A world brought down by screeching that echoes the city's leathery wings that sprout from creatures that should not have, and the world of the ordinary collapses.

On the first night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave me an unseen creature. On the second night of Halloween, a mad scientist gave me two buzzing bats.

Welcome back to the 12 infections of Halloween. I'm debating whether I should do 13 of them, since 13 is more associated with spooky and Halloween, etc. Let me know what you think. The next one is going to be a Halloween-themed first-of-its-kind, so tell me what creepy creature you would like to be the first for this spooky season. In case you didn't check out the first part of this series, my plan is plagues of Halloween like I did last year for Christmas, and then when Christmas rolls around, I'm going to do a series of holiday-themed backrooms that'll kind of be their own thing. Either way, I hope you enjoy and that you will stick around.

(⚠️☣️ Warning: infection apocalypse, end of the world, and similar shenanigans; expect blood, gore, chaos, and more.☣️⚠️

(Infection fruit bats)

1. Initial infection can be caused by being scratched through blood transfer or by consuming contaminated fruit that either already held the infection or had been bitten by an infected person. It can take around 4 weeks before signs of the infection become noticeable. Early symptoms include mild fever, occasional headaches, nausea, and an increased craving for fruits, sweets, and juices.

2. Stage 2 can begin anywhere from one month to 3 months after initial infection; the infected individual will begin showing physical changes as well as more noticeable behavioral changes. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, high cravings for sweets, fruits, and juices; sensitivity to Bright Lights; sensitivity to sunlight; nausea when eating meat; migraines and dizziness during the day; toothaches; difficulty seeing; and a boost of energy at night. Physical changes include but are not limited to increased hair growth; increased nail growth; ears becoming longer; arms growing longer; and skin beginning to grow beneath the arm, connecting the arms to the Torso.

3. Stage 3 can begin at any point from 3 months after initial infection to 8 months after initial infection. Infected individuals have completely lost any need or desire to consume anything other than fruits, sweets, and juices; some may be content with sweeter vegetables; almost complete vision loss; extremely sensitive hearing, relying mostly on feeling or a form of echolocation; very active at night; not active during the day; very often sleeping through it. This stage includes the final bit of physical transformation: infected individuals will turn into a version of themselves and a fruit bat, with a set of leathery Wings growing between their arms and sides, their hands and feet growing claws to make it easier to climb; arms growing much larger to increase wingspan. It is not guaranteed that the wings, even after transformation has finalized, will be large enough to lift the individual, depending on weight. Small hairs will completely cover the body, and ears will become much larger and longer. During the transformation and even after, they may lash out; this is more often due to panic or anger, but they're not inherently aggressive and are far more likely to flee rather than to fight. Although many can look quite intimidating. For the most part, they are not dangerous, at least the fruit bat variant compared to the vampire bat variant of the infection. These infected are mostly harmless and maintain their mind and personalities.

(infection vampire bat)

1. Infection can occur through bites, scratches, or the transfer of blood, spit, or fluids entering the body from an infected individual or infected vampire bat. It can take up to 3 weeks before an infected individual will display symptoms. Initial symptoms may include dizziness, nausea, mild headaches, and mild fever. In the beginning of the infection, most infected individuals will go unnoticed, or their symptoms are similar enough, or nearly identical, to the fruit bat variant of the infection, as well as similar to many other sicknesses, thus making it difficult to verify early into the infection what the individual is suffering from.

2. Stage 2 can begin anywhere from one month to 3 months after initial infection. Infected individuals will begin greatly craving meat, especially having preferences for rare cooked or even raw meat, as well as cravings for blood. Infected individuals will become agitated more quickly and become a bit more aggressive. Physical changes may include, but are not limited to, ears growing; nails growing and becoming sharper; canine teeth growing; fangs growing; skin growing between the arms and torso, connecting them together; arms becoming longer; and fingers and toes becoming claws.

3. Stage 3 can begin anywhere from 4 months to 6 months after initial infection. The infected individual will become sensitive to Bright Lights and sunlight, have a boost of energy at night, become increasingly aggressive and easily agitated, and completely lose all desire or need for food aside from meat and blood; they will lash out at all those who get too close, especially when hungry. This stage is the Tipping Point; if the infected individual can manage their cravings and the changes they are going through, they can be prevented from entering the final stage, thus maintaining their mind and being able to live a mostly ordinary life. If the Cravings cannot be balanced out, the infected individual will move on to the final stage. This is a balancing act; the Cravings' desires and transformation of the body take a massive toll on the individual, not just physically but mentally. If the Mind cannot be protected and saved before the infection goes too far, it will be lost.

4. Stage four can begin anywhere from 8 months to a year after initial infection. This stage can only be reached if an infected individual fully loses themselves to the infection's cravings and aggression that it causes. The infected individual grows in size, their arms growing to twice the length of their body, the wings between the arms and torso extending even further, allowing for flight. Eyesight is almost completely lost; speech capability is strained or completely lost; the mouth is full of razor-sharp teeth, lashing out and attacking everything that moves, drawn to sounds and smells of blood. The mind falls apart day by day until all that's left is a monstrous nocturnal Hunter constantly moving, searching for food and those it can infect.

Intro one blank. Intro 2: Strange symptoms. Intro 3: Screeching. Intro 4: You created it. Intro 5: Lockdown.