It was difficult to tell who was infected among the blind, the pallor of standard cataracts compared to the early stages of the parasitically induced can only be distinguished through specialised filtered lenses. The secondary eyes of the parasite don't show until the moment they're due to burst through the host's eyes and by then they're already gone.
At least, they aren't who they once were. Most of their fundamental likes and dislikes will often swap or dissolve entirely upon complete infection as their brain chemistry is reconstructed by the parasite to better suit the necessary protein absorption.
A positive side effect of this is how these rapidly shifting opinions often isolate the infected individuals, slowing down the overall progression of the parasite. Unfortunately it also means that sudden changes in strong opinions are now classed as a symptom of the infection rather than the natural progression of personhood.
Society would rather be stubborn and stagnant than risk being culled or placed with the infected (effectively still killing them but with far less effort). The infected themselves have very little to say on the matter, the sheer amount of mucus they produce clogs their vocal chords up to the point where making any noise is a struggle.
They're always so still and they die so quietly that the only way to tell if they've died is by the gaping hole where their face was after the parasite crawls out in search of a warmer host. Even then with the larger parasites, the strong ones, the sheer amount of facial tissue they dissolve in order to be able to properly see and oxidise often leaves the host utterly faceless anyway.
At least, they aren't who they once were. Most of their fundamental likes and dislikes will often swap or dissolve entirely upon complete infection as their brain chemistry is reconstructed by the parasite to better suit the necessary protein absorption.
A positive side effect of this is how these rapidly shifting opinions often isolate the infected individuals, slowing down the overall progression of the parasite. Unfortunately it also means that sudden changes in strong opinions are now classed as a symptom of the infection rather than the natural progression of personhood.
Society would rather be stubborn and stagnant than risk being culled or placed with the infected (effectively still killing them but with far less effort). The infected themselves have very little to say on the matter, the sheer amount of mucus they produce clogs their vocal chords up to the point where making any noise is a struggle.
They're always so still and they die so quietly that the only way to tell if they've died is by the gaping hole where their face was after the parasite crawls out in search of a warmer host. Even then with the larger parasites, the strong ones, the sheer amount of facial tissue they dissolve in order to be able to properly see and oxidise often leaves the host utterly faceless anyway.
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