A Virus Which Feeds On Adipose Tissue
They arrived at the burned, smoldering, and partially collapsed headquarters of PCRC. A number of fire and emergency response vehicles remained abandoned, some still containing the bodies of those responders who could not escape the scene before it was overrun with infected Skells.
Outside the entrance to the building stood a tall man and a short woman facing different directions. Every so often, a Skell would come running towards them, but it would not get too close before the duo cut it down with multiple shots to the stomach—no more wasted ammo blowing off their empty heads.
The sounds of gunfire and sirens could still be heard in the distance, as well as the faint and failing mechanical voice of the airdropped public address systems repeating the same message about staying in your home, etc. Inside the building, within the cluttered, smoke damaged but still intact office of James Sullivan, Ivan was prying open a safe. Once the door had swung open, he removed a notebook, flipped through the pages in haste, to ensure he had found what it was that he was looking for.
He flipped through several pages and stopped to read handwritten notes near the back of the journal:
Initial exposure causes cellular modification, much like a cancer. The result is a stomach tumor that grows at an exponentially increasing rate. The malignancy grows veins to ensure blood flow, but then adapts further, forming its own neural network. The tumor attaches to the lining of the stomach and transforms itself into a secondary brain. The new stomach/brain absorbs/digests the host’s resources (fatty tissue) until depleted. This act of self-digestion is similar to the process I had attempted to induce during my cellular studies of obesity.
Secondary stage of infections appears to fuse to the host’s nervous system, eliminating the host’s free will, and creating a new entity with the sole purpose of seeking out and providing nourishment for the infection’s carrier.
This new entity seeks only to survive and replicate, directing host body to serve as hunter, gatherer and digesting mechanism, which is in a constant state of hunger and hunting. Perpetuation of the virus through transmission of the virus via bites is only the beginning; it seems now to be airborne.
Conjecture: Initial stem cell donors carried dormant H5N1 bird flu virus.
Virus, when introduced to ingested human stem cell M.E.A.T product, produced a hybrid viral strain that mimics H1N1 human flu method of perpetuating and transmitting itself.
New hybrid virus continues to mutate, modify, adapt and overcome.
Almost like a human version of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, only when Mad Cow melted the brain, it did not regrow a new brain in the cow’s stomach to supplant. This does!
Analysis: We’re fucked.
24 hours after ingestion of M.E.A.T
• 5% of subjects become violently ill, no further negative reaction
• 95% Show initial changes visible in stomach
• Subjects have stomach pains, nausea and diarrhea
48 hours
• Brain stem development visible, stomach exhibits signs of change
• Subject shows increased signs of extreme hunger, will consume all types of food every 15 minutes
• Stomach outer lining taking on brain like appearance
• Sign of infection seen in salvia and blood
72 hours
• Secondary brain achieves consciousness
• Struggle between primary and secondary brain begins
• Subjects noticeably thinner
• Subject’s body begins to feed on own adipose tissue, commonly known as fat tissue
• Subject extremely contagious, can spread mutation via blood, saliva, air?
Day 4
• Primary and secondary brains battle for control
• Subjects exhibit symptoms of extreme schizophrenia.
• Violent, aggressive, will attack non infected subjects without reason
• Some subjects observed attempting to cut out or remove own stomach
• 40% of victims die at this stage
Day 5
• Secondary brain achieves dominance
• Subjects are now skeletal in appearance
• Subjects seek fatty tissue from all sources
• Subjects will resort to cannibalism as soon as exposed to the non-infected subjects
• Subjects unable to recognize loved ones will attack family members if present.
• Primary brain has ceased functioning and is basically dead. Removal will not affect subject
• Secondary brain controls all motor functions but has no higher brain function such as speech, reason, fear
• Subjects only have ability to move and drive to feed on human tissue
• Only way to cease functions is to remove the secondary brain by removing stomach
Progression of symptoms appears to accelerate as infection is passed to each successive victim. Secondary victim will complete transition within 72 hours, third victim, within 24 hours.
NO ONE MUST LEAVE NEW JERSEY, THIS MUST NOT SPREAD.
Ivan walked carefully out of the debris and raised the book above his head. “Dr. Coleman’s journal,” he said.
He turned to Marifi. “One more stop, and then it’s time to pay Dad a visit.”