Rexmentis Outbreak of 2011



Ophiocordyceps utilateralis rexmentis, also known simply as Rexmentis, is a subtype of the parasitoidal fungus known as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis discovered in 2011. It is known for its alarmingly fast mutation, allowing it to be passed from human to human by way of saliva and blood instead of the traditional route of infection through spores. It infects the host, altering their behavior to ensure optimum spread of infection. In doing so, it takes control of the host’s nervous system, leading to meningitis-like symptoms, seizures and ultimately death. However, after the host is deceased, the parasite continues to control the body, essentially creating what are colloquially known as “zombies” to further spread the infection.

First Generation
In the Spring of 2011, the first cases of Rexmentis were cited in the nation of Justosia. These cases, known as the first generation, were strangely centralized around the nation’s major cities. The victims of the first generation were admitted into hospitals around Justosia, baffling doctors from around the world. Isolation protocol was put into place to try to keep the disease from spreading, not knowing they were already heavily exposed.



Rapid Mutation
Within days, friends, family and hospital staff associated with the first victims began to show symptoms as well, triggering the mutation of the parasite into the second generation, which was passed through blood and saliva as well as by spores. Suddenly, the nation of Justosia was overrun with an epidemic. Key government officials, including the royal family, began to fall victim to the parasite. Stranger still, as the hosts of the first generation were declared dead, their bodies remained active, the parasite taking over the nervous system and controlling the host body. Corpses were walking out of morgues across the nation, wreaking havoc on the streets. With this change, Justosia's situation had shifted from national epidemic to hostile enemy, which called for an intervention from the nation's military against the corpses of its own citizens.

Justosian Response
The government of Justosia closed off all borders and shut down all airlines within days of the outbreak, desperate to contain the situation. They initially tried to avoid foreign aid, attempting instead to deal with the outbreak on their own by sending in their military. All outside lines were cut off, leaving the world in the dark as the Justosian military began its assault. By the time the military had made the decision to intervene, approximately 20% of the nation's 72 million population was infected with Rexmentis, with more than half of those already dead and continuing to spread the disease. Men, women and children alike were coming back from beyond the grave, attacking whoever dared get close enough.

Over the course of five days, the Justosian Military powers fought against the disease, which had begun to spread at an accelerated rate. By day five, the parasite had begun to spread among members of the military as well, steadily reducing the level of gunfire in the cities. That evening, the military made a last-ditch effort against the infection, sending the air force in to bomb city streets, taking out both the living and the dead as they went. This, too, would prove to be futile, as it sent the nation further into chaos. By now, nearly half of the nation's population was infected, and among the dead was the royal family itself.