It got out. We don't know how. No one knows how. But it got out.
SCP-008, the Zombie Virus. There's a reason it was classified as Keter. When containment broke, it broke bad.
It was 'released' in the middle of Grand Central Station, New York City. Well, that was its Northeastern US release point. Atlanta, the Southeast point, was an accident. Some CDC officials had gotten a sample of the virus in a weaponized aerosol form, and had no idea how to contain it. However, it was obvious that this new form of the virus was designed to only infect a small immediate area, as genetic mutations occurred after only 15 minutes that caused the virus to become inert, and these mutations were triggered by simple UV Ray exposure. Meaning sunlight killed it.
For some reason, someone wanted the virus to start a small infection that could be allowed to break out, but afterward only spread through bites from the victims. Someone wanted an actual zombie apocalypse. Maybe they thought they could be controlled? Wanted some sort of walking dead army? I don't know. I'm just an Agent, not a Researcher.
Oh, right, who I am. My name is Agent Yates, I work, or used to work, for an organization known as the SCP Foundation, a secretive worldwide shadow group responsible for containing and cataloging anomalous objects and entities of a paranormal or otherwise strange nature, known as 'SCPs'. As I've stated, the virus was SCP-008.
I just want to spread around some of what I know, to help people, since the Foundation is gone and none of this is classified anymore. There is no such thing as security clearance in this world anymore. I was part of a small 4 man field agent team at Site 13 responsible for investigating reports of outbreaks related to 008. We were called the "Major Outbreak Response Team" (MORT) and normally posed as Detectives or FBI/NCIS/CIA agents as needed, depending on the venue.
It was terrible hearing about Grand Central. I lived in NYC my whole life, was a detective there on the Major Case Squad for four years before Foundation Agents approached me with an offer I had a hard time refusing. One of our cases was related to some SCP, and they decided that rather than wiping my memory, they would simply delete my former life and have me work for them.
I was smart. I knew how to get things done.
Anyway, my story is irrelevant. You will never meet me. So I will just leave some tips for you:
Travel with a partner, or a large group. But make sure you can trust them.
Anti-retrovirals are effective 35% of the time if the infection hasn't spread beyond the bite, so long as the bite is on a limb. Once it reaches the heart or brain, all bets are off. But try AVs any time you can score them, if your partner gets bitten.
As soon as someone enters the "death" stage of infection, they are irrecoverable and at their most vulnerable. Destroy the brain at this point, and move on. Don't take time to mourn. You should have done so as soon as they got bit, and should be through with mourning at this point.
For ranged distances, use a crossbow, which is relatively noiseless. Don't use guns if you can help it, as the sound attracts 008 victims. Use knives up close, which goes to my next point.
Set traps. Make it so their bodies are immobilized, and simply stab them through the eye to get to the brain. Cutting your finger and spreading it over the trap makes for great bait, as the smell of blood is stronger than your body odor, even for hours after it's dried. This also makes it a good idea to break into blood banks and carry packs with you.
Don't just keep one melee weapon on you. Carry screwdrivers, knives, hell, even stakes, in your various pockets. Which reminds me…
Make sure your outfit has plenty of pockets. Backpacks are also a great idea. Military BDUs often have enough pockets, and it's a good idea to have tactical gear or a tool belt.
There are no rules anymore. You meet a cop, assume he's broken the law many times over if he's survived this long because that's the only way it's possible. You ever wonder if you should do something, only ask yourself one question: "will it keep me and my group alive?" If the answer is yes, do it. The right choice is the one that keeps you alive. This is coming from a former cop, it's good advice. Trust me.
If you get bit, take AVs, and still experience symptoms of the Flu or Dementia, off yourself. Or ask someone else to do it. Don't try to hide it. You put the rest of your group in danger.
However, if you know for sure you haven't been bitten, but experience Flu symptoms, it probably means it is the Flu. Or the Cold. Normal diseases still exist, so don't kill yourself over a fever if you have no bites.