Know thy enemy

 故曰：知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；不知彼，不知己，每戰必殆。

"So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself."

Sun Tzu in "The Art of War"

As good ol' Sun Tzu knew well, knowing your enemy is half-way to a victory. In a Zombiepocalypse you will be face to face with hordes of zombies, so knowing how they work, what they can do, how they move, how they react, what attracts them and their weak points can be the difference between surviving and becoming zombie chow.

Since zombies do not actually exist, I can't see the point in getting into a big discussion on whether it would be possible for a zombie to function without circulating blood, or if they would be able to digest and so on. For the purpose of this blog a minimal number of zombie characteristics are more than enough to keep the fun going.

What is a zombie?

So, what is a zombie supposed to be? It's the body of a person which, after dying, has been reanimated by a virus which has infected the whole humanity. Simply put, if you die, you're a zombie. Zombies have a very bad temper and they have an appetite for human flesh of the living kind. So if you're not a zombie and you're next to one, it is highly likely that the blasted thing will want to taste your lovely buns. And the rest of you. Zombies don't eat other zombies. Why? Maybe they don't like the taste of rotten flesh. Or maybe their morals prevent them from turning to cannibalism between undead. Who knows? Who cares? They are also known to eat anything living or freshly killed. So if you manage to hunt a deer, think carefully how are you going to store it, because you'll not be the only one interested in eating it.

Their brains activate whatever muscles are available and the body does not have to be fully functional. A zombie can have all its limbs removed and it will still function. You can go as far as cutting the head off. The body will fall limply but the head will continue to move. So look around for autonomous heads, because they can still be dangerous. If you get bitten by a zombie head, you'll get infected, die and be drafted as zombie replacement.

Zombie behavior

Zombies have several operating modes. Sometimes they are in a dormant state where they simply do not move. This will change if there is some kind of stimulus like a noise or a smell or if someone touches them. So be wary of zombies lying or sitting, even if they are not moving. If it looks like the brain may be intact, then it's safer to assume that the zombie is functional and is just dormant.

When zombies are not dormant, they wander aimlessly. If you don't have anything more urgent to do, then killing it has two advantages. It serves as training and it contributes (even if only slightly) to reduce the number of zombies at the face of the Earth. You will need to be as efficient as possible in killing zombies so the more practice you can have in controlled conditions, the better you'll get at it and the more you'll increase your chances on a more dangerous situation.

Zombies also roam in packs. It is not clear if they have an objective or why they head on a particular direction, but these groups are very dangerous because if they perceive a prey they will zoom in on it. If you happen to be the prey you will find yourself having to deal with multiple zombies at the same time which is when zombies are more lethal.

Noises attract zombies so firing a gun or setting off an explosion is a good way to attract all the zombies in the vicinity. When they are not chasing a prey, person or animal, they usually walk slowly. However, if they spot a prey, they will move faster. Maybe not up to a full sprint, but still, faster. So don't hire a zombie to your athletics team yet. A zombie's speed of locomotion will also depend on how intact are it's limbs. Some zombies may just drag their bodies with their arms if their legs have been excluded from the package.

 

 

Weaknesses

Hit them where it hurts

Zombies do not feel pain. Cutting a zombie's leg or arm may slow them down, but the only real way of stopping them is to destroy their brains. So, basically, to kill a zombie you will need to puncture, smash or slash its brain. For that you can use any number of weapons or tools. Some examples:

• Swords;
• Hammers;
• Knifes;
• Baseball bats;
• Golf clubs;
• Axes;
• Spears;
• Bows and arrows;
• Crossbows;
• Guns;
• Tonfas;
• Screwdrivers;
• Anything which can be used as a club, like a wrench, a pipe and so on. Use your imagination.

As with many things in life, each of these weapons has its pros and cons which I will analyse in other posts.

Fire

Zombies are also vulnerable to fire, although setting them on fire as a means of defence is probably not very practical and it has serious risks associated. Even on fire the zombie will not stop trying to get you and eat you. So, if things go wrong, you may end up sharing the zombie's blazing fate. If that happens, the good news is that you will probably not turn into a zombie. You'll just be a piece of charcoal. But if you can corral a bunch of them into a limited area, preferably not the same where you stand, then setting them on fire should be a good way of getting rid of the things. And ends up being a 2 in 1, because burning dead bodies is always a good investment in terms of heath concerns. Actually it's a 3 in 1. If you burn the bodies in a certain area, next time you visit that area it will be easier for you to spot the danger. Burned bodies are ok, not burned ones may not be. So burning bodies reduces uncertainty and improves the accuracy of your danger perception.

Zombies are dumb

Zombies are not very sophisticated creatures. So it will not be very hard to trap them, lure them or trick them. This can be used to your advantage.

Strengths

Zombies do not get tired

You may be able to run faster than a zombie, but you won't be able to tire it down. If the zombie is too slow you may be able to put enough space between the two of you and you may be able to loose it. Zombies are not exactly bloodhounds, so if it can't see or hear you, it won't be sniffing your trail to find you.

Zombies can smell you

Saying that zombies are not bloodhounds is not the same as saying they cannot use their noses. If you are hiding and they pass very close by, it is possible that one of them is going to pick your smell.

Zombies feel no pain

As mentioned before, zombies feel no pain. So punching, kicking or slashing at them with a knife won't do much more than slowing them down. It will be a waste of your energy and time. The more time you take to kill a zombie the more you are putting yourself at risk.

Zombies are very focused

If it sees or smells you, it's not going to stop for a chat or a smoke. It will not stop until it looses track of you or starts eating you. Unless another target crosses it's sight, you're it.

Zombies do not drown

Zombies will probably look at water as barrier. But if one falls into a body of water it is not going to be any more dead than it already was. Its skin will loose cohesion much faster, but I'm not sure what will happen to the rest of the body. Don't assume you're safe under water. On the other hand, a zombie will sink to the bottom and will not be able to swim. So if you're out of depth, you're probably safe. Assuming you can swim, that is.