Many fans of Zombie fiction consider the distinction between Infected and zombies crucial. The Infected, also known as "fast zombies" in some circles, are technically still alive people whose bodies and minds are ravaged by a biological pathogen that irreversibly transforms them into aggressive and feral beings. Infected individuals immediately attack any human they encounter with rabid ferocity, regardless of any past emotional connection. They exhibit a notably hostile, hateful, and enraged demeanor.

The biological infection and its primal hosts spread quicker than their literary cousins, the Zombies. Infected are also more fragile, with an average lifespan of only weeks or months, as their bodies dehydrate and their muscles and organs begin to fail. They can be killed by wounds to the torso or by bleeding out through extremities, whereas Zombies require their brains to be destroyed before they can be killed. Zombies can persist intact for years without food, water, or even oxygen.

Differences from Zombies

See also Differences Between Surviving Fast and Slow Zombies

• Slow-moving zombies render escaping from a small group relatively easier, although their durability often leads to larger hordes. On the other hand, the Infected are swift and persistently relentless in their pursuit until their target becomes unreachable. Neither creature appears to be able to sense pain or fatigue, enabling them to pursue on foot longer than any human persistently, provided no significant obstacles or injuries are hindering them.
• Zombies can only be eradicated through the destruction of their brains. On the other hand, infected individuals can be incapacitated by targeting their torso or any other vital body part. Additionally, they can be eliminated by employing poisonous gas or any other method that proves lethal to uninfected humans.
• Zombies do not need food so they do not starve but will decompose after a certain amount of time (not destroying them, their bodies just become weaker) This process is much longer than most decomposing corpses, as normally other organisms exist in the breakdown of tissue, but Solanum infested tissue prevents this. Infected, on the other hand, need food or they will starve and die of hunger or thirst (though the Rage virus apparently causes its hosts to become disinterested in self-nourishment, making starvation virtually inevitable).
• Zombies' primary motivation seems to be the consumption of their prey (even if they do not receive sustinance from the act of consumption). Infected are motivated more on the destruction or infection of their prey, with biting being only one method of accomplishing their goal. Despite being less orally fixated creatures, the Infected are still more than adequete at spreading the disease whenever they pierce the flesh of, or project bodily fluids into the face of their prey.
• Zombies are officially deceased - walking corpses that can move without dependence on oxygen on any level. Some zombies (such as Brooks Zombies) are even immune to bacteria and parasites involved in natural decomposition, and resistant to saltwater corrosion. As such, they can infest even the depths of the ocean floor. Infected are still living and breathing human beings who require oxygen, and can drown, or even die from a severely damaged trachea.
• Zombies rarely reanimate in under a few hours after exposure or death. Once a host is infected with Rage, they succumb to it and become an Infected in 10-20 seconds. Other times, it can take hours for a host to fully become infected.

Apocalyptic scenario for Infected

First Stages

Outbreak

During the first of the initial outbreak, Patient Zero would either arrive to a hospital or if its a rapid infection, them they would attack as many people as possible. They would begin attacking civilians and spread the infection further, with those bitten being admitted to hospitals. When the infection is a more traditional kind, those infected would be pronounced dead before reanimating and attacking those in hospitals or morgues before being restrained. When the infection is slower, those traveling to other nations would spread it further via symptoms or bites.

Detection

Those initially bitten would begin reanimation or full infection in a few hours to minutes. Those outside would attack anyone close and would bite multiple pedestrians and homeless before being detained or killed by police. Those on airplanes or other travel ways would crash their cars and cause more bites and forced groundings on planes. As it becomes evening, zombies would stock the streets and lead to infections in those homeless or unfortunate people out at night. These attacks would be reported on the news and would draw attention to these strange attacks. For nations with strict control of the press by the government, these attacks would be quickly covered up.

Discovery

These attacks would eventually be found for the truth of the situation. Between a few days to weeks after depending on the spread, officials would be informed and plan for what action they should take. People would begin finding out via news channels or personal experiences and mass panic would ensue as people are pulled out of schools and begin preparing for the next course of action. densely populated cities would become hot zones as riots and chaos would spit law enforcement on their course of action, leading to the spread of zombies even further.

Second Stage

Breakdown

People would begin evacuating en mass as military personnel would be deployed to slow the spread. While they would be successful in some cases, the inexperience for zombies would lead to fail battles as zombies moved across the country to infect more cities. In some cases the military would blowup bridges and blockade cities to stop the spread, but if people left to flights then it already has spread internationally. Local and national governments would grow desperate and would even resort to nuclear strikes to stop the spread of the zombies. War could even begin due to Refugees, leading to collapse as capitals fall and the number of zombies becomes more then humans