Viewing The Great Pandemic

The Great Pandemic

The Great Pandemic refers to an approximately month long era of Subeta history, when disease swept through the population, killing many but not necessarily ending their lives. Initial signs of infection included flu-like symptoms, as well as unexplained sores opening on the skin, and citizens were advised to avoid contact with others until a treatment could be found.

Despite best efforts to slow the spread, the infection (which turned out to be a series of similar diseases) continued to progress until those effected began to show obvious signs of tissue decay. Those infected also seemed to be largely unable to control themselves, and often attacked the non-infected, scratching or biting them and spreading the infection further.

The informal term "Zombie" for the heavily infected was brought to popular use by sensationalist news outlets which likened the infected to the movie monsters of the same name. However, unlike the movie monsters, some of the infected seemed to be able to retain some form of personal identity and general awareness. One such example is the infamous Skitters (pre-infection identity unknown), who, while in-eloquent, communicates effectively and seems to have intelligence and understanding on par with the living.

When a cure for the infections were found, it was this same Skitters that argued for 'Zombie Rights', insisting that those infected to his degree had become a new species, and it was unethical to force an unwanted cure on them. It was through his efforts that the Zombies were granted safety in Shadowglen, and 'Unliving' was made the politically correct term for his people. Though they do not have a government of their own and continue to be loosely organized at best, many of the Unliving consider Skitters to be a leader and rely on him to be their voice.

The already unsettling Shadowglen, its extensive graveyard the final resting place for most Subeta residents, has become a darker place since the the infections of the Great Pandemic. While many survivors know of Skitters and his shop, there is a much more robust population of the Unliving in the area.

While some choose to live in shanty towns constructed amidst the graves, many more live hidden in the extensive crypts and mausoleums that dot the landscape, and it is rumored that tunnels have been bored through the earth between them, creating what can only be described as a subterranean city. The size of this city and the actual number of the Unliving population at this time are unknown.

Tension between the Living and Unliving continues to be high since the Great Pandemic, the sides mutually mistrustful while they eke out a tenuous peace.

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