#zombie guide

I've started writing for Zombie Guide Magazine.  I will continue posting here as well as there. So now you can catch my content in these two places.

the zombies . the virus .

     ZOMBIE (zom•bie) n.

1. an animated corpse that feeds on living human flesh.

transference

direct fluidic contact is the only way for the virus to be transferred. a bite from a zombie is most definitely fatal. once bitten, you are infected and there is no turning back. there is a chance of survival if you cut off the limb where the bite occurred, but this is not always successful. open wounds coming into contact with zombie flesh is known to also cause the virus to spread. so don't get bit.

symptoms

once a person has been bitten, the first thing that happens is the wound immediately begins to clot and turn a dark black/brown. in the coming hours, the skin will begin to yellow and the afflicted person will notice an intense itching and burning around the wound. following this, the victim will begin to lose their senses, most notably their sense of touch and the ability to feel pain. as they lose their senses, their ability to do basic things such as communicate and reason will falter. they will begin to lose their memories and show signs of dementia. flu-like symptoms begin soon after, including high fever, chills, coughing, and vomiting. as this occurs, the heart beat begins to slow, the body begins to numb completely, and the victim slowly becomes paralyzed. despite all of the victim's other symptoms, all they care about is how hungry they are. when the heart beat slows to almost nothing, the person drops into a coma. and when they rise again, they're nothing more than a host for the virus. it's best to simply kill the victim before they reach the point of coma, as homicidal madness is sure to follow.

treatment

there is currently no vaccination for this virus.

infected

first and foremost, the infected are hungry. extremely hungry. nothing seems to satisfy their hunger more than human flesh, though they have been known to attack and kill other forms of life. they are attracted to movement, sound, and smell. no matter the level of decomposition, it appears as though they always know where the prey is. and where the living prey is, because the dead do not attack other dead things. there is no recorded evidence that the infected communicate with each other, although they do moan, which is heard by other infected in the area and they will come. unlike many myths, zombies possess the same amount of brute force as normal human beings, though they possess much high amounts of stamina. the dead feel no pain, so they are not slowed by wounds. that is, unless you shoot them in the brain. although they have incredible stamina, they are not fast. in fact, they are rather slow compared to humans. they are uncoordinated and unsteady on their feet. they're incapable of running, but as mentioned, they have incredible stamina so just remember that when you are running away from these ghouls. they do not think or remember their past life, so don't think uncle joe isn't going to eat you just because you're his favorite niece/nephew. it has also been noted that these creatures do not need to breathe in order to live and therefore are capable of going under water for long periods of time without need for air.

disposal