NOTE: THIS INFORMATION IS OOC. Using any information about the virus that is not listed in the "What We Know..." thread, discovered In Character, or detailed in your character's profile regarding how they know, will be considered METAGAMING.
Consider this a guidebook for you, the OOC Macho Member of The ZRU, when RPing anything that deals with the virus or infection. Human characters are bound by these rules, unless a mod has explicitly stated otherwise. Just remember, not everything that affects your character can be explained by your character.

INFECTION

Infection occurs in only one way. The virus is transmitted orally by its carrier, meaning that the "virus" will only infect a Human whose organs or flesh are directly and physically exposed to the zombie's saliva. Obviously, being bitten by a zombie is the most frequent form of infection. However, infection may also occur if an open wound comes in contact with infected saliva and if saliva gets into the open mouth or eyes.

Bites that do not break the skin are not infective. Saliva that touches the skin is not infective.

If the saliva does not come in contact with the eyes, mouth, flesh or an open wound within five minutes of leaving its host zombie's mouth, the virus dies and the saliva is no longer infectious.

INFECTION PREVENTION AND INFECTION TIME

Amputation is an effective means of prevention. However, after some consideration I believe that this is only effective if fire is used to cauterize the wound immediately after, killing any harmful virii that still remain.
Amputation is justified is because in Romero's Dawn of the Dead (Last of the trilogy) one of the soldiers gets bitten and the protagonist hacks off his arm then burns it shut. He doesn't die via infection.

He does, however, go a little crazy... Also bear that in mind. Phantom pains and post traumatic stress WILL ******** up your character. There are no exceptions to this rule. You are, however, allowed to decide how your character is affected emotionally and psychologically. The physical repercussions are pretty obvious.

Let's say that the infection spreads through the blood stream (only spreads; not incubates) through the blood stream at the rate of the host's pulse. Therefore, if a person is bitten in the heat of battle, they have significantly less time to prevent infection than say, someone who is bitten by surprise or has consciously slowed their heart rate.

Meditation (practiced and perfected meditation) also slows the heart rate, breath intake and circulatory systems of the human body while creating a storm of activity in the brain. This can be used much like Cardiac Control, but training is required and must be properly RPed for the effects to set in.

[Please Note: Cardiac Control is NOT something that comes natural. If you intend to go that route, it must explicitly state in your character bio that you have the skill. If you do not, you may acquire it in the RP by constantly practicing. This means time must be dedicated to mastery of the skill; numerous hours, not just a passing moment of practice.]

For someone who has been bitten and is out of combat/ has the skill of Cardiac Control, it would take ten minutes for the host to become irreversibly infected. For someone in combat, it will take five minutes on average.

If the limb (assuming the bite is on a limb) is not amputated and cauterized by that time, the character in question is infected. The virus will then incubate inside them, kill them, leave a brief period of "death limbo," and emerge shortly after as a full undead carrier.

INCUBATION TIME

This depends on one of two things. The first beign whether or not the bite was caused by a Deviant zombie, or a regular zombie (this includes runners, shamblers, climbers and jumpers).

If the bite is from a Deviant, full incubation (resulting in death) will take a total of three days.

If the bite is from a regular zombie, incubation will take five days.

SYMPTOMS/ "DEATH LIMBO"

Symptoms in the first day/ two days (if regular zombie) range from fever, cold sweats, red eyes, pale and clammy skin, accentuated veins, slurred speech, disorientation, insomnia, nausea and lack of appetite.

Halfway through the incubation period, the host begins to suffer from extended fits of paranoia, hallucination, psychosis and premature rigor mortis. This means that the character has extreme difficulty with running, climbing, and any acrobatic feat.

Nearing the end of the host's life (3/4 through incubation) the host will succumb to either a manic homicidal state or an unresponsive comatose state. Homicidal hosts are suddenly filled with a violent lust for flesh, whereas comatose hosts will feel the hunger for flesh but not act on it unless "food" is within arm's reach. Both varieties of host no longer have a grasp on spoken language, and are incapable of communicating with humans beyond gesturing and guttural noises.

FINAL STAGE OF INCUBATION:

Host dies. There is a day/ half day period where the virus begins to assimilate the nervous/ muscular/ skeletal system of the host. Shortly before reanimation, the host's limbs begin to thrash violently (think epilepsy) as the virus reconfigures muscle control to fit the brain's minimal motor capacity.

These fits last for about ten seconds. Afterwords, the host is reanimated with no memory of speech, past life or friends. NONE. Let's make that clear. After becoming a zombie, your character becomes mindless with no sense of emotion or purpose except basic primal instinct. Zombies recognize other zombies, and recognize living organisms as food. Zombies do not have ANY recollection of their past life, and are unable to recognize humans (or other zombies) as individuals. They're either food, or not food.

ZOMBIE INTERACTION WITH INFECTED HUMANS:

Zombies will actively pursue Humans who are in the First Quarter of Incubation, and will attempt to kill/feed on them.

Zombies will not pursue fleeing Humans who are in the Second Quarter of incubation, but will attack and attempt to kill them if they are in close proximity. Zombies will not attempt to feed on a Human in the Second Quarter of incubation.

Zombies will not pursue, attack, or in any other form interact with Humans who are in the Third and Fourth quarter of incubation. Their flesh does not have the warmth the undead crave.

KNOWN CURES:
----THERE ARE NO KNOWN CURES----
If a character finds information leading to the possible synthesis of a cure, it will take many days to produce and refine. Let's also make that clear. Unless a sample is found of a cure or vaccine, an individual cannot become infected, discover a cure, and save himself in the regular span of incubation.

There are, however, ways to delay full incubation.

BELOW ARE WAYS TO DELAY INCUBATION. IF YOU DO NOT DISCOVER THESE METHODS OR EXPLAIN HOW YOUR CHARACTER KNOWS BEFORE YOU USE THEM, IT WILL BE CONSIDERED METAGAMING.

Cocaine and Methamphetamine (Adderoll, Ritalin, Crystal Meth etc.) overstimulate the brain's activity to make the host more active and alert. By overstimulating the cerebrum, the virus has a more difficult time incubating in the brain. Coffee also has a similar effect, but notably weaker. For every line of cocaine and 50 milligrams of methamphetamine, incubation is delayed by six hours. This can only be done so many times per day, as continued use will lead to overdosing or a fried nervous system.

A cup of coffee will delay incubation by roughly 30 minutes per cup.

Just as stimulants will slow the speed of incubation, depressants (marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, heroin etc.) increase the speed of incubation. The amount of time particular depressants speed up incubation is generally relative to the stimulants listed above. In other words, a cigarette will speed up incubation by half an hour. Heroin will increase it by 6, and so on and so forth.