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Allow me to counter this seemingly calm and rational opinion with two historical examples and speculation. That'ss right, gross speculation.

http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/
Let's say the zombie virus is spread by blood, and mosquitoes get involved- 216 million zombies appear, and the spread , unlike malaria, is not limited to mosquito bites- the infected spend the rest of their corpse-unlife biting and bleeding on everything in sight. Let's say each infected individual only gets two others, and you have over 500 million infected out there- numbers equal to the Spanish Flu, our most modern plague.

While the undead nature of the host would limit mobility shortly, and harshly in most cases- the undead virus would likely be incredicly resilient. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/giant-zombie-virus-pulled-permafrost a regular, living virus survived 30,000 years- an undead virus would be essentially immortal. Depending on how many a body was able to produce, and how many are needed to spark infection, one person getting into the ocean would probably set off outbreaks throughout the world. It only takes one, and we could also have zombie rain as the virus was carried aloft in water particles.

From this perspective, a real world outbreak would be like a slow zombie film- unstoppable, slow, and inevitable. We would fear each drink, and each drop of dew descending from the clouds into an open cut. Mankind would be reduced to hiding in hermetically sealed bunkers, straining water with ever more sophisticated filters and hoping against hope that the virus wasn't already within the walls.

 Hordini wrote:

chaos0xomega wrote:
Since im ranting already, I guess Ill continue. Despite what film media implies, even if a headshot was really the only way to "put down" a biter, bodyshots will still be effective. A bullet doesnt just make a nice hole for fluids to pour out, it tears apart bone and muscle fibers, severs parts of thr nervous system, etc. etc. etc. Making it difficult if not impossible for a zombie to move is beneficial in and of itself. Beyond that, undead humans are still just human. Contrary to popular belief, human teeth doesnt do a very good job of biting through clothing, which makes infection via bite that much less likely due to the fact that in western society were usually pretty well covered up, not that human teeth is that good at tearing off human flesh off a living body either.

I agree with this part at least. More reason that firearms are the superior weapon in a zombie outbreak scenario. If ammo conservation is a concern (and it will be) mobility kills are the way to go.


The problem with the rest is that you seem convinced that the infection will only be spread by bite. That's not an assumption I'm willing to make. I mean really, you make the good point that in zombie films, the idea of zombies doesn't seem to exist (which I'd never really thought about before, but it's a really interesting approach), so are we really going to take content in films that aren't even realistic as evidence that a zombie infection will be spread through bite only? I'd think it'd be more likely to become airborne and spread that way (or at the very least, through contact with bodily fluids, including blood, which is another reason why melee is a horrible idea).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

chaos0xomega wrote:
Further, the undead status of zombies is more beneficial than anyone realizes. Ysee, being undead means that theirs no cellular reproduction, i.e. they will inevitably decay. Further, every movement and action that a human partakes in damages our cells. The reason your body hurts after a workout? You tore muscle fibers which must be regenerated. That happens even from something so basic as walking. Zombies cant do that, which means their own inherent behaviors of walking around and preying on people will damage their own tissue, which will degrade their capability even faster than a corpse buried in the ground. Dont even get me started on the effects of rain or fire on a zombie. A watersoaked zombie will decompose faster. A zombie on fire...well max brooks was right in that theyd still be mobile for a time, but newsflash, flame destroys cells, first your flesh, then your muscle... flamethrowers burn even hotter than your typical fire which makes them all that much more effective.

This also assumes that zombies are true undead, and not simply infected, but technically living organisms.

To the first part - if its airborne or spread through other means then were probably fethed anyway, and one of the inherent terrors of the zombie scenario (the primal means by which zombiism spreads, i.e. - the bite), if not the scenario as a whole, is mitigated. Theres no sense in fearing the zombies if breathing is going to kill you anyway.

To the second part, living zombies are less scary, as they become more susceptible to other factors, such as organ failure, secondary infection, hypothermia, dehydration, etc. let alone the potential of chemical agents to aid in putting them down.

 Gitzbitah wrote:
Allow me to counter this seemingly calm and rational opinion with two historical examples and speculation. That'ss right, gross speculation.

http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/
Let's say the zombie virus is spread by blood, and mosquitoes get involved- 216 million zombies appear, and the spread , unlike malaria, is not limited to mosquito bites- the infected spend the rest of their corpse-unlife biting and bleeding on everything in sight. Let's say each infected individual only gets two others, and you have over 500 million infected out there- numbers equal to the Spanish Flu, our most modern plague.

While the undead nature of the host would limit mobility shortly, and harshly in most cases- the undead virus would likely be incredicly resilient. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/giant-zombie-virus-pulled-permafrost a regular, living virus survived 30,000 years- an undead virus would be essentially immortal. Depending on how many a body was able to produce, and how many are needed to spark infection, one person getting into the ocean would probably set off outbreaks throughout the world. It only takes one, and we could also have zombie rain as the virus was carried aloft in water particles.

From this perspective, a real world outbreak would be like a slow zombie film- unstoppable, slow, and inevitable. We would fear each drink, and each drop of dew descending from the clouds into an open cut. Mankind would be reduced to hiding in hermetically sealed bunkers, straining water with ever more sophisticated filters and hoping against hope that the virus wasn't already within the walls.

And just like I said previously, that basically changes everything doesnt it? Again, no point fearing the walking dead if basic life functions are going to do you in. As an aside - in the case of the "zombie" virus, while the virus may be resilient, the host isnt. Also, viruses dont evaporate, so zombie rain is a distinct improbability unless viral agents can find another means by which to become airborne. Actually, the whole scenario is just kind of stupid since viral agents need hosts to survive and reproduce. In this case the virus survived because it was preserved by ice, that doesnt mean thatit would survive an extended period in water or in the atmosphere. A bacterial agent on the other hand could, but that would again make it susceptible to other factors.

The portion of the population who would develop an immunity to the infection, which would of course include myself, would still have something to fear from the zombies, which is why they should be the number one concern. If you're going to just become a zombie, I can't really do anything to help you with that.

if youre immune then the zombies become significantly less scary. Your only real fear at that point is that you dont somehow become their lunch, assuming they still see you as prey (unlike the zombies in World War Z).

chaos0xomega wrote:
if youre immune then the zombies become significantly less scary. Your only real fear at that point is that you dont somehow become their lunch, assuming they still see you as prey (unlike the zombies in World War Z).

Well, there's also dealing with food, shelter, water, and other survivors, in addition to the zombies.

 Hordini wrote:

 master of ordinance wrote:
Damn, I hope they leave me enough time to complete ordering my Mailed Bresengar and make my plate armour or else im stuck with my leather waistcoat and my trenchcoat.

Still, were sorted for weapons.... Kitchen knives, hunting knives, swords, crowbars, hatchets, hammers, spears......

No offense, but anyone who is seriously considering going hand to hand with a horde of zombies as a viable tactic is going to get eaten by zombies. If there are zombies coming and your primary weapon is a melee weapon, you need to either 1. Find a better weapon, or 2. Leave the area before they arrive. Preferably both.

Hand to hand comes after you have gunned down hundreds with your bolters-How else do you make an epic last stand

I want a fething heavy machine gun.

Have at it.....

 Jihadin wrote:
Have at it.....

Aaaaahh! Angelfire, the ultimate zombie!

... Angelfire still exists? What's next, a geocities link?

Jihadin's AOL connection must have dropped.

or He might have used Google image

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140929-dallas-ebola-case-confirmed-by-cdc-first-diagnosis-in-u.s..ece

"Dallas' Ebola case confirmed by CDC, first diagnosis in U.S."

We're all going to die

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
If infowars covered it then it must be true