"The Roots Remember. The Code Survives."

Twenty years ago, Ethan Cross's sister Lila vanished into the stormy night, leaving behind only a broken charm bracelet and a whispered warning. The official story called it a tragic accident, but Ethan never believed it. Now, a cryptic message in the dead of night shatters his fragile peace: "They never found her body."

Drawn into a labyrinth of conspiracy, Ethan discovers that Lila's disappearance was just the beginning. Behind the polished facade of Senator Gregory Pratt's "Second Chances" initiative lies a horrifying truth, a eugenics project decades in the making, where children are groomed, harvested, and grafted into something other. At the heart of it all stands the Guardian, a figure who doesn't age, whose veins pulse with golden code, and whose roots run deeper than anyone suspects.

When Ethan's own daughter, Sophie, begins speaking in riddles about "the Gardener" and her barcode birthmark flickers to life, he realizes the nightmare never ended. It evolved.

Ethan must confront a conspiracy that stretches from the halls of power to the depths of a hidden facility but the deeper they dig, the clearer the truth becomes: the roots of this evil are spreading and time is running out.

Praise for Root Code:

• "A relentless thriller where every revelation cuts deeper than the last. Grixti weaves a nightmare of genetic horror and corporate greed that feels terrifyingly plausible."

• "Part X-Files, part Dark Matter, with the emotional punch of Pet Cemetery. Unputdownable."

• "The Guardian will haunt your dreams long after the final page."

For fans of: Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, Mira Grant's Parasite, and the atmospheric dread of True Detective.

Content Warnings: Graphic violence, body horror, themes of child exploitation, and psychological trauma.