The Common Infected represent the most widespread and statistically dominant manifestation of the Blood Plague. They form the overwhelming majority of hostile entities encountered in the world one month after the fall.
They are not undead.
They are not mindless.
They are living humans whose bodies and fragmented minds are under partial control of the Blood Plague.
Individually, a Common Infected is manageable.
Collectively, they are the mechanism by which civilization ended.
Common Infected remain biologically alive.
Core body temperature remains elevated
Hearts continue to beat, often irregularly
Lungs function, though breathing is labored or erratic
Blood pressure is dangerously high
Blood composition is altered by the plague, becoming thicker and darker over time. Veins often appear blackened or faintly red beneath the skin, especially near the neck, face, and forearms.
Wounds bleed freely but clot rapidly. Limb loss does not immediately incapacitate an infected unless it compromises structural mobility.
Pain response is suppressed but not absent.
The defining trait of Common Infected is partial neurological preservation.
Higher cognitive function is damaged but not destroyed.
Memory fragments persist
Language centers degrade unevenly
Emotional responses spike unpredictably
Most Common Infected exist in a looped mental state, cycling through impulses tied to hunger, territorial defense, and residual emotional anchors from life.
This explains why many infected:
Repeat phrases
Fixate on locations
Gravitate toward familiar environments
They are not thinking clearly—but they are not empty.
Common Infected retain baseline human motor function.
They are capable of:
Walking and running
Climbing stairs, ladders, and low obstacles
Opening unlocked doors
Breaking through weakened barriers
Using simple tools without understanding their purpose
They cannot reliably:
Reload firearms
Use complex machinery
Execute deliberate combat tactics
However, they can overwhelm defenses through persistence rather than precision.
Speech among Common Infected is common but degraded.
Typical vocal behaviors include:
Repeating names
Muttering fragments of sentences
Screaming words rather than sounds
Mimicking survivor speech patterns
Some Common Infected appear to “recognize” people they once knew, responding with heightened agitation or fixation. This recognition does not result in mercy.
Speech is not communication.
It is neurological residue.
Common Infected are reactive rather than strategic.
Primary stimuli include:
Sound (especially sharp or rhythmic noise)
Movement
Visible blood
Emotional distress (screaming, panic responses)
When stimulated, they converge rapidly and violently.
When unstimulated, they wander, loiter, or remain dormant for long periods—sometimes days—especially indoors.
This dormancy makes cleared areas deceptively unsafe.
Common Infected naturally form loose groups.
Packs are fluid and unstable
No true hierarchy exists
Numbers increase through convergence
Large packs often move along predictable routes:
Streets
Hallways
Transit corridors
Once a pack forms, it is difficult to disperse without noise or violence—both of which attract more infected.
This self-reinforcing behavior is the primary reason cities remain lethal even after population collapse.
Common Infected interact with the world in crude but effective ways.
They will:
Push against barricades until failure
Pile against doors or walls
Fall from heights without hesitation
Trigger traps accidentally
They do not tire in the human sense. Fatigue exists but is chemically suppressed by the plague.
This makes time the infected’s greatest weapon.
Common Infected become more dangerous under specific conditions:
Darkness: Reduced survivor visibility increases ambush likelihood
Rain or Storms: Noise masks movement, enabling sudden contact
Confined Spaces: Hallways, stairwells, and basements amplify danger
Blood Exposure: Fresh blood dramatically increases aggression
A single mistake can turn a manageable situation into a fatal one within seconds.
Common Infected are the most emotionally damaging variant to encounter.
They:
Look human
Sound human
Sometimes act human
Survivors report:
Hesitation during first encounters
Guilt after neutralization
Nightmares involving speech or eye contact
Over time, most survivors learn not to look at faces.
Those who do not adapt rarely survive long.
Common Infected decay slower than natural corpses.
Muscle tissue remains functional for months
Bone density degrades gradually
Sensory capability declines unevenly
Older infected may:
Lose fine motor control
Develop erratic movement patterns
Become more brittle
However, even degraded infected remain dangerous in numbers.
Time weakens individuals—but strengthens the plague overall.
The Common Infected are not an accident.
They are the baseline expression of the Blood Plague’s design.
They overwhelm through:
Persistence
Numbers
Environmental pressure
They deny humanity space, silence, and rest.
They are the reason rebuilding is slow.
They are the reason no place stays safe forever.
Among survivor communities, Common Infected are often underestimated.
This is usually fatal.
Most recorded settlement collapses were not caused by rare variants, Plague Hearts, or Vamps—but by routine exposure, fatigue, and complacency around Common Infected behavior.
They are not the worst thing in the world.
They are simply everywhere.