A emergency broadcast plays on loop and is being transmitted to all emergency broadband signals. It is a mans voice, he sounds haggard and worn. The recording is as follows:
If we had known then what we know now, we might have been able to do something, preemptive quarantine maybe, euthanization of the infected, something, anything. But we didn't know.
It swept through the world like wild fire. You would start with a tickle in the back of your throat, minor fatigue, slight nausea, maybe a runny nose an light fever, nothing serious, not even something to stay home with. That was the first sign that you had caught the airborne infection, it was what we came to call the prestage of the virus. The first glimpse that this might not be your normal cold didn't happen until a week after the initial symptoms. The top layer of the infected individuals epidermis began to peel off, it's not really even a serious thing, for most it wasn't even painful, but that was the end of the prestage of the virus. Within six hours of the peeling skin you would know. The fatigue went from minor to unbearable, what was slight irritation in the back of the throat became hyper inflammation of the lymph nodes, a runny nose became a streaming bloody nose, slight nausea and a light fever became uncontrollable vomiting and a fever of over 100 degrees. Within four hours of entering stage one the victim would enter stage two. Comatose with an intense fever of over 105, patches of skin deteriorating leaving bloody gaps of flesh. The gums, cheek, and tongue would begin to bleed profusely. In this final stage the virus caused a massive change in the victims brain in a matter of hours. The time span between entering stage two and entering stage three could be anywhere between one to seven hours. The exact reasons or determinate for that time could have probably been found at the very beginning, and maybe we could have stopped it, but really there was no time. Not enough people came in in the beginning and by the time they realize they needed help there were simply too many infected passed the point of no return. Too many reached the final stage in too short of an amount of time. In the final stage the victim regains consciousness, with no humanity left. They are simply creatures of the virus.
They are not explicitly zombies as some have taken to calling them, this was pointed out to me by a colleague before she passed. Zombies by her definition were dead and reanimated corpses, meaning that technically the victims are not zombies, they are in some ways more terrifying. From my observations the creatures have some minor intelligence and there seems to be some a variety of them.
I wish I could continue my study of them, but this will be my last entry.
As my colleague and I found, while the airborne virus was approximately 80% infectious it had what we referred to as an etr (effective turn rate) of about 75%, the blood borne variant of the virus is 100% contagious with an etr of 90%, the blood born virus does not have a prestage, bite victims will within two hours of exposure begin to experience the first stage of infection. As of recording this, it has been four and a half hours since I was bitten. I will soon enter the second stage. To any and all listening, aim for the head, and if you have a god, or gods, please pray for all of humanity, or whatever is left of it.
Sincerely signing out for a final time, Dr. David Wrightman, the last living soul at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, dated August 07, 2018.
The transmission continues in dead silence for twenty seconds and then a slight click can be heard. The emergency broadcast signal then reads off a list of safe zones and there status. It first reads off the location of the safe zone, then whether it is open, secured, in quarantine, or compromised. The last update for this list was in July of 2018. They date today is January 02, 2019, and all government established safe zones have been compromised.
1)There are four ways for your character to still be alive.
a) You never got the airborne virus and have never been bitten (Next to impossible your character would need to live in a clean suit or a clean bunker)
b) You are immune to the airborne virus and have never been bitten
c) You caught the airborne virus but didn't turn and have never been bitten
d) A combination of either b or c and you have been bitten and are immune to the blood born virus.
So yes your character can be immune to this virus, but they can die by any other means.
2) Here is a list of the known versions of the infected
Types of zombies:
Made Via Airborne infection:
Walkers- These are the largest body of the newly infected, and are the quintessential Romero-esque zombie. While they are slow they are durable and account for nearly 75% of all the turned infected. They will make lazier grabbing motions with occasional lackadaisical lunges, but once they have you these suckers are hard to get off, and even if you do manage to escape all it takes is a bite.
Runners- Make up a smaller portion of the newly infected, approximately 20% These infected are fit and well fed, they can usually get up to about a jogging speed and are vicious when attacking, quickly lunging with iron gripping hands and chomping down with ferocity.
Spitters- Rarer then Walkers and Runners Spitters are patients who, while still alive suffered from a unique symptom caused by the combination of a ferocious cough and puking, projectile vomit. When they turn they begin to project pure infection. Luckily they account for only 5% of those turned via airborne infection.
Via blood born infection:
Brutes- Massive creatures, made from when a Spitter or Bursters goo pools around multiple infected individuals during the second stage of the infection. Brutes are made from three to four different infected individuals.
Swarmers- Classification for small, young infected individuals, swarmers are faster and more agile then runners, and while they lack strength they are typically found in large numbers.
Minders- These infected individuals act almost like radio antenna linking the minds of other infected into a hivemind and creating coordinated efforts. While occasionally found with larger herds of walkers and runners they are always found in groups of swarmers.
Bursters- These infected are similar to Spitters in that they also project an infectious goo, however there are two distinct differences, a bursters goo is not only infectious but also corrosive, and upon impact or death they pustules and sacks all over the bursters body well burst.
3) My characters back story and reason for being at the Redwoods is that he is a Cadet at West Point Military Academy and was on a bonding trip there with his squad mates and their family (Slightly inaccurate for West Point but hey) They have grouped together with extra survivors, if you would like to be a squad mate or a family member put that in your bio, if you are someone we picked up along the way include that and where you came from.
4) Here is the character sheet:
Name:
Nickname:
Gender:
Age: (I will accept any aged characters, but remember unprotected five year olds are dinner)
Appearance: (If you use pictures please try and use an image accurate to age, no pictures of a thirty year old saying you are 18)
Weapon(s): (Be realistic and have an explanation as to how they have it)
Gear and Equipment: (again be realistic)
History:
Skills: (First aide, firearms training etc.)
Other:
Name: Connor Finn Jr.
Nickname: Cadet Sergeant Finn
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Appearance:
Weapon(s): Connor carries five weapons on him. For close range killing he has a crowbar and hatchet, aquried on a post-outbreak raid on a convince store. He also carries a Tanto knife with knuckle covers and a glass breaker spike on the back that he had brought with him on the trip.
The Knife, worn on his belt, hanging on his left hip.
For medium range he carries two small firearms, one silenced by a homemade silencer and one small that he carries hidden, unsilenced for only in emergencies. The silenced handgun is a Glock 26, and the unsilenced handgun which he keeps tucked away in a secret place on him is a Colt Detective Special. Both of which he acquired from police officers (more accurately what was left of them) post-outbreak.
The Glock 26 which he wears on his right hip in a hastily modified holster.
The Colt Detective Special, hidden.
For long range and hunting he carries a Mossberg 590A1 pump action with several slug varieties, also acquired from a police officer.
Gear and Equipment: He has a large waterproof travel pack, with multiple options for carry, dual shoulder straps, cross shoulder straps, and hand carriers. In the pack he has a stash of ammo in one side pocket, thirty rounds of .38 Special for his colt and sixty rounds of 9x19mm for the Glock 26. In the second side pocket he has a camouflage tarp and a utili-utencile (folding fork, spoon, and can-opener). In the third side pocket he has four flare rounds, ten bird shot rounds, fifteen buckshot rounds and thirty slugs. In the main pocket there are two compartments. The side compartment on the left has two spare sets of clothes, an olive green thermal jacket, two t-shirts one grey with black lettering stenciling out ARMY, the other camo, two sets of pants, one cargo style with camo, and one a pair of black denim, he also has two changes of undershorts, undershirts, and socks. In the main compartment he has several prepackaged MRE's (meals ready to eat), several bags of water, a large flashlight, a flint and steel, a small amount of steel wool, a box of matches, a lighter, a small first aide kit, wire snare lines, a small tin with fishing line and gear, some water purification tablets, a whistle and signal gear, a three pencils and two notebooks, a compass, several maps of different varieties ranging from local tourist maps to military grade geography maps, a multi-tool, some 550 paracord, a solar charger, a compact saw, and a canteen.
History: Connor Finn Jr. comes from a strong proud line of Army men, the first born son (if only by a few seconds) of First Sergeant Connor Finn Sr., Connor was planned by his father, his twin sister? Not so much. When Connor Sr. and his wife Ester Finn separated, Connor Sr. gained sole custody of his son, while Ester gained sole custody of their daughter Abigail. Connor was raised and carefully groomed by his father, sculpted into a brilliant military mind. His father taught him everything, from survival training, to hand to hand combat, to strategy and planning, to map reading and logistics. Connor was always his fathers brightest star, and he flew through school, graduating early from high school at the age of sixteen, top of his class. With the help of his dad pulling a few strings for him Connor was accepted into West Point, in spite of his young age. Since getting to West Point he maintained his perfect image for his father, continuing to excel in his studies.
Skills: He is a talented tactician and marksman, as well as moderately trained in hand to hand combat, he is certified in CPR and has a good knowledge of first aide. He also has a working knowledge of cartography as well as map reading. In addition he is also trained in survival skills.
Other: Connor was the Cadet Sergeant of his barracks and squad leader, it was his idea to organize a 'family and friends' camping trip to the Redwoods, and since the outbreak and the group being stranded he has become the unofficial leader of their little band of survivors.
Name: Abigail Finn
Nickname: Abby
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Appearance:
Weapon(s): She has a large kitchen knife, a crowbar she is pretty handy with, and a small revolver her brother gave her with six rounds in it.
Gear and Equipment: She carries two bags, a small backpack with a spare outfit composed of a second pair of ratty jeans a second four sizes t-shirt, a change of delicates, a change of socks, and a baseball cap that says punk's not dead it just smells like it, two sketchbooks, a set of colored pencils, two notebooks to write in, a few feminine hygiene products, some exact-o-knives. Her second bag is a messenger bag slung over one shoulder, in it she has some supplies from her brother, two MRE's and two bottles of water. In the bag she also has a sewing kit and a pretty well stocked first aide kit. She also carries a violin and bow in a case.
History: Abigail has always played second fiddle to her brother in her fathers eyes, but her mother always adored Abigail, for her artistic talents. Her mother encouraged her to peruse the arts, which she did with enthusiasm. She was constantly drawing, writing, and even picked up the violin, and while she never did well in school, she did pick up some street smarts. When she heard her brother graduated from high school early she decided that maybe high school wasn't for her. She dropped out and began bumming around Seattle, earning money with her art work, and preforming as a street musician staying with her mother, living in with her in a two bedroom apartment.
Skills: She is talented at drawing painting and sketching, as well as a capable violin and guitar player, she also knows basic first aide.
Other: She is Connor's younger sister and was invited as part of the 'family' extension, Connor's mother and father were mysteriously not invited.