The helicopter blades whirred, cutting through the eerie silence of the desolate city. Below, skeletal structures of buildings clawed at the bruised sky, monuments to a world lost. Inside, the air was thick with unspoken fear, the metallic scent of weaponry, and the faint, acrid tang of decay that seemed to cling to everything. Doctor Gerald’s words echoed in Dominick’s mind, a grim benediction: "Remember, no matter what may happen, you must all survive!"

Dominick shifted, the cold weight of his rifle a familiar comfort against his back. He glanced at the others—Mark, the stoic captain, tapping endlessly on his tablet; Vera, with her unsettling calm and hidden phone; and the rest of the young, scared faces, each clad in soldier’s gear. He was Dominick, and this was his mission. A suicide mission, some called it, to retrieve the cure for the Green Spot virus from the city that birthed the plague. His gaze drifted to the window, the ruined cityscape blurring into a grim tableau. His little brother, now a lab-bound monster, was his only compass in this hell.

"Alright guys, here we are," Mark’s voice cut through the drone of the chopper. "We are landing now so prepare yourself guys." The descent was swift, the ground rushing up to meet them. The moment the ramp dropped, a wave of putrid air assaulted Dominick’s senses – the sweet, cloying smell of death. They disembarked, weapons raised, scanning the apocalyptic tableau. The silence was absolute, broken only by their own cautious footsteps and the distant buzz of flies feasting on the grotesque remnants of humanity. The city was a graveyard, a silent testament to a virus that spared few, devoured many, and transformed the rest into something unspeakable. This was it. The point of no return.