I AM BECOME DEATH

VIRUS CLASSIFICATION type: engineered neurotropic virus

primary target

brainstem

limbic system

spinal cord

adrenal glands

unlike traditional diseases, LS-9 doesn't kill it's host. it rewrites them.

TRANSMISSION

SALIVA ( highest risk )

bites, blood entering the mouth, shared drinks

BLOOD

open wounds, medical accidents, combat injuries

INFECTION TIMELINE

STAGE ONE --- THE SPARK

0-2 hours

symptoms

headache, ringing ears, elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, increased body temperature, extreme anxiety

the infected often complain: "everything sounds too loud."

STAGE TWO --- THE FEVER

2-8 hours

symptoms

sweating, tremors, aggression, insomnia, hyper-awareness, food tastes metallic

infected become irrationally afraid of silence. many refuse to be left alone

STAGE THREE --- THE HOLLOW

8-24 hours

symptoms

emotional numbness, difficulty recognizing loved ones, loss of empathy, speech becomes fragmented, violent mood swings

mri scans show the front lobe beginning to shut down

STAGE FOUR --- COLLAPSE

the infected suffers what appears to be cardiac arrest. heartbeat stops, breathing stops, body temperature drops, clinically dead. for approximately 3-7 minutes

STAGE FIVE --- REBIRTH

the body reanimates. the fresh infected look almost normal. as weeks pass veins become pale white, eyes cloud silver, skin tightens over the face, hair gradually falls out, their mouths become permanently bloodstained

INTELLIGENCE & BEHAVIOUR

LS-9 zombies aren't mindless. they retain fragments. they remember doors, stairs, vehicles, windows. some remember how to unlock gates, others remember how to climb, many remember where people hide.

they hunt through sound first, smell second, sight third. unlike most zombies they don't wander. they patrol. if they fail to catch prey, they'll return later. almost as if they remember.

the infected cannot speak. however, they imitate. a zombie might whisper "help", using a voice copied from someone it heard weeks earlier. the words mean nothing, they're bait.

the cruellest feature of LS-9 is that traces of the original person seem to linger. a mother may still return to her child's bedroom every night, a firefighter may instinctively try to open station doors, a musician may tap a familiar rhythm on a table before attacking. these aren't acts of recognition or love, they're framents of deeply ingrained habit. the conscious person is gone, but echoes of their routines remain, making encounters with former friends and family especially haunting.

VIRUS CLASSIFICATION type: engineered neurotropic virus

primary target

brainstem

limbic system

spinal cord

adrenal glands

unlike traditional diseases, LS-9 doesn't kill it's host. it rewrites them.

TRANSMISSION

SALIVA ( highest risk )

bites, blood entering the mouth, shared drinks

BLOOD

open wounds, medical accidents, combat injuries

INFECTION TIMELINE

STAGE ONE --- THE SPARK

0-2 hours

symptoms

headache, ringing ears, elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, increased body temperature, extreme anxiety

the infected often complain: "everything sounds too loud."

STAGE TWO --- THE FEVER

2-8 hours

symptoms

sweating, tremors, aggression, insomnia, hyper-awareness, food tastes metallic

infected become irrationally afraid of silence. many refuse to be left alone

STAGE THREE --- THE HOLLOW

8-24 hours

symptoms

emotional numbness, difficulty recognizing loved ones, loss of empathy, speech becomes fragmented, violent mood swings

mri scans show the front lobe beginning to shut down

STAGE FOUR --- COLLAPSE

the infected suffers what appears to be cardiac arrest. heartbeat stops, breathing stops, body temperature drops, clinically dead. for approximately 3-7 minutes

STAGE FIVE --- REBIRTH

the body reanimates. the fresh infected look almost normal. as weeks pass veins become pale white, eyes cloud silver, skin tightens over the face, hair gradually falls out, their mouths become permanently bloodstained

INTELLIGENCE & BEHAVIOUR

LS-9 zombies aren't mindless. they retain fragments. they remember doors, stairs, vehicles, windows. some remember how to unlock gates, others remember how to climb, many remember where people hide.

they hunt through sound first, smell second, sight third. unlike most zombies they don't wander. they patrol. if they fail to catch prey, they'll return later. almost as if they remember.

the infected cannot speak. however, they imitate. a zombie might whisper "help", using a voice copied from someone it heard weeks earlier. the words mean nothing, they're bait.

the cruellest feature of LS-9 is that traces of the original person seem to linger. a mother may still return to her child's bedroom every night, a firefighter may instinctively try to open station doors, a musician may tap a familiar rhythm on a table before attacking. these aren't acts of recognition or love, they're framents of deeply ingrained habit. the conscious person is gone, but echoes of their routines remain, making encounters with former friends and family especially haunting.