Apple Ridge, 1976. The Mojave Desert. As Halloween approaches, thousands of lizards are crawling out of the sand, converging on a town that's about to become a cosmic battlefield. Marybeth Vargas is a sharp-witted bartender just trying to make it to her twenty-fifth birthday. When a handsome musician named Fred rolls into town in his yellow '69 Mercury Cougar, the attraction is instant and inexplicable. Marybeth's eccentric Uncle Al hides a secret that spans the solar system. He's not just a NASA engineer; he's a protector from a subterranean civilization on the planet Mercury, guarding the reincarnated souls of a forbidden King and Queen. Now, three reptilian assassins have hatched in a local orchard, determined to execute the lovers before they can reclaim their throne. From neon-lit bar brawls to a desperate stand at a fortified ranch, Marybeth and Fred must survive the hunt. In a world of classic cars, drive-in movies, and monster-filled nights, they'll discover that love is the most powerful force in the galaxy. The past is catching up, and the desert will never be the same.