Outbreak Day is the date that the Cordyceps Brain Infection reached critical mass. It occurred on September 26th, 2013,[1] and reached Austin in the early morning hours of the following day.
Though the infection had been rising in intensity for days, it reached such a state when people began to be administered to hospitals. The infection spread quickly in cities like Austin, eventually being confirmed to have spread nationwide.
A state of national emergency was declared. The Army and the National Guard were mobilized quickly in the early hours of the morning, blocking the highway, setting up a base for residents to flee to for refuge. News networks tried to inform people of this safe area, but many went off the air shortly after the start of the outbreak. Several infected patients escaped from the nearby hospital and attacked people trapped on the highway due to the high amount of traffic.
Much of the city erupted into chaos due to the outbreak. Police cars rushed to various areas in the city, setting up roadblocks to contain citizens believed to be infected, only to be overrun by them. Buildings were set ablaze, some even exploding due to gas leaks despite the Army's efforts to intervene.
The outside country areas of the city were much more quiet. Joel and Sarah's area only appeared to have one Infected person, Jimmy Cooper. Many residents in these areas fled towards the city due to the advice on the radio and television, unaware of the chaotic events occurring.
Joel would later look back on that day and how "families were torn apart" and how it was "a God-awful mess".
Trivia
- A tweet by Naughty Dog developer Mark Richard Davies places Joel's birthday on Outbreak Day. This is backed by the events of the prologue, and in game newspapers and calendars.[2]
- To commemorate Outbreak Day, Naughty Dog released the alternate musical ending to the public.[3]
- To commemorate the third anniversary of Outbreak Day, in 2016, Naughty Dog released a limited edition poster whose design is similar to Ellie's tattoo from The Last of Us Part II.