Help with a novel

[Curugane]

I've got pretty much all i need fixed up, its a sci-fi/fantasy/drama novel. The year is 6237 on earth and we have managed to spread out and colonize new planets. Take this guy (John Everstand) from 2010 that gets kidnapped and experimented on till the year in the novel (by humans that comes from earth, maybe some paralel world or something, they are at least human.

What im looking for is a name for a sci-fi virus, ill type up facts i have made up till now

Name:

Estimated time till last stage: 7-13 Days

Fatality: 85%

Cure: Intake of antidote can prolong the time till last stage. Special pressure capsule have saved lives.

Fatality after cure: 78%

Virus spreads: Through the air and (in few cases) fluid, Patients are usually dead when the virus can move on, making it unable to.

When caught: The patient will at first feel fevery, have diarrhea, loss of energy.

Second stage: Loss of apetite.

Third stage: The Antibodies are failing, getting recreated and start to attack the body.

Fourth stage: Caughing of blood and nosebleeds, first occaisonally then more frekvent. Heavy breathing due to swelling throat. Drifting from consciousness. Blood clumps together.

Last hours: Constant bleeding and occasionall coughs of blood. Patients having extreme loss of energy, some not being able to open their own eyes, failing vision. Hard to breath.

Cause of death: In most cases due to suffocation, patients have been seen to claw their throats before death. Others due to blood loss, and a third group coming from heart attacks and stroke. All patients have been in deep pain and most have been consious.


Im just gonna ask this casually after you have read all that: Any ideas?

[dorothir]

Sounds to me like a nasty version of Ebola so I'd start with the Filoviridae family of pathogens, known to mainly target primates. Although the third stage contradicts this family as the Ebola virus attacks the bodies protien synthesis and immune defenses and evades the antibodies instead of getting them to attack the body themselves (unless I've misunderstood the stage).

If you wanted to put it in the Ebola's genus, which I think is just Ebolavirus, then an idea for a futuristic virus with those same sort of symptoms (excluding the blood coagulation) would be something like Morti ebolavirus, which could be shortened to something like the Red Death or the Red Plague. I think most ebolavirus are named after where they're found so if you have a place that denotes the correct terror or death in your novel you could name it after that.

Just a few suggestions but for a futuristic virus (especially looking at the high rate of evolution of viruses) it will probably have a completely seperate method of attack but probably the same physiology to it. After all, viruses still look the same as they ever did, they just got better at killing.

[Curugane]

What would you suggest? In the novel the guy is supposed to lose his girlfriend because of the virus. I don't like the idea of sitting and watching over a "corpse" for a long time before death. i want her to lose her life in a faster and painful way, making the main char feel the pain of losing her, going as far as to see her pained face in the end when she actually die.

The thought is that its supposed to be an unknown virus. Though i didnt recognise any of the names you picked out so those pretty much classify for that. well im not sure where its supposed to come from either, it might as well be a experimental weapon that happen to get loose.

im pretty open for suggestions on this part, also on the method of attack

[dorothir]

Right well in that case let's kick it up a notch. Here's a few deadly diseases with the most obvious of symptoms.

You could give it a few characteristics from rabies such as uncontrolled aggression and lack of self preservation. That can attribute to the infected clawing at themselves. Rabies also has a 100% mortality rate if left untreated. Transmitted through bodily fluids including saliva.

The ebola virus characteristics give the fever and the breaking down of internal organs causing the bleeding from orafices. It also causes madness, which is very distressing for onlookers. Almost 100% mortality rate here if left untreated and so far no cure has been discovered (the virus is normally found in isolated african communities where it has destroyed the small populations overnight). There is still speculation as to how it is transmitted but most likely body fluids and moisture droplets in the breath.

HIV virus when it arises into aids causes the immune system to shut down completely. It effectively destroys the T-cells that make antibodies. This leads to the infected being susceptible to anything and everything, making the common cold deadly for them unless treated. Transmitted through bodily fluids.

The black death was a severly deadly disease that caused large swellings under the armpits and the groin that filled with blood and pus. Fever, nausea and vomiting was common with this virus. Vomiting blood also occured. These were extremely painful for the victims.

There is also an urban legend of a virus that causes threadlike structures to grow under a persons skin and cause huge irritation. Put it in the circulatory system instead and you get a disease that can help starve the body of oxygen, form painful clots and of course unbearable irritation that can force people to scratch themselves raw and bloody. Also makes wounds look disgusting as hundreds of fibres are visibly poking out of them.

Here's a short list of some disturbing effects of some viruses (I left symptoms to do with faeces out to keep it more cool ):
Encephalitis - The brain becomes inflammed and is crushed against the walls of the skull.
Haemorrhaging - The loss of blood from the circulatory system either internally or externally.
Pulmonary Edema - The inflammation and build up of fluid in the lungs.
Hypersensitivity - The immune system begins to damage the body's own cells.
Violent Insanity - The body loses all self preservation and control of aggression.

Considering its futuristic nature it could be the virus rapidly reproduces and can kill in a matter of hours but is only visible for a matter of minutes. I would suggest keeping any lethargy out of it to make it seem more quick and upsetting for the character to watch his girlfriend, who may began to claw her skin open, grow suddenly homicidally violent and vomit blood. This may appear to be too much like a 'fast' zombie in most modern films so if the violence was maybe focused on the sufferers self only it could add to the person dying painfully by even taking their own life by any means necessary.

For the character to watch their girlfriend the virus either cannot be airbourne or they are seperated and she is sealed in an air tight container. This can help add to the characters helplessness at being unable to save her. Bodily fluids are always a good way to have a virus go because that means it can also get into water supplies and kill an entire ships crew, leaving an empty vessel floating through space filled with grotesquely wounded corpses. Both is an option too but it then means a viral pandemic is too easy to occur. Maybe airbourne only in breath could work because that means a corpse would pose no problem as long as they aren't touched.

As for nicknames as opposed to latin names for such a quick and painful beastie I would suggest something that shows the ruthlessness of the virus and the speed of it maybe something like the Executioner disease or the Red death since the victims may have a lot of external bleeding either from the disease or self inflicted. Or you could name it after hellish or deathly personifications like Reaper virus, the Lucifer strain, the Malach (Hebrew for the angel of death) virus, the Ankou (Old breton for the angel of death) infection or the Hades flu.

As for its origins you could have anything from escaped from a lab, found it on a new world or even it evolved naturally. All depends on the overall feel of your story line.

[Curugane]

These are good, though i have to check them all through and write down the symptoms wanted. The scene i want when she dies is kind of that he sits at her side, holding her hand. while shes being in great pain.

This is kind of how i will picture the scene, though this is writen in english. The final version will be in swedish.
"He had never felt so hopeless before, all he could do was to sit by her side in silence. The long hours snailed past and she weren’t moving. Time and again he looked at the machine to make sure she still had a heartbeat. Suddenly she started to cough up blood, when over she noticed him. She said it the same way she usually did, with the same amount of happiness as ever and the same sweet smile; "Hi". It was like she hadn’t suffered at all, no, it was like she tried to hide it with all her might. John tried to look cheerful, and answer her. Though to no avail. He pressed her hand to make up for it. "This isn’t like you, you did never falter." she told him with a teasing voice. – And you always told me to show more of myself. he answered her with a faked smile. – That’s true. she answered him with a little laugh. Then she had a violent coughing attack, droplets of blood ran down her chin. He were quick to wipe them off. She now had more trouble than ever breathing. She looked up at his worried face. “You don’t have to worry, everything is going to be alright”, that was what she wanted to say. But the fact weighed heavy, they won’t pull through this. “Now they can’t keep me from you.” She said with a sad smile. – Could they ever? He answered, pressing her hand. She responded the same way. It painfully occurred to him, her hand was cold. He moved to lay it on her chest, her heartbeat was faint, and there still existed some warmth. Both her hands covered his. “I can’t see you anymore.” She said with tears in her eyes. “But I can still feel you”. - I won’t leave you. She nodded with tears falling. Her heartbeat grew even fainter. With her voice in a whisper she said: “John... I'm... finally... fr...ee”. She coughed one last time, blood covered her face. Her breathing stopped, her eyes were in panic as she tried to breathe again. He had to try his best not to avert his eyes from the scene. He felt that he would fail her if he did. A long “Peep” came from the machine."

As i said before, im open for suggestions, so if you think that scene is a bit too much you can say that too.

[dorothir]

Right well if you want a scene like that then the virus cannot be transmitted through the air and must be through body fluids, although the fact he wipes her blood means it isn't overtly dangerous to handle. He wouldn't be able to sit with her otherwise.

Obviously not extreme haemmorhaging like the Ebola virus as the blood comes only when she coughs, so the idea of the organs breaking down isn't necessary, maybe just the lungs degrading will cause the same effect. This can also cause inflammation of the lungs stopping ventilation so her struggle to breath is correct.

The blindness is good but that will probably be some nervous attack from the virus. Most of the organs are probably not functioning by the end point, the cold skin meaning no heat is being produced from reactions. This also means less energy for the victim which is pretty much shown in your section.

Overall a very nasty virus but not an obviously disturbing virus. It seems to be a slower and in someways a gentle death, the panic from being unable to breath is what is common in drowning victims but it is said to be one of the most peaceful forms of dying after the initial shock. Saying that, watching someone you love suffer that death which you know they will but can't do anything but wait is torture enough for the person watching. Very good scene and I don't see any necessary changes, just a few details that need to be addressed to give the virus it's symptoms as mentioned above. Bloody good work my friend!

[Curugane]

I wouldnt call it gentler, most victims die from suffocation. Also im thinking of adding something that gives pain to the infected too, dosnt the body reakt quite quickly from loss of oxygen, giving severe pain in the process? Didnt you mention a urban legend? It shouldnt be medically impossible to actually put such a process into a already oxygen-starved body, or would it? Just enough oxygen to survive, not enough to stop the cry from the cells.

There should be a running thought; Will they find a cure? Or should i kill her out of mercy?

The reason i didnt put in any notion of pain other than the last minute is because she dosnt show it to him, to calm him. If he loses hope then it is over for her, call it human nature. If you cant feel hope you look to others to get it.

Well, either way, i have decided on the name: Malach virus.

[dorothir]

Well lack of oxygen is what causes stitches when people run, that sharp pain in the side. It's because there's a build up of lactic acid in the tissues that undergo anaerobic respiration, which is the production of energy that the body needs without using oxygen. That can cause incredible pain as you would expect from acid in the muscles. It's not too far a stretch to say that this virus causes anaerobic respiration in all the muscle tissue and so create pain all over.

Maybe to show that it hurts is for him to know from previous knowledge of the virus or maybe for him to ask and for her to say no but obviously lie, but he accepts it for her. For a cure to be found is there a team or something working nearby in another room trying to figure it out before it's too late? Otherwise he would know there was no cure near enough for him to help her and although there would be hope she would survive naturally he would probably know she was bound to die.

Either way a great idea with a great scene

[Curugane]

What the hell are you studying at college anyway, you either google it all up or you are studying it. Well either, way im thankful for the help and the compliment, it shows im getting somewhere.

[dorothir]

Lol I studied A level Biology last year and found the virus part the most interesting bit so I researched into it

To be honest I like the idea of your story alot so I'm hoping it blasts off and ends up in with an English version over here in the UK so I can read the lot

[Curugane]

Found any kind of reports, like my "raport"? Would be good to have a actual raport as a map to do my own. Or i might leave the raport to you, then translat it to swedish...

[dorothir]

Well your original report was good. I'll just make a few changes to it and put it below:

Name: Malach Virus

Estimated time till last stage: 4 - 6 Days (The obvious signs won't be present until the final hours)

Fatality: 99% (Makes it seem more deadly. Those rare lucky few that survive can be the 1%)

Cure: Antibiotics can help to prolong the time until the final stage, although these antibiotics are hard to come by. If used extensively the virus will eventually develop a resistance to the antibiotics and the final stage will begin. No known cure is available so far. (Maybe the cure can be developed during your novel?)

Fatality after cure: 25% (Helps make the idea of a cure more important)

Virus spreads: Transmitted through bodily fluids but mainly blood. The virus cannot infect someone on contact with skin unless a break in the skin such as a cut or graze is present.

When caught: The patient will at first feel cold-like symptoms and nausea as the virus begins replicating itself within the circulatory system.

Second stage: After a couple of days the patient will have small amounts of blood in faeces and feel a loss of energy. This is due to the virus beginning to destroy red blood cells as it replicates and attacking the lining of the small intestine, releasing small amounts of blood into the digestive system.

Third stage: The last few days of the virus show a higher increase in energy loss and fever developing. The virus is fully replicated and begins targetting major homeostasis control points such as the hypothalamus which controls temperature and immune responses. Red blood cells continue to be destroyed.

Fourth stage: Final hours have the patient with high loss of energy, pale complexion, and blood produced when coughing. Breathing becomes difficult and sharp pains begin in the muscles. The lack of enough oxygen to the muscles causes anaerobic respiration to build up lactic acid. There is less energy being released and so temperature begins to drop and blood flow is redirected to the core of the patient to prevent heat loss, hence the pale complexion. Blood when coughing is the lining of the lungs and trachea breaking down. Red blood cells are destroyed in huge numbers.

Last minutes: Constant bleeding and occasional coughs of blood. Patients having extreme loss of energy, some not being able to open their own eyes, failing vision. Hard to breath and extreme loss of body temperature. The lungs are inflammed and very degraded. Pains in the muscles intensifies at lactic acid builds up in huge quantities. Nearly all major organs have shut down, leaving the heart and the brain. Red blood cells have all been destroyed. The brain begins to shut down, causing failing vision.

Death: Patient suffocates and the brain shuts down completely. The heart stops and no signs of life are present.

Cause of death: Virus destroys red blood cells and denatures haemoglobin. This prevents oxygen from reaching the cells for aerobic respiration. The lack of aerobic respiration for the release of energy to continue basic organ functions results in a gradual decline in necessary biological processes. To victims it would suffocation is occuring as the lungs and trachea inflame and degrade, resulting in less air getting into the lungs (although the inability to transport the oxygen around the body would render any ventilation of the lungs useless).

I'm not 100% on what the character will be doing before and during these stages so the time frame is just a rough guide. Having all major symptoms hidden until the end can mean that no one will know what she has until it's too late. She may even have her suspicions as obviously she'll see blood in her poo, feel weak and feverish It also makes her more mobile until the final hours.

Oh yeah and one final thing, most of this may be incorrect. Remember I only learnt this for fun so some scientific details may have been missed and some stuff maybe impossible but then again it's the future so anything can go

[Curugane]

Wrong or not, its more than i ever researched, me being a freak for histroy. I love the raport .
I have been thinkin about what might need to be added, a point of no return.

This virus should be higly resistant, making it impossible to wipe out after a certain point of time, that will, of course, vary from person to person. This way, if you get too large a doze of the antibiotics it might be the antibiotics that kills you.

Where would you put the estimated timelimit?



After thoughts like "how the F*** will the celles survive and cause pain if there aint no mean to transpor oxygen" i came to the conclusion that it says that under "last minutes". With that said, im a idiot. lol

Me modifying again lol.

"although the inability to transport the oxygen around the body would render any ventilation of the lungs useless"

Viruses are really unpredictable sometimes, at least the doctors and scientist can argue of what kind of suffocation occured. I might let that in as a comic relief.

"Even after 4000 years the experts are still discussing how the victims of the malach virus die, is it because of that the lungs cant ventilate propably, or is it because of the lack of the red blood cells, shiping the oxygen. The debate goes on, here comes a comment from the opposing sides.

It is definitely because of the lack of the blood cells, even if the lungs were funktioning as the should, the oxygen cant get anywhere, making it stupid to actually breathe at all.

They are wrong! I have seen it on my mother, women who age have their breasts sack together, THEY GET LESS BEAUTIFUL! *Hmph, hmm* That is, my dear people, my evidence."

I want to apologize if i have in any way insulted or disturbed anybody who read this "article".

[dorothir]

I would probably put a 'point of no return' at the time when the virus attacks the hypothalamus. That is pretty much when it has fully anchored itself into the hosts blood stream and working on destroying the important parts that regulate the bodies processes. The virus would be completely spread out through the entire circulatory system and would be replicating in cells so, what with it being resistant anyway, antibiotics would be pretty much useless.

Haha! I do like the 'debate' that rages on Bloody scientists can't ever agree on anything! All they can say is that the end result is pretty much the same

[Curugane]

I will begin to translate the report to swedish now. Thanks a bunch for the help, Doro. couldnt have done it without you. I might turn to this thread in the future to look for help when im writing.