The duty of the police is to uphold justice and combat criminals. As a police officer, Rick was dedicated to his duties and often clashed with lawbreakers. Shane was Rick's best friend and partner. During one assignment, the two engaged in a fierce shootout with a group of criminals. In the crossfire, a wounded criminal shot Rick, who lost a significant amount of blood and fell into a coma before being rushed to the hospital by Shane.
When Rick woke up, the hospital was empty and deserted, with many corpses stored in the backyard. The world had become completely unrecognizable.
After leaving the hospital, Rick found a bicycle on a grassy field and began riding. Duane and his father Morgan encountered Rick while they were out. After a rocky start, the three formed a bond, found a stash of weapons together, and eventually went their separate ways. Rick planned to return to the city to search for his wife, while Morgan and Duane returned home to hold their ground.
Under Morgan's strict instructions, Duane stayed obediently in the living room. Morgan went upstairs to the window and used a sniper rifle to take down numerous zombies wandering outside. Among them was Morgan's wife, who had turned into a zombie. Morgan couldn't bring himself to kill her.
Meanwhile, Rick's wife, Lori, had become involved with Shane. When the zombie outbreak began, Shane helped Lori escape, and she brought along her son, Carl, who remained unaware of his mother's relationship with Shane.
Rick drove a police car to the outside of a building, but the fuel tank ran empty. He got out and called out to the residents, but no one answered. He approached the window and peered inside, where he found two dead bodies. One had a rifle resting on their leg, appearing to have died by suicide, while the other lay face down, skin decayed, already turned into a desiccated corpse.
It was highly likely that other walkers were lurking inside the house. Rick found a horse outside the building to replace his police car. The horse galloped swiftly, carrying Rick into a city. Rick weaved through many abandoned cars and reached a corner, which was crowded with countless walkers. The horse was frightened, stumbled, and fell to the ground. Rick abandoned the horse and took refuge in a tank. Suddenly, a man's voice came from the tank's radio. The horse had been killed by the walkers, and a large number of walkers were feasting on its carcass. Rick did not dare to rush out of the tank recklessly and could only stay inside, looking for a way to survive.