Rot & Ruin is about a Benny, teenager who lives during the zombie apocalypse. When Benny was very young, his parents turned into zombies on the first night. This memory haunts Benny, and painful images torture his mind.

"They had passed hundreds of zooms as they followed Lilah into the woods, and looking around they could see them standing there, dead eyes turned their way" (Maberry 366).

The setting establishes an eerie mood while building suspense. Being surrounded by a hard of zombies, Benny and Nix clearly face danger and uncertainty. The creepy mood also builds conflict and moves the rising action. Overall, the mood is creepy and eerie.

"There was a low moan, and Benny turned to see a gray-skinned man shuffling slowly around the corner of the building. ... The man's eyes were missing, and the sockets gaped emptily. ... Worst of all, as the zombie raised its hands toward them, Benny saw that all of its fingers had been clipped off at the primary knuckles" (Maberry 67).

The setting of Rot & Ruin is in a town and the woods, separated by a chained fence. The woods is the Rot & Ruin, populated by many zombies. Here, Benny is horrified at a disgusting zombie.

"A cold hand closed around his ankle, and Benny screamed and kicked his foot loose. It was all the incentive he needed. He looked down the row. Past the Escalade there was a mix of sedans and SUVs. They looked like a miniature mountain range. There were zoms on both sides of the outer row of cars, but fewer on the inner rows" (Maberry 315).

The Rot & Ruin is littered by trash and zombies and killers, a perfect combination for conflict. Benny often has to fight to survive and rescue his friends. The setting provides rising tension and conflict, moving the story along.

"Everyone ... in this stupid town acts like we're living on Mars. ... how many people even go to the Red Zone let alone all the way to the fence?... We live behind fences, surrounded by the Rot and Ruin. Maybe you've heard of it? Big place, used to be called America? Filled with zoms?" (Maberry 42).

Benny complains his brother Tom about their town. He describes the setting and how it affects the people who live there. The town is separated from the rest of the world by a fence, separated from the Rot & Ruin. People pretend not to know what goes on outside of the fence because of denial.