The Touched

Overview

Touched is a crude term to describe humans caught in Red level Haze. Victims should not be approached without the appropriate safety equipment and training.

Symptoms

Humans caught in the most severe occurances of Haze without sufficient protective equipment often undergo a horrible transformation. The Haze first acts similar to an adhesive, clogging exposed orifices and settling in nooks created by deliberately closed mouth, eyes, nose or even hands cupped over said orifices. It is of note that Haze sticks to organic material but does not show a strong adhesive effect, for example using a rough brush Haze particles could be removed from most surfaces, the problem lies in instinctual protective behaviour and the loss of orientation created by the dense Haze.

The first reaction begins to show after about a minute of exposure. Skin begins to slouch and combine with surrounding skin folds. The victim becomes incapable of opening any of his orifices without experiencing extreme pain as the freshly attached skin rips. Fingers begin to fuse together, resembling elongated shovel like appandages. Victims often start to hyperventilate, creating a sort of bubble over their head which extends and retracts, balloon-like, in line with their breathing. Hands often become stuck to the face of the victim.

To scream is often the last deliberate action of such Haze victims as panic/terror begins to set in. They now pose an extreme danger to anyone else in the vicinity as they stumble around, attempt to run to escape the Haze as the human fight or flight instinct kicks in.

Behaviour

In the past such victims have been seen trying to cut, for example on the blades of exposed farm equipment, or rip themselves free causing severe lacerations to themselves and spraying contaminated blood in the vicinity. Others have been seen barging down the doors or windows to otherwise safe buildings, exposing the inhabitants to the Haze.

Further mutation

As long as these victims remain within a haze contaminated area any change to their state, for example, if they rip their skin and through that expose deeper lying tissue, or if they are doused in chemicals while stumbling around blindly, can result in further mutation.

Examples include: Tangled, Collectors and Scarred

Genetic Descendants

• The Scarred