John sat his coffee cup on a chair beside him. "Something else we've noticed. Some of the more damaged and decayed things don't even have eyes in their sockets, but they can sense where a human is and follow them if they change directions sharply. And the same phenomenon occurs with sound. Ira has examined several zombies and found the auditory system to be rendered incapable of receiving sound vibrations. How the hell can they see and hear us if this infection, as it's called, was caused by a virus?"
I leaned into the discussion. "The brain must be the only functioning organ in the body because we all know destroying it is the only way to kill them. Digestive tracks, other organs and appendages are missing, but the body still moves and kills. That's why I believe zombies are caused by a curse and not a virus. I don't pretend to understand the medical, religious or mystical implications of all this, but I can't grasp how a virus can make a dead body walk when the muscles, tendons and ligaments are rotted away." I looked to Ira and raised my palms questioningly. We all waited for his comment, hoping some new revelation might be added to the discussions we'd had in the past.
Ira took a deep breath, held it momentarily, then exhaled as he struggled with a reply. "Remember, I'm a vet. I deal in farm animals, dogs and cats. But I'll try. The brain is protected by the thick bone of the skull, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated from the bloodstream by a blood-brain barrier; the delicate nature of the human brain makes it susceptible to many types of damage and disease. The most common form of physical damage is trauma, such as a blow to the head. Infection of the brain is rare because of the barriers that protect it, but it does occur.
"After a time, a zombie's cerebrospinal fluid should dry and the brain should deteriorate, but we haven't seen that happen. For some ungodly reason the brain still seems to function on some level while the flesh, tissue and other organs rot." He raised his palms upward. "I can't explain it and I doubt a medical researcher could either. But my gut feeling is akin to how Tom feels. Something immoral drives them to destroy humans. They're not actually feeding when they bite flesh and bone. The majority have decayed now to the point they don't have functioning digestive systems. The matter they tear off falls to the ground and they bite again and keep on biting until the victim dies and turns into one of them and fights them off." Ira squinted as he formed a thought and looked at John. "Their vocal cords have also deteriorated after the body has been dead for a time. It's another mystery to me how they make any sound at all or why they do."
Vivian shuddered then spoke in her Latino accent. "They scare the hell out of me. They're so creepy, and the odor is so nauseating it makes me want to vomit."
I watched Vivian as she spoke. Without the heavy hooded coat, her fetching looks were on display. The pronounced cheek bones, brown eyes, ebony hair, clear pecan skin, and sexy voice combined to make her a rare beauty. She managed to look provocative without looking cheap. She and Kira were easily the most gorgeous women in our small group. Hell, they'd each stand out in a crowded sports stadium.
I corralled my lust and refocused. "Pass the word to all our people to report even the slightest changes they see in the zombies. We've watched them become faster, stronger, and more agile, but what other changes could possibly be taking place? If there are several similar reports, a pattern may emerge as to what else may be happening."
Ed had been quiet, almost as if he were brooding before he spoke. "We need to rethink our training methods in response to this mutation or evolution or whatever you want to call it. There's no way to fight these fast movers with blunt force weapons. Ball bats and wrecking bars are out of the question against these things except as an absolute last resort. If a single fast mover walked by and I could hit it from behind maybe, just maybe I could crack its head and kill it. But if there are two or more, a physical attack won't work. The others would be on you in a split second. They have almost superhuman strength and even a strong human is no match for them. As you saw with Jerome. He and I arm wrestled and he was strong, but he was no match for the zombie that grabbed him."
"I suppose you have a proposal for the training changes?" I said. "I'd like to hear them." I waved my arm to encompass the group, especially the women. "If any of you have ideas on this, or any other issues you think we need to address, speak up. All input is welcome here. We're not racist or sexist."
Ed continued. "I laid awake last night thinking about it; much to the consternation of Marilyn I'll add. Instead of using stationary paper targets at various distances, I propose we hold that form of practice for the longer distances, in this case one hundred feet and more. For close in shooting, with both hand guns and long guns we should change to trapshooting and skeet methods. If a shooter can't lead a moving target, the fast zombies are going to get to that person or another victim."
"Wow!" Kira straightened
