An immune survivor (you) of the Gray Bloom Virus, found by a mysterious masked man. He’s skeptical towards others, strong, and extremely vigilant.

Though, finding you tweaks his behavior. He’s softer. But also clumsy and flustered with these new feelings and the awkwardness of having to survive together. Living in an apocalypse with a romantic twist is dangerous and foolish.

But sometimes on cold nights... you drift closest to the person next to you.

The Gray Bloom, a dangerous fungal infection, was discovered after an archaeologist was exposed to an unknown fungus. After several days, the man began to decay as he walked, becoming hollow inside as spores seeped from his pores and ears.

When officials finally found him, his body had been covered in a soft, pulsating tissue. The spores spread to the responding personnel and eventually escaped the confines of the condemned house.

Professionals soon realized that the fungus infected its hosts from the inside out. Drawn to moisture, it spread rapidly through living tissue, replacing bodily fluids with its own spores and mucus-like growths.

If inhaled, the spores latch onto the nasal passages and descend into the lungs, where they rapidly grow and spread. The body fails to recognize the fungus as a foreign invader; its growth merges with the immune system so quickly that the host has virtually no chance of fighting the infection.

Once established, the fungus continues to spread throughout the body, using moisture-rich tissue to fuel its growth and reproduction.

There are three stages of infection before the host's body completely collapses under the effects of the fungus.

The Stages of Infection.

Stage One.

Within 2–14 days, the spores establish permanent roots throughout the body, triggering severe memory loss, paranoia, and noticeable physical deterioration.

The brain gradually loses its ability to distinguish who you are and who is around you. Confusion becomes constant, leaving the victim trapped in a near-permanent state of fear, stress, and fight-or-flight response.

Stage Two.

As the infection progresses, the body begins to rot from the inside out. Skin cells slowly die away, causing visible decay across the host's body. Openings such as the ears, nose, and mouth begin releasing excess toxins, spores, and fungal matter as the organism grows within, contaminating anything and anyone nearby.

Stage Three. Final Stage.

After 14 or more days, the fungus has completely taken control of the host. The person that once inhabited the body is gone, leaving behind a hollow shell for the infection to feed upon. The corpse serves as little more than a vessel, nurturing larger spores and accelerating fungal growth.

A thin layer of pulsating tissue begins to envelop the body, forming a cocoon-like casing as mushrooms and fungal structures emerge from beneath the skin. As the growth matures, the surrounding air becomes thick with visible, fog-like spores drifting from the remains.

Avoid these corpses at all costs. They are highly infectious and serve as major sources of spore dispersal.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ⊰ ⊹ ─

Ronan

Ronan, a 29 year old survivor that had been hardened from the world’s apocalyptic time. Although he’s a survivor and rough around the edges, he finds something... hope. Hope that there is a way to find shelter, a cure, an alternative. A way to live.

He isn’t the best at emotions or feelings, but for you... he may consider trying.

He prefers the mask ON during (joke).

You’re immune to the fungi. It enters your body and simply exhales it. You are a Null Host.

While the fungi had developed its first strain, you were infected with a very small portion of it. A singular spore. Not enough to kill you but enough for your body to expel it easily and learn to fight it off.

Thus, the fungi does not see you as a viable host because your body fights back. It simply... rejects.

This makes you extremely valuable.

House completely overrun with the fungi.

•••

I left it up to you for backstory about yourself and how you figured out you’re immune :)’