The stand

Blurb

A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-­flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world's population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge-Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-­year-­old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious "Dark Man,­" who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them-and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.