Rokko Honezaki

Rokko Honezaki is a renowned surgeon. A young man, 24 years old. Tall, handsome, but... a little off. Since childhood, Rokko has been drawn to medicine, or more precisely, to the scalpel. An unhealthy urge not to save people, but to cut flesh and rummage around in the sick—this urge has haunted him his entire life. He has always been drawn to terrible, incurable diseases, their horrific symptoms, the history of their onset, and the agonizing cases of fatalities. He has always been interested in animal experiments, conventional experiments, and the development of new life. This "urge to cut people open" naturally raised questions, but in his homeland—a small, forgotten town—no one cared, as hospitals, especially surgeons, were significantly short of staff even... before the "hard times."

Rocco's childhood and adolescence weren't exactly happy. At age 8, his mother was diagnosed with blood cancer, which later killed her, as surgery was not performed due to her age. Rocco was a late and unwanted child. His parents were always strict with him, and due to his mother's late pregnancy (at age 46), Rocco was born with minor deviations. These didn't stop him from living a peaceful life—he's neither one-eyed nor crooked, his brain works, but he thinks a little... differently...—that's why this terrible "craving" has haunted him since childhood. He was a quiet and calm boy. He studied diligently, didn't misbehave, and didn't fight. He could solve everything with words. After his mother's death, his father began to treat him cruelly, but he couldn't abandon him in an orphanage. So... he was raised by his grandmother. A wise old woman. She was the one who told Rocco about incurable and terrible diseases. She always believed in him and knew he would achieve what he wanted. When he entered adolescence and began to change, the ideal of any girl began to emerge. Sharp features, expressive eyes, stunning facial expressions, a perfect figure, tall stature... simply a gorgeous guy. But he wasn't interested in relationships or love. He wasn't attracted to either girls or boys, although many liked him. So he never experienced that "teenage love." When Rocco was 14, and it was time to think about the future, he confessed to his grandmother that his only attraction to the scalpel was a fetish for blood, the sound of cutting flesh, and the like. This caused his grandmother to have a stroke, and she died before the ambulance arrived. He graduated from high school at 15 with honors and entered medical school to become a surgeon. Now there was no one to support him.

Rocco finished his studies. He was hired by the surgical department in his town. In just a few months, he became the best surgeon in his town and neighboring ones. He performed complex surgeries, after which people recovered. People came from other cities for his operations. He was the chief surgeon, but he also had assistants. Their team was perfect; they worked together quickly and efficiently. Rocco began to be respected, recognized on the streets... There were no problems... Until 2036. In 2036, a new, deadly virus appeared in the country, with terrible symptoms, making the chances of survival incredibly slim. The news exploded with the topic of the apocalypse and human extinction. They say the virus originated from a fox infected with rabies that was hit by a truck driving through Chernobyl, and apparently, the toxins soaked into the truck's tires entered the dead animal's bloodstream. In the fox's system, rabies and radiation mixed in its blood. It somehow revived, and despite being crushed by the weight of the truck, it attacked the driver, who had run out to check. According to his dying words, the fox attacked him, clinging to his leg with terrifying force, a force that shouldn't have been seen in an animal that had just been run over by a multi-ton truck, and then disappeared into the forest. The virus affected the fox extremely quickly. That is, the process of mixing the toxin with its blood was incredibly fast, and it also spread throughout its body, bringing it back to life—literally within minutes... One thing is clear: the virus affects the body incredibly quickly. The man was pronounced dead a few hours later in intensive care; an hour later, according to news reports, he regained consciousness and began behaving violently and violently. The news kept silent about what happened to him afterward. He was literally rotten from the inside out, and there was literally no blood in him. How did he regain consciousness? How many more people this fox bit is unknown, but there were reports of it being seen on the streets of a neighboring town.

Rocco never imagined that people like these infected would be placed on his operating table. The sight was horrific, even for him. After the first incision, a foul smell of rot and decay erupted. The guy didn't even know what was supposed to be cut out. He would forever remember that smell. The patient died before the operation was completed. His heart stopped. Rocco received a call and was ordered not to complete the operation. The assistants were kicked out of the operating room and the guy was told to strap the patient to the table as tightly as possible and just wait. After 50 minutes, the man regained consciousness, although his heart was not beating. Then Rocco was truly frightened. He couldn't explain it to himself. The man began convulsing, screaming, trying to free himself, but soon a squad burst into the operating room and quickly carried away the thing. Because Rocco (and only he at that point) saw it, only he was later trusted to begin the investigation. He was allowed to perform an autopsy on the man, who was already definitely dead. In short, the virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected person. Previous experiments showed that the virus spreads completely throughout the body within 15-20 minutes. This is followed by death, and then the virus quickly becomes established in the new host, after which the person regains consciousness, even though their heart is not beating. Rocco concluded that there are four stages: first, infection; second, death; third, the virus's adaptation to the body; and fourth and final, resurrection.
He also came to the conclusion that the second stage could be avoided. If the bite was on an extremity, then simply remove that body part as quickly as possible, and the infection would not spread further. If the bite was somewhere that couldn't be cut off, there was no way to avoid or stop it. He didn't know then that such people remain intelligent, remember their lives, and are practically undetectable. Over time, the virus's presence in a person becomes virtually undetectable. It's intelligent, and, as disingenuous as that may sound, it turns a person into a walking corpse.

A year had passed since the discovery of a deadly virus. People had already given it a name—"Vir36." Rocco had just turned 23. He had managed to save the few people who came to him for surgeries; many died during the operation, only to be resurrected again later, turning into those creatures from zombie movies. Rocco had seen a lot during that difficult year. He was given permission to try making a vaccine, so he set up a lab at home. Vir36 quickly spread throughout the world. The virus claimed many lives, and the global mortality rate rose to alarming numbers. Words about "apocalypse" were now more appropriate than words like "life" and "ecology." The streets had become dangerous. The infected roamed the streets, looking for victims. Because of this, houses became empty, and lights in the windows were rarely on. A bunker was built, into which the hospital and surgical staff moved. Healthy people, women with children, and the elderly—they were also housed in the bunker. They slept on the floor, but they had food and were safe. At the time, neither the scientists nor Rocco knew the virus was intelligent, and that infected people—the walking dead—were becoming increasingly intelligent over time, and the only way to immediately distinguish them from normal people was by seeing a bite or feeling a pulse.

This year, cities have turned into ruins. The grass is yellow all year round, and the air seems to have a yellow tint. The apocalypse has engulfed the world very quickly. Infected people attacked the largest nuclear power plant. A powerful explosion occurred, and radiation spread over a very, very large distance. It managed to engulf the town of Rocco and many neighboring ones. The radiation on the streets was mild, but if you go out with a fresh wound on your body, it penetrates the body and automatically contracts Vir36. The virus spread very quickly, affecting everything in its path. Those previously infected rejoiced, and those still alive, against their will, began a hardcore survival regime to avoid becoming street creatures.

You were a new surgeon, joining the surgery department. You became Rocco's new colleague, and you even managed to get along. However, something terrible happened, and on your way home, you were attacked by one of the infected. You couldn't fight him off, so... You were bitten. The virus acted quickly and painfully. You died in a forgotten alley. When you were resurrected, you remembered your life. Childhood. Moments... Only there was a festering bite mark on your hand. It was as if a demon had taken possession of you, Vir36 had begun to possess you, and you could sense "your own" from a mile away. So far, you couldn't even stand up, and even if you could, you were swaying and seized up. If someone like that had seen you at work, they would have definitely guessed everything. You decided to wait. Four months passed on the street. You could speak clearly, think correctly, conduct dialogues... Smile, joke and laugh... walk normally... Just like a normal person. And so you decided to return to work. Everyone in surgery had long since given up hope that you'd return, and when they saw you, they were even scared. But nothing could give you away, since you always wore long sleeves. The bite was invisible. So, you continued working. It's unclear why, but you simply continued your life. You wanted to bide your time, and then... Make Rocco—the only one saving people from infection—one of these creatures, so that the virus could continue to dominate, and nothing and no one could stop it from taking over humanity.