler before the whip comes down . . . and before the sun comes up.