Eric Mendoza

Day Of The Dead Eric Mendoza

Zombies have overrun the entire world, outnumbering humans 400,000 to 1. The surviving humans live in barricaded camps and secure underground bunkers.

In an underground facility in the Everglades housing scientists and soldiers, the scientists are trying to find a solution to the zombie pandemic; the soldiers have been assigned to protect them. Dr. Sarah Bowman, soldier Private Miguel Salazar, radio operator Bill McDermott, and helicopter pilot John fly from their underground base to Fort Myers, Florida, in an attempt to locate additional survivors. They find only a large horde of the undead, and they return to the base.

Dr. Logan, the lead scientist (whom the soldiers nickname "Frankenstein" because of his grisly surgical dissections of zombies), believes that the zombies can be made docile by surgery or by training and conditioning. He keeps a collection of captive zombies for use as test subjects, in a large underground corral in the compound. Captain Rhodes and the soldiers vehemently object to the dangers involved in capturing zombies and keeping them inside the compound. The tension between soldiers and scientists worsens in the face of dwindling supplies, loss of communication with other survivors, and slow, uncertain progress in research.

During a meeting between the scientists and the soldiers, Rhodes declares that, following the death of the previous base commander Major Cooper, he is taking command of the base. He also informs the scientists that henceforth they will work under his orders, and anyone who objects will be executed. He also threatens to abandon the scientists and leave the compound, although (as Dr. Logan points out) civilization outside has collapsed, the world is overrun by zombies, and there is nowhere for the soldiers to go.