The subject seems to be a cumulation of turn of the century fears and arising issues up until the 50s, including but not limited to; experimental science, Dr. Frankenstein's monster, contagions, Voodoo-esque zombie culture reinterpreted by the Western world, and the mysticism surrounding alleged necromancy and its (arguably very unfounded) connotations with Satanism.
It wasn't until the late 60s to 70s Zombies gained a prominence in film, especially with Night Of The Living Dead ('68), as a precursor and pioneer to the modern "zombie apocalypse" survival subgenre of horror. George A. Romero's zombies, an altered visage of horror to anything that had come before, were a new breed, and began a trend for the next 40 years to follow.
We saw zombies constantly evolving and the lore surrounded them developed until we are left with a variety of almost subspecies's of undead, and some drastic left-wing mutations to the idea, including the 28 Days/Weeks Later "zombies", who despite being "rage" infected humans, still fit into the zombie survival niche.
The media has seen an astronomical growth, change and evolution in the archetypal zombie, and because of this, traditional survival schemes have had to be modified to accommodate to the breed of zombies that seeks to fuck you up.
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So, all that said, we must analyse what is a zombie, what does it consist of, and how do I fuck its shit up?
What is a zombie?
For the sake of this question we are encouraged to be very general. Zombies are generally regarded, by definition, as reanimated corpses, frequently mindless, with varying degrees of ability, some predisposed to the human the infected was prior or to the lore that created said zombie.
We have seen everything from enhanced strength to ripping off limbs that come away like soggy paper towels, speed, or "runners", to those that meander and drag their feet slowly. As time goes on, the zombies we see are more challenging than their predecessors; faster, stronger, more cunning and/or frenzied. Hungrier.
What exactly zombies "want" as such has been hotly debated and again, subjective to the lore that surrounds them. Very seldom with any degree of sentience, their motives are often given to a simple, insatiable need for flesh, a hunger, or to just nom nom everyone they see. It has been observed in certain instances that their goal has been just to infect others, which is a basic species survival imperative, that be, ensuring the continuity of itself. In mainstream media, zombies have hungered for, in particular, brains, and much of the zombie survival universe is centred around the head, brain, brain stem and even spinal cord. In short, protect yo'self before you wreck yo'self and destroy the brain.
It is not often we see zombies eat one another, suggesting their desire is for live flesh, hence why they commonly seem to seek it out above alternate sources of sustenance. Notably, also, is that zombies are seldom portrayed eating animals, and while we have seen various mutations of the virus that affect animals (and in turn, they hunger for human flesh, their own species and other animals, a discrepancy with human zombies) they are infrequently specified to have been infected by a human.
Many have asked "why is a zombie?" Scientifically, the concept of a zombie is hard to fathom, considering the chemistry required to reanimate a corpse. That said, of late, we're seeing a new method, if you will, of zombie that arises from a relatively fast moving infection (anywhere between 4-36 hours, very generally) that attacks the nervous system and the victim slowly regresses into either a zombie, albeit weakened, or passes away and shortly after returns. We see fevers, hallucinations, mood swings, weakness, nausea, muscle dystrophy, even jaundicing, etc. Just about everything that sucks. The path to zombiehood is littered with massive organ failure, pretty much.
There has been much debate as to what exactly happens to the organs when undergoing a zombie infection and eventual death, rebirth, etc, and that seems to be completely dependant on the motives of the zombie. If they eat, their internal organs and their functions would need to be in order, at least to some degree, as metabolism, digestion and waste would have to be passed if they are indeed digesting what they catch. If not, it is arguable only the brain survives with a collection of senses and muscle control.
Whether a zombie is a reanimated corpse or an animated corpse has been debated, but is often just dismissed as petty semantics. Reanimated implies the individual has passed away, and after X amount of time, has risen again. This, comparative to a corpse that is just continually animated, is less plausible, and the latter remains the more popular of those (basic) two among communities, despite the mainstream media viewing zombies as reanimated cadavers.
Taken into account, regardless of how they came to be, your primary goal of a survivor is to, well, survive, and in order to do that, you must know your and your enemy's limits.
What does it consist of?
It is important to remember that, for the most part, zombies were human once too. They should have most of what you have. Whether their sense are heightened, specialised, or diluted, and their strengths and weaknesses is something you must deduce as soon as possible. Fact is, your life depends on it.
Smell.
Assuming your zombie has optimal olfactory senses, unless you have a way to cover your scent and be as smellingly inconspicuous as possible, you may just be fucked. It brings to life the reality that no matter how far you run, they will find you, or no matter how well protected your fort, they will congregate around it, and either way, you will soon run out of supplies. Without careful and calculated observation that you may not have time for, it is incredibly difficult to discern whether your zombie has an enhanced sense of smell, and even if theirs is only the equivalent to your own, take no precautions. Cover your scent, do not leave a trail, burn useless clothing that smells too much like a human. Do not leave breadcrumbs, basically.
Sight.
There is a lot of mythology surrounding the validity of zombie sight, and the whole "they can't see you if you don't move" strategy is prominent. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, never believe that comfortably standing still in a throng of zombies is a good thing. There is evidence that they are not incredibly dependent on their sight, but rather hearing, spacial awareness of movement and smell. If their goal is human flesh, they are specialised to find it, and they will nomnom you if you hang out with them too long. They will pick up your scent, feel your movements, notice your heartbeat and breathing... If you can't slink away, run or fight your way out. Anywhere would be safer than there, eventually.
As far as the long distance sight of zombies, little is known, but to be safe, keep yourself covered and attempt at all times to have the higher ground.
Hearing.
Like smell, is regarded as one of the more potent of a zombie's sense, generally because it is that hearing and awareness of vibrations that can make them so terrifying. You move, they find you. You speak, they find you. You fucking breathe, you're dead.
Ideally, your best policy is stay as quiet as possible, and out of earshot. Learn to have signals and codes with your fellow survivors. Don't rely completely on spoken commands, and keep the fuckers from panicking.
Speed and Strength.
This is one of the first things you should know about your zombie, and fortunately one of the easiest to find out. There are three main theories about the physical abilities of zombies; 1, they do not have full or optimal control of their muscles, especially limbs, and are thus "weaker", limp, heavy, blundering and clumsy, often regarded as slow and a bit hurr durr. 2, they have speed and strength enhanced by the infection, and are consistently stronger and faster. Whether this means they surpass or are equal to you is difficult to know, but once you've reason to believe they could eat your brains with their hands tied behind their backs, it's time to toughen the fuck up. 3, they have the skills, abilities and limitations of their human. This is the most fucking annoying of them all, because it is hard to gauge just how much a zombie can fuck you up, but then again, it also makes the most sense. An old woman zombie can have the shit beaten out of her like an old woman, and a tall, muscled athlete zombie will fuck you up like a tall, muscled athlete. I don't usually encourage making assumptions but when you have foes of various abilities and strengths, go for weak spots.
It is very important not to think that just because a zombie is weak or was a weak human that you can get away with it. You must be on guard at all times, and never give them a chance.
Cognition.
As mentioned, zombies are usually seen as listless and absent minded without a goal. If a zombie, or god forbid, group of zombies, has you and/or your fellow survivors in their sights, you can expect to be pretty fucked. Opinions differ, but we observe zombies that congregate around areas they know humans are hiding, indicating they have considerable attention spans, and due to the single minded hunger of their goals, they show little evidence of getting bored or giving up.
Zombies frequently hang out in groups for unknown reasons. Whether it's a throw back to human psychology and a herd mentality, either way, no matter how slow your zombies are, a horde is a horde and you will be easily overpowered.
A prominent theme in zombie lore is that the brain is crucial to a zombie, like it is in humans.
How do I fuck its shit up?
As indicated, zombies are essentially human, in the way that aforementioned, destroying the brain, brain stem and less commonly the spinal cord, will kill the fuck out of them. This is best executed with a variety of weapons, but one that ensures a thorough job well done. Close range has recommended swords, long knifes and long swords if available, as beheading is an obvious choice. Blunt force trauma to hopefully crush the cranium and sufficiently damage the brain recommends anything from baseball bats, other sporting bats or sticks (golf clubs, cricket, hockey sticks), clubs, shovels (also used in beheading) and other garden tools, and the more creative have used everything from bricks, to frying pans, to household appliances and basically anything with enough weight to bring down on a skull. One of the most valuable skills will be versatility, and an ability to adapt to your environment. Find a weapon, and see weapons everywhere, and do not become very attached to a single weapon, regardless of your proficiency with it. Improvise! If you need to drive a pen into the eye socket of a zombie leering over you, you better hope it hits that brain, but it's better than nothing. Above all, be practical, be smart, travel light and well prepared.
Guns and other hand held projectile firearms are popular, and it's not hard to see why. I, for one, have always preached the importance of preserving ammunition when it is becoming scarce or the option to get more lessens, but encourage use of bullets assuming you know how to use a fucking gun. You don't just pick it up and fire, and you do not waste ammo. Do what you can to survive, but think about what you do once you've survived. No one just picks up a firearm or crossbow or compound bow for the first time and shoots like a seasoned marksman. Protecting yourself from a distance and keeping the hordes at bay is too important to squander precious ammo. Don't be an hero, and at least let the most competent of your group save your asses.
Aim for the head. You want to kill and get out of there as soon as possible, cutting them down quickly and without hesitation. While the torso should be intact, often zombies can be missing limbs, riddled with holes and even have gaping voids in their flesh, taken out by shotguns and stabbings, and keep walking at you. They do not seem to feel pain, at least not like we do, and are not debilitated by it. More important than incapacitating a zombie is killing it, so aim for the head, above all.
So, all that said, we must analyse what is a zombie, what does it consist of, and how do I fuck its shit up?
What is a zombie?
For the sake of this question we are encouraged to be very general. Zombies are generally regarded, by definition, as reanimated corpses, frequently mindless, with varying degrees of ability, some predisposed to the human the infected was prior or to the lore that created said zombie.
We have seen everything from enhanced strength to ripping off limbs that come away like soggy paper towels, speed, or "runners", to those that meander and drag their feet slowly. As time goes on, the zombies we see are more challenging than their predecessors; faster, stronger, more cunning and/or frenzied. Hungrier.
What exactly zombies "want" as such has been hotly debated and again, subjective to the lore that surrounds them. Very seldom with any degree of sentience, their motives are often given to a simple, insatiable need for flesh, a hunger, or to just nom nom everyone they see. It has been observed in certain instances that their goal has been just to infect others, which is a basic species survival imperative, that be, ensuring the continuity of itself. In mainstream media, zombies have hungered for, in particular, brains, and much of the zombie survival universe is centred around the head, brain, brain stem and even spinal cord. In short, protect yo'self before you wreck yo'self and destroy the brain.
It is not often we see zombies eat one another, suggesting their desire is for live flesh, hence why they commonly seem to seek it out above alternate sources of sustenance. Notably, also, is that zombies are seldom portrayed eating animals, and while we have seen various mutations of the virus that affect animals (and in turn, they hunger for human flesh, their own species and other animals, a discrepancy with human zombies) they are infrequently specified to have been infected by a human.
Many have asked "why is a zombie?" Scientifically, the concept of a zombie is hard to fathom, considering the chemistry required to reanimate a corpse. That said, of late, we're seeing a new method, if you will, of zombie that arises from a relatively fast moving infection (anywhere between 4-36 hours, very generally) that attacks the nervous system and the victim slowly regresses into either a zombie, albeit weakened, or passes away and shortly after returns. We see fevers, hallucinations, mood swings, weakness, nausea, muscle dystrophy, even jaundicing, etc. Just about everything that sucks. The path to zombiehood is littered with massive organ failure, pretty much.
There has been much debate as to what exactly happens to the organs when undergoing a zombie infection and eventual death, rebirth, etc, and that seems to be completely dependant on the motives of the zombie. If they eat, their internal organs and their functions would need to be in order, at least to some degree, as metabolism, digestion and waste would have to be passed if they are indeed digesting what they catch. If not, it is arguable only the brain survives with a collection of senses and muscle control.
Whether a zombie is a reanimated corpse or an animated corpse has been debated, but is often just dismissed as petty semantics. Reanimated implies the individual has passed away, and after X amount of time, has risen again. This, comparative to a corpse that is just continually animated, is less plausible, and the latter remains the more popular of those (basic) two among communities, despite the mainstream media viewing zombies as reanimated cadavers.
Taken into account, regardless of how they came to be, your primary goal of a survivor is to, well, survive, and in order to do that, you must know your and your enemy's limits.
What does it consist of?
It is important to remember that, for the most part, zombies were human once too. They should have most of what you have. Whether their sense are heightened, specialised, or diluted, and their strengths and weaknesses is something you must deduce as soon as possible. Fact is, your life depends on it.
Smell.
Assuming your zombie has optimal olfactory senses, unless you have a way to cover your scent and be as smellingly inconspicuous as possible, you may just be fucked. It brings to life the reality that no matter how far you run, they will find you, or no matter how well protected your fort, they will congregate around it, and either way, you will soon run out of supplies. Without careful and calculated observation that you may not have time for, it is incredibly difficult to discern whether your zombie has an enhanced sense of smell, and even if theirs is only the equivalent to your own, take no precautions. Cover your scent, do not leave a trail, burn useless clothing that smells too much like a human. Do not leave breadcrumbs, basically.
Sight.
There is a lot of mythology surrounding the validity of zombie sight, and the whole "they can't see you if you don't move" strategy is prominent. Unless you have evidence to the contrary, never believe that comfortably standing still in a throng of zombies is a good thing. There is evidence that they are not incredibly dependent on their sight, but rather hearing, spacial awareness of movement and smell. If their goal is human flesh, they are specialised to find it, and they will nomnom you if you hang out with them too long. They will pick up your scent, feel your movements, notice your heartbeat and breathing... If you can't slink away, run or fight your way out. Anywhere would be safer than there, eventually.
As far as the long distance sight of zombies, little is known, but to be safe, keep yourself covered and attempt at all times to have the higher ground.
Hearing.
Like smell, is regarded as one of the more potent of a zombie's sense, generally because it is that hearing and awareness of vibrations that can make them so terrifying. You move, they find you. You speak, they find you. You fucking breathe, you're dead.
Ideally, your best policy is stay as quiet as possible, and out of earshot. Learn to have signals and codes with your fellow survivors. Don't rely completely on spoken commands, and keep the fuckers from panicking.
Speed and Strength.
This is one of the first things you should know about your zombie, and fortunately one of the easiest to find out. There are three main theories about the physical abilities of zombies; 1, they do not have full or optimal control of their muscles, especially limbs, and are thus "weaker", limp, heavy, blundering and clumsy, often regarded as slow and a bit hurr durr. 2, they have speed and strength enhanced by the infection, and are consistently stronger and faster. Whether this means they surpass or are equal to you is difficult to know, but once you've reason to believe they could eat your brains with their hands tied behind their backs, it's time to toughen the fuck up. 3, they have the skills, abilities and limitations of their human. This is the most fucking annoying of them all, because it is hard to gauge just how much a zombie can fuck you up, but then again, it also makes the most sense. An old woman zombie can have the shit beaten out of her like an old woman, and a tall, muscled athlete zombie will fuck you up like a tall, muscled athlete. I don't usually encourage making assumptions but when you have foes of various abilities and strengths, go for weak spots.
It is very important not to think that just because a zombie is weak or was a weak human that you can get away with it. You must be on guard at all times, and never give them a chance.
Cognition.
As mentioned, zombies are usually seen as listless and absent minded without a goal. If a zombie, or god forbid, group of zombies, has you and/or your fellow survivors in their sights, you can expect to be pretty fucked. Opinions differ, but we observe zombies that congregate around areas they know humans are hiding, indicating they have considerable attention spans, and due to the single minded hunger of their goals, they show little evidence of getting bored or giving up.
Zombies frequently hang out in groups for unknown reasons. Whether it's a throw back to human psychology and a herd mentality, either way, no matter how slow your zombies are, a horde is a horde and you will be easily overpowered.
A prominent theme in zombie lore is that the brain is crucial to a zombie, like it is in humans.
How do I fuck its shit up?
As indicated, zombies are essentially human, in the way that aforementioned, destroying the brain, brain stem and less commonly the spinal cord, will kill the fuck out of them. This is best executed with a variety of weapons, but one that ensures a thorough job well done. Close range has recommended swords, long knifes and long swords if available, as beheading is an obvious choice. Blunt force trauma to hopefully crush the cranium and sufficiently damage the brain recommends anything from baseball bats, other sporting bats or sticks (golf clubs, cricket, hockey sticks), clubs, shovels (also used in beheading) and other garden tools, and the more creative have used everything from bricks, to frying pans, to household appliances and basically anything with enough weight to bring down on a skull. One of the most valuable skills will be versatility, and an ability to adapt to your environment. Find a weapon, and see weapons everywhere, and do not become very attached to a single weapon, regardless of your proficiency with it. Improvise! If you need to drive a pen into the eye socket of a zombie leering over you, you better hope it hits that brain, but it's better than nothing. Above all, be practical, be smart, travel light and well prepared.
Guns and other hand held projectile firearms are popular, and it's not hard to see why. I, for one, have always preached the importance of preserving ammunition when it is becoming scarce or the option to get more lessens, but encourage use of bullets assuming you know how to use a fucking gun. You don't just pick it up and fire, and you do not waste ammo. Do what you can to survive, but think about what you do once you've survived. No one just picks up a firearm or crossbow or compound bow for the first time and shoots like a seasoned marksman. Protecting yourself from a distance and keeping the hordes at bay is too important to squander precious ammo. Don't be an hero, and at least let the most competent of your group save your asses.
Aim for the head. You want to kill and get out of there as soon as possible, cutting them down quickly and without hesitation. While the torso should be intact, often zombies can be missing limbs, riddled with holes and even have gaping voids in their flesh, taken out by shotguns and stabbings, and keep walking at you. They do not seem to feel pain, at least not like we do, and are not debilitated by it. More important than incapacitating a zombie is killing it, so aim for the head, above all.
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The feeling that a zombie apocalypse is inevitable is a strong one in certain communities, and with advancements in science, chemical and contagion warfare, the ever present threat of nuclear war and over population and pandemics, the opinions about the rapid spread of any infection are valid. It's a feasible fear, and ties into our phobias as a species of anarchy, disease, cannibalism, death and being hunted. It's no small wonder at the popularity of the zombie apocalypse subgenre of horror, but it's never too soon to be prepared.
The feeling that a zombie apocalypse is inevitable is a strong one in certain communities, and with advancements in science, chemical and contagion warfare, the ever present threat of nuclear war and over population and pandemics, the opinions about the rapid spread of any infection are valid. It's a feasible fear, and ties into our phobias as a species of anarchy, disease, cannibalism, death and being hunted. It's no small wonder at the popularity of the zombie apocalypse subgenre of horror, but it's never too soon to be prepared.
With this knowledge in mind, it's good to have a Zombie plan set up, so if/when the Zombie Apocalypse arrives, you know what to do in order to survive.
ReplyDeleteMost people will head to the coldest places available, as Zombies are unable to function in freezing temperatures.
It's always good to have a place nearby ready to be looted for weapons to fight off the Zombies, making our escape easier, as well as a second place near your weapons cache ready to be looted inorder to stock up on food fr your trip to survival.
Eventually, you will be fighting off the Zombies. Do not throw your food at them. I cannot stress that enough. Do NOT throw your food at them.
You should at least hav enough food to last a few weeks, and once you get up to the colder areas, you may run into other survivors.
With the other survivors in mind, you can then trade food, and set up a party to go out and collect food.
This party should consist of a Leader, to lead the team. A navigator, to read local maps and help work out where the nearest food supply is. A "tough guy/girl" that can fend off the Zombies if they get to close. This is a very dangerous job as they have a high risk chance of getting bitten.
A marksmen should be fending off the Zombies during the search for food. They will not be the only person with weapons, but this will be the only reason they are there. To help with the firepower and fighitng off the Zombies.
The final team member is up to you. Many people suggest a Zombie sacrifice, but I highly recommend against this. Any one that has survived with you can obviously fight off the Zombies and help out. I recommend a second marksmen.
Another member of the team whose only purpose in the group is to aid the group in fighting off the Zombies, and other than that, they have no particular job.
Using both the knowledge and the Zombie plan you have established, you should be able to survive the Zombie apocalypse for maybe even years.
I'm just surprised you didn't give people a Zombie Plan along with this knowledge, Shannyn.
It was intended simply as an introduction to zombie, m'dear. That said, I would have to disagree with a lot of your survival advice.
ReplyDeleteWhat's wrong with my Zombie Plan?
ReplyDelete