As the reporter comes back there is a tiny tint of discoloration on his face, the city he comes back to foolishly mistakes it as soot. Over time it grew eating away at his head and leg revealing his skull and leg. The infection also starts to eat away at his insides. Namely on his left foot creating a pool of bloody mush inside his pant. The infection started spreading to others through touch (handshakes and hugs). Overtime the city fell to the new virus.