The world had ended not with a bang, but with a groan. Civilization crumbled beneath the weight of the dead as they rose from their graves, driven by an insatiable hunger for flesh. The survivors, scattered and broken, clung to life amidst the ruins of their once-thriving society.

Among them was Alex Carter, a former high school teacher turned reluctant leader. In the early days of the outbreak, Alex had lost everything: his wife, his daughter, his sense of normalcy. But he had gained something too—the unyielding will to survive. Now, he led a small group of survivors, each burdened with their own tragedies, each fighting to hold onto the last vestiges of their humanity.

The group had taken refuge in a crumbling elementary school on the outskirts of a desolate town. The walls were thick, the doors reinforced, but they knew it was only a matter of time before the dead found them. Food was running low, and hope was in even shorter supply. But the worst threat wasn’t the walkers—it was the other survivors.

Jenna, a sharp-witted mechanic with a haunted past, was the first to hear the distant rumble of engines. She ran to the makeshift lookout post, a small window that offered a limited view of the road leading to their sanctuary. Through the fogged glass, she saw a convoy of trucks approaching, dust clouds billowing behind them.

“Alex!” she shouted, her voice tinged with fear and urgency.

Alex rushed to her side, peering out at the approaching vehicles. His heart sank. He had seen groups like this before—armed, ruthless, and desperate. They called themselves the Rogues, a band of marauders who took what they wanted, leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake.

“We need to leave,” Alex said, his voice calm but resolute. “Now.”

But it was too late. The Rogues were upon them, their vehicles screeching to a halt outside the school. The leader, a towering man with a cruel smile named Vance, stepped out of the lead truck. He was flanked by heavily armed men and women, all of them exuding an air of cold, calculated menace.