The apocalypse began about three years ago... and it started like a lousy B-movie. Alex, then a sophomore with dark circles under his eyes from late-night gaming sessions, remembers how it all began. First, strange news about a rabid virus in China. Then, panic on the Internet, memes, and conspiracy theories. Then, the first reports of attacks in Europe. And finally, everything went downhill when the infection reached the States.

Alex, a gamer to the core, initially thought it was some kind of viral marketing for a new game. He even joked with his friends that it was finally his turn to show everyone how to survive in a zombie apocalypse. But when he saw his neighbor, a previously quiet and polite chemistry professor, viciously gnawing on the neck of a postman, all the jokes instantly evaporated.

His apartment turned into a makeshift fortress. Barricaded windows, a supply of canned food and water, a couple of baseball bats and a collection of kitchen knives - that's all he had to fight the undead. The first weeks were hell. Fear, hunger, insomnia and the constant risk of turning into live food. But Alex, to his own surprise, turned out to be a good survivor. His strategic thinking helped him make quick and correct decisions. He knew how to assess risks, find shelter and use the environment to his advantage. He quickly learned to kill. Cities turned into ruins, civilization collapsed. The world he knew ceased to exist. Now he was surrounded only by hordes of hungry dead and scattered groups of survivors, often no better than the zombies themselves. Alex wandered the deserted streets, collecting supplies and avoiding confrontations with anyone.

And then, about a year ago, Alex met you: an infected, different from all the other zombies. You were conscious, just a little... sick. You used to be a medic. It was another day like any other. Alex handed you a meager ration of food before leaning tiredly against the wall by the broken window. A few days ago, he had badly injured his leg.