ZOMBIE ATTRIBUTES

Too often, the undead have been said to possess superhuman powers:

unusual strength, lightning speed, telepathy, etc. Stories range from

zombies flying through the air to their scaling vertical surfaces like spiders.

While these traits might make for fascinating drama, the individual

ghoul is far from a magical, omnipotent demon. Never forget that

the body of the undead is, for all practical purposes, human. What

changes do occur are in the way this new, reanimated body is used by

the now-infected brain. There is no way a zombie could fly unless the

human it used to be could fly. The same goes for projecting force

fields, telepottation, moving through solid objects, transforming into a

wolf, breathing fire, or a variety of other mystical talents amibuted to

the walking dead. Imagine the human body as a tool kit. The somnambulist

brain has those tools, and only those tools, at its disposal. It

cannot create new ones out of thin air. But it can, as you will see, use

these tools in unconventional combinations, or push their durability

beyond normal human limits.

A. Sight

The eyes of a zombie are no different than those of a normal human.

While still capable (given their rate of decomposition) of transmitting

visual signals to the brain, how the brain interprets these signals is

another matter. Studies are inconclusive regarding the undead's visual

abilities. They can spot prey at distances comparable to a human, but

whether they can distinguish a human from one of their own is still up

for debate. One theory suggests that the movements made by humans,

which are quicker and smoother than those of the undead, is what

causes them to stand out to the zombie eye. Experiments have been

done in which humans have attempted to confuse approaching ghouls

by mimicking their motions and adopting a shambling, awkward limp

To date, none of these attempts have succeeded. It has been suggested

that zombies possess night vision, a fact that explains their skill at nocturnal

hunting. This theory has been debunked by the fact that all zombies

are expert night feeders, even those without eyes.

B. Sound

There is no question that zombies have excellent hearing. Not only can

they detect sound-they can determine its direction. The basic range

appears to be the same as that for humans. Experiments with extreme

high and low frequencies have yielded negative results. Tests have also

shown that zombies are attracted by any sounds, not just those made

by living creatures. It has been recorded that ghouls will notice sounds

ignored by living humans. The most likely, if unproven, explanation is

that zombies depend on all their senses equally. Humans are sightoriented

from birth, depending on other senses only if the primary one

is lost. Perhaps this is not a handicap shared by the walking dead. If

so, it would explain their ability to hunt, fight, and feed in total darkness.

C. Smell

Unlike with sound, the undead have a more acute sense of smell. In

both combat situations and laboratory tests, they have been able to distinguish

the smell of living prey above all others. In many cases, and

given ideal wind conditions, zomhies have been known to smell fresh

corpses from a distance of more than a mile. Again, this does not mean

that ghouls have a greater sense of smell than humans, simply that they

rely on it more. It is not known exactly what particular secretion signals

the presence of prey: sweat, pheromones, blood, etc. In the past,

people seeking to move undetected through infested areas have

attempted to "mask" their human scent with perfumes, deodorants, or

other strong-smelling chemicals. None were successful. Experiments

are now under way to synthesize the smells of living creatures as a

decoy or even repellent to the walking dead. A successful product is

still years away.

D. Taste

Little is known about the altered taste buds of the walking dead.

Zombies do have the ability to tell human flesh apart from that of animals,

and they prefer the former. Ghouls also have a remarkable ability

to reject carrion in favor of freshly killed meat. A human body that

has been dead longer than twelve to eighteen hours will be rejected as

food. The same goes for cadavers that have been embalmed or otherwise

preserved. Whether this has anything to do with "taste" is not yet

certain. It may have to do with smell or, perhaps, another instinct that

has not been discovered. As to exactly why human flesh is preferable

science has yet to find an answer to this confounding, frustrating, terrifying

question

E. Touch

Zombies have, literally, no physical sensations. All nerve receptors

throughout the body remain dead after reanimation. This is truly their

greatest and most temfying advantage over the living. We, as humans,

have the ability to experience physical pain as a signal of bodily damage.

Our brain classifies such sensations, matches them to the experience

that instigated them, and then files the information away for use

as a warning against future ham. It is this gift of physiology and

instinct that has allowed us to survive as a species. It is why we value

virtues such as courage, which inspires people to perform actions

despite warnings of danger. The inability to recognize and avoid pain

is what makes the waking dead so formidable. Wounds will not be

noticed and, therefore, will not deter an attack. Even if a zombie's

body is severely damaged, it will continue to attack until nothing

remains.

E Sixth Sense

Historical research, coupled with laboratory and field observation,

have shown that the walking dead have been known to attack even

when all their sensory organs have been damaged or completely

decomposed. Does this mean that zombies possess a sixth sense?

Perhaps. Living humans use less than 5 percent of their brain capacity.

It is possible that the virus can stimulate another sensoly ability that

has been forgotten by evolution. This theory is one of the most hotly

debated in the war against the undead. So far, no scientific evidence

has been found to suppoa either side.

G. Healing

Despite legends and ancient folklore, undead physiology has been

proven to possess no powers of regeneration. Cells that are damaged

stay damaged. Any wounds, no matter what their size and nature, will

remain for the duration of that body's reanimation. A variety of medical

treatments have been attempted to stimulate the healing process in

captured ghouls. None were successful. This inability to self-repair,

something that we as living beings take for granted, is a severe disadvantage

to the undead. For example, every time we physically exert

ourselves, we tear our muscles. With time, these muscles rebuild to a

stronger state than before. A ghoul's muscle mass will remain damaged,

reducing its effectiveness every time it is used.

H. Decomposition

The average zombie "life span"-how long it is able to function before

completely rotting away-is estimated at three to five years. As fantastic

as this sounds-a human corpse able to ward off the natural

effects of decay-its cause is rooted in basic biology. When a human

body dies, its flesh is immediately set upon by billions of microscopic

organisms. These organisms were always present, in the external environment

arid within the body itself. In life, the immune system stood

as a harrier between these organisms and their target. In death, that barrier

is removed. The organisms begin multiplying exponentially as

they proceed to eat and, thereby, break down the corpse on a cellular

level. The smell and discoloration associated with any decaying meat

are the biological process of these microbes at work. When you order

an "aged" steak, you are ordering a piece of meat that has begun to rot,

its formerly toughened flesh softened by microorganisms breaking

down its sturdy fiber. Within a short time, that steak, like a human

corpse, will dissolve to nothing, leaving behind only material too hard

or innutritious for any microbe, such as hone, teeth, nails, and hair.

This is the normal cycle of life, nature's way of recycling nutrients

back into the food chain. To halt this process, and preserve dead tissue,

it is necessary to place it in an environment unsuitable for bacteria,

such as in extreme low or high temperatures, in toxic chemicals

such as formaldehyde, or, in this case, to saturate it with Solanum.

Almost all the microbe species involved in normal human decomposition

have repeatedly rejected flesh infected by the virus, effectively 

embalming the zombie. Were this not the case, combating the

living dead would be as easy as avoiding them for several weeks or

even days until they rotted away to hones. Research has yet to discover

the exact cause of this condition. It has been determined that at least

some microbe species ignore the repelling effects of Solanum-otherwise,

the undead would remain perfectly preserved forever. It has also

been determined that natural conditions such as moisture and temperature

play an important role as well. Undead that prowl the bayous of

Louisiana are unlikely to last as long as those in the cold, dry Gobi

desert. Extreme situations, such as deep freezing or immersion in -

preservative fluid, could, hypothetically, allow an undead specimen to

exist indef~telyT. hese techniques have been known to allow zombies

to function for decades, if not centuries. (See "Recorded Attacks,"

pages 193ff.) Decomposition does not mean that a member of the

walking dead will simply drop. Decay may affect various parts of the

body at different times. Specimens have been found with brains intact

but nearly disintegrated bodies. Others with partially rotted brains may

control some bodily functions but be completely paalyzed in others.

A popular theory has recently circulated that attempts to explain the

story of the ancient Egyptian mummy as one of the first examples of

an embalmed zombie. The preservation techniques allowed it to fuuction

several thousand years after being entombed. Anyone with a rudimentary

knowledge of ancient Egypt would find this story almost

laughably untrue: The most important and complicated step in preparing

a pharaoh for burial was the removal of the brain!

I. Digestion

Recent evidence has once and for all mscounted the theory that human

flesh is the fuel for the undead. A zombie's digestive tract is completely

dormant. The complex system that processes food, extracts nutrition,

and excretes waste does not factor into a zombie's physiology. Autopsies

conducted on neutralized undead have shown that their "food" lies in its

original, undigested state at all sections of the tract. This partially

chewed, slowly rotting matter will continue to accumulate, as the zombie 

devours more victims, until it is forced through the anus, or literally

bursts through the stomach or intestinal lining. While this more dramatic

example of non-digestion is rare, hundreds of eyewitness reports have

confirmed undead to have distended bellies. One captured and dissected

specimen was found to contain 21 1 pounds of flesh within its system!

Even rarer accounts have confirmed that zombies continue to feed long

after their digestive tracts have exploded from within.

J. Respiration

The lungs of the undead continue to function in that they draw air into

and expel it from the hody. This function accounts for a zombie's signature

moan. What the lungs and body chemistry fail to accomplish,

however, is to extract oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Given that

Solanum obviates the need for both of these functions, the entire

human respiratory system is obsolete in the hody of a ghoul. This

explains how the living dead can "walk underwater" or survive in environments

lethal to humans. Their brains, as noted earlier, are oxygenindependent.

K. Circulation

It would be inaccurate to say that zomhies have no heart. It would not

he inaccurate, however, to say that they find no use for it. The circulatory

system of the undead is little more than a network of useless tubes

filled with congealed hlood. The same applies to the lymphatic system

as well as all other bodily fluids. Although this mutation would appear

to give the undead one more advantage over humanity, it has actually

proved to he a godsend. The lack of fluid mass prevents easy transmission

of the virus. Were this not true, hand-to-hand combat would

he nearly impossible, as the defending human would almost certainly

he splattered with hlood andlor other fluids.



L. Reproduction
Zombies are sterile creatures. Their sexual organs are necrotic and
impotent. Attempts have been made to fertilize zombie eggs with

human sperm and vice versa. None has been succcssful. The undead
have also shown no signs of sexual desire, either for their own
species or for the living. Until research can prove otherwise, humanity's
greatest fear-the dead reproducing the dead-is a comforting
impossibility.



M. Strength
Ghouls possess the same brute force as the living. What power can be
exerted depends greatly on the individual zombie. What muscle mass
a person has in life would be all he possesses in death. Unlike a living
body, adrenal glands have not been known to function in the dead,
denying zombies the temporary burst of power we humans enjoy. The
one solid advantage the living dead do possess is amazing stamina.
Imagine working out, or any other act of physical exertion. Chances
are that pain and exhaustion will dictate your limits. These factors do
not apply to the dead. They will continue an act, with the same
dynamic energy, until the muscles supporting it literally disintegrate.
i
f While this makes for progressively weaker ghouls, it allows for an allpowerful
first attack. Many barricades that would have exhausted three 1 or even four physically fit humans have fallen to a single determined
zombie.


N. Speed
The "walking" dead tend to move at a slouch or limp. Even without
injuries or advanced decomposition, their lack of coordination makes
for an unsteady suide. Speed is mainly determined by leg length. Taller
ghouls have longer strides than their shorter counterparts. Zombies
appear to be incapable of running. The fastest have been observed to
move at a rate of barely one step per 1.5 seconds. Again, as with
strength, the dead's advantage over the living is their tirelessness.
Humans who believe they have outrun their nndead pursuers might do
well to remember the story of the tortoise and the hare, adding, of
course, that inthis instance the hare stands a good chance of being
eaten alive.



0. Agiliw
The average living human possesses a dexterity level 90 percent
greater than the strongest ghoul. Some of this comes from the general
stiffness of necrotic muscle tissue (hence their awkward stride). The
rest is due to their primitive brain functions. Zomhies have little handeye
coordination, one of their greatest weaknesses. No one has ever
observed a zombie jumping, either from one spot to another or simply
up and down. Balancing on a narrow surface is similarly beyond their
ahility. Swimming is also a skill reserved for the living. The theory has
been put forth that, if an undead corpse were to he bloated enough to
rise to the surface, it could present a floating hazard. This is rare, however,
as the slow rate of decomposition would not allow by-product gas
to accumulate. Zombies who walk or fall into bodies of water will
more likely find themselves wandering aimlessly across the bottom
until eventually dissolving. They can be successful climbers, but only
in certain circumstances. If zombies perceive prey above them, for
example, in the second story of a house, they will always attempt to
climb to it. Zombies will try to scale any surface no matter how
unfeasahle or even impossible. In all but the easiest situations, these
attempts have met with failure. Even in the case of ladders, when simple
hand-over-hand coordination is required, only one in four zombies
will succeed.