In lieu of a lot of recent zombie influencing media (playing lots of Dead Rising, reading my newly acquired Marvel Zombies collections and Zombie Survival Guide, plus I got a Dawn of the Dead/Land of the Dead dvd collection), I have felt the need to write about zombies. And what's better than thinking of all the ways to describe how frightening they are? Without further ado, I present the first five and more obvious reasons zombies are quite scary/mentally disturbing creatures. Note: The zombies I'm discussing are the ones that are the result of a virus, not some voodoo shit. Also, they can't run.


1. They are dead people/Their appearance.
First and foremost, zombies are the walking dead. That mere fact is one of, if not the biggest, scary feature about them. Seeing a zombie is on par with seeing...well, actually it's not on par with seeing anything. Witnessing a zombie is an experience all it's own, because if there's one, there are bound to be others (more on that later). It's obvious at whether or not someone is a zombie too. The milky whited out eyes, blood smeared about the neck, mouth, face, hands, arms and just all over their body. The decay their bodies undergo as every function that would normally be needed for survival is deactivated, rendering them a walking piece of rotten nasty corpse. Chunks of meat missing/exposed because they were chewed away while still alive/dying. The clothing a zombie is also a jarring factor. Seeing a zombie wearing a business suit or in a jogging uniform makes them appear more human than just mindless eating machines, because they were once people who were caught off guard while doing their daily routine. Their shamble and relentless effort to get their teeth into the nearest piece of flesh makes them even more frightening; as though they won't stop at anything until their needs are met (unless you're dealing with 28 days later zombies, which in that case you don't have time to think about how their slow pace is horrifying.) If you are indeed dealing with 28 days later zombies, your problems just got a whole lot worse, as those motherfuckers run like an Olympist going for gold.


2. Their numbers
Zombies are usually never alone. If you find one that is alone, they are more around. Unless you killed them all. If so, pat yourself on the back. Finding yourself coming upon a big number of zombies is a daunting and intimidating thought. This is because your gun (if you're lucky enough to have one) will run out of ammo, and you will get tired trying to fight them off with other weapons quicker than you think. Their is nothing more stupid and not pacing yourself and biting off more than you can chew (pun intended). If a large crowd of zombies is coming towards you, generally your first thought might be "I need to take them all out before they get me." This clouding of judgment will get your ass eaten quicker than cake at a Portal party (even though it is, indeed, a lie.). Their numbers also show just how many people were infected by the devastating virus. One zombie isn't nearly as scary as 10, 15, or 20. Or 100.


3. The Chaos
When the virus first breaks out, there usually is mass chaos and panic. Evacuations are carried out as panicked cities try to escape the ravaging viral infection, while the military plans for quarantine and containment. The virus usually spreads exceptionally fast, and it's the people that are naturally immune to both airborne and salival (or sometimes just salival) infection that survive (Which is usually one in every 500,000. At least in the movies). With something like the T-virus, mass cities, countries, and continents would become desolate wastelands in mere weeks or even days depending on the location of the infection. Quarantine would become nearly impossible as everyone could be a carrier and could infect another person. Cities and communities screech to a halt as all life is changed forever. Zombies shuffle as they continuously search for food, survivors scramble to weapons, munitions and supplies to stay alive, while continuously fighting off the zombie hordes and eachother. Life would never be the same. The virus could even mutate to infect those that were immune. No where would be safe. Militaries would be destroyed as most soldiers fall victim to the plague. Organized functions would be hard to control with such widespread panic. (If you happen to live in the Marvel Universe that becomes host to the virus infecting the super heroes, you're just fucked all together. Might as well surrender than fight. Seriously, who the fuck could survive a superhero-zombie onslaught? No one.)


4. Friendly Fire/Other survivors.
No, the picture is not really related. Unless you've seen Shaun of the Dead, where what's-his-nuts points the rifle at Shaun. The only thing more scarier than a zombie is an uninfected human wanting to kill you all the same. Hope seems to be gained when finding another human survivor. Being that we are social creatures naturally, loneliness is detrimental to a persons physical and mental well-being. As seen in I Am Legend, Will Smith did not do well without human interaction, being alone for 3 years. It almost appears that safety will never be attained if both the dead and not-dead are after you. Paranoia could set in at a faster rate, and chances for survival lowered. There aren't any real solutions for this problem either. All you can do is try to avoid other survivors as if they were infected. It's sad, but the only possibility for survival.


5. Loved Ones
Family, friends, coworkers, and generally everyone you know could be, or is, dead. The most depressing thought of a zombie outbreak is that not everyone you know and love will survive. And if you become a zombie, you could potentially eat a loved one. Seeing a zombified relative or friend is a shocking sight itself too. Do you capture them, holding onto the cherished memories you've had with them and ultimately endangering yourself? Or do you kill them, ending their existence and losing one more cherished life? The first question should be "no", but for some it will prove impossible to let go. What's worse than shooting your zombie-mom in the head? Probably seeing her eaten alive. Either way, it's a daunting thought. Surviving relatives can also pose a problem. Numerous factors come into play: are there children or elderly that need constant attention? Is anyone sick or injured? Has anyone been infected? Who are in the best and worst physical/mental state? Does rescue seem imminent? There are many possible outcomes, many of which are bad. These factors can drop survival rate to near fatal probabilities. Decisions would be tough, if not impossible. Do I kill my alive but infected sister? Will my depressed father make it? Will I have to raise my children in fear of zombies? These and many more questions pose real threats, and there are no real ways to get around them. This could be possibly the biggest and most prominent reason that people succumb to zombie outbreaks.




Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for my second update and last five reasons of why zombies are scary. All money can be sent to me through a strict billing address that I can give you through a PM. Minimum $50. No limits on how much money you send me.