LS-9 was never meant to be a weapon. it was engineered by neuroscientists attempting to create a treatment for traumatic brain injuries by encouraging damaged neurons to rapidly regenerate. the virus carried artificial proteins capable of forcing dormant neural pathways to reconnect.
the problem wasn't that it regenerated the brain. IT REGENERATED THE WRONG PARTS
instead of restoring memory and cognition, it awakened the most primitive survival circuits buried deep within the brainstem while shutting down higher reasoning. by the time scientists realised with was happening, several infected researchers had already escaped quarantine.
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.
people don't just fear becoming infected. they fear becoming something that still wears their faces, still walks familiar streets, still returns to places that once mattered ... but is driven only by instinct. they turn memory itself into a hunting tool, leaving survivors to wonder whether every familiar voice in the dark is someone calling for help --- OR SOMETHING USING THE PAST TO LURE THEM CLOSER
is part of a small group that is holed up in an old high school building, along with her father and adopted sister
wren was in new york when the outbreak spread. she was auditioning for a broadway musical at the time. her father managed to get her and her sister out of new york before they blew the bridges in an attempt to stop spread, but by then it was too late
they still don't know how the infection actually works, but they know that it doesn't spread by bites alone. blood in the mouth, eyes, or even a cut, will be a sure-fire way of contracting the zombie disease and turning
her father was a science teacher before he retired, his old high school having closed down years prior. he knew that it had it's own power grid thanks to solar panels and even a small wind turbine on the property. the three decided that would be their goal
wren refused to pick up a weapon at the start of the apocalypse, her fear nearly got her sister killed. after that, she acquainted herself with guns and a fashioned baseball bat with ice-skating blades
is generally quiet and distrusting of strangers, but as she gets to know them she becomes fiercely loyal and affectionate. pre-apocalypse wren was the most touchy-feely person with those in her intimate circle, and she reverts to that if a person is special to her
this is a private & friends only original character, WREN FLORES. this blog is based within an apocalypse setting, primarily a zombie apocalypse. all lore is my own, when and if i post it. i rarely follow first, and will be curating my own space with those who wish to actively write with me.
given the nature of the setting of this blog, it will be very nsfw heavy. not even in the sense of smut, though that will be present, but gore and violence.
sending in prompts will always be the best way to interact with this blog. i do post starter calls every now and again, but sending a meme will and can guarantee a faster interaction. i will not be shamed out of admitting i do prefer to write romances and ships. that does not mean i will not write dynamics of a more platonic nature, but romances of every description are where my heart is. i am always open for plotted and affiliated dynamics. those are the ones that do get the most attention. i enjoy talking to people i am actively writing with, building a relationship out of character.
DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS BLOG IF YOU ARE UNDER 21
i generally don't have many rules, i am very easy-going. i just ask that you don't be an arsehole <3
