The Infected: From Original to Blog Story

So now that The Infected: Blog Story (Part 1) is over, I thought it would be fun to compare some fun facts between my original short story that I hand wrote several years ago and the newer blog version of the zombie saga. Here goes!


Original

Title: The Infected Part I
Description: I wake up to a world that has been overrun by zombies. With the help of some friends who have survived, we try to make it to Southkeys Docks - the last safe zone.
Comparison: Because I already used my friends and I's likeness in the Friday the 13th blog story, I had to switch up the characters since I was the main character and my friends were all protagonists in the original The Infected. Part I also takes place in one day in my hometown of Aylmer.

Charlotte is only slightly featured in the first part as Yasmina's friend. She mentions a trip to Tokyo where she visited her step-father, Peter Olsen. While her last name is never mentionned in Part I, we do eventually find out what it is. Charlotte is very much aware of what her step-father has created but it is unknown if she tried to tell anyone.

In the original, I am aided by Aleksann Saumure. I find her in a burning car that rests upside down. She is fending off a zombie that is in the driver's seat. Along with two of my friends, we make it to Yasmina's house, where we believe we'll find the answer to the cure.

Along the way, zombies attack and claim some of us as their own.


Remake

Title: The Infected: Blog Story
Description: When their hometown is overtaken by the walking dead, Charlotte Olsen and Felix Holloway are forced to hit the road and accept the new world that is forming around them.
Comparison: I knew from the get go that I wanted to explore more of the human side to the infection; how we cope in times of struggle, human interactions, trusting, moving forward. The setting and timeframe is completely different, with the blog story unfolding over several weeks  in many different parts of the United States and Canada. I didn't want to revamp it too much so I kept the cause of infection - the general idea - the same.

By doing so, I thought it best to bring Charlotte Olsen to the forefront and explore more of her universe. She is alot less sinister in this version - I gave that part to Aleksandra.

Speaking of the devil. When I wrote the remake, I really wanted to bring Aleksann along but her sweet nature didn't fit right in the trio. In Part II of the original, there is a character named Cassandra ( I will talk about her when The Infected: Fogo Island is over as to not spoil anything) who I also wanted to integrate in this version. So I merged Aleksann and Cassandra to form Aleksandra, who appears sweet on in the outside but is rotting on in the inside.

Although the story happens on a longer period of time, the characters arrive at the safe zone (in this case, Fogo Island, Newfoundland) at the end of Part I. In the original, the characters only arrive at their safe zone (Southkeys Docks) midway through Part II.



David Price

In David Price's backstory, I did use two characters and two scenes - word for word - from the original. Annie and Karl Lochlan's house attack is taken from Aleksann's backstory. What happens to the Prices is also very similar to what happens to Aleksann and her family. Both David and Aleksann's older sister is named Rebekah; in both versions she is attacked outside the house by Karl Lochlan while Annie attacks the family inside.

In the original, Aleksann and her brother Mikko survive Karl and Annie's attack and leave the house in the family's sedan with Mikko behind the wheel. He omits to tell his sister that he has been bitten and slowly begins to show signs of infection which leads to an accident. We find out then that the zombie inside the car when I first find Aleksann is her brother. She is later attacked at Yasmina's house and is shot after rising from the dead.

In David's story, he and his sister survive the attack but David is shot dead by Aleksandra (character vengeance?) while Greta's fate is unknown.


If y'all have questions about whatever, don't hesitate to ask. or critique. or praise. or hate. but hate kindly. :)


Candles are out,
Eleven's Ink