Habitat: Majority

Description:

Crawlers are the collective name for all those affected by a certain, somewhat anomalous species of fungus. This fungus' growth is extremely aggressive, and the infection is present in abundance on many levels. Therefore, this makes Crawlers an extremely active threat in the Backrooms.

The Crawler fungus can only spread to humans through liquid, and thrives in warm, dark, and damp places. It can only spread by contact to small animals or insects that are affected by it. Once these animals or insects reach Stage 4 of the infection, they will become extremely aggressive, and will attempt to spread the fungus through any means necessary. You may be bitten by an infected individual, which means that the fungus has already spread to you. There is no known cure to the Crawler infection.

Crawler fungus can be characterized by bright white buildup on an animal's body. This fungus is visually similar to the Torrubiella Pulvinata fungus: a strain of cordyceps fungi which zombifies and infects cellar spider. It will attempt to engulf the entire body of the animal in the substance, slowly consuming its energy and nutrients for growth purposes. Spores are released in liquid substances such as blood, saliva, urine, or sweat, and as such it is recommended to patch your wounds to avoid infection.

Infection:

Crawler infected animals do not progress past Stage 4. However, these are extremely aggressive towards humans and will actively try to infect as many humans as possible through liquid exposure.

Once humans are infected, they will progress from Stage 1 to Stage 5 at around 12 minutes following initial infection. This time period is extraordinarily short for complete infection, therefore it is recommended to quarantine all infected immediately to reduce spread of the Crawler infection.
[-] Crawler Infection Stages

Stage #:	Average Duration:	Description:
Stage 1	3 minutes	Initial infection. Victims will be rather itchy during this stage. From this stage forward, infected are considered as already Crawlers and effectively lost. If symptoms are noticed, it is best to quarantine the victims immediately.
Stage 2	1 minute	Small fluffy white spots will begin to appear on victim's skin, and salivation levels will increase rapidly. Extreme hunger has also been reported.
Stage 3	30 seconds	Spontaneously, the victim will be engulfed in Crawlerfungus. The entire body will be covered in this material. The victim's blood will also begin to increase in temperature at a rapid rate, far past the normal blood temperature. Victims will often have a severe fever from this stage onwards.
Stage 4	7 minutes 30 seconds	During this phase that is more than half the length of progression, victims will begin being extremely aggressive to all forms of life, actively attempting to spread the Crawler infection. The fungus will begin spreading internally and within the brain, taking control of the brain stem. Their eyes will become bloodshot, and their blood will begin boiling at a temperature of around 150° Celsius. This is far beyond humans' usual resistance to high temperature, however the victim's body will still function due to the Crawler fungus' resistance. Keratin production will rapidly increase causing the hair and nails to grow at an extremely fast rate, and the infected individuals will attempt to use their nails as a weapon to spread the infection.
Stage 5	Indefinite	The infected will sever the bottom half of their bodies at the waist level, and use their sharpened nails to tear away at their flesh. Infected will begin using their arms to crawl as a means of transport. They will receive a sensory increase, having heightened levels of sight and hearing capability, and all fungus on the exterior of their bodies will spontaneously combust, charring and removing a few layers of skin. The fungus within their brain will have full control of their body functions, and will self-regulate their bodies to maintain a suitable host.

Behaviors:

Crawlers will have various behaviors ranging from normal behavior to aggressive based on their stage of infection.

Biology:

Not much is known about the biological structure of the Crawler fungus, however they are assumed to be able to increase and decrease temperature around them at will. Similarities between this infection and The Frontrooms genus Cordyceps have been drawn, however it has not been scientifically proven if this is a member of the Cordyceps genus or a unique species endemic to the Backrooms.

Discovery:

Crawlers were discovered in 2009 when The M.E.G.'s Base Alpha was raided by several Stage 5 Crawlers. The infected individuals were immediately killed by gunfire. However, some individuals were infected later and a Crawler pandemic has been running rampant throughout the Backrooms since. It is thought that Crawlerswere not present on other levels before, however infection has caused it to spread to the majority of levels in the Backrooms.

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Do's and Don'ts:

Do:

• Quarantine suspected infected immediately
• Terminate infected at a far range with gunfire
• Be wary of suspicious animals and people

Don't:

• Touch any infected
• Trust wild Entities or animals
• Kill infected at melee range
• Give into urges if you're infected
• Attempt to find a cure, there is no known cure