Welcome

Rena

Walkers were human once. They were affected by the Pandemic, and turned into foul, carnivorous beasts that have no sentience other than the overwhelming desire to feed. They exhibit minimal intelligence, and any attempt to converse with them is proven pointless. They feel no pain, and ultimately have very minimal reliance on organs and physiological processes that living humans would find vital. As such, their bodies rot, and they cease to exist as individuals. They simply walk the earth, ever-hungry and unable to quell that insatiable craving for raw flesh.

The virus that changed humans into Walkers came from a particularly malicious mutation that one individual had when receiving the serum that was intended to grant powers. Since this virus is highly contagious, and even has limited airborne transmission, it quickly became a global pandemic. The infected went on to attack and bite their neighbors, until quickly, most of the world's population became infected themselves; the virus transmitted via the saliva and other bodily fluids until little intelligent life remained. They are, for all intents and purposes, brainless zombies.

The process of being a Walker varies considerably from individual to individual. Some exhibit feral symptoms before their body fully 'dies.' That is, they alternate between delirious, walker behavior with semi-consciousness and sentience. Even during this stage, their bites are considered contagious. Others fully die, fall over and become motionless, only to rise again. The time of the infection varies as well. The actual process of infestation can take anywhere from hours to a week, depending on the individual.

For whatever reason, however, possibly because the initial mutation had something to with the viral RNA for powers, those with natural powers are mostly immune to the infestation. Those with formerly induced powers are immune to the airborne strain of the virus, though they are still susceptible to those vicious bites. However, in both scenarios, the very young, old, weak, and immunocompromised are still vulnerable to infection, regardless of whether they are powered or not. Certain normal humans also have some resistance to the infection, though this is usually imperfect, and lingering too long in an area littered with Walkers is never a good idea… for anyone.

Because they do not depend on the typical processes for sustaining life, Walkers are incredibly durable. They can usually take shotgun blasts to the chest, and while severely damaged, will still attempt to attack and bite any living flesh in the area. The only surefire way to defeat a Walker is to destroy its head, usually by dealing irreversible trauma or by separating it from the rest of the body and subsequently disposing of it.

This infestation seems to transcend species, and at the very least, other large mammals are susceptible to it. It is not uncommon to see infested dogs or horses. Strangely, like humans, there are a few within the species that are immune to the effects of the infestation. Once an individual is infected, any hope of restoring their former life is loss. That person is effectively dead, and no effort to restore them to life works.

If a susceptible person (a person that is not immune) is bitten by a Walker, if action is taken quick enough, it is possible to stave off the terrifying effects of the virus. For example, if a Walker bites an individual on the hand, if the victim amputates his arm quick enough, he can be saved from the infection. Unfortunately, whether the amputation occurred in time is not known if/until the individual transforms into a Walker; there is no visible sign that the action was a success.

Within the constructed fortresses by the unpowered humans, they have developed a booster injection to combat this virus. This virus offers temporarily protection from all airborne infection, and offers some resistance to Walker saliva, but it also suppresses any Power that the individual has. As a result, because the booster injection suppresses Powers and because of their inherent distrust of powered people (the infection was the result of a mutation with a power injection), these fortresses allow only unpowered humans to dwell within.

If a Walker infests an individual that had an induced power, the physical traits of the power remain. For example, if the newly-infected was induced with gills, those gills are retained in the infested. If he had enhanced musculature, that feature is retained. However, any power that requires conscious thought or triggers, the Walker is unable to do it, because their feral minds are incapable of processing thoughts on that level and their 'dead' bodies are unable to issue those triggers.

Walkers in general are infertile. They are entirely incapable of producing gametes, however, they do heal from damage, and for the most part, mitosis continues as usual. Wounds are usually healed with terrifying scars, and it's not uncommon to find hideously disfigured Walkers, who are even uglier than run-of-the-mill the bag-of-rot Walker. Generally, those that are battleworn tend to be more impressive and dangerous. Whether this is because they can adapt on some primitive level, or because they have managed to survive the perverse game of natural selection is unknown.