History Main / ZombieInfectee

* The ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies have examples of good and bad Infectees. Notably, a recurring minor character from [[Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse the second movie]], EthnicScrappy L.J, is bitten in [[Film/ResidentEvilExtinction the third]]. What's infuriating about this example is that the movie is set well after the zombie plague has swept through the world, so he couldn't exactly plead ignorance; L.J. had likely seen the same thing happen dozens of times. And yet he keeps his infection a secret, even as he begins to sicken. Once he turns (which [[RuleOfDrama inconveniently]] happens during the big zombie attack), he almost kills TheChick while both are locked in a car, and then infects one of the likable main characters, who does the right thing and takes as many zombies with him as possible in a massive explosion.

The Zombie Infectee is almost certainly (and, in their defense, rightfully) afraid their friends will kill them in cases where the protagonists have figured out that a bite or scratch will pass on TheVirus. Fear of discovery means they live their now shortened lives terrified and in denial, and as a result they end up behaving irrationally because of it. Alternatively, they will desperately cling to the hope that they will be [[TheImmune the one person immune]] to TheVirus, despite it so far having a 100% fatality and 100% conversion rate — in the most headstrong cases, they may try to ResistTheBeast.

* The dreaded greyscale disease from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' slowly turns its victims into [[TechnicallyLivingZombie technically living zombies]] covered in hard stone-like growths and mad from a rage virus-like effect. The exiled knight Jon Connington catches it. What does he do? He doesn't tell anyone and hopes that the campaign of his lifelong goal will be already over when the disease will start to overtake him.

** Subverted in Season 1 when Kenny Jr., aka Duck is bitten, as no one hides it. It's less of an issue of denying the bite, but rather [[spoiler: the parents coming to grips with the fact that they're going to have to kill their son.]]

** Becomes a major plot point in the first episode of Season 2. [[spoiler:Clementine receives a rather nasty bite injury from a dog, but other survivors mistake it for a zombie bite and believe she's one of these]].
** ''The Final Season'' discusses this a bit, with Clementine and AJ both wondering what it's like for someone who's been turned into a walker. [[spoiler:Clementine herself gets bitten on the leg towards the end of the story, but AJ chops off her leg with an axe, saving her before the infection got to her.]]

* The ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series, naturally being viral zombie outbreaks, touches on this trope occasionally with regards to the playable characters. In ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOperationRaccoonCity Operation: Racoon City]]'', your characters can become infected with the T-virus, and if it's not cured in time, they'll [[FaceMonsterTurn turn]] and attack their former teammates (or, if playing alone, [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou cause a game over]]). In other games, the infection will occur as part of the plot, with playables inevitably being cured while partners and other [=NPCs=] will typically succumb.

* This is discussed in ''[[VideoGame/AdvanceWars Advance Wars: Days of Ruin]]'' when the outbreak of [[TheVirus The Creeper]] is in full swing. "Admiral" Greyfield, the moronic madman that he is, openly declares that anyone even ''suspected'' of carrying the highly contagious infection will be immediately put to death. Dr. Caulder later mocks him for this decision, pointing out that it scared his men into hiding their conditions which allowed it to spread unchecked like wildfire through his ranks. Captain Brenner's team wisely quarantined potential infectees and attempted to treat them, which encouraged those to come forward and voluntarily isolate themselves so as to not spread the disease.

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* ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'':
** Pregnant Luda gets bitten. Once her husband Andre discovers the bites turn the victim into a zombie, he sets his wife up in the maternity store, separate from the other survivors. Andre sinks so deeply in denial that he refuses to accept the truth, even when it's obvious TheVirus has her; instead he becomes her twisted [[TheCaretaker caretaker.]] Ironically, Luda doesn't kill anyone, because Andre restrained her when she went into labor (during which she died and reanimated). When Norma discovers zombie Luda, she shoots the undead new mother. Norma and Andre then exchange more gunfire, killing each other. Ana then arrives and shoots Luda's [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute newborn zombie infant]].
** Additionally, Frank, once informed that the bites are going to turn him into a zombie, elects to be separated from the others, knowing he will be killed when he reanimates.
** Subverted when [[spoiler:Michael gets bitten and stays behind, knowing he can't accompany the rest of the survivors beyond this point. It's not quite a HeroicSacrifice, but he at least displays consideration for the other survivors' safety. It is instead Ana, the woman Michael loves, who goes into denial, insisting she can help him because she's a nurse, even though she knows full well the consequences and wasn't able to do anything for any of the other infectees in their recent acquaintance.]]

* Mostly avoided in ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead''. Everybody who gets infected has the wisdom to blow their brains out before they can rise. There were only two straight examples in the entire movie where characters rose after death.
** The very beginning. Gordo gets bitten, and dies. His girlfriend is of course in shock, and claims he might not rise. The group doesn't believe her, but this is the beginning, so they aren't sure, and they leave her to grieve. He does eventually rise, but she reluctantly shoots him in the head instantly, before he cause any trouble.
** {{Jerkass}} Ridley, who was in the horror movie at the beginning of the ZombieApocalypse they're blog-documenting, is seen early on partying with his girl. He invites the film crew to come join him because they're perfectly safe where he is. By the time Jason and company get to him, he's all alone and acting erratic, even for him. Only when Deborah convinces him to tell her where everybody else is does it become obvious that he's infected.
** A third example comes from one of the video asides. A team of armed soldiers raid a house where a live family is storing their infected relatives. Over the family's protests, the soldiers open the room where they've been storing the zombies and shoot them, but the father's interference causes the sergeant to be bitten. Incensed, he deliberately shoots the living family members in the hearts so that they will "wake up dead."

'''Pete''' ''I don't know, I didn't stop to ask them!''

** Being mortally wounded by a White Walker and subsequently saved by the Children has left Benjen in a limbo between human and wight.

* ''Film/IAmAlone'': Jacob Fitts was bitten by a zombie while camping in the woods. The significance is that the virus takes only 32 seconds to a minute to zombify its host. Jacob lasted [=MUCH=] longer.

* Averted, then subverted in ''Film/{{Zombieland}}''. Little Rock appears all too willing to take the bullet to avoid being a danger to other survivors, [[spoiler:but it was just a con to let her and Wichita steal the guys' car and guns]].

** His stepfather, when bitten, insists it's not worth making a fuss over- he ran it under the tap.

** JerkAss Ridley, who was in the horror movie at the beginning of the ZombieApocalypse they're blog-documenting, is seen early on partying with his girl. He invites the film crew to come join him because they're perfectly safe where he is. By the time Jason and company get to him, he's all alone and acting erratic, even for him. Only when Deborah convinces him to tell her where everybody else is does it become obvious that he's infected.

* Averted, then subverted in ''Film/{{Zombieland}}''. Little Rock appears all too willing to take the bullet to avoid being a danger to other survivors [[spoiler: but it was just a con to let her and Wichita steal the guys' car and guns]].

* In the second game of the ''VideoGame/DontEscape'' series, your friend Bill is one. Unusually for the trope, however, he doesn't bother to hide it, and knows he's gonna have to die for your safety. The cleanest way to do this is to get him blackout drunk and then shoot him (you even get an achievement for this), but there's nothing stopping you from [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential butchering him with the axe while he's fully concious.]]

* A random event in ''VideoGame/{{Rebuild}}'' describes one of the ZombieApocalypse survivors in your fort having, apparently, been bitten weeks prior and hiding the fact from everyone. Eventually, the infection is discovered and he/she killed. This is less likely if you have a hospital (and medicine in the third game).

* Frequently averted in the ''Literature/{{Newsflesh}}'' trilogy, which is set in a very GenreSavvy world. Everyone knows that hiding your infection ends badly, so they don't try to hide it. They also run a blood test on anyone they suspect might have been infected. As a result, dying characters will generally choose DyingAsYourself instead.

->'''Ed''': What's up with your hand, man?\\
'''Pete''': I got mugged on the way home from work.\\
'''Ed''': By who?\\
'''Pete''': I dunno, some crackheads or something. One of them bit me.\\
'''Ed''': Why did they bite you?\\
'''Pete''': ''I don't know, I didn't stop to ask them!''

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* Parodied in the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "Epidemiology" when a zombie plague hits the campus. Rich (a doctor) hides being infected among the main characters and doesn't reveal it until he starts turning, as he thought he "was special." A jealous Britta then reveals she was bit too and immediately starts turning as well.
* Subverted in ''Series/InTheFlesh'', where the only Zombies to exist were individuals who died in the year ''before'' the Rising. However, due to multiple zombie tropes being ingrained into people's heads through pop-culture, there is a widespread belief that anyone who died during the Rising will come back as a Zombie (they don't) and you can become a Zombie after being bitten (you can't).
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** Being mortally wounded by a White Walker and subsequently saved by the Children has left Benjen in a limbo between human and wight.
** Jorah is infected with greyscale when he and Tyrion are attacked by the Stone Men. In true zombie-movie fashion, he keeps it hidden. Unlike most examples of this trope, Sam is able to properly treat it by skinning off the infected skin.
* In Season 4 of ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', Curtis gets the power to bring people back from the dead as a zombie, ranging from killing machines, to regular people who just have the need to eat flesh. He uses this to bring someone back to life, and they end up biting him. He successfully hides it until Rudy sees him eating a rat. Rudy tries in vain to kill him but can't make himself do it. Curtis eventually shoots himself.
* PlayedWith in ''Series/{{Helix}}'', which revolves around a CDC team sent to contain an outbreak of the TheVirus in a ResearchInc.
** In "274" {{Zigzagged|Trope}} when CDC team member Julia goes into denial after her infection by PatientZero and PlagueZombie Peter. When team leader Alan finds her in the shower, she claims she passed out from fatigue, and tries to psych herself up, insisting "You. Don't. Get. Sick." A test initially and inexplicably clears her of infection, while she begins to project, accusing coworker Sarah of being infected. But when Julia witnesses a [[NotUsingTheZWord Vector]] attack a security tech and coughs, she {{Subvert|ed Trope}}s it, showing her mucus covered hand and insisting she be quarantined. Later she realizes her swab still reads clear, so the rapid response test used to diagnose her and dozens of others ''doesn't even work.''
** Also in "274," the trope is {{Exaggerated|Trope}} when an escaped Dr. Bryce is discovered attacking a lab door with an ax while ''demanding a cure'', and upon confrontation, ''still'' [[ImplausibleDeniability insists]] he isn't infected.
-->'''Dr. Bryce''': "I'm not even infected!" *swings ax, coughs BadBlackBarf* "Or at least I wasn't until you threw me in with the rest of 'em!"
** Then, {{Inverted| Trope}} in "274," when Julia's psychological projection causes her to accuse coworker Sarah. Though she exhibits a prominent hand tremor, that symptom is from another medical condition Sarah is keeping secret.

* Averted, Inverted and Played straight in ''[[Series/DeadSet Dead Set]]'':

** Inverted by [[spoiler:Marky]] who injures himself when [[spoiler:diving into the van]], causing a police officer thinks hes infected and threatens to kill him.

* In a {{Transflormation}} variant, Lowery from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' BottleEpisode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E2MissiontotheUnknown Mission To The Unknown]]" gets jabbed with a venomous Varga thorn, dooming him to turn homicidal and then change into a Varga plant. He conceals his infection from his companion Cory, but luckily his involuntary murmuring of "kill" as he begins to lose it warns Cory of the threat.

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* In a {{Transflormation}} variant, Lowery from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' BottleEpisode "[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E2MissiontotheUnknown Mission To The Unknown]" gets jabbed with a venomous Varga thorn, dooming him to turn homicidal and then change into a Varga plant. He conceals his infection from his companion Cory, but luckily his involuntary murmuring of "kill" as he begins to lose it warns Cory of the threat.