Thu. Dec 12th, 2024

WHAT IS A ZOMBIE? PART SIX: FRESH/FAST ZOMBIE

The Fresh/Fast Zombie

Okay, the terms Fresh, Fast and Zombie seem to contradict themselves a bit don’t they? But sit back and think about it for a moment. What dictates how fast (or slow) a zombie can move? Just like humans, zombies have muscles. Older zombies, say those that have been dead for several weeks are starting to experience muscle atrophy, poor blood circulation to the muscle or muscle groups, lack of oxygen (zombies breathe just not as often as a human would which is how they can muster moans and growls), poor diets (let’s face it in the mind of a zombie almost anything can be considered food – you try feasting on tree bark or a discarded motorcycle tire and see how sluggish you move), and lack of exercise. All of that can contribute to a Zombie’s movement.
However…
What about the newly formed Zombies, IE the Fresh/Fast Zombie? Let’s say you and your buddy were digging through a local grocery store for supplies, a zombie jumps out of a back room and sinks it’s teeth into your buddy. You buddy has just become a Fresh/Fast Zombie.
Now, he has not been dead for weeks or months, or even hours. He just turned like, 10 minutes ago!
He still has oxygen in his system, his muscles are still in good order, and now he has this burning need to feast on your flesh. Guess what? He is not going to just slowly meander his way over to you just because that’s what the old traditional zombie films tell you he will do.
Instead he is going to use every tool in his arsenal to get to you. That means speed. He is going to run at you as quickly as his muscles will allow.

The Fresh/Fast Zombie is truly a frightening form of the zombie. Panic can set it quickly and cause you to miss the head shot when you see a throng of them rushing you. In a situation like this, take out their legs first. It won’t kill them, but it might just slow them down long enough for you to get the hell away from them.