Feld Earth

Synopsis
The year is 2035, six years since the Feld virus swept across the globe, killing 99 percent of the human population. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Feld began to change, and soon it stopped killing people and instead began to convert them into something worse.

Origins
No one knows where the Feld virus originated. The first cases were reported in third-world countries and places of extremely high population density where contagion was too high to be stifled by medicine. Science was occupied with developing a cure over developing hypotheses on the origin of the disease. "'We don't know where it came from, North Korea, the Middle East, maybe those Russians; god knows they never dropped the Cold War. Ah, who gives a [EXPLETIVE] at this point. Look, we've done all we could do, especially now with a facility running with six percent of its crew. God, I hope this transmission gets out, the Internet's been spotty for the past few weeks. Gotta do it now, before it goes out entirely. [Sigh]. This is Michael Edwin Butler, Chief Biologist of the CDC, saying once and for all...that we failed. There is no cure, I repeat, there is no cure . God help us all.' - Final memo from CDC Headquarters in Atlanta"

Biology
The original strain of the Feld was identified as viral hemorrhagic fever of the Filoviridae family, similar to ebola. However, something changed along the way, the virus mutated. It gained a form of sentience as it developed into a hive mind. The Feld began to share a relationship within itself, forming clusters that developed into several distinct classes of organisms.

Feld Columns
Feld Columns are clusters that formed the largest form of Feld hive mind, serving as a home for both Swarms and Fusions. Feld Columns range from six to fifteen feet tall and three to four feet wide. Feld Columns are composed of Carapace like most Feld organisms and serves as its primary form of defense. However, if threatened Feld Columns can use a liquid form of raw Feld virus used in the conversion of Fusions that they produce to further defend itself.

Feld Swarms
Feld Swarms are an airborne form of Barnacles live within Feld Columns. Specializing more in dealing brute damage, Swarms attack uninfected individuals, dealing slicing trauma to the victim's skin that reduces the immune system, thus increasing the probability of infection when exposed to the Feld Virus.

Feld Barnacles
Feld Barnacles are the standard infection caused by the evolved version of the Feld Virus. Barnacles are pockets of Feld Virus contained within a Carapace structure that protrudes from the infected victim's body. These pockets can rupture, leaking liquid containing Feld, and will eventually corrupt the victim's brain, leading to their transformation into Fusions.

Feld Fusions
Out of all known Feld organisms, none are more terrifying and ruthless than the Feld Fusion. This organism is created when an infected victim's Barnacles reach their mind and corrupt it. The victim becomes a mindless shell of their former selves, their sole purpose is to find a Feld Column. The victim crawls into the Feld Column where it is clad in Carapace and its mind is warped into a creature of murder and bloodlust. Perplexingly, this creature cares nothing of spreading the Feld infection, but rather just total mutilation of every living thing. Feld Fusions are known to be blind as a thick mask of Carapace covers their face, and use a heightened sense of hearing to hunt.