Creeper (Dead Space)

For the enemy creature from Dead Space 3, see Creeper and Shambler.

The Creeper is a type of Necromorph that has only been featured in the novel Dead Space: Martyr. Encountered by Michael Altman during the Necromorph outbreak at the Black Marker research station in 2214, the Creeper is described as an amorphous blob of necrotic tissue that seems to consume everything it touches. Specifically, it appears as a mass of flesh with a partial human skull visible within it. Altman also witnesses human faces within the mass that appear to be laughing at him, though this may be a psychological affect of the Black Marker.

Wherever the Creeper goes, it oozes a caustic substance that envelops and erodes the surrounding environment, including other Necromorphs. It could be that the Creeper is the source of the necrotic mass known as the Corruption which has been witnessed in all Necromorph outbreak sites, however, no other Creepers of this type have been encountered since the Black Marker excavation. When Michael Altman encountered this Necromorph, he used a hydrogen torch to try and burn the creature. It is unknown if the torch would have been enough to kill it as the Creeper retreated from the flame and Altman did not pursue it.

Trivia

 * The Creeper may have been based on The Blob, an extraterrestrial creature from the film of the same name that enveloped everything in its path and dissolved flesh on contact.
 * One possibility for the creation of the Creeper is that it was a by-product of an experiment carried out by one Doctor Guthe before the outbreak. In his experiment, Guthe synthesized a sample of Necromorph tissue retrieved by Altman during the Black Marker's excavation and injected it into sheep cells, then chemically stimulated them to grow. Being that Guthe also injected himself with the virus and started the outbreak, he never closed the incubator where he was experimenting on one of the specimens. This would allow for the escape of the genetically-engineered tissue, and the chemical assistance it received could account for its rampant growth and acidic properties. If this is true it means that the Creeper is the only existing one of its kind, that being the reason one was never seen in anything but the book.