: While attempting to blow up the wall, the detonator malfunctions. Sergeant Tan, revealing he is already infected, chooses to manually detonate the explosives , sacrificing himself to clear the path.

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The game starts with and his friend Ed Jones returning from a two-week fishing trip at Mt. Tanner. Completely cut off from the world, they are shocked to find that a zombie apocalypse has begun in their absence. After fending off attackers at a ranger station, they meet Maya Torres , a former soldier, and eventually make radio contact with Lily Ritter .

As the situation worsens, survivors begin falling ill with . Investigating the local reservoir with Sergeant Tan, the player discovers hundreds of corpses rotting in the water supply. It becomes clear that the water is contaminated, and remaining in the valley is a death sentence.

: Re-visits Trumbull Valley years later, exploring the evolution of the virus into the Blood Plague and the fate of original characters like Lily Ritter, who eventually founds "The Network".

: Judge Lawton leads a group of citizens under strict martial law, hoping to wait out the incursion. This group eventually falls when the courthouse is overrun by zombies.

: Led by Sergeant Erik Tan and Captain Diane Montresser , the military is present in the valley. However, the survivors soon realize the army is focused on containing the outbreak —preventing it from spreading further—rather than rescuing the people trapped inside.

: This story runs parallel to the main game, following a military unit called Greyhound One in the city of Danforth as they attempt to rescue high-value scientists.