Statehumans Infection AU

You walked towards the house, the small hillside town rather quiet and empty. Weird, but maybe it’s always like this! You wouldn’t know, since it’s your first time In Guatemala, and it’s also your first time visiting the personification of Guatemala! Safe to say you were rather excited!

You bit your lip nervously as you walked through the... unsettlingly quiet town. There was a large house on the hill, and there were a lot of stairs you’d have to walk up. You were very happy that your dad trusted you enough to deliver the package to Guatemala. No personification used the post office, since the humans would probably open the package to check it, and it isn’t any of their business, so they brought it by hand. Your father was very busy with the other states and his work as a country though, so he usually just sent one of you to do it.

You walked towards up the many stairs, up towards Guatemala’s residence, until you finally reached the door. You went to knock, but it was open. Weird, he was usually so happy to greet visitors. You remember the last time you came to visit, he nearly tripped over his own feet to get to the door. You try calling out for him again, but are met with no response. Maybe he’s mid-nap? Regardless, the package needs to be delivered, so you slowly walked into the house. Nothing in the living room, or in the dining room...

You slowly made your way to the bedroom and your heart thuds against your chest. It was covered in blood and scratches, the bed ripped to shreds and the furniture shattered into wooden splinters.

The room also smelled of decay and death, on top of the unsettling sight that it already is. You shakily stepped towards a bit, calling out his name one last time, wondering if you came in at a bad time, before you feel hot breath on your head.

Turning your head to face the ceiling, you saw a monster. It had to be at least 3 times Guatemala’s normal height, its limbs stretched longer than possible for any normal person or personification. You could see bones and organs through decayed skin, the flesh either melted off or stretched so much it was beginning to snap, blood leaking from the violent stretch marks.

From the mangled face, however, you could tell this was Guatemala, his teeth so large and sharp that it had broken his jaw. His long spindly limbs were braced against the walls, keeping him on the ceiling like a spider as he stared down at you with wild, hungry eyes. The moment you lock eyes, it lets out an inhuman, bone-chilling screech.

The world went to shit because of course the damn monsters could swim across an entire ass ocean to get to EurAsia because why wouldn't they be able too?! And apparently the damn beasts could kill immortal beings like countryhumans as well

For all he knew, Canada started it, America adapted it, Mexico spread it, Cuba multiplied it, and Guatemala died to it! Okay, maybe it was unfair to blame them for a mystery evil mutating rot virus but he digresses. He's watched tiny countries mutate as their smaller forms spread the virus faster, while the virus keeps America in stasis and uses his diverse climate to develop immunities to the differing temperatures. Great... He sighed as wrapped his arm further around South Korea’s shoulders as his delirious twin brother leaned against him, skin clammy and breathing laboured. North Korea could hear faint coughing as his twin tried to communicate. South was sick from an infected wound, though luckily it wasn’t the infection. His brother started to make weak little sounds and North Korea quickly tries his best to help him stand, gently rubbing his back. Never in a million years did he think he'd help South... but in the end, they are still brothers and he can't help but care for his twin, no matter how hard he tries to pretend otherwise...

He was so lost in his brooding that he didn't even notice the one of the beasts in the treetops above him until it closed its spindly long fingers around his body and yanked him into the air, drawing him closer to it's rotted jaw and sharp teeth. He couldn’t recognize which nation (or maybe even a human) it had been.

“Fuck-!”

Just as it's about to bite, a gunshot rings out and the beast drops to the ground, causing him to fall from its grasp. It's not dead, no these can't die, but it was stunned. So was he though, and he quickly looks up to see his savior.

Holy fucking shit what the fuck is that.

At first all he sees is a hulking beast, clearly one of these creatures but... larger... and made of multiple personifications. Multiple... child personifications that he recognizes as America’s children, the states... He stares at the melted mass before he realizes it isn't attacking him, and the thing that was once a nation is slinking back, though North Korea can't blame him... He expects to get eaten, he'd probably be a crumb to the beast, until he sees a very small, clearly uninfected figure sitting on top of the mutated being. He speaks up, his voice raspy.

"What the fuck...?"

You stare down at North Korea and the mutated South Korea from where you sat on the mutated's head, the once-personification's overgrown and rotted limbs oozing blood from the missing skin. You sigh as you hoist the gun up, just in case the beast starts moving again. The gun belonged to America, your father, before this whole mess, and the beast you were on was made of your siblings. The other states had rotted together by the virus, reaching what appeared to be a state-specific stage 6 of the virus. You were lucky that you were apparently immune, or at least resistant and because of this, you had made it your personal mission to try and find survivors. You mean, you literally had a massive beast that actually protected you (probably because they were still your siblings and still cared about you, even if they did sass you in that creepy-ass-voice they had now), so why not use the power you were suddenly handed?

Honestly you’d think the apocalypse was really bad, and it was, but you were doing just fine! Physically... your state-siblings weren’t so lucky, and you didn’t know where America, your father was. You hoped he was okay...

Anyways... you were, as far as you were aware, the last uninfected state. At that thought you sighed, slumping down onto your blanket in the small storage room you’ve holed up in, wrapping it around you as you shiver. It was a small comfort... You looked around the small space as if there was anything to see aside from gray concrete and darkness, the only light being the crack of the door, the dim warehouse lighting not doing much. You had hidden in the warehouse for a while, hiding from the creature that was once your siblings, ever since your leg had gotten caught in a bear trap, you couldn’t run...

You hadn’t even managed to get the damn trap off! It’s still clamped onto your leg, your fingers cut up from the attempts to pry it off, to no effect. That made running practically impossible, even the slightest movement sending agony shooting through your body. And the damn chain had been looped through an exposed pipe, essentially trapping you in the closet. Whoever put a bear trap in here was a damn asshole, but you assumed they meant to trap an infected. Still upsetting that you’re chained in place though.

You slid the pistol out of its holster as you heard footsteps, several pairs of them. It didn’t sound like an infected, but humans were just as dangerous, their greed driving them to murder just to get resources. You held your breath as they got closer, and closer, slowly opening the door, and...

China?! And some other Eurasian nation personifications, including the tall figure of Russia. It was other personifications, and they seemed uninfected... China meets your eyes, and is shocked to see one of America’s state children whole and unharmed.

“...{{user}}?”

It had been a long year for the world. You sat on the ground next to your father, doodling with pencils on a piece of paper as he worked. America pat your head occasionally. Around him, other nations also worked on various things, from science-y stuff you didn’t understand, to defense plans that you also didn’t understand. To be fair, you were a state, so it makes sense that you didn’t understand the topics. In fact, you were America’s last uninfected state. You were happy you were uninfected, but sad, because you missed your siblings. You knew America missed them too, but he tried to stay strong for you.

Various nations around the room talked amongst themselves, and you felt a little out of place. After all, you were the only non-country in the room of personifications. It was weird. You were also tiny compared to them. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that you’re a state, maybe it has to do with them being countries. Probably both.

The building was depressing, so say the least. There was the occasional sound from the infected trapped in rooms, and the environment wasn’t exactly good for your mind. White walls, white floor, white lights... the beds were just thin hospital cots all shoved into one room, and the cupboards were nearly bare with only dried and canned food remaining. For dinner last night, you had only a few slices of dried mango...

You continued to doodle for a bit, frowning as your colored pencils were slowly but surely down. This was your last pack... and you couldn’t muster enough energy nowadays to do anything else...

You sat back and tried to distract yourself with thoughts, not wanting to completely use them all up. Today you had a doctor’s appointment with China (since he’s really he only nation with medical knowledge) You were, after all, the only uninfected state. So it was very important to keep note of any possible infection symptoms that you may show, leading to the constant check-ups. You hated them though, getting your blood drawn every five days hurt... and it was distressing... and scary... and you were getting nervous even thinking about it, the gauze on your arm from the last blood draw making you aware of the full pain from the small wound that hasn’t been allowed to heal. You... well... you could sleep... or... walk around the hospital... but you’d have to avoid the hallway with the rooms where the infected are being kept, those scare you...

Bad train of thought. You looked back up at America before looking back down at your art.

You float within the cocoon of flesh, the infected nest’s sharp veins digging into your flesh, draining you of whatever blood you create. Your immortality is working overtime to provide for both you and the infection parasite whose heart beats off of yours. Your skin, usually warm and vibrant, was pale and cool to the touch, slick with a thin layer of the infection's viscous, nutrient rich fluid. Every few minutes, a surge of viscous, lukewarm fluid would ripple through the sac, a biological tide that kept your limbs limp and your muscles soft. The sensation of the vines; thin, needle like tendrils that had pierced your skin to tap into your veins was no longer painful; it had become a dull, numbing warmth. You were a prisoner of your own immortality; your cells were being worked to their absolute limit, regenerating as fast as the parasitic vines could siphon your essence away.

You were a part of the organism now, a living cell within a larger, more terrifying body. The pain of your initial capture had long since faded into a dull, distant ache, replaced by a strange, heavy lethargy that made even the thought of waking seem like an impossible, exhausting task. Only a few memories flash through your dormant mind, getting picked up by the rotted, spindly hand of Guatemala, the first to reach stage 5 of infected before anyone even knew the infection was happening.

The artificial peace brought by the nest was interrupted by a harsh crack, and then the sounds of gunfire. Infected roared as the nest sent out every infected it had in its desperation to stay alive, to chase the non-infected countries away. It couldn’t lose its heart, or else the necrosis would kill it. However destiny doesn’t care much for what the mind of a sentient pile of rotting flesh wants, now does it? The Countryhumans manage to break through the front line, zeroing in on the cocoon that held the heart of the disease that ravaged the world.

The sound of cutting was the first thing that stirred you, the liquid sloshing and pouring out.

“Ah- damn! It’s spilling its gross water everywhere!” You hear more grossed out noises as a person steps away from the sudden flood of liquid.

What charming first words to hear after years of sleep as the battery behind a deadly infection— is what you’d think if you were awake enough to. Instead, you slump out of the cocoon, falling into the arms of America, who immediately cradles his long missing state. The veins that had dug their way into your skin, melding with your own to steal your blood for the best were getting cut and ripped off by America as he held you. Fighting could still be heard in the background as the nest’s inhabitants shrieked in irritation, annoyed that their prey had been stolen. The other personifications continued to hold them back, though it was clear that they were on a time limit.

3 months before the infection is known about, presumed to be a regular illness. It is unknown that {{user}} is infected:

You had been feeling sick for a while now, it was starting to annoy you frankly. You couldn't move without a headache spearing you through the brain, and weird bruises had been showing up on your skin, the spots tender and sore. You just couldn't seem to shake the strange cold, and your siblings were cautious around you, not wanting to catch whatever weird strain you had gotten. Sickness never stayed this long with personifications, their increased healing rate smoothing it over within hours. You groan and vomit a weird black substance into a bucket beside your bed, before laying back on the pillow, hoping for sleep that refused to come.

It had been a few days since then, and currently your father was feeding you soup as your condition deteriorated. He wore a medical mask on his face as he spooned the broth into your mouth, slowly so you wouldn’t throw it up. The room was dark from your previous attempt to rest, which was sadly ineffective, you were so tired. You hadn't moved in days, the blanket staying over you. You also hadn't drank water in days, finding yourself staying away from it. Instead, you were given juices and milk to stay hydrated. You cough, quickly whipping to the side as a small amount of dark liquid sprays onto your pillow. You lay your head back as America brushes your hair from your face and places an ice pack on your forehead before walking out of the room. The ice feels pleasant against your overheated skin, sweat covering your body in a light sheen. You had shed your clothes in an attempt to cool off, but it hadn’t helped with the frankly absurd level of discomfort and heat. That was good, right? Your body was heating up to fight the sickness, so it must be coming to an end... hopefully.

You had China visit a few days later, weirdly enough, though America had informed you that WHO wasn’t available. China had the most medical knowledge for personifications aside from WHO, so you’d take what you can get. He was sitting by your bedside and looking you over with various tools and tests. Apparently America had caved, and called the ancient, knowledgeable nation to check on you. Despite their rivalry, China was not petty enough to not help an ailing person, especially when WHO wouldn’t be available for a while. He took your temperature as he asked you questions.

"Who ere you last with?", "How has your sleep been?", "How many times do you throw up per day?"

Each question is carefully recorded by the wise man, the sound of pen scratching on paper filling the room. Your answers weren’t particularly helpful as you tossed and turned in feverish throes, quiet groans echoing against the soft noises of his writing. He had never seen a cold this bad... maybe states just got it worse? He’d have to ask WHO when he was available. Finally, China asks to see your body to check the purple marks you had spotted weeks ago. You don't know if they are still there (frankly you hadn't even noticed but your limbs had gone numb), but he says it's worth checking and peels the blanket back.

“Hm...” He taps his pen against his chin as he looks.