Influenza / Rabies Hybrid

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Permalink Reply by Laz on October 18, 2010 at 12:10pm

That's cool and fits in perfectly

re shamblers, its going to be a tough one lol. Maybe the death of runners causes the virus/host to mutate (anaerobic conditions?) to take over the lower brain functions?

Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on October 18, 2010 at 12:52pm

Alright, here are my inital thoughts that can be expanded with more ideas

Seasonal Flu infects a spelunker (cave hiker) who was recently infected with the airborn Rabies. The incubation time to symptoms of the hybrid virus is longer than influenza (a couple of days) but less than rabies ( a couple months).

Rage aspect of Rabies / influenza hybrid causes people to become runners. This Hybrid is called Campion

Independently, there is another virus (to be named later) that has always been around and causes shamblers. It has largely been isolated to third world countries (deep jungles or whatever). The CDC is studying both. Proper safety percautions are not followed and someone really fucks up. Instead of injecting a runner with some rabies antibodies in hopes of reversing the sickness, injects them with some of "Virus #2"

Runner dies and is sent to the morgue. Underpaid subcontrator does not right away put the body in that classic shelf / crypt thingy they have in the morgues. He goes out for his 15minute coffea or smoke break. It reanimates as a shambler and attacks. Since it is infected with both viruses, it will spread both viruses.

But since both viruses affect the brain they form a symbiotic relationship. The time required before becoming a runner is reduced from a couple of months to a couple of days. If the runner dies virus #2 takes over after death creating a shambler. While a runner is infected with both, the runner slowly decays as virus#2 takes over and the body literally tears itself apart from too much activity and not enough sleep or proper food and water.

But, what makes matters much much worse is that the several vials of Virus #2 (mislabled as rabies antibodies) has been sent to St. Theresa. Rabies antibodies are now the accept treatment to stop the progression of the Influenza / rabies hybrid (campion) infected from progressing to "runners". People have been kept as St theresa and not returned to the general public, because they have to get thier shots or they will "get really sick and may die". Worse, because of the overwhelming number of sick there is not enough rabies antibody to go around. Patients are triaged so that some live and some die.

If people are not too happy with Virus 2 two idea, we can keep "braaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnn storming" Sorry, could not resist the pun.

Slick

Permalink Reply by Laz on October 18, 2010 at 1:09pm

In the timeline untested drugs are pushed through without testing in an attempt to show the public that the government is doing stuff. It could be that in the rush companies send wrong vials by accident or on purpose just to get the funding.

The only trouble with specific events like above is that we try to keep the timeline open so that people can interperate it how they see fit. However background info is really great. Maybe we can develop a few theories about how the influenza/rabies virus creates the shambler.

Maybe have the influenze/rabies also combined with a third disease/virus which lays dormant until anaerobic conditions happen? Something which causes massive brain damage to inhibit movement and brain functions and pain receptors? Some kind of nervous system effecting virus?

I love the symbiotic relationship part form above though, that is definitely a nice point.

Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on October 18, 2010 at 3:12pm

OK, there are some bacteria that require anaerobic conditions to thrive. I will think about this.

I will build anaerobic conditions in somewhere. If not the direct trigger a causitive agent for some aspect of physiology / behavior

I will also make the second trigger (shambler) a bacteria. I have seen some discussion about whether the cause is bacterial or virus. If we build in both, we can keep both groups happy and promote collaboration.

Permalink Reply by Laz on October 18, 2010 at 3:15pm

Sweet

Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on November 14, 2010 at 3:59pm

Ok, I am going to try iand fill in the finalo pieces here.. I will come back and tiie everything together.

Anartonic bacteria. I could not really find a way to work this in. If we start with a virus, then the bacteria has to be second event and I am having trouble with the timing. SO, it will just be virus. BUT, some of the scientists interviewed may think it is a bacterial infection. They can szpeculate and it would not be until later in teh "game" that a bacterial onfection isw ruled out.

The campion virus pumps out the adrenelin, but fries the brain. As the runner takes more damage and "dies" it will become a shambler. This is how I attempt to explain it. It is all about being cold bloooded. The human body is designed to run at 97o. Have you ever worked in the cold, say cold water or just really cold air for a long period of time? Your manual. fexterity becomes shot to the hell. Hard to do small things. This is because the temperature of your fingers have dropped and begin to malfunction. As the cold mives up to the larger muscles, the same thing happens. voila shambler.

Another thing that happens if that the blood becomes much thicker. Blut looks like just red water. But, it has a whole lot odf proteins and other stuff in it. In fact, you can take blood and cook it up like a omlet. I can imagine that the colder it gets the more viscus, like an uncooked egg. So, Zombies do not bleed much. Since the shambler is no longer trying to maintain a high body temperature, it frees up a lot of energy reserves to do something lese. Lkie kill. But, since we want our zombies to try and obey the laws of physwics, the zombuie has to eat. But, can go a hell of a long time without food. Zombies can be shot in the chest and keep coming. Much like a drunk or someone jacked up on PCP. It may not stop them now, but they will probably not last much longer than a day. But, not many people are around to wond a zombie and watch it for a day and live to talk about it.

Zombies are "harder" than humans and that is part of their defence. THink of a pound of butter in the refrigerator. Pretty hard. Leave it on the counter at 90o without airconditioniong. It becomes a liquid. Since the zombies are cold, all of their fat wiill be like the hard grizzle on a piece of beef.

I have more tricks up my sleeve. B ut, I wanted to post this rough outline forr the Shamblers so it coule be complete. LIke I have always said. This is just my idea. I am glad to accept feedback and make changes as directed.

Permalink Reply by Jericho Syndrome on March 4, 2011 at 7:11am

would it be a collective minded virus or just individual?

Permalink Reply by Slick Joshua on March 4, 2011 at 11:52am

I had envisioned individual only, but you bring up something interesting.  It might be possible to have mastermind zombies.  Take the tact that although pretty disfunctional, put a bunch of them together and they might be able to group think.  Use the "nanite" concept. One does a single task, as more come together the tasks can be more complicated.

 

I have not seen anything in the "cannon" that leans either way.  I would pass on the group think, because there is so much going on.  Maybe this is something that can be explored in a lost zombies 2.0.