Zombie Rules

Zombies have rules. Or rather, we have rules about zombies. Most of us know the basics, but I'd thought I would recite for you the rules I generally follow in my books with regard to how I think zombies behave.

They behave badly. They bite people. No, that's not what I mean.

Zombies are dead people that become reanimated. In my two zombie books, a virus 'hijacks' a living person's cells, kills the person, and takes over enough of the original body's activities to allow it to kill more living and thereby pass on the pathogen to others. The virus is passed on by biting generally, but the bodily fluids of any infected living person can do the same thing.

Zombies have sensory abilities, e.g. sight, hearing. However, we wonder if they can smell (they surely smell because they are decomposing) although they seem to pick up on any fresh meat smells. They grab and therfore have a sense of touch, yet they feel no pain. It's also likley they cannot taste. If they could, why the heck would they eat what they eat?

They do not tire. They have one goal, that of finding fresh meat and eating it, thereby passing on the virus. Their cognitive powers are very limited, being just sufficient for minimal motor movements like walking, grabbing, biting, looking around. They can't really figure out things, like figuring out how to get into a house. They will push on windows, doors until they open or until there are enough of them to push something open with the force of several of them. Some may use simple tools to smash windows, but such actions are limited to the Zombies who are members of Mensa. They do not tire and are absolutely relentless in seeking out living human meat.

Some have observed that a few seem to have remnants of past living memories, seeming to recognize a relative before they grab them and eat them. Some have been know to make a sound or sounds, like groans or even words, but this is very rare and likely due to pockets of air in the lungs or body passages that pass through the vocal cords, kind of by accident. Generally, they don't make sounds. It wouldn't behoove them to make sounds while they amble up behind an unsuspecting living person and bite them.

Zombies don't really intend to travel in groups, but do seem that way when a bunch of the dead heads have spotted a target. Further, they don't consume flesh to enhance their energy supply in any great way since they don't have a working digestive system.

Zombies are more active at night when it's cooler and decomposition slows down. They are in a continuel state of decompostion and will rot enough in 2-3 years so as to not be a threat to most of the living. In the colder north, the decompostion stops with the cold weather, but when the dead defrost they beomce dangerous again and continue to rot.

We all know they need a head shot to be stopped ('killed?). It has to be through the brain. Otherwise, the dead will continue to be a threat.

I'll stop here, except that I've heard that zombies are able to 'survive' under water for some time (although much more limited than above water). They are susceptible to preadotrs. Dogs are spooked by them, but wolves and other predators find them delicious and easy prey.

Pulseless Pandemic (The Zombie Outbreak) Now Available on Barnes & Noble

I've priced it at $2.99, exactly the same as the other four. It just showed up today, first the title and price, next the image of the book cover. I'm still waiting for the description which I'm sure is on the way. So that makes the book available on all the largest sales channels.