It has been seventy-two years since the incident. In the twinkle of an eye entire populations were wiped out. Friends and families woke up to go to work or school only to be met with devastation. It swept the world in a matter of hours. The largest epidemic known to mankind, and the single largest extinction event since the dinosaurs. It was a virus passed freely between human and animals - the first of it's kind to not discriminate based on species.
Everything was affected. It passed with simplistic ease between animals and humans. It was a mutated form of rabies and it wreaked havoc before a cure could even be theorized. Humans had no hope. They could not smell it and did not see the signs until it was too late. Animals fared better. All mammals were affected by it, but animals could sense it on an infected individual. The infected were avoided at all costs. Eventually the disease killed them.
Now, the world is held in delicate balance. The ruins of man still stand tall and provide safe harbor. Those who become infected usually die. On occasion, though, one will survive in a miserable world of pain and suffering. The infected are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. They're rare, though, so rare that they have been almost forgotten. Left only as legends to scare children to bed at night. This was a harsh virus that has left many victims - but at least the world has recovered and begun anew. For the most part, Skoria is rich with life and opportunity.