Operation: Last Dawn

Date: June 14, 2045 Time: 0200 Hours Location: Santa Vereda, South America Deep within the dense forest of Santa Vereda, an explosion tore through the night. Two American soldiers burst from the ruins of an abandoned facility, sprinting into the undergrowth as a massive horde of infected shrieked in pursuit. Sergeant Thomas Ash stumbled, his weight dragging against First Sergeant Caleb Morrow’s shoulder. Blood poured through Thomas’s fingers as he clutched a savage bite wound in his midsection. “Stay with me, man!” Caleb shouted, hauling him forward. Thomas screamed, his back arching violently as the change took hold. Blackened veins crawled up his neck, and his eyes clouded over in sudden, vicious spasms. Caleb dropped his best friend and partner as Thomas thrashed on the forest floor, succumbing to the infection. “No! Oh God, Thomas, no!” Thomas fought through the seizure, locking eyes with him for one final, lucid instant. “Kill me before I take you with me!” Caleb froze, his hands shaking against his rifle. Tears spilled down his cheeks, but he couldn't let his friend turn into one of the monsters. He raised his weapon, whispered a broken goodbye, and pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the trees. Without looking back, Caleb broke into a dead sprint toward the rally point. Once inside the wire, he transmitted an emergency flash report to command in Washington, D.C. Then, all communications went completely dark.