Crimson Head

The second stage of the zombie. If a zombie is severely injured, but has not actually had its spinal cord severed then the cells will start to repair themselves. Under extreme pressure the body can make mistakes when replicating DNA strands. This leads to mutations much like radiation sickness. But as the T-virus is now incorporated into the RNA of the host, the mutations are more controlled and much more aggressive. After a long period of time subjects have regenerated enough tissue to be able to move again. They also begin to develop claws and the skin becomes a distinctly crimson hue. Muscle mass is greatly increased and some higher brain functions are restored. This gives these BOWs enough coordination to be able to run. Their claws are far more effective than the rudimentary zombie’s teeth. Decapitation is necessary to permanently disable it.

Proto-Licker In extreme circumstances a Crimson Head can mutate into a Licker naturally, usually caused by exposure to high concentrations of the T-virus over long periods of time. This is extremely rare, as very few Crimson Heads survive long enough to incubate the virus for the amount of time required. Only once has this event ever occurred, during the Raccoon City incident. The subject’s skin turns bright crimson and the trademark tongue begins to develop. The claws also develop further. It is more resistant to small arms fire than the artificially created Lickers but it is still no stronger than most Hunters.

Scorpion Type  Y-139 This was an early experiment utilising the T-virus on insects. As with most creatures that are relatively low down the evolutionary ladder, no major mutations occurred and the test subject simply increased in size and strength. This BOW was sighted in Raccoon Forest and was reportedly killed by STARS members. Like all poisonous creatures infected with the T-virus it features overdeveloped poison sacs. Parts of its shell have hardened into a tough exoskeleton that is capable of deflecting bullets. Problematically the sudden development of its shell has resulted in corresponding fragility, causing some areas to become exceedingly weak. This includes the head carapace making the Y139 an impractical weapon. No further research was carried out.       Chimera The first experiment in creating a genetically enhanced BOW. This creature is the result of the splicing of human DNA with fly DNA. The T-virus RNA sequence was also incorporated. Chimeras are capable of climbing up walls. Their preferred method of attack is to hang upside down on ceilings and slit their victims throat with their claws. Chimeras provided useful data for many of the later BOWs. They bear many resemblances to them, including the Licker’s large claws and its ability to climb walls, and the Cleaner’s trait of the cellular break down of its body after death. They possess an exceedingly weak exoskeleton though and consequently research on this BOW was abandoned.

Licker This BOW can be created artificially by directly injecting a zombie with the T-virus. This can also occur naturally when a Proto-Licker is continuously exposed to the T-virus. This BOW is almost reptilian in appearance. It features an overdeveloped tongue that is capable of piercing a man’s torso. Its claws are extremely sharp and can slice a man’s throat open with surprising ease. Powerful guns or explosives are recommended when killing one. They have been sighted in Raccoon City and Sheena Island. Unfortunately this BOW has some inherent weaknesses. It navigates using its extremely sensitive hearing due to the fact that it is blind. Whilst this serves the creature quite well, targets can avoid it simply by standing still and waiting for the creature to move out of earshot. It also has an exposed cerebellum making it relatively easy to kill. But this BOW is extremely agile and, unlike the Hunter, can climb walls giving it an advantage over most targets. Despite handling itself quite well in the Raccoon City incident, and wiping out most of the local police department, research on this BOW was abandoned in favour of the Hunter.

MA 121 Alpha

In conjunction with the research being done by Dr. James Marcus. After the Training Facility This was the first type of Hunter created. Research on this BOW started at the Umbrella Training Facility was shut down research was moved to the nearby Arkley Labs. Its standard attack patterns include claw swipes. If it is allowed a run-up the hunter will jump and use the downward momentum to inflict tremendous damage on the upper body. This usually results in a severed main artery, or in extreme cases, decapitation. Low calibre weapons have little effect on it. Explosives or guns with high muzzle-velocities are the optimum weapons to use when killing one of these creatures. Research is still being carried out on this BOW

MA 124 Gamma

This variant was created in labs underneath the Raccoon City hospital. It is far more amphibious in appearance and also possesses increased agility. This Hunter also uses claw swipes, but instead of the standard decapitation move that is synonymous with all other Hunters, it prefers to swallow its victims whole. It has slightly stronger resistance to small arms fire than the MA-121 Beta, but it still performed poorly and no further research has been carried out.

Hunter Seeker

This BOW represents the pinnacle of all research on Hunters. It possesses all the strengths of the MA-121 Alpha and the agility of the MA-121 Beta. This is one of the only BOWs that can differentiate between friendly and enemy forces. The Hunter-Seeker works in conjunction with small mobile motion sensors. Small and inconspicuous, when one of these sensors is tripped the target is illuminated with a beam and radio signals activate an implant inside the Hunter sending it into a rage. The Hunter’s enlarged eyes suggest more genetic alterations and/or implantations have been carried out. It is thought that the Hunter’s eyes have been altered to see into the ultraviolet spectrum. The motion sensor then projects a UV light beam onto the victim making it an obvious target. Two theories have been postulated on how the Hunter’s behaviour is controlled. Both believe that the Hunter have an altered cerebrum resulting in its ability to refrain from killing every living thing in sight. The first theory suggests that an implant is triggered by the motion sensor, causing a release of an adrenal based substance directly into the creature’s bloodstream, resulting in sending the Hunter into a frenzy. This is unlikely though as it would require a major operation on the creature every time the implant needed to be refilled or replaced. The second theory suggests that the motion sensor activates an implant within the Hunter’s brain. This implant directly stimulates the cerebrum, inducing a state of rage into the Hunter. Despite the fact that it would require extremely difficult surgery to place the implant into the creature’s brain, it would result in a much more reliable BOW.