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Crank

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Crank is a term for people who are infected with the Flare Virus. The Gone was the medical term used for a stage of viral progression in those infected, when a person was past humanity and has lost what sanity they originally had.

Biology

Infection

For people who have been exposed to the Flare virus strain, the virus aggressively attacks the brain and hijacks the host's motor functions, altering their behavior. When a person is infected with the Flare, the host then goes through different developmental stages depending on how long they've been infected, such as Winston, when he was scratched by the Cranks and his body deteriorated, forming necrosis and Newt when his infection was spreading slowly.

The infection spreads through direct contact with an infected, via a bite, scratch, or indirectly via airborne. Upon being infected, the infection will spread through the new host's body, gradually removing their intelligence and then turning them insane in the few days, as the virus eats away the brain.

The first stage of infection can be characterized by signs of paranoia, aggression, and erratic mood swings. The infected can initially display poor balance and mobility skills as is evident from them stumbling and swaying uncontrollably. The mental changes caused by the Flare Virus are most apparent with the splitting headaches that only get more intense with time. These early symptoms continue for approximately two to four months with the virus fully infecting the brain during this time period. As the first stage’s symptoms continue worsening, the brain begins to decay under the Flare Virus, causing temporary to permanent memory loss. The cortex’s significance can be understood from the fact that it is the outer layer of the brain’s largest part: cerebrum. The cerebrum is responsible for enabling body movement, speech, problem-solving and general reasoning, and the virus effects all of these in the second stage. There’s no going back once a person has reached The Gone.

With all the months of painful agony that the Flare Virus causes, the final stage finally completes the evolution of becoming a Crank (aka “The Gone”). All signs of human behavior are completely lost. Survival is achieved through feeding on anything in sight (which explains the Cranks’ cannibalistic habits) and extremely violent tendencies.

Characteristics

Many Cranks also go on to display horrifying injuries that they gain either through aggressive self-harm or fights with other Cranks. The swelling and inflammation of blood vessels is reminiscent of the medical condition vasculitis. This condition entails the changing structure of blood vessels, essentially preventing blood supply to vital organs, eventually leading to the second stage of infection, which is basically the decay of body tissue. Cranks are technically still alive and could somewhat speak; however, the continuity differences between the films and novel series are contrasting to one another.

In the films, Cranks are black-veined, long-armed zombie-like living creatures, as humans infected with the Flare undergo various mutations which increase in severity the longer the host has been infected. Cranks developed strange vine-like growths protruding from their bodies similar to the Cordyceps fungus, sprouting out from the mouths to the skin, deforming their appearance. In addition, the body decays further due to necrosis, the victim becomes hardened shell, enabling them to withstand firearms and any form of harm. Similar to the Cordyceps fungus, Cranks find dark, moist corners to rest in unless disturbed. These areas tend to be underground or within dank, abandoned buildings.

In the novel series, self-mutilation and self-harm are depicted in the Cranks, which explains that they are bloodthirsty and irrational humans who would consider killing, torturing, and cannibalistic objectives. In fact, Cranks are self-aware individuals, albeit turned into homicidal maniacs. The actual level of insanity different Cranks will demonstrate ranges across a wide spectrum as well. Many are practically feral with absolutely no regard for their own self-preservation, to the point that they will gleefully mutilate themselves for the sheer thrill of it. Most are capable of basic albeit deranged speech.

Behavior

Following the infection, victims gradually lose any ability to think freely and begin to behave irrationally as the virus spreads in the brain. Relying on primitive, animalistic instincts caused by the infection, they will attempt to attack and/or eat any human they find to ensure their survival. This becomes most prominent at the later stages of the virus, as Cranks can often be erratically confusing and sometimes slowly becoming insane, strongly suggesting that there is some vestigial elements of the host attempting to resist the virus even in later stages of infection, such as Newt. Nonetheless, Cranks are consumed by a pervasive bloodlust and constantly try to kill or eat anyone or anything they can chase down.

Victims

Trivia

  • Most cranks that have entered "The Gone" actually speak in the book. However, in the film, Cranks that have entered "The Gone" are zombie like and non-talkative creatures.
  • Some people didn't fully succumb to the Flare, like Marcus and Ponytail. They have the Flare, but since they didn't fully succumb to the Flare, they have not entered "The Gone".

Quotes

  • “Rose took my nose, I suppose. And it really blows... Get it? It really blows. My nose. Taken by Rose. I suppose.” The Scorch Trials

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