Ever see dominoes at work? One goes down, they all go down. Not much can stop the chain reaction of pieces toppling each other once it begins. It’s over when every single piece lies on its back, shattered from its organized state. This Monday Mayhem post will look at the collapse of civilization by the hands of the undead. Of course zombies haven’t taken over. Yet.
Many empires and regimes have crumbled due to discontent of the masses, an all-encompassing geological disaster or a biological catastrophe so grand no one was left to record it. Sometimes the combination of the three had triggered the ruinous tragedy. Aside from the history lesson, the ancient civilizations of Assyria, Egypt, Greece, Rome and countless of others have long since disappeared. The lot having suffered rebellions, invasions, earthquakes, plagues. Other than a handful of monuments, and artifacts, not much is left.
What would life be like if a real zombie apocalypse were to take place? Experts have discussed this topic to death (no pun intended). Is it a wonder? It’s a fascinating topic. The destruction of life on this planet, ushering in a new breed of organism higher than humans in the food chain. Let’s have a go at a few scenarios in order to inspire some conversation.
The Plague—A hospital somewhere in the United States receives a patient with flu-like symptoms. In their care, the victim, Patient Zero, experiences convulsions, pale skin, and blood oozing from the ears. Patient Zero dies. The doctors order the body to the morgue. The hospital has yet to enact any quarantine protocols. One of Patient Zero’s former attending doctors begins to feel feverish. It’s only a fever, nothing to worry about. The doctor drops on the waiting room floor and convulses. Blood runs from the ears. Whatever Patient Zero brought into the hospital is now airborne. Still, no quarantine. Back at the morgue, Patient Zero suddenly rises from the table and lunges at the orderly who was prepping the body for an autopsy. Death comes fast. In the waiting room, the doctor also dies, but not before having breathed on a dozen or so patients. One of the patients makes a run for the doors. Her arm is broken. She doesn’t care, no way is that thing that killed the doctor going to kill her.
The hospital finally enacts quarantine protocols. Rubber gloves, masks, segregated sections. It’s too late, though. The whole hospital is contaminated, and what became of Patient Zero soon takes hold of the others. The woman with the broken arm dies in an alley. She rises again to join her brothers and sisters flooding the streets from the hospital exits. The pangs of hunger dictate their walk. One at a time, the dominoes fall. A hospital becomes a school. A school becomes a government building. Within a week, mile after mile falls in the hands of the zombies seeking meat. Within a few months, United States, Canada, and South America lay in ruins. Europe soon falls.
The Parasite—Having prepared his BBQ’d meat, potatoes and vegetables, a man sits to eat at the balcony table with the view of the city as his entertainment. He ingests the meal, cutting the morsels in measured pieces. The knife has trouble with one portion of the meat. A little undercooked. He’ll be fine. After dinner, the man lays down on the couch only to wake up three days later, disoriented by a terrible throbbing headache. He wobbles from his condominium to the street in a state of confusion. A little girl approaches him on the sidewalk from the opposite end. The man attacks the girl, biting her in the shoulder. To escape, she scratches his face and runs.
The bite pounds on the girl’s shoulder causing her to go numb in a park under a tree. Parasitical eggs from the man’s saliva enter the girl’s blood stream to lodge in her brain. She blacks out. Her young age causes the eggs to hatch quickly and mutate. She hops to her feet. Disoriented, she finds her way to a school. There, the biting starts. One child at a time, the parasites feed on the children’s brains until the parasite mutates further to crave flesh.
Like dominoes, society falls.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale October 22.
Do you think these scenarios are so far-fetched that they can’t happen? Do you have scenarios of your own?
Looking to God 
And so it begins.
Anything is possible! Jack you should be writing movies, i know it’s a bit twisted but love reading and watching stories and movies about vampires and zombies.
Your imagination is wonderful! X
Well now, isn’t that one of the biggest compliments anyone could have given me considering all the incredible things happening lately in my life! Thank you, Emma!
I can’t wait to read your book! X
Plagues are a great way for it to start or parasites. But I find that I enjoy the supernatural cause the best, it opens the door to so many other events and things I can add in to a story.
Rockin! Something to look forward to!
Oh, I’m a believer.
Parasites and the plague are #1 most common cause of zombie apocalypses. That’s just the way it is (gonna be).
I remember reading an article some time ago about if the world were to have a zombie apocalyse or whatnot, that humans would probably not be able to escape it. Plus, with all the GMOs that are out there, chances are zombies could exist. Whether it is a virus, I’d hope that it isn’t….
The thought of that makes me want to train for some crazy cardio and strength a la Zombieland style 😉 Great post!
Like an earlier poster said, it’s like Contagion. While that’s not about zombies, it does show how quickly and easy viruses can spread in our modern world. Scary!
Well that’s put me off my plans for a BBQ later! I’ll just have to stick to eating bugs rather than burgers …
A solid diet of wild honey and locusts will provide ample nourishment for the weary bones. Always remember to cook your meat through. You never know what’s lurking in the mist of its sinew!
Having dated a parasitologist when I was an undergrad, I know exactly what can be in under-cooked meat. That’s why I always have mine burned to a crisp!
I like the idea of exploiting wild honey though. Could make for an interesting food resource and it’s natural anti-bacterial properties means it’s good for treating wounds when you don’t have any medication.
There is a part of me…a very large part of me…that clings to hope that whatever triggers the Zombie Apocalypse will NOT be airborne. There is comfort in thinking that one needs to be bitten in order to be infected. I also violently reject the idea of fast-moving zombies. I want the slow, stupid ones that can’t plan attacks or find hiding places.
Side note: have you read Ann Aguirre’s Razorland series? Books 1 and 2 are out and the third will come out this fall, I think. Talk about terrifying “zombies.” *shiver*
Let’s have some fun with this. 🙂 I’ll pose a few rhetorical questions, and you can think of them while you’re on your run–hopefully not running away from zombies–unless it’s a Zombie Run… What if the zombie apocalypse is not because of a virus? Not airborne. Not by bite. None of that. What if it wasn’t by ingesting any liquid or food or a formula of some sort? What if it didn’t happen because of DNA mutation? No gene splicing. No chromosome manipulation. None of that. What if the zombie apocalypse happens because…?
Shameless plug for my Ranger Martin books. 😉
Ha, I kind of like fast zombies. Not planners or anything like that. But fast zombies. Hard to run from them when you’re their next meal ticket and they’re hungry.
I haven’t read Ann Aguirre’s Razorland series. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out. (Just checked on Goodreads: Outpost is rated 4.14 with 6,945 ratings · and 928 reviews. That’s pretty awesome!)
Oh jeeze. It’s several months before I get to read your book so this is entirely unfair.
And I believe that thinking about zombies while running could make it hard to pace myself, you know, with the imaginary fear for my life and all. Also, I’d look strange running through quiet neighborhoods with a shotgun and a baseball bat. The neighbors would not understand.
I hope you like those books! I thought they were fun and original.
Unfair? Yes, it is. 😉
Pacing? But, think how fast you’d run. You’ll never run fast like that again. I’m sure the neighbors will understand once they see what’s chasing you.
love your posts!!
Thanks, Marie. I’m so glad you enjoy my stuff!
Hey, I just saw a preview for “World War Z” at the movies over the weekend, so I’m not exactly feeling confident about a zombie-free existence these days …
Great story! Glad I had breakfast already. Sounds a bit like Contagion.