Zenith Plague

The **Zenith Plague** was a major outbreak of the bacteria *zenithia*. This outbreak would cause a near-extinction of the human race, claiming billions of lives before finally becoming dormant once the very few survivors were isolated.

## *Zenithia*

### Basic Information

The name *zenithia* is derived from the word "zenith", due to simply how effective it was at wiping out much of the human population. Its exact origins are unclear, with many scholars generally believing it to have begun developing somewhere within the northern hemisphere of the planet.

*Zenithia* is a respiratory bacterial illness that has four distinct, defined stages:

* During the **Pre-Infectory** stage, the bacteria is in the process of locating a victim. *Zenithia* is an airborne illness, thus making it rather difficult to avoid catching it when near someone who is infected. *Zenithia* typically survives for 24-48 hours in this stage, though it has been documented to last for up to a week in proper conditions.
* The **Infiltration** stage begins once the bacteria has entered a victim's body, generally through inhalation. During this stage, *zenithia* works its way into the victim's lungs. This stage can take up to 2 days and is when the bacteria is at its most vulnerable.
* Once the bacteria have reached the victim's lungs, the **Replication** stage begins. *Zenithia* replicates itself within the victim's lungs over the course of one to two weeks, eventually spreading into the victim's trachea. During this time, the victim is asymptomatic. Large quantities of bacteria are expelled from the victim's lungs through exhalation during this period, making this the most contagious stage of the bacterium.
* Finally, the **Degradation** stage begins. The bacteria begin to eat away at the victim's trachea, quickly corroding it. During this time, *zenithia* is nearly non-contagious. A victim that reaches this stage is well beyond help and will be dead within the next 48 hours.

### Variants

Four distinct variants of the bacterium have been identified:

* *Zenithia I* (Z1) - This was the first variant of *zenithia*. Z1 is known for its mild nature as opposed to all future variants; while lethal, the mortality rate was much lower than other variants, and it was much less contagious.
* *Zenithia II* (Z2) - The second variant grew much deadlier and much more contagious. It began to spread rapidly within the continent it had derived from, quickly forcing an antibacterial medication to be mass-produced and sold to those within the affected areas. This medication became commonplace throughout the world due to fears of a global pandemic.
* *Zenithia III* (Z3) - Z3 is the most infamous variant of *zenithia*. The medications developed to counteract Z2 proved almost completely ineffective against Z3, allowing it to more easily infect even those that had prepared to take it on. Lethality rates increased as well. The Replication stage of the disease developed from this variant, which caused an even greater spread throughout the entire world as carriers evacuated to other continents in search of refuge, thus beginning a worldwide pandemic. The only known treatment was an experimental medication that was generally only available to the wealthy; this treatment oftentimes proved to be ineffective.
* *Zenithia IV* (Z4) - As a result of the experimental medications, a fourth variant developed. This variant, while more susceptible to the previously manufactured antibacterial medications, was completely immune to the experimental medications, and as a result had a tendency to spread to medical workers without their knowledge.

## Aftermath

The world was left in absolute chaos. Panic surged across the world as any semblance of a solution was desperately scoured for. Eventually, the decision came to construct several isolated refuges around the world, often in the form of cities, to house those that had not yet been in any contact with those who had been infected. These settlements would often take vastly different measures to ensure that the disease would never enter, with some even outright killing anyone who attempted to enter unauthorized. Some others, however, recklessly welcomed in anyone who attempted to get in. Over one hundred of these settlements were created, but only eleven of them would ultimately survive; the disease managed to find its way into all the rest, ravaging the unwary residents within.

Many of those who had avoided the disease chose not to enter the refuges, instead founding smaller settlements away from these large cities due to not trusting the large population. These small settlements rarely survived as a result of vulnerability to both *zenithia* and wildlife, leaving several abandoned villages all around the world. Those that lived within the eleven surviving refuges would never again see *zenithia*; the bacteria eventually went dormant, as it no longer could find victims to feed off of, finally putting an end to the Zenith Plague.