Tess received a "kiss" of death from an Infected on "The Last of Us."
HBO
Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Last of Us."
HBO's adaptation of the video game has introduced variations of infected humans.
Insider broke down the evolution of the cordyceps infection in the game and show, from runners to bloaters.
HBO's "The Last of Us" follows a cordyceps fungal infection that transforms humans into monsters called Infected.
Over the course of the series, viewers have witnessed a few variations of the cordyceps infection. But those aren't the only types of Infected that players experience across the two games.
From runners to shamblers, here are the different kinds of Infected we've seen on HBO's adaptation and the ones we could potentially see in the future on the series.
Runners are what you become during the first stage of the infection.When you first become infected, you're a runner. This is the weakest stage of the infected.
HBO
On HBO's official "TLOU" podcast, coshowrunner Neil Druckmann, who also created the hit game series, shared how he and his team came up with the stages that someone with the infection will go through.
Druckmann briefly broke down the stages we see on the show.
A recently infected human will become a runner within about two days of infection. They're violent, ridiculously fast, and usually attack in groups.
Tendrils come out of runners' mouths and are one way they can infect others in addition to bites and scratches.
We saw runners in the pilot when swarms of people started running toward Joel and Tommy. The older woman who lived next door to Joel was also an example of a runner.
In the game, runners are heard making noises and moaning when they're not chasing something.
Stalkers are the next stage of infection.Stalkers are some of the scariest versions of the Infected in the game.
These stronger versions of runners have more growths on their heads and faces, can still see, and are more aggressive.
A military pamphlet in the game describes them as smarter variants who "hide and ambush victims."
Stalkers aren't seen much in the game. The Infected that "kisses" Tess fits the description of a stalker since it has a growth over one of its eyes.
On the show, clickers are the second stage of the infection.Clickers are probably the coolest version of the Infected.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
On HBO's podcast, Druckmann described clickers as the second stage of the infection saying, "If you've survived long enough, eventually the cordyceps grows through your face, cracks it open, takes away your eyes, your vision, and you become what's called a clicker."
Unable to see, clickers use echolocation to move and are only a danger if someone makes a noise.
Stronger than humans, in the game, it takes at least a year for an infected person to evolve into a clicker.
Immobile infected grew into walls.We've seen a few examples of this on the HBO series, including on the pilot, as seen above.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
On the podcast, Druckmann also mentioned that some Infected go underground when they know they're going to die and get stuck.
"They settle against a wall. They settle in a corner," Druckmann said, adding that the infection grows around them. "They become part of the environment. It grows all over the walls and the ceiling and the ground."
Bloaters are the most dangerous type of infected.It can take years for an infected person to become a bloater.
HBO
"There's certain people that are just so strong and big that could survive even longer and those are the bloaters," Druckmann said on the show's official podcast.
Druckmann and coshowrunner Craig Mazin went back and forth for months on whether or not they should incorporate a bloater on the series.
Introduced on episode five, the bloater emerged from the ground and interestingly took on a life of its own, becoming something of a sex icon online.
In the game, it takes years for an infected human to become a bloater.
Shamblers are a variation of a bloater, which haven't been seen yet on the show.Shamblers sort of resemble bloaters.
Naughty Dog
Shamblers are a bloater variant that looks like they've been submerged in water for long periods of time.
They're usually found in more humid locations where rainfall may be plentiful.
Arguably more deadly than a bloater, shamblers can spray acid at their prey and fire acidic spores from their bodies.
Shamblers aren't seen until "The Last of Us: Part II" video game.
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