Finding Patient Zero

This past weekend, my wife and I traveled to Washington DC for a short getaway. Like most major cities in the world, there are a plethora of people to encounter.

One particular interaction stuck with me. We were sitting in the back seat of an UBER heading out to get some lunch.

At a stoplight, a woman approached the vehicle. Her eyes were glazed over. Face sunken. Her clothes were tattered. She was worn down.

It appeared that she had been in this state for quite some time. She attempted to mumble something in our general direction. It was inaudible. I don’t think we could have made it out even if we were outside the car standing right beside her.

After a few seconds of general inactivity from both sides, she shuffled along in a different direction. Off to potentially repeat the same interaction with a different set of individuals

I don’t know if this woman was homeless. I don’t know if she was addicted to drugs. Had mental health issues. Suffered from abuse, neglect, or a combination of other maladies that we can conjure.

The only thing I know is that this woman wasn’t there. Physically yes, but only the shell. An empty husk of what was. Her experiences, her values, relationships, identity, all stripped away and replaced with the walking dead.

This woman was a zombie. Make no mistake, I don’t enjoy saying that about anyone. That is a stark accusation to make about a fellow human being. But that is what I saw and felt. And that is what I believe you become when you take away all of the depth that makes up your being.

We have an infatuation with Zombies that is hard to ignore. That is evident in our selection of television shows and movies. There is a reason that Hollywood keeps producing this type of content.

We keep watching.

The Walking Dead. 28 Days Later. We read books that get adapted into movies. World War Z. I am Legend. We even play video games to get a piece of the zombie-killing action for ourselves. Hello Alice.

What about this genre exhilarates us? Keeps us on the edge of our seats, glued to the screen? Is it the transformation? Zombie bite turned into an infectious disease.

A virus spreads throughout the populace like the plague. Your friendly next-door neighbor turned into a flesh-eating monster. Eyes turning red. Joints crunching in an unnatural stiffness. Feet shuffling across the floor with that familiar gait. Screeching out in an attempt to feed an insatiable hunger. Fueled by God knows what.

Or maybe it is the post-apocalyptic world. A glimpse at what life would be like if everything descended into chaos, including ourselves. If buildings crumbled. The structures and hierarchies of our world toppled over.

Replaced with a wide range of dysfunction and desperation. A call to the rebellious nature inside of us. If we can’t overthrow order in our normal lives, maybe the Zombies can. Let’s shake things up, shall we? Go get those pesky humans.

Maybe it is witnessing the dramatic fight for survival. Following the stories of people as they go through the trials and tribulations. Fighting for every inch. Hanging by a thread.

Danger lurking around every corner. One wrong step. One unintended noise. One mistake. Gone. The pain of losing loved ones. The pain of losing yourself. A true test of character. How long can you last? Can you keep going? Fate will tell. Only the strongest survive.

While these alternate worlds and scenarios keep us wildly entertained, I don’t believe them to be accurate fortune-tellers and predictors of the future. Flesh-eating Zombies are several degrees of separation from the current state of chaos vs order. It seems unlikely.

But that doesn’t mean the threat of Zombies isn’t real. Our Zombies are of a different breed. They don’t spawn from the bite of one of its kind. Yes, they are infected. But not from the water you drink or the air that you breathe. Not from an alien lifeform or a laboratory concoction.

This T-Cell virus comes from within.

I don’t know where it starts. Patient Zero has always been elusive. I think it can come from a multitude of things. A poor decision. A betrayal of faith. A lie that you tell yourself or others. An action that promotes darkness. Something that doesn’t serve you.

And it builds. And it builds. One becomes two. Two becomes four. Four becomes eight. The hungering maw growing and expanding. Getting stronger. The beginnings of your transformation. Virus spreading, infecting new cells.

Actions degenerate in undiscovered ways. Leading you down the wrong path. Stripping away your character. Stripping away your depth. Lessening the value of your experiences. Cheapening your relationships. Altering your identity as the world interacts with your new form.

You are in a fight for survival. You versus you. And if you aren’t on the edge of your seat, the danger will strike at the next corner. You will be bitten.

There is no running from this test of character. It’s in your head…Zombie...Zombie…

And their tanks, and their bombs, and their guns…won’t save you.

You are the antidote.

What’s in your head? Zombie…

Fend off the walkers that live inside. Walk among the living.

Zombie...