Zombie Experiments: Too Risky?
For those of you who follow The Walking Dead television series on AMC, you should have caught the ending of episode 5 where it was revealed that the locked barn on the property was being used to “store” the undead. We have to ask ourselves, what is the reasoning behind keeping the undead like this? Is such an experiment too risky? We will leave this a bit open-ended here to see what your thoughts are?
Comments (61)
buzzkill on 16 Nov 2011 at 2:18 pm #
I thought it was to establish a baseline for zombie life expectancy with out food?
I wouldn’t want to keep a large number of enraged, flesh eating zombies in anything as flimsy as an old barn though!
Zombicus_D on 16 Nov 2011 at 2:50 pm #
They are family! that’s the reason why they are still alive well, you know!!
Reaver on 16 Nov 2011 at 3:34 pm #
it would be useful to see how long they would last without food, sun, or any forms of energy. Max Brooks type zombies are all well and good, but things cannot move without something driving them, whether it’s meat or sun or even water. It would also be useful for training purposes, such as allowing one out at a time, knocking out the teeth, removing fingernails, sewing the mouth shut and letting inexperienced fighters get some relatively safe practice.
zombiesarecomingfan on 16 Nov 2011 at 4:39 pm #
zombies need blood flow for musle contraction i cant belive i spent over 3000 on my zombie plan =/ oh well the compound bow and the glock should be useful compound bows are awsomei should post some videos of me shooting it
specially equipped guardsman on 16 Nov 2011 at 9:57 pm #
In the comic they were the the friends and family of the farmer. He just could not accept the the reality of the walking dead.
specially equipped guardsman on 16 Nov 2011 at 10:01 pm #
SPOILER
In the comic they were the the friends and family of the farmer. He just could not accept the the reality of the walking dead.
specially equipped guardsman on 16 Nov 2011 at 10:01 pm #
Dang, sorry for the double post
ItsMe! on 17 Nov 2011 at 3:22 pm #
Experimenting on them? Doesn’t sound like a good idea…
It can be deadly if they escape, besides is the information you can learn from them realy worth it..? I mean, the most things you can learn by just observing those who are in ‘action’.
Removing their teeth and fingernails will probaly not be enough to prevent infection. Plus it would take a lot of your time wich will be rare when the infection hits. You probaly have to worry about other things….
And, if you manage to survive that long to capture a couple of them, your skills will probaly be good enough already…
Reaver on 17 Nov 2011 at 3:56 pm #
did this site get hacked earlier today? that was just weird.
Rebekka on 18 Nov 2011 at 12:47 pm #
I like Reaver’s comment. JS hah.
CompShooter on 18 Nov 2011 at 10:18 pm #
When Hershal and Rick were talking about thier ordeal at the CDC, Rick said there was no cure. Hershal said he didn’t believe that. With his limited human medical knowledge (veterinarian), I think there is some sort of cure experiments going on. Whether those are family or friends is a possibility too.
Angryvikingman on 19 Nov 2011 at 4:34 pm #
Yep, got hacked. Fucking homos/haxors….
bubdude on 21 Nov 2011 at 7:18 am #
well if the apocolypse has already started, what makes holding them in one place any worse? experimenting with the virus before it starts: very risky. testing on the zombies themselves: not so much. if you experiment with the virus then you put the whole world at risk if you mess up. just one screw up would be enough to start the apocolypse. after it starts however, you are only putting yourself at risk but you might also get results that help you survive. this is actually one of the things in my story.
Shawn on 21 Nov 2011 at 1:47 pm #
Too risky.
Semper Cogitant on 21 Nov 2011 at 1:58 pm #
Don’t watch TV much, and haven’t kept up with this show.
If I were writing it there are a couple possibilities:
Slave labor comes to mind, maybe planning to secure the zeds to a wheel and induce them to walk in circles to produce energy? Dangerous, but someone might try it. Maybe removes their mandibles and upper teeth?
Another is maybe as a last ditch defense? If there is a human enemy or aggressor out there that might attack, forcing them to bug out, they could release the zeds as a way to slow down the attackers.
Finally, maybe as a really effed up method of executing criminals? Have them “walk the plank” into a sea of zombies?
It being a modern TV show though, it’s probably something weird and soap opera-ish that makes no real sense and will never be fully explained. You can see what esteem I hold TV writers in.
Castle83 on 22 Nov 2011 at 11:59 am #
I understand the reasoning behind experimentation, knowing everything possible about the limits and behaviors of your enemy is a plus. However their goal is to fix their loved ones not experiment. This would be far too risky when you take into account the feelings they must have for their lost family. Too risky in my mind, experimentation with total strangers in a high security environment might net good results if careful.
survivor811 on 22 Nov 2011 at 2:55 pm #
In the latest episode they say that they are the family and friends of Herschal and the people with him. Walking dead is getting good only I wish they would find sophia either alive or dead and I hope shane doesnt kill Dale for accusing him.
CompShooter on 22 Nov 2011 at 3:27 pm #
Aside from the show, since I don’t have a science background suitible for experimenting for a cure I would experiment on thier strengths and weaknesses, like what do they key in on ,noise ,smells , movement or all of the above. How long can they last without food. What causes them to hoard together, Does freezing rekill them. Experiments like those and others can be useful intel to make educated plans without wasting people and resources on guessing.
Castle83 on 22 Nov 2011 at 4:35 pm #
@compshooter exactly.
zabadoo on 23 Nov 2011 at 8:20 am #
Keeping the undead would be pointless in finding the cure. It would be way more risky than just killing one and taking samples of the fluids to then experiment on (you could even keep zombie cells alive in a lab if you needed to… haha you might not even need to try they just stay alive forever). With that said you would need to have access to some pretty specialized lab equipment to investigate a cure.
PCR and electrophoresis for DNA analysis
Human Cell Culture equipment
HPLC for seperation of the antivirus
Best place to go would be a pharmaceutical company that produces and develops vaccines. The east coast has plenty of them. Unless one of you had prior experience there would be a long researching period on how to develop vaccines. Once developed you would then need to scale it up to a level that you can make more than half a vaccine a batch. Which would require more research. The fortunate thing is that whatever company you picked should have all of their records on site for you to learn off of.
But really with our current day ability to generate vaccines unless this virus is a real stinker (HIV like) then it wouldn’t take very long to develop something (no FDA). I would think that if society holds together for 3 months then it would be at least developed if not already being produced (a new flu vaccine is developed every year, its the testing and making triple sure its good that takes other vaccines so long to be developed).
CompShooter on 23 Nov 2011 at 9:08 pm #
Well, in the show, the CDC was stumped. The scientist that survived was admittedly the least knowledgeable in that field compared to others (dead or abandoned thier post) and said the Europeans thought they had something but ran out of time or defences breeched? In the meantime, authorities and people in general wouldn’t recognize or fathom the idea the the dead walk causing confusion and hesitation (fog of war) resulting in the spread of the contagion especially if it spread from many different points at once such as airports. I think with such expodential replication of the virus to new hosts the continent would be overrun by mere weeks. This is assuming this wasn’t man made to begin with and had to start the research from square one. Or even deeper yet, if it was a covert research gone bad then very few knew and likely dead by the time the CDC seen it and can’t recognize it as such .. either way they would have to start with no info IMHO
HangMan on 24 Nov 2011 at 2:40 am #
Why is everything about doom and gloom? What about the good side to humanity? In my experiences (while I was living in the south for the hurricanes) there were a lot of good people trying to help. Sure My father kept his AR-15 close at hand, but that was a safety precaution. Not everybody is going to be out to steal your food, murder you and your kids, rape your wife/significant other, etc. etc. There’s still some good in the world, more then people think. There’s a lot more, A LOT MORE, to survival then just having a good weapon. I really dug the farming and cooking thread on here. Maybe expand on that a little?
CompShooter on 26 Nov 2011 at 12:12 pm #
It’s been said many times before in history, we are never more than three meals away from anarchy. In desperate times people who used to be your neighbours will try to take what you took the time to prepare for. It’s a sad fact. It would be a good thing to try to get them on board to get them to prepare the same way for natural or man made disasters. In the end, I hope I never ever have to be put in a position to have to defend me or my family but I am prepared to do so, nor do I look forward to a social or economic breakdown but preparing for the worst and hoping for the best is were I’m currently at.
survivor811 on 26 Nov 2011 at 10:23 pm #
I see where you are coming from Hangman but Im from a large city on the east coast and have experienced firsthand that that way of thinking can lead to a short life expectancy. Sure people can be good but NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! That is a quick way to an early grave. I think that if and when a disaster goes down I’ll be seeing more violence and looting for the meager remaining resources than goodness and compassion. It is due to this that you must be suspicious of others that you dont know during times like this.
HangMan on 28 Nov 2011 at 11:58 pm #
Oh I never said trust blindly! I was trying to say help when you can.
Reaver on 29 Nov 2011 at 12:02 am #
to get back on track, another benefit of storing the undead, aside from training purposes, would be catharsis. when you’re frustrated and angry, instead of taking it out on other survivors, let a few zeds out and cut, smash or pummel them into a pulp.
Chase on 29 Nov 2011 at 5:24 pm #
Shane made the right decision. That was so awesome when he lit up the z-chick. ‘She’s still coming! Can a sick person take four the chest and still be alive, doc?’
A Z-pet could be beneficial in the right setting, and only one w/ many ‘checks and balances.’ Even then, it’s very risky. A grip of barn zombies = very bad idea.
I hope the show deviates from the Comic. Love the comic!! but if they keep to the comic story line, the show will lose a lot of viewers. Then in turn get cancelled.. It would be really cool if Shane peels off and has his own adventures. I’m really digging his character!! He is perfect for this world.
wheelgunner on 02 Dec 2011 at 10:09 pm #
Yes, Shane is custom made for the setting. I always imagine a balls to the everything guy with no off switch, decency, or moral standing to be the perfect leader when the shtf and the survival of the species is at risk. I suppose he is entertaining to watch, and he is badass, but he Will get them killed if he’s around long enough. Nothing but self-centered trouble that man is, and the people will love him for it.
Anyhow, I think that the risk far outpace the rewards. At the point where you have rounded that many zeds up, you already have more than enough information on there respective abilities to require further experimentation. Think people.
CompShooter on 02 Dec 2011 at 10:47 pm #
Another reason why to keep your group small and like minded tempered with common sense. Hershel said there are other farms nearby. Even that housing development where they went to search may be able to be secured and semi remote enough , several miles from me there is one developed from a family farm sold off some years ago but still in a wide open country setting it could be secured in time with semi trailers tipped and thier sides and dragged into position
wheelgunner on 03 Dec 2011 at 4:30 pm #
Lot of effort, but the options you would have with all those trailers alone would be worth the effort, if you can get it done.
CompShooter on 03 Dec 2011 at 7:19 pm #
Yeah . It wouldn’t happen in one day by any means, bulldozers and tractors are plentiful within a few miles . Definitely would have to happen after suppressing the area. Then each rig that comes back with supply runs gets added to the wall while the rig goes back out for more supplies /trailers.
survivor811 on 06 Dec 2011 at 8:53 am #
I always liked the Idea of an anti-zombie car fort on one of the highways up here, people will follow the highway so you’re guarunteed some contact with survivors and you can make it on an overpass so there is only two ways up. In a pinch if your being overrun you can just rappel down the sides.
Either that or steal a few yachts and anchor them together then weld some metal planks to allow you to walk from one to the other. I just hope it happens in the spring when everyone is putting their boats in the water and i work at a marina so it wouldnt be too hard to get the keys to them.
CompShooter on 06 Dec 2011 at 10:01 pm #
Here in Michigan we have more coastline than any other state in the lower 48. Lots of marinas about a hour west . I did like the idea of getting to the many marinas about a hour west where there is all flavors of boats, tugs, coast guard cutters etc. And hold up in the many harbors. One of several problems here is winter, it ices over anywhere from a hundred to a few hundred yards offshore and it has before iced completely over which would crush the hull of a smaller boat. The winter storms are horrible at times, a testament to the 5000+ wrecks over the past couple hundred years . The only ways out are either to the Mississippi river through 10 locks by way of the Illinois river or the longer route to the Atlantic by way of the st Lawrence seaway but there is about the same amount of locks which likely will be inoperable, clogged and or overrun. Depending on the boat I would follow the coast line to Southbend and get some wheels south, out of the snow belt or due west to Wisconsin then make my way west After evaluating all that , if my original plan of staying put fails I’d pack up the truck and head out on secondary roads out of state.
survivor811 on 09 Dec 2011 at 9:59 am #
yeah thats why if I do steal a boat I have no intention of remaining in the northeast. Even If I dont steal one and this goes down I still have no intention of staying here. Im tired of -7 degree weather and when civilization falls that can kill quickly.
CompShooter on 10 Dec 2011 at 12:44 am #
New topic idea. Those that are med dependant, the clock is ticking after the SHTF. Hoard / scavenge what you can but Meds lose effectiveness after a year by most accounts and some are temperature sensitive such as insulin. ( read “one second after” ) another reason to get healthy and or acquire natural subs for some of the common trait problem s like high BP or colesterol etc. This brings a consideration to the stay put or bugout plan relative to Intel regarding a safe area if or where has been established .
wheelgunner on 10 Dec 2011 at 8:20 pm #
Those conciderations are why I own a shovel and have no allowances for the rest of my family in a shtf situation, unfortunatly. All of them are on life-critical meds. And why I am into that “alternate” medicine crap. It works.
CompShooter on 10 Dec 2011 at 9:36 pm #
I always wondered about natural herbs for blood pressure and colesterol but never followed up with them to see how well they work since I’m not sure about dosing.but I wonder if pill form herbs have a similar shelf life or maybe just longer? Interesting to find out.
QuickThinkinRican on 13 Dec 2011 at 8:29 am #
According to the book and the movie, Herschel was a man of God and as such he felt that God wouldn’t just abandon them, he felt that eventually there would be a cure. It would be difficult to put a gun to your own child’s head, or your wife’s or husband’s, and just pull the trigger. Some part of us would believe that there’s still hope. And I know most of you will say; “I’d have no problem pulling the trigger if they’re a zombie.”, but I can assure you it would not be as easy as you think. And to address the civil vs. uncivilized debate, think about how people reacted when Y2K came around, cleaning off the shelves. Now amplify that times a hundred if it’s the ZA and I can guarantee you would have to fear the living more than you would the dead…the dead are just an obstacle.
Reaver on 13 Dec 2011 at 12:48 pm #
hey guys, just got my springfield loaded and it shoots like a dream. 200 rounds out of the box without any cleaning and didn’t have a single malfunction. factory sights were a bit low though.
survivor811 on 15 Dec 2011 at 4:11 pm #
nice, Ive been looking into one of those but havent made a decision about anything yet.
CompShooter on 16 Dec 2011 at 1:38 pm #
Decided on a Glock 30 45 acp for my conceal carry. Love my 1991 A1 but tired of carrying full size and having to think about thumb safety and weight. Also going with crimson trace grip laser when they become available for gen 4 glocks
wheelgunner on 19 Dec 2011 at 10:29 pm #
Damn boys and girls, but I’m afraid that the site may have fallen prey to the enemy plague that we have wet ourselves against.
Traditionally, we would observe a moment of silence, but I beseech you, talk! Let us not give up the good fight and all that load of jazz.
big bear29 on 19 Dec 2011 at 11:35 pm #
Been a while since I posted , to busy with work and other crap .
Heres how I view it .
1. They are zombies that are trying to eat me . They are a threat . Threats must be removed . Therefore I will kill them rather than endanger myself by trying to store them for study .
2. If the target can take several gunshots to the chest and not go down then a cure is rather pointless unless you also know of some way to bring the dead back to life .
3. I’m a welder not a frickin scientist working for the CDC . Unless the plague can be cured with welding rods and a cutting torch I’m not going to even waste my time on it .
4. I will be having to much fun killing the zombies to be concerned with trying to cure them . I mean really , what would you rather be doing . Would you want to risk your life every day trying to capture , store and experiment on a bunch of zombies in the hope that you could do what a bunch of trained scientists and doctors couldn’t with more resources and better security . Or would you rather drive around in an armored semi truck , that looks like it would be right at home in the Madd Max movies , plowing down any zombie in sight .
wheelgunner on 21 Dec 2011 at 2:05 pm #
I think that my humor may get in my way. I just had an impulse that I would have to try out.
I’m going to get a notebook, and start a journal of all my observations on the subject, all my experiments, and all the outcomes, and possible variables.
Then, every time I meet somebody new, I’m going to ask them if they used to get on Z.A.C. If they did, then I’m going to call a meeting and discuss how right or wrong all of our old ideas used to be, and catologue that. Any body up for a postapocolipse research project?
HangMan on 24 Dec 2011 at 1:19 pm #
Who the hell hacked this website? What was with all that rascist bull yesterday?!
big bear29 on 24 Dec 2011 at 6:47 pm #
Just another reason for a zombie apocalypse to happen , to get rid of the assholes that think that shit is cute .
big bear29 on 06 Jan 2012 at 12:15 pm #
Did this site get hacked again last night because every time I tried to get on it would reroute me to some porno site instead .
Arctic Hunter on 09 Jan 2012 at 1:13 am #
I think that holding one zombie in a secure isolated unit would be a good thing. Just to see how long they truely last. If it is a T-virus type zombie where the virus is reactivatig and replicating dead cells then it could take longer than we think for the undead to die off with our a food source. Plus, you can see what senses the zombie uses in its various stages of decay. That could be tremendously useful for supply raids and escapes. If it is more like 28 days later then it would not be such an issue. Those ones are still technically living.
bubdude on 11 Jan 2012 at 1:02 am #
no new posts in 2 months? :( i really hope this page is still going to be updated. id help if i could
jay on 11 Jan 2012 at 3:25 pm #
http://news.uk.msn.com/blog/news-bite-blogpost.aspx?post=425e27c7-92ce-43b3-b8fb-6cc6ea90a7de
rebecca on 04 Mar 2012 at 8:14 pm #
it is so dam stupid they would keep them in ther i mean what if they got lose then they would all die and they thought they were safe.
Andy on 14 Mar 2012 at 8:40 pm #
This site is awesome – i’m currently developing my own anti zombie armor, check out my blogpage and you’ll see my daily updates!! :D
AB
josh on 25 Mar 2012 at 2:05 pm #
out of curiosity since the zombies no longer have body heat wouldnt they be frozen solid during the winter in some areas, and plus instead of working out a cure on the zombies why not just create a vaccine for the living to prevent infection cause every time i noticed whenever a scientist works on a zombie they only seem to mainly focus on the brain even though they know the bite comes from fluids and into the blood stream.
Kady on 06 Apr 2012 at 12:14 pm #
The zombies kept in the barn in The Walking Dead was because they were loved ones and thought they could save them eventually, wth “the cure”. Do not keep zombies, bad idea just destroy the brain and move one.
Side note: Zombies do not NEED to feed, they just do it (for some unknown reason) a zombie will only die when the brain is destroyed. If you just leave them there and they CANT get out, they will just deterorate until theres nothing left.
john on 11 Apr 2012 at 1:10 am #
If your a civilian i suggest leaving the experiments for cures to government and hazmat. learn to use silent weapons or hand to hand combat, you do not want to draw attention to yourself. Conserve ammo and food and find as many survivors as you can “strength in numbers” never stay in one place for too long, unless you find a compound that is easy to secure. the military will eventually move in to contain the threat but will likely quarentine the infection area and destroy every thing and every one in the area, so evacuate the infection zone as quickly as possible…………..(XMILCO.military intelligence/recon/simulation planning for future threats)
Itsabrightonthing on 17 May 2012 at 2:49 am #
Testing best methods for killing, and observing for tactical reasons.
understanding how they can find you (site/smell/sound etc) would be a huge advantage. as would knowing what cam works best to hide yourself.
testing a deffinite if you are in a suitable position to do so.
nick on 01 Jun 2012 at 11:38 pm #
the thing about zombies, we don’t know when or where it will or will not happen. i completely agree with john, fire arms run out, that is plain and simple.gas will run out. you need to think of renewable resources.freezing climates would be a great guess, the humanbody is made up of 75% water, and water freezes so in my thinking more north you go the slower the zombie.
chainmail and a hazmat suit, with lots of blades would be some good ideas… far as the barn, burn the thing down. only eat vegetables cause animals may carry the zombiegene cause it apparently effects animals. so stay away from the water and boil the water you would want to drink…it may be there. the only people that would most likely survive the longest are those on the space station. and not very long either. i believe we will give the zombies a run for their money…but in the end i think we are all doomed
Walking_Bed on 05 Jun 2012 at 4:59 am #
i think with properly secured methods in just a short span of time, it will do. just to understand your enemy stuff
wheelgunner on 29 Jun 2012 at 1:07 am #
I’ve been rethinking my stand on this one. I mena, everything that we “know” on this subject is hearsay and suposition. Therefore, experimenting on a limited basis will be required to know what really does and doesn’t work.
DrMnemonic on 12 Jul 2012 at 2:27 pm #
I have a fair amount of experience with biology and physiology. There are five basic ways a “zombie apocalypse” can happen, but let’s eliminate 1. “divine retribution” because if that’s the case, all bets are off on how to kill them or how many there could be if corpses and skeletons crawl out of graves, how to contain them… etc.
So on to the real, if unlikely possibilities. I will describe each then go through their weaknesses and why it would or would NOT be a good idea to “experiment” on them.
2. Mind control experiments either through drugs, surgery, brainwashing, some kind of device or the worst possibility (read Snow Crash) Neurolinguistic Hacking. Only the last first one and last two have the ability to spread through a crowd in some way, so we will focus on them as outbreak ideas.
3. Some type of infection. A rage virus is about the only thing that would do this reliably.
4. Some kind of genetic virus or organism that alters DNA. Think Prometheus/ Halo (Flood).
5. Some kind of terresterial/extraterrestial animal that takes control of a persons body, brain, nervous system etc. Think Half-Life (personal favorite) or Halo (Flood) or the Body Snatchers.
Experimenting on the categories.
2. These are normal humans who are NOT altered with the exception that drugs may induce super-human strength for a short period of time. Rest assured, this effect would be temporary lasting no more than a few hours, and the person would likely suffer rhabdomyolysis (muscle death) as many people on cocaine or other “uppers” do when they continue to do strenuous activity under the influence of such substances. Keeping the drug induced zombies captive wouldn’t be challenging once the drug started to subside and would basically serve only to see how long the drug(s) lasted in the system.
Next in this category are the device driven or otherwise neurologically hacked brains. Again, it’s possible that the targets could be “forced” to do things that are at the top or even beyond (by ignoring pain) their normal physical capabilities. But again, without some kind of additional drugs/nutrients to keep them going, they will burn out their bodies fairly quickly. At most a few days of being a zombie will reduce them to stumbling, crawling, dying piles of mush. Keep them captive to see how long this takes. All this is provided you can stay safe from the neurohacking yourself somehow… is it visually or audibly transmitted? Do you get volunteers to become zombies to find out? Field observation is dangerous too, because you could be exposed to the device/circumstances that generate the problem.
3. Infection is a huge problem for survivors and especially captors. If you are not immune, how do you keep from getting infected? For those of you who watched the Walking Dead, Outbreak or anything else that does a good job of depicting decontamination procedures, it’s very VERY difficult to remain sterile in an uncontrolled environment. Incubation time (how long it takes you to get sick after exposure) will vary and the 30 seconds experienced in 28 Days Later is completely unrealistic. Some bacteria with pre-formed toxins make you sick within HOURS of exposure to a large amount but that’s due to the toxin, not because you are “infected.” As far as “setting up a systemic infection” in your body, it takes 24-48 hours minimum to do this for every virus/bacteria known. Even the quickest killers on the planet, things like inhalation plague and ebola, take 24-48 hours to kill you. Anthrax actually takes WEEKS after exposure to kill you, rather suddenly and horribly, but still it takes weeks.
I guess any idea of keeping “infected” individuals captive is based on ONE thing. Can you stay safe from the vector (the thing that makes you sick whether it be air particles, droplets, or even insects if the contaminant is transmitted this way)? This is a tough one and any speculation is just that. I think you’d HAVE to do something like this eventually, but it’s extremely dangerous, and involves a lot more than penning up a bunch of “zombies” in a barn…
4. Ok, seriously, if events from Prometheus start to happen, I’m just making a safe room and lining the outside with home-made napalm or C4 if I can make some. Again, this is a vector issue. How do you keep from “getting” whatever it is that’s doing this? Is it airborne, water-borne… will filtering work for either – maybe not? Boiling all water might help to denature any proteins you may drink, but what if it’s prions? You’ll eventually run out of food made/grown before the genetic contamination and then – who knows? Like #3, keeping any captives in a situation where you don’t understand how transmission occurs is dangerous, and it would take some pretty sophisticated facilities with trained people to figure out how to do this safely. Trial and error ends in alien babies that eat you… *shudder*
5. I like the idea of #5, but after wishing I had a pet like Lamar, it would be hard to kill a head crab… ok, it would be hard until it jumped for my head, then it would be good-night sweet alien monster! Keeping head crab zombies or infection form type flood creatures (who were too powerful in the game and books, please) would serve two purposes. First, how long do the human bodies survive after the symbiote has attached, and second, how long does the satiated symbiote survive after the host is dead? Sadly, these things could be like snakes where they eat a lot once a month or two – so you’d have to have good facilities and potentially months supplies, patience and diligent procedures to find the answer. Or you could get lucky and the Vortegaunts could show up and tell you…
Bottom line: until you know what kind of threat you have and how to keep from becoming a zombie yourself, any thought of keeping captives is probably too dangerous. That said, eventually, any post-Z-day society will HAVE to attempt to understand the threat, how it happened and how to keep it from happening again, and that WILL sadly require captives and experiments in all likelihood.
TEOATTC on 14 Sep 2012 at 2:28 pm #
Knowing certain things like how long it takes them to rot and fall apart, starve to death, etc…would be nice, but it seems to risky. Unless im the expert, or working with the expert to come up with a cure, such info seems like it is not worth the risk.