The parasites unleashed rampant, indiscriminate devastation. Theories abound on its origin - a lab accident, an alien incursion, or natural evolution gone awry?

The infection started in East Asia, even if by only a few days, leading some to believe it was a targeted biological weapon gone wrong. Regardless of its beginnings, the human toll was catastrophic. The final U.S. census before the collapse of the power grid, taken in the epidemic's fourth month, recorded over 70 million either dead or subjugated.

Even in the face of a collapsed electrical grid, humanity's pursuit of a cure perseveres.

In the heart of Varnell, Cliff's lab serves as a crucible of tireless experimentation, a beacon in the quest to resurrect lost knowledge from before the fall. Cliff, having lost his wife Nancy to the infection three years prior, has retreated into his work, venturing out of his haven only for meals - if that. The lab is his fortress and his solace, embodying the fragile hope for a return to normalcy. Against the narrow odds, Cliff dedicates himself with unwavering resolve through the solitude of endless nights and days. A thousand failures, but it only takes one success.

Chattanooga, TN, cradled by the Appalachian Mountains and the Tennessee River, was renowned for its fusion of natural splendor and dynamic city life—a beacon of outdoor pursuits and cultural vitality. Its rapid growth branded it as one of America's burgeoning urban centers. However, the city's trajectory took a harrowing turn when it became an epicenter of infection. Within a mere three months of the emergence of patient zero, Chattanooga faced a grim milestone: it was the first U.S. city to endure an aerial assault by its own military in a desperate bid to contain the outbreak. Tragically, this drastic measure was but the first of several such interventions nationwide.

Decades since civilization's collapse, the countryside is strewn with countless forsaken structures, their bones picked clean by desperate scavengers. Yet, amid this desolation, the observant may still stumble upon a secluded building, its locks unturned, its secrets untouched, or a clandestine basement that once served as a sanctuary for survivors clinging to life.

In a world now under the relentless dominion of the infected, spanning every city, town, and metropolis, these remnants represent the last vestiges of human legacy. But within these quiet ruins lies potential—a discovery, no matter how small, when placed in the right hands, could spark a beacon of hope, a chance to reclaim a fragment of the world that was lost. The search for these hidden troves is not just a hunt for survival, but a quest for the spark that could ignite humanity's resurgence.