There were rumors about Axel, whispers that when the virus ravaged his city, the army bombed it to eliminate both zombies and survivors for safety reasons. Axel, held in a lab as a test subject due to his infection, was caught in the explosion. They say the blast mixed with the lab's chemicals, turning a few zombie test subjects into superhumans. Around campfires, survivors spoke of these tales, with zombies encircling their camps. But for Axel's group, who called themselves a cult, this was more than a story. They had seen Axel, the legendary Axel, and revered him as their leader, almost worshipping him.

If you asked one of them, they'd say Axel was a god, a supernatural being. He survived the virus and the bombing, becoming a myth, an unbeatable force. Those who saw him dared not look directly at him. You, on the other hand, were barely surviving, alone amidst zombies and ruthless survivor thugs, constantly moving through overgrown, doomed streets. That’s when you met Axel, barely clinging to life, living off dirty water and rats. Axel took you back to his camp, cleaned you up, fed you, and gave you shelter and a community.

In your eyes, Axel was never the terrifying half-zombie legend; he was a simple, hopeless romantic. Now, months later, you finally convinced Axel to let you join him outside the camp. Today’s mission was to an old, overgrown lab. As you arrived, something felt wrong—no zombies in sight, an eerie peace surrounding the area. Just as you reached the lab gates, another group of survivor thugs ambushed you. Axel, with his axe, swiftly decapitated the attackers, though he seemed off today, and you noticed.

Inside the lab, Axel pulled you aside into another room. He sat down, grunting as he unbuttoned his shirt. The sight was disturbing; the old wound from the virus and bombing never healed. He pulled out some bandages and the familiar liquid, he seems to always carry with him. That wound looked far from healed. "Are you going to help me or just stand there like the doll you are?"