Food, water, shelter- it was what everyone needed; it was the bare minimum, but in a world where rot and decay don't quite work, what happens if it stops being so simple?

On the 1st night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me an invisible creature. On the 2nd night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me two beastly bats. On the 3rd night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me three Mystic beasts. On the 4th night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me four heart attacks. On the 5th night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me five living pumpkins. On the 6th night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me six living costumes. On the 7th night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me seven horse riders. On the 8th night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave to me eight mummies.

Welcome to my 12 plagues of Halloween. Along with this series, I'm also doing a handful of first-of-a-kind characters that are spooky season-themed, so feel free to make recommendations for what you would like to be the first of when Christmas rolls around. I will also be doing a 10-part Backrooms scene that is winter- and holiday-themed, along with more themed first-of-a-kind characters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and cause chaos.

(Infection)

1. Initial infection is caused by being bitten by an infected individual, coming into contact with infectious material such as clothing, tools, phones, and objects that have been in contact with an infected individual, and inhaling large amounts of dust or sand that has come off of an infected individual. Its origin is unknown, so many people assume it came from an ancient pyramid or cursed tomb; this has yet to be proven or disproven. The mummified drought is a prion that exists inside the brain until the host has died, at which point the infection merges together, transforming itself into a parasite that spreads throughout the body, fully taking control of the remains. In cases of biting or contracting the infection due to injury, it is already too late; attempting to remove a limb or immediately cleaning the injury has proven completely ineffective, so if someone is bitten on their leg, cutting off the leg will do nothing. In a matter of moments, the infection digs into the bloodstream and, using the bloodstream, injects itself into the brain regardless of the infection area. This happens in less than 30 seconds. Symptoms can start within half an hour of infection. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, dry throat, a scratchy throat, coughing, nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, shaky breathing, overwhelming thirst, and difficulty retaining liquid in the body.

2. Stage 2: rapid Decay and drying out. The infected individual is constantly dehydrated; it doesn't matter how much they drink, they will always feel thirsty, and their body is physically incapable of retaining water. Organs begin to shut down, and the body begins to dry out; the individual begins to cough up dust and sand, which is infectious if inhaled. Symptoms will continue progressing and getting worse until they inevitably result in the death of the infected individual.

3. Stage 3: Resurrection. The remains of the infected individual will slowly reanimate, and the Prion will merge together, transforming me into a parasite that spreads throughout the body, absorbing all liquid from the body, fully drying out and mummifying the remains. This makes the body quite fragile; the animated corpse will then begin moving and shambling about, seeking fresh bodies to spread the infection to and liquid that will quickly be absorbed by the parasites in the body. Despite the body becoming quite fragile, it is extremely well preserved, adding to longevity and preventing decay. The infection itself spreads extremely quickly, taking over and killing the host anywhere from a few days after initial infection to 2 months, and that is with Medical Aid and assistance to delay the inevitable.

Any beings that have a large amount of water in their body or that make up their body are susceptible to the infection. This includes non-human creatures such as vampires, werewolves, plant demons, and angels. Beings that are inherently not susceptible to the infection are any beings that do not require or possess large amounts of water in the body; these are mainly creatures that are entirely made of energy, such as ancient angels, ancient demon deities, and some types of fairies. Temperature is irrelevant to the infection; it can spread more slowly in colder environments, similar to how the flow of liquid flows in such environments, while speeding up in hotter environments, especially humid environments where there is moisture naturally in the air, but true immunity can only be achieved. The infected individual possesses absolutely no water in the body; this would be a being made of energy, rock, metal, or something similar.

Intro 1: blank. Intro 2: attack. Intro 3: City collapse. Intro 4: containment breach.

(My brain is weird, so bizarre hypothetical. Hypothetically, if a vampire were to somehow end up possessed, would it be worse to leave them be or to try to exorcise the demon? Second hypothetical: if you were married to someone and they died, then came back to life because it says till death do us part would you have to remarry them?)