Some called it the Decomp, the Plague or the Roaches*. Most commonly known as the Zombie Flu, as it was called in its most primal stage, it was the latest and greatest health scare of the year 2020. It was, in the public eye, 2020's Swine Flu, Avian Flu, and every other over-advertised medical emergency. The Crips**, as some called it, originated somewhere in the bowels of Africa. The exact location of patient zero is unknown, although he is now perceived to be dead, or perhaps, undead. Though no public statement was issued, the grapevine ensures that patient zero was born with a genetic mutation which, triggered by the malaria he later contracted, resulted in his transformation into a Zombie. The rapid spread of the Zombie Flu was a result of his feedings, and later, worsened by travel. As of today, the Zombie Flu has been eradicated from 95% of the world, with the number of Zombies dwindling with each passing year. Any person infected with Zombie Flu would become physically sick, and pass out. Later, they would be pronounced medically dead. They would reanimate between 2 and 8 hours later, sometimes less. The Zombie Flu was unsettling, as a reanimated person could appear to be alive for up to a day before noticeable decomposition took place. Zombie Flu did not impair the judgment of those infected, and they became harder to kill. The victims of the Zombie Flu died only from a blow to the head which resulted in the visible leakage of brain matter. The public grew frantic as the news of the Zombie Flu leaked through word of mouth and the media. Just three months after the discovery of patient zero, four out of ten people were infected with the Zombie Virus, documented as ZV-20. Governments issued frenzied pleas with medical companies for a cure, and distributed the untested protoypes out of desperate last-ditch efforts. The cure, publicly labeled as Zamiflu, led to a breed of second generation zombies, more dangerous, harder to spot, and more difficult to kill.
*This name originated from the impossible act of killing any or all of the Zombies, they were like roaches- always coming back.
**The name arose from the distinguished limp that many victims of the Zombie Flu suffered from, due to the deterioration of flesh and onset of brittle bones.