Route of the dead

The Carter family—Mike, Sarah, their teenage daughter Lily, and 10-year-old son Ben—had been looking forward to their cross-country RV trip for months. It was supposed to be a time to bond, escape the stress of city life, and explore the great outdoors. But somewhere along a lonely highway, the world as they knew it collapsed.

The first sign was the emergency broadcasts. Static-filled messages warning of a violent outbreak. Then, the abandoned cars on the road, smeared with blood. And finally, the lone figure stumbling in the middle of the highway—its skin pale, its mouth stretched open in a guttural moan.