Terrain Types
While hunting, you will sometimes follow a human into an unfamiliar location. This may be an area of extreme cold, extreme warmth, or extreme moisture, any of which can have a serious impact on your bodily integrity. Before boldly going where no zed has gone before, review the dangers outlined below.
Remember the Beringia land bridge (see page 6)? Trying to walk in snow is the least of your worries.
The z-virus is very good at regulating your body’s temperature, keeping it steady at around 70° F, but this ability to thermoregulate decreases as temperatures fall. At very low temperatures, the z-virus in you will increase your cellular absorption and decomposition to keep your internal temperature at acceptable levels. Over a long period of time, your muscles will become less responsive and less elastic, leading to coordination problems and slowing down your bodily functions. Your speed may slow by as much as half, and with food more difficult to find and chase, you may decompose to immobility.
If you experience an extreme freeze, 15° F or below, your body will be vulnerable to frostbite (a type of decay), but your extremities should continue to function until they fall off. Don’t be alarmed unless your eyelids freeze shut. If you are that cold, eventually your body will completely stiffen up. A zombie body that has been frozen for longer than 48 hours will be use- less when thawed. Water in its cells will expand during freezing and destroy the body’s infrastructure, rendering it limp when warmed up.
Extreme heat (110° F or above) can also affect your body. In some parts of the globe, temperatures can reach an astounding 150° F. How does this affect you? As molecules heat up in a humid environment, they increase their movement, leading to cell breakdown. Depending on the humidity, your rate of decomposition can double as the temperature rises. As a result, your body will need to double its nutritional intake of human flesh (see “Human Buffet,” page 105). But if the temperature is high and the humidity low, decomposition will be halted. That is a
The lifeguard has been eaten!
As you’ve read, moisture and humidity will increase tissue breakdown. So what does swimming do? Zeds that spend too much time in water will experience rapid decomposition. Early signs of this included pruning up of the toxic skin. Stay dry! Avoid prolonged exposure to water, including rain. Also, don’t continually roam sewers or other subterranean domains, as these damp environments will also accelerate decomposition.
I See a Human—What Should I Do?
Now that you’ve learned the basics of hunting, you’re bound to come across your first human. Awesome— this is what being a zombie is all about!
So let out a moan to announce to the horde that dinner has been located. Within seconds, the mob will shift gears and zero in on your find.
5. TRANSPORTATION
In the past, stubborn Luddite zombies ignored the technological changes in the world of the living. They even underestimated the significance of the automobile, an advancement in transportation technology with which zeds must frequently contend. With roughly 700 million of these monsters on the road, humans are positively obsessed with them. And their obsession only increases during an outbreak, since these vehicles are perfect for both shielding the living from our attacks and carrying them out of the contaminated zone. So unless you are hunting the Amish, hunting strategies that were used against the chariot and the stagecoach are obsolete. It’s time to learn how to take down the auto.
The living would have us believe their automobiles are impenetrable. However, this is a total deception— they are full of vulnerabilities!
Many cars, foreign and domestic, can easily be stopped with minimal collateral damage. (See “How to Stop a Vehicle,” below.)
From what we know, they all rely on fuel, which limits their range.
They are mechanically complicated—just look at them—and often break down unexpectedly. Better still, the average human does not know how to repair them.
Most require a key to operate, and when humans panic, they are highly likely to flee to a car without bringing the key with them.
They are very noisy. Zombies can hear their engines and mufflers from miles away.
How to Stop a Vehicle
How many zombies does it take to stop a car? In truth, only one! Humans won’t stop their cars for a minor obstruction in the roadway—just ask any squirrel—and they certainly won’t stop for a crossing zombie. But if you stumble in front of a vehicle at the right moment, you can easily cause a wreck.
At what price, though? Your body could sustain cranial damage in the process, impairing your ability to feed. The whole point of stopping a car is to feast on the humans inside, so keep your eye on the prize and avoid being the appointed crash test dummy. Here are several better methods for stopping a vehicle.
In this strategy, you penetrate the driver’s side windshield and obstruct the operator’s view of the road. Statistically speaking, it’s best accomplished around dusk for lowest human visibility. Choose a narrow street (rural or urban) to increase accuracy and the element of surprise. Patiently wait off to the side, or behind a number of obstacles abandoned on the road. Then, when you hear an approaching vehicle, stumble out directly in its path. Though most zombies are incapable of actually jumping, the impact will propel your body like a speeding missile, embedding your head and torso into the windshield. This will cause the driver to panic, causing a wreck or, at the very least, emergency braking.
This method is still extremely hazardous: three out of five zombies experience cranial trauma during the Jump. Reread the last sentence so you know what you’re getting into.
During a serious zombie outbreak, human defenders will need ammunition, food, and other supplies on the front lines, so supply lines will be critical. Set up a temporary roadblock by using a large mob of the undead. This barricade will be both intimidating and fatal to anyone who dares to ram it.
