Not a Flu

[Moro Ashford]

The Green Flu, commonly refered to as simply The Infection, is the name given to the unknown virus that has caused the creation of the Infected. The infection seems to be a rabies-like pathogen suggesting that CEDA's designation of the infection as a form of influenza is nothing more than a cover-up to avoid mass panic.

Common Infected are the most commonly faced members of the Infected, and the easiest to defeat. Their strength lies in the fact that they attack in groups, more commonly referred to as the Horde, sometimes as large as several dozen. While they seem capable of ignoring pain, they are as easy to kill as any normal human is. They are capable of climbing ladders and scaling objects once they find a target, and will not stop until it is dead. The default number of Infected that the Director spawns in a horde is around 30. These Infected are fast, sensitive to loud noises and movement, and able to attack in ravenous waves, as determined by the Director. They might not notice the Survivors right away, but when they do, watch out—they're fast, and it won't take long for them to close the distance.

The Boomer, also known as the "Puker", "Fat Guy", "Goiter Man", "Barf Bag", "Exploding Guy", and "Rolly Polly", is an extremely bloated Special Infected. Its mutation has caused it to produce vast quantities of bile, which it can projectile vomit; if it hits the Survivors, it covers them, temporarily blinding them and attracting the Horde.

The Hunter, also referred to as the "hoodie", "crazy legs", "leaper", "punk-ass" "sweatshirt wearing wuss" and ocasionally by Nick the "Scrawny little Bitch I'm gonna kill", is an agile Special Infected whose mutation has granted it an incredible strength, awareness and dexterity.

The Smoker, also called the "Tongue Guy" or "Tonguer", is an Infected with a long, whip-like tongue that is hundreds of feet long. The Smoker's tongue can be launched out of its mouth at high speeds, and when it reaches one of the Survivors, it automatically wraps up their body and drags it off toward the Smoker.

The Spitter's mutations enable her to spit out a ball of mutated stomach acid which, upon hitting the ground, spreads out into a large pool. Any Survivors standing within the pool of acid take increasing amounts of damage based on how long they stand in it; this can be up to about 3 quarters of their heath with just one puddle. Overall the Spitter's acid does the most damage of any Infected, but is also the least reliable as it only lasts for a short time, and once it pools out it is stationary and relatively easy to escape. When killed, the Spitter leaves a smaller pool of acid around her corpse. She can sometimes be a bit difficult to hear, making somewhat faint squealing noises as opposed to the more distinct noises other Special Infected make, but the hacking noises she makes when she actually spits are easy to hear.

Jockeys jump onto the Survivors and cling to their head and upper-back. From there, they can steer the Survivor while clawing them. The Infection has caused the Jockey to mutate a large amount of muscle upon his upper back and neck, causing him to hop around in a spider monkey motion. His fingers and toes have also increased in length, adding to his baboon-like profile. His lips and the skin surrounding them have also deteriorated away, giving him a more skeletal look at the mouth area.

The Charger, also called "One-Arms", "Big guys", "Big-Arms", "Hillbillies", and "Overalls", is a charging Special Infected that knocks down everything in his way. In terms of appearance, the Charger is a large Infected, roughly the height of the Tank, and about half as wide. Unlike the Tank however, only one of his arms have been mutated while the other is small and presumably useless (it flails uncontrollably while the Charger is slamming a target). The Charger does not use its arms for movement, as its legs are still capable of supporting it. The Charger seems to prefer using the arm as a shield.

The Witch makes loud and eerie noises which resemble sobbing to herself when in her 'passive' state. The noise can be heard long before the Witch is ever seen, allowing the player a chance to prepare a plan to deal with it. In the nighttime she crouches and slumps over, mostly immobile. During the daytime, she will sob standing up and will slowly wander, with her elongated fingers up to her face.

The Tank is a Special Infected of gigantic proportions. The infection has caused a huge amount of muscle growth, granting it superhuman strength. This monster is capable of throwing large items such as cars or blocks of concrete it rips out of the ground, and bashing through otherwise impenetrable walls. The Tank keeps a high profile, able to be heard by the Survivors from a great distance due to its loud growls and the thrashing it makes when running. The immense strength and sheer toughness of the Tank make it a terrible foe in combat, especially to inexperienced or uncoordinated Survivors.

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