The Fairy Garden (1)

[murmurlade]

sometimes you read too much and suddenly its 3am and you're too scared to go to sleep for fear of the fae

[Kyndreth]

for me it's more like fear of zombies. Though some fae are pretty damned terrifying XD

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I don't understand how anybody can't out run a zombie (unless you trip and fall) and is their grip really that tight that they can grab you and hold you? (I suppose it depends on which zombie show you are watching, I'm thinking walking dead slow moving zombies)

[Kyndreth]

Some zombie tales have running zombies and guess what, when you don't have to breathe, don't feel pain, don't feel exhaustion? you're good at running.

Did you know one of the oldest sorts of hunting involved meticulously and steadily running your prey to death? The problem is, zombies could easily outnumber you, and 10 to 1 odds are bad enough much less 100 to 1. If you add in running zombies, it's worse.

A relentless hunter that never needs to sleep or rest, constantly chasing you, it feels no fear, it has no real concerns. You are simply prey they will hound to death. The weight that puts on your mind, that stress. The terror of a beast that won't ever stop. That sucks. And while they never sleep, and don't necessarily need to eat or drink. You do.

One of the oldest methods of hunting, literally slowly following a creature at a jog sort of pace. Never stopping with weapon in hand. Chasing them until their hearts literally fail them, till their organs can't hold on, till they die from exhaustion and strain. It's a valid method of hunting. It works. And stabbing the creature with your spear is only symbolic at that point. Leave them alone and they'd die anyways.

Humanity was built more for endurance in the past. Heh, zombies are good at endurance.

Some of the most nerve wracking moments would probably be trying to fall asleep.

Like, I have a phobia around zombies actually.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

but can a zombie open doors etc and think to climb over stuff?

I am more afraid of the real life "zombies" where the drugs cause people to feel no pain and act irrational and violently. There was a news article calling the use of K2, also known as “Spice,” “White Tiger,” and “Dank,”to cause zombie like behaviour. And even if you aren't a user if someone is smoking it near you, you can still be affected by it.

[Kyndreth]

They can batter doors yes, and climb? It's possible depending on the story. Depending on the story, yes, they can even open doors themselves. Even then, it's still possible to batter down doors using the force of bodies that don't care if they break themselves to get a door open. Imagine the sound that'd make. Bones snapping and cracking with a meaty thunk as something rams itself into a door over and over again until either the door falls or it is no longer physically capable of ramming into the door. But on the other side you can still hear its moans knowing that its noise will only attract others to continue the wonderful cacophony. Oh and the scratching it would make if it still had nails to scratch. Never ending until its nails broke and its fingers were worn into nubs.

I mean, isn't that pretty much a zombie? A person that feels no pain, acts irrationally and violently? Plus it can spread the state as well as doesn't need to rest? I mean Walking Dead zombies are super meh as zombies go. Probably the most gimped zombies I've ever seen. Even then, they've got numbers on their side.

Last I saw, it was 5000 zombies for every living person just about. The total population of surviving humans in the Walking dead should be less than half a million around the world. So I'd say, in the Walking Dead, those odds are less than reassuring.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

what I don't get is - if they are deteriorating, how are they still able to smell?

[Kyndreth]

I don't think I've mentioned smell? And tbh, it depends on the zombie story as well. In some of them, they don't smell and they use sound and sight to hunt. In some they get super enhanced senses.

Ahhh, wait, walking dead zombies. Probably the smell of fresh blood draws them in like flies. Aand well, have you ever noticed that you get used to your own smell after a while? It might be like that. Plus, living humans would definitely smell different. For one thing, they'd still sweat, and they'd still release pheromones.

*shrugs*

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I guess logically the fact that zombies can do much at all doesn't make sense to.

[murmurlade]

Apparently zombies are an irrational fear though?
The possibility of an infection is unlikely because
• the weather would deteoriate their bodies too fast
(thanks global warming)
• they would fall prey to other predators such as animals
• in the first place saliva (and thus biting) is usually not the best carrier of viruses--- blood is more potent. zombies are pretty much undead and drained of blood, right?

well, at least i recall these points from an article a long time ago..

[Kyndreth]

Yup, logically it's hard to believe in walking dead period.

I mean, sure I suppose it's an irrational fear, but fear is still fear. If I could give you the series of nightmares I had that involved zombies, I think you'd be afraid too. One of the heaviest things in my dreams were the choices and the overwhelming ever-present despair and terror. It was strong enough I'd literally wake up suffocating from anxiety and too frightened to move.

Anyways some of that would also depend on the story. In some stories, animals can be turned as well. So other predators would only further the zombie apocalypse

However, I have read "zombie" comics and stories where it's zombie-like behavior in still living people. For example, in Black Gas, it was a black gas you breathed in that turned you into something like a zombie. It was some sort of neurotoxin that degraded parts of the brain turning people back to the most primitive of instincts. Cue lots of feeding, sex, and violence. Those zombies could still drive within the first few hours of the toxins setting in, but the neurotoxin would start spreading and come out through mucus, saliva blood, etc. and could be absorbed through the skin. If I recall correctly, it also worked on animals.

[murmurlade]

You know what... I'm withdrawing from this conversation........
I don't want to get nightmares tonight...

[Kyndreth]

Why would this text give you nightmares?

[murmurlade]

I have a highly active imagination and a history of hallucinations in broad daylight.....

[Kyndreth]

aaah, I see, I've had that issue before too. Alright, I'll stop then.

Seems like you'd be as bad at horror as me.