Lurker

The Lurker was a Necromorph specialized for ranged attacks, set apart from forms like the Slasher by its ability to strike from a distance. It was usually created from the smallest of hosts, human infants and the infant-like organ banks used in biological prosthetic procedures, though in later outbreaks infected dogs served as its source. Small and able to cling to walls and ceilings, it was easy to overlook and difficult to corner, and it hunted survivors such as Isaac Clarke by lurking out of sight and loosing volleys of barbs.

Origin and anatomy#

The Lurker was an extensively mutated Necromorph form. Its hosts, lacking the coordination and muscle mass demanded to kill efficiently, were treated less as a template than as raw biomass, around which the infection recombined the body into an offensive form. The only recognizable features left were the general shape of the skin, the silhouette of the head, and the unchanged original limbs dangling at its sides.

This stiff, leathery covering provided protection and a support structure for the many sticky tentacles that dominated the thoracic cavity and lower abdomen. These tentacles aided the Lurker's movement, steadying it and allowing it to walk along walls and creep across ceilings without losing speed. Coiled in the former pelvic area were three long, ropy tentacles that unfurled once the creature had spotted a victim. Strong and flexible, they could whip around to rake an opponent with their barbs, and they launched projectiles, pieces of rib or spinal vertebrae torn from the thoracic cavity and sharpened by the infection, at high speed and accuracy.

Hosts#

Lurkers were usually created from human babies and from the infant-like organ banks used in biological prosthetic procedures. Their hosts were among the most disturbing the infection claimed, and the creature's growl was a sound built from the combination of an infant's cry with the roars of various animals. The Lurker was small and easily concealed, and could commonly be found stalking the vacuum of zero-gravity environments, where its mobility made it especially dangerous.

A canine version appeared in the later outbreak on Tau Volantis, found aboard the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces ships and on the planet's icy surface. Before their deaths and transformation, these dogs had grown agitated by the Marker signal and had begun clawing at their cages, ripping their paws apart in the process. The canine Lurkers seen in open space and on the cliffsides were much larger than the indoor variety.

The Enhanced form#

The Lurker also had an Enhanced form. In the early outbreaks it shared the same body structure as the ordinary Lurker but was entirely black, far more resistant to harm, and able to fire more lethal barbs. Both forms were commonly found in zero-gravity environments. By the time of the later outbreaks the Enhanced Lurker had a distinct model of its own.