Wanderer of the Apocalypse - Episode IV

Morning came, and everything was quiet in the neighborhood. I was peacefully sitting in the kitchen. I listened to some Duran Duran in my headphones, while I waited on my kettle to provide me with near-boiling water for my tea. Breakfast was barely served and Rupert had already devoured the contents of his plate.

He burped in total satisfaction.

As I waited for my tea to cool off, I went through some of the notes I took concerning the infected. Flipping through the pages of my Canada Exercise Books, I could not help but think about the various names I gave them. The creatures. The unnameable horrors. The former humans. Past friends and family members…

These creatures had been hard to describe. I managed to write down some interesting observations, which might be useful in the near future, should our civilization somehow manage to survive this mess and attempt to rebuild. I also hoped that I was not the only one taking notes of my findings. I was doing the scientific method; the only method that worked.

That was a big if.

I would have loved to call these creatures zombies, although they did not seem to follow the usual description that fits the name. Still, for this exercise, I called them zombies.

When the outbreak started, I taped myself to my screen and studied our glorious pop culture's depictions of zombies. It was an attempt of learning the dos and don'ts and avoid doing something stupid that would end up getting me killed.

Pop culture always taught us zombies were either slow as portrayed in The Walking Dead and Shaun Of The Dead, or super fast and restless as seen in World War Z, Train to Busan, and 28 Days/Weeks Later. They were everything and none of these.

Some other notable pieces of art referencing zombies, undead, and other pandemic related stuff I looked up were: Zombieland, Overlord, Pandemic, Day Of the Dead, The Return Of The Living Dead, Redneck Zombies, Fright Night, Resident Evil, Contagion, Dracula, I am Legend, Quarantine, REC, Doom, The Dawn Of The Dead.

The list was exhaustive.

Additionally, I downloaded all of those movies and series before my internet provider died. Since video clubs died a long time ago, and aside from my local thrift stores having a very limited inventory, this was the only way I could study them from the safety of my compound. It was not accurate, yet it was a good enough source material so far.

The whole situation made me feel like John Connor listening to his mom's, Sarah Connor's, 1984 audio tapes, depicting the 2020s future he currently lived in. It was surreal.

Speed

Zombies tend to be a mix of slow and fast beings. Whenever I see one, I must consider the worst and never take for granted it will be slow. Some walked, some did run towards fresh meat. It was interesting to see them move, as they had very basic mobility skills. They moved in a very stiff, bulky way, which reminded me of a robot that needed to have its joints oiled. The zombies were easy enough to avoid because of this and easily fell into obstacles.

Strength

As for strength, which varied greatly from one individual to another, it was impossible to know how powerful they were. Some zombies easily tore apart healthy humans. Some others were not even able to tear a limb off a child. Speaking of which, was the zombie missing a limb? Too bad, it could still be strong enough to grab someone and attempt to reach out for a bite.

Zombies were often strong enough to break windows and makeshift barriers. Some of the less resistant doors also suffered the same fate. This was done by applying pressure and repeatedly banging their heads and hands on the surfaces. These creatures did not appear to become tired, at all. They could bang all day, all night long, on a surface, until it gave in. Or until something else caught their attention.

This was problematic, I thought. We humans need to rest at one point, while they have all the time in the world to do their things. I had to come up with ways of becoming invisible to them, so they would not know where I was. If I could not fight them all the time, I could attempt to outsmart them.

Biting

The biting. This was one of their obsessions; their seemingly sole purpose. They had to bite someone. They never seemed hungry, yet all they did was eat. Even when their jaw was either fully or partially missing, they still attempted to bite. They were not the sharpest tools in the shed.

Duct tape and magazines were now some of my dearest friends. When I went on an expedition that I knew would be dangerous, I wrapped my legs and thighs with magazines, which I would tape in place. I also did the same with my arms and shoulders.

As for the torso, I made a makeshift body armor, which I could reuse, made with a large flannel shirt coat, padded with magazines and other thick elements. I still needed to be mobile, so I was unable to pad it with metal. I also had body armor and riot gear I managed to salvage off several dead police officers.

Spreading the virus

Biting was one of the most effective ways the virus spread. There were also cases of people becoming zombified due to the virus being passed along via vomiting or even by blood contact. It was one of the reasons the blood vomiting combo was so effective in the early days of the pandemic. Despite all of this, the virus did not seem to be airborne.

General behavior

One thing I have noticed, though, is zombies were all violent. They all seemed prone to violence and destruction, even among themselves. When no humans were around, they would often get into fights of their own. It was interesting that they relied on some of the most destructive human traits. I often wondered if they were capable of understanding these basic emotions, if they felt a need to do so or if it was pure instinct. It was unclear if they were territorial. It felt as if the zombies were always staying in their neighborhood.

Sight

Their sight seemed to vary from one individual to another. Some zombies saw prey from a distance of 20 feet, while some others who were barely 5 feet away could not discern a thing. They did not fare well in the darkness or at night, or on cloudy days either. I avoided being out for too long on sunny days. As the night comes, see to equip yourself with a flare gun, should you go out. The flare gun will send off a white flare, which you can shoot at a distance, to lure the zombies towards. They will instinctively follow the light at night.

I have done this on several occasions. I did gather most flares, flare guns, and other accessories to help me send them off. The unit below mine has become my own personal overstock supply storage, and I stored many of those, among other things. Things I kept were extra car batteries, empty jerrycans, additional food, other weapons, clothes, and accessories.

Sense of smell

They also did not seem to care about scents. On several occasions, I tried to lure zombies out in the open by using a decomposing cadaver as bait. The results were a total disappointment and I had to make enough noise to attract them instead. When I made noise, it was always a surprise to find out how many individuals showed up.

I have had a feeling they were maybe attracted to the scent of fresh meat and blood, although I have been unable to test this. It will be one of those things I will need to look into at one point. 

Sense of touch

They react! The moment they feel skin, they react! Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, do not let them touch you. Do not attempt to touch them either. I do not know what would cause someone to touch any of them. They feel the warmth and are automatically attracted to the person touching them or whom they are touching.

Sense of taste

I did not stick around them for too long to figure this one out. That is a big nope! The most I discovered is they normally do not attack animals. Do they not like fur? Do they attack lizards in Florida? Do they feast on fish? Will they attack deer once they run out of food? I do not know and I do not want to know yet. They go after humans and that is all that matters to me for now. When I get to a point where this possible interest in animals will be required knowledge, I will then look into it.

Sense of hearing

If they have a sense that works well, it is their sense of hearing. They will hear you walking down the street and kicking the recycle bins. They will hear you drop your loot on the ground. They will hear your breathing if you are running and they are not far from you. When navigating around, you have to be as quiet as possible. Lighting up a cigarette can be problematic.

When the pandemic began, emergency alarms on phones were the most problematic source of sound and were the cause of many lives lost. If you can, override the security on your phones and keep those things disabled. At the very least, for the sound and vibration. You will not see the emergency message right away, yet you will still be alive after you are done reading it.

Intelligence

This is something that is not surprising. During every single encounter I have had with zombies, none of them showed a particularly high degree of intelligence. They do not show any sense of organization or any particular problem-solving skill. When they hunt in groups, they are there as a group, the force of number, yet they do not care for one another. It is the law of the fittest. 

This might change in the future, when and if I meet new groups. In a way, I hoped it would never happen, better stick with the devil you know…

How to eliminate them

In order to eliminate them, a wound to the head, targeting the brain, was required. I used a machete to hack through the skull. I also carried a pistol equipped with a silencer and of course my faithful shotgun. The latter, I got from my local Canadian Tire a few months back during a less than pleasant Tuesday afternoon shopping run. I barely used the shotgun and only did so when I had no other choice. The loud noise it produced attracted them like shit attracted flies.

Fire and explosions also worked nicely to destroy them.

I was now at a stage where I was awaiting winter to see how freezing them would work. The temperature we had these days was getting cold, yet it was not cold enough yet. I needed to know what would happen if they were to fall in some cold water. What if they also stood there in the cold of our winter, during the middle of a snow or ice storm?

While temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius in the summer, thanks to humidity, for the same reason they can reach -45 degrees Celsius in the winter.

And when they finally thawed, would they revert back to an animated state, or would they be entirely dead? Would there be another state, something else, something totally different I did not consider?

I closed my notebooks, lit up a cigarette, and took a deep puff. I stared at the ceiling for a few moments, thinking about what to do next.

It then broke the silence.

A car alarm went off.

I carefully, silently, and swiftly moved out of the kitchen and went towards the windows on both sides of the unit to see what was going on. There was nothing on the back alley side of things, and I could not see if the alarm came from one of the vehicles parked on the street. If it was, it was not coming from any of mine, as I tore off all alarms before claiming ownership.

That alarm was going to alert all the zombies from the area, for fuck's sake!

I got rid of my cigarette, put on some lightweight armor, grabbed my pistol and my faithful machete. I equipped a GoPro camera on my shoulder and put on a black cap. I stood by the front entrance, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door.

Now was the time to do the scientific method, once more.

Fuck around and find out.

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this story are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Story © Eve F. R. Kirchner