Guest Post: Rebecca Besser #WinterofZombie
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Survivor Dangers
By Rebecca Besser
By default most people think that the biggest threat during a Z-poc would be zombies. At first, that might be true. At first it will be the zombies, then it will be basic human stupidity in dealing the zombies, then it will be those stupid people turning into zombies, and if you survive all that… What’s next? Survival.
Survival in and of itself has a lot of dangers. Have you tried to live and sustain your life (and your family’s) without a decent shelter for more than a weekend camping trip? Can you even function without electricity and running water for more than a week? Or prepackaged food for more than a couple of days?
Most of you are probably sitting there thinking: “Pfft! Yeah, I’m tough!”
But what if the world went to shit in the dead of winter and you had no heat, no running water, and little food that you could gather without being able to run to the store? Can you even make a fire without matches?
Keeping yourself warm and fed are going to be the next dangers you’re going to have to face.
Yes, you will face other people, but that’s only if you survive long enough to do so.
More than likely, half (or more) of the human survivors that don’t become zombies would die from the cold or starvation.
Another half of what’s left would probably die of disease or infection from wounds or accidental injuries.
Now, let’s just say it’s not winter or you live in a warm climate… The number of people who would die from freezing would decrease, but instead dehydration or a sickness brought on by drinking contaminated water would increase. (After all, you could melt snow for water and that could help for a while.) Throw in heat exhaustion, low blood sugar, and the untellable other health issues anyone could have from living constantly in a harsh environment without adequate supplies…death is assured for most.
Granted, with that many people out of the way, prepacked food and bottled water sources will be overly plentiful, but you’ll more than likely have to fight for them.
That’s more injuries, more dehydration, more zombies, and more other people who want the same things and don’t want to share.
Most zombie entertainment doesn’t show you some of these aspects because they need their characters to live so they have a story to tell. We all know that real life isn’t that forgiving and we can’t all be that lucky.
We get mesmerized by those who survive in zombie entertainment because we like to imagine ourselves as them, being smart enough or luck enough to beat the odds of ALL the things that could go wrong and are stacked against us.
But real life isn’t fiction. I don’t think there would be near the numbers we would hope for of survivors should something as global as a Z-poc happen.
And don’t even start to argue – it would be global with human stupidity and people doing so much traveling (it has been demonstrated in many stories and scenarios).
After thinking about all that could go wrong, and all that could kill you, I pose to you the question I asked my husband the other day:
Would you rather be a zombie or a survivor?
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The stench of frozen flesh is in the air! Welcome to the Winter of Zombie Blog Tour 2015, with 40+ of the best zombie authors spreading the disease in the month of November.
Stop by the event page on Facebook so you don’t miss an interview, guest post or teaser…and pick up some great swag as well!
Giveaways galore from most of the authors as well as interaction with them!
#WinterofZombie is the hashtag for Twitter, too!
