Wasting Away

During the experiment, Serum XT1258 is tested on a soldier in a secure lab. The subject mutates into a zombie and attacks the surgeons, triggering chaos and a scramble to contain the outbreak. The facility's investigators realize the serum is more dangerous than anticipated.

The remaining serum is transported away for disposal, but the chain of custody is broken and the operation is compromised. The transport vehicles encounter delays and miscommunication as the substance moves toward disposal. The incident seeds a broader escalation that will bite civilians later.

The soldiers become lost and begin fighting over the mission map. In the confusion they accidentally run over a person who had been following them, escalating the danger. The pursuit of orders devolves into a chaotic scramble.

A barrel containing serum falls out and leaks behind a bowling arcade, contaminating ice cream in the process. The spill goes unnoticed until it starts affecting those who handle the sweets. The mishap sets the stage for the civilian outbreak.

Tim, Mike, Cindy, and Vanessa eat the contaminated ice cream at the bowling arcade. They all pass out and later reanimate as zombies, although they still perceive themselves as humans. The strange condition begins to blur the line between life and undead.

The group wakes as zombies but still believes they are human. They attempt to call for help, but the operator cuts them off and normal life seems to accelerate into a zombie-like state. The world feels sped up as their sense of reality shifts.

Outside the bowling arcade, Nick, a military private exposed to the serum, encounters the group and decides to join them. He suggests they search for a working phone to contact authorities. The alliance marks the first major turn in their plans for survival.

The group enters a bar and is attacked by its infected patrons, displaying enhanced strength and endurance. Nick reveals he was exposed to the serum as well, and theorizes the infection is widespread. He explains that the group may be immune thanks to dairy consumption that neutralized the toxins.

Nick attempts to gather information by spying on Colonel South and Dr. Richter, but is captured by their containment unit. His brain waves are sped up to help him understand humans again, and South ominously reveals that the military plans to eradicate the infected. Nick escapes the capture during the process.

Tim and Cindy visit Cindy's family, hoping for support. Tim accidentally triggers dynamite, killing Cindy's parents, then throws the device back before it explodes. The brutal accident underscores how fragile humanity has become.

Vanessa unintentionally scares her would-be employer into his bedroom, where a frightened man meets his end. The fear-driven death adds to the chaos surrounding the group. The line between victim and evil slips away as fear spreads.

Tim, Cindy, Mike and Vanessa reunite at the bowling arcade and are challenged by Tim's rival Danny and his drunken team. The group uses deception and distraction to survive, and Mike's decapitated head remains alive as a grim reminder of the ongoing danger. Nick arrives to help them defeat Danny's squad.

Mike devises a plan to infect the military HQ by contaminating the staff and resurrecting the bowling team in a disposal truck bound for the headquarters. The plan hinges on chaos and disguise, with the undead posing as redeploying corpses. Mike sacrifices himself by activating a grenade with his mouth to ensure the mission proceeds.

The zombies reach the headquarters and Nick offers himself as a diversion to delay Colonel South while the others infect the rest of the soldiers. In anger, South has Nick taken alive, leaving the mission uncertain. The balance of power shifts as the infected target the heart of the operation.

Tim, Cindy, Vanessa and other zombies populate 'Zombie Town' in memory of Mike and Nick. Colonel South and Dr. Richter plan to torture Nick, who responds with defiance: "I'm not a soldier. I'm a zombie." The era of human order collapses into a zombie-filled new world.