In the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, the dying Aral Sea has become the site of an anomaly – an eerie forest that swallows everything in its path. No one knows where it came from, or why – retribution, perhaps, for humanity’s abuse of nature. All around lie the ruins of a vanished world – deserted villages, rusting ships marooned in sand, derelict oil rigs, power stations, and factories on the verge of collapse. A secret biological lab sits in silence on a remote island as roving gangs of looters, bikers, and former soldiers control the remaining population through fear. Nomads travel through these lands with no rest or respite, day or night – even walls can't guarantee safety. ...