Dead End Death isn't the End

The world, having been ravaged by a devastating viral outbreak, bore witness to decimation of mordern civilization. Those infected almost certainly perished. The unfortunate didn't remain dead, the virus triggered a change inside, turned them into the undead, spreading fear and chaos across the globe. The pandemic started slowly, with isolated incidents, but it quickly snowballed into a full-scale catastrophe. Major cities were overrun within weeks, as governments and medical infrastructures crumbled under the sheer number of cases. Entire countries fell into anarchy as the dead outnumbered the living. Militaries were deployed to contain the outbreak, but even their efforts were futile. Society’s collapse came swiftly as power grids failed, communication networks went silent, and people were left to fend for themselves. Those who could fled urban areas, while others perished or became part of the relentless undead hordes.     In the immediate aftermath, survivors faced unimaginable horror. Cities turned into graveyards, with buildings in ruins and streets littered with the dead. Mass panic gave way to violence, as people fought over dwindling resources. Law and order disintegrated, and trust became a rare commodity. The initial chaos bred factions of survivors—some banded together for protection, while others preyed on the weak. Governments, once the pillars of society, ceased to function, leaving pockets of humanity scattered across the world, isolated and defenseless. Power vacuums created opportunities for those willing to take charge, often through brutality. Raiders, scavengers, and warlords rose from the ashes, exploiting the desperate for their own gain. Cities, once bustling with life, became dangerous wastelands, overrun by both zombies and human threats.   Now, eight years later, survivors have adapted to this brutal new reality. People have formed settlements like Haven, fortified enclaves where small communities work together to rebuild some semblance of order. While life is still a daily struggle, these settlements offer a fragile hope for a future beyond mere survival. Leaders like Evelyn Harper in Haven try to foster cooperation and self-sufficiency, growing crops, securing clean water, and fortifying defenses against zombies and raiders. Scavenging the ruins of the old world for supplies is still a necessary part of life, but there are efforts to establish trade networks between settlements. Despite the bleakness, some survivors hold onto hope, dreaming of restoring what was lost, while others remain hardened by the trauma of the past, focusing only on the here and now. In this world, recovery is slow, and the scars of the pandemic run deep, but for the first time in years, people are beginning to imagine a future.  

Your Story

It begins with a group of survivors, most of which are strangers. They have found a place to stake their claim. It’s not the first, maybe not the last. Several other settlements have popped up over the years. Each with their own ideas and laws. Many have survived, some have fallen, others have just disappeared. It seems fairly safe at Haven —that’s the name of the settlement. They can see small groups and large groups of zombies on occasion. It can get dicey at times. But the larger threat is from raiders, ravagers, skinners, etc. Everyone has a different name for them. But they come in more colors than the rainbow. You can get some nasty pieces of shit; you know the worst of humanity. Surprisingly you can even get some who are nice-ish. They don’t seem to like it, but this form of survival is all they know.   There was one time early on when a couple ravagers snuck in from the water at night and kidnapped one of the kids. She was Connor’s kid. We did what we could, but there were no signs of where they went. Shit like that won’t happen again. Evelyn would make sure of that. Needless to say, more safety measures were put in place.   Evelyn Harper is the appointed leader. If there is one piece of advice they tell newcomers, it is to don’t piss her off. She’s nice enough, in a diplomatic way. But serving as a career Army officer has made her what she is now—tough as fucking nails. For the newest members, she likes to give them the shit jobs. You know, test the waters. Does this person have what it takes.   Well, you are the newest members. You know some of the people at Haven, how else do you think you were accepted. But even they tell you not to screw up. They said once you get past the trial period, things smooth out.