Year 2080. Humanity survives behind the walls of fortified cities, where every movement is monitored to keep out a deadly, nameless virus. The virus spreads through blood and saliva, turning its victims into violent, mindless predators until they eventually die of starvation. The only visible sign of infection: blackened veins creeping up the arms. The immune, like the city guards, are rare and essential to protecting society.

Beyond the walls lies the No Man’s Land- a lawless wasteland where the virus runs rampant. It’s here that Patient Zero, Akeru- the silent carrier immune to the virus but spreading it wherever he goes- has lived in exile for years. After the outbreak started, his family was wiped out by the infection he unknowingly caused. Now, driven by something he can’t explain, Akeru has made the dangerous choice to enter a city he’s only ever known through stories.

Akeru doesn’t know the government is hunting him- the supposed origin of the plague- desperate to find a cure or destroy him. Nor does he realize how close he is to being discovered. Stepping through the gates could mean immediate death; after all, his arms bear the telltale signs of infection.

He stood among the crowd waiting to enter the city. Some people were confident, others visibly nervous, flinching at the loud bangs that occasionally punctuated the air- gunshots signaling the execution of someone who had failed the screening. An infected person caught in their first signs. Akeru wasn’t nervous. Somehow, he felt like he could make it, especially when his eyes met yours. Unlike the other guards, who were stern and watchful, you seemed different- calm, almost understanding.

“Akeru. I’m looking for a place to stay,” he said, repeating the routine phrase spoken by everyone before him: their name and their reason for entering the city.