#im imagining all this impormation being said in a post-game or credit special where there's an old-timet government presentation

[amediocregamer]

so, it's probably wrong to call it a zombie virus, as it's much more akin to an infestation. the actual cause of the zombie-bad-times is these small, almost pin needle orange worms that reproduce extremely rapidly and are able to get themselves into other organisms and continue their spread extremely well.

maybe some mildish descriptions of body horror ahead. i doubt it's that bad but im still adding it as a precaution.

I havent thought of a first case situation and how the original zombie got turned, but I like to think it was due to an imbalance in a local environment that allowed these worms to grow and develop at astronomical levels; something like their natural predators being wiped or cleared out.

infestation within a living subject typically involves the worms entering into an organism's blood stream or vein in order to circle into the heart (bites, scratches, ingestion, etc). usually, detours to the stomach would be made in order to lay eggs that are then rapidly matured and entered into the blood stream again, but whether or not this stop is made depends on the location/convenience of the infected area, amount of worms, organism's acidity, etc. at the heart, the worms begin to take apart the heart and, at the same time, replace its function.

the thing that make the worms unique is that, rather than quickly taking control of the nervous system as I think a lot of other zombie media does, they actually take a comparatively slower path to replace the organs of a subject before finally replacing their nervous system on the sixth day of infection.

back to the heart, its replaced by a large amount of these worms that not only pump the blood to the other, non-affected areas of the body, but also contaminate the blood to carry eggs of the species'. it is removed shred by shred in an attempt to bring the least attention to its host and keep it functioning until the full organ takeover. once the heart has been fully replaced, what remains (typically half or close to three quarters) of it is vomitted out on the second day. most infected become aware of their condition by this time, and stray worms are also discarded in efforts to spread. the subject feels almost no change in their health aside from irregular heartbeats but report extreme anxiety due to personal worries for state.

by the third day and until the fifth, the process is repeated in the rest of the vital organs and interior muscles. their function remains intact but also prioritize the spread of the eggs or funneling of nutrients towards larger masses of the worms. on the exterior, the organism shows visible signs of infections, which include skin becoming a slightly orange hue with blood now being an almost viscous tangerine fluid that resembles orange juice pulp, and severe loss of weight. the host eats less, as they no longer have a stomach to get energy for, with the masses of worms replacing it as well as consuming the past remains of the stomach. towards late infection eggs are released through fluids from the host (like sweat, saliva, tears). despite a likely ability to be able to digest the material, the bones and skeletal system are left almost entirely intact.

on the sixth day, full transformation occurs. all muscles and flesh of the organism have now been replaced by the worms; the only original part left is the brain, which will not take long. due to the complexity and difficulty to imitate, the brain takes a relatively longer time to replace in which the subject is in excruciating pain comparable to brain aneurysm. at this point, any care or consideration for the needs of the host are entirely discarded as the full body no longer belongs to them. the nerves take a matter of hours to replace; where there once was a nervous system, there is now a network of constantly writhing and notably thin worms that are observable through the skin. consciousness is assumed to disappear at this point. the muscles, made now entirely of the species interlocking in spongy patterns, push against and burst through the original skin in expansion, resulting in increased physical ability and the likely spread of worms as a splash effect. skin is no longer being held onto by the infestation, and slides away along with hair, ears, the majority of the nose and the eyes having sunk into the skull to merge with the large mass. the zombie is incredibly violent, swipe, but also brittle. upon being slashed or shot, streams of worms and eggs are released like paint spills in the near area. it is for this reason why fighting the infected is not suggested unless the correct circumstances or equipment is present. buring, drowning or total crushing are suggested as the best method to defend against these zombies.

a humanoid form being kept past the sixth day seems to be the standard, however changes in structure or ability may occur. there have been few quadrupedal specimens observed, but these have been shown to be significantly faster yet weaker than the bipedal version. triped specimens have even been spotted rarely but these are weaker in most factors - most likely a mistake in their biology.

there is no point in infestation where the host organism can be cured. once an egg or worm infiltrates the body, the process is near guaranteed though times may differ.

if there is anything whatsoever that I'd gotten wrong about general biology or how something like this would happen, please do let me know!!! I'd like this to be somewhat realistic. a.aside from the zombie worms.

tagging @retic-pithon @vix-affix @definitely-not-a-plant @liv-log @k1m4r4 @squabblesquabble and @enemylv1 just to get some moots to see!!!