Ten Kingdoms: The Badlands moves forward to illustrate “the rise of evil” in the western half of the US as a stand-alone episode in the world of Arks of America. What has happened in the Arks prequels eerily resembles the world we live in today. Ten Kingdoms is a chilling look at the dystopian world in which evil rises after a perfect storm of internal strife, infighting, chaos, terrorism, and nuclear EMP attacks.

America suffered blow after blow of internal strife, work stoppages, police shootings, riots, and immobilizing national discord. The riches of the country attracted international villains who eyed the country like a wealthy home with an open front door.

Hit with a massive EMP strike, the West Coast from the Pacific to the Mississippi was left a wasteland of gangs, violence, and burning homes. Dave Cavanaugh’s Arks of America project, designed to be an oasis of calm and place to preserve, medicine, art and ethics among a sea of chaos has been corrupted and threatens the balance of power in The Badlands. With no working government and state and local administrations nonexistent, Dave must make a choice that will expose his Arks project and put the lives of his people at risk.

All the while, the eastern half of the country that was spared the EMP attack the west had seen, were experiencing a massive wave of terrorist attacks and a reawakening of internal riots and class warfare that had been incited for so many years. With Dave Cavanuagh’s attention focused on the Badlands, the eastern US Arks communities were on their own with help from Dave’s trusty assistant Louis.

The rise of evil in America is being led by a false prophet called The Professor, who claimed to represent an American government in hiding. In truth, he harbored devious plans for a new America divided into 10 kingdoms.

Can Dave Cavanaugh’s communities of Arks hold out as a haven of good in an increasingly wicked world?