this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2026
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I'm sorry, Jon
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I'm sorry Jon, you can escape r/imsorryjon but you can't escape me.
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My favorite story about The Thing, other than the original story, posited that the blood brain barrier protected their minds from infection, or at least waylaid it long enough to allow the parasite to decide to keep them functioning normally. That every one of the infected was a sleeper agent, completely oblivious to their traumatic sublimation into a terror from the stars. That they were forced to watch as their body spontaneously revolted and maimed and defiled, only to be slowly consumed in the aftermath.
Viewing the body as a prison is one of my favorite horror tropes.
Your body is a wonderland covered by The Thing....
Expanding that line of thinking, the adrenaline spike from the pain of flesh exploding apart itself like a firecracker going off would push the blood pressure high enough for the parasite to bypass the blood brain barrier and begin a nearly instant infection. The last thing the infected sees is their body explode and their world fade out as their brains are transformed. They might even know what's happening but no longer have the same goals as humans.
In the small chance you haven't heard of Half-Life's headcrab zombies, I recommend you look them up.
Link to the most famous example for the curious.
Though I prefer the Zombine (infected Combine soldier) sounds. It's a mix of failing hardware and them desperately trying to alert the others that they're infected. It's also 90% made up of edited voice lines from the basic Combine soldier, which is some brilliant asset reuse that makes them feel even more unnaturally robotic.
Edit: and for completeness, the infected HEV suit from Black Mesa.
Definitely have, and the way they plead for release is very spooky.