As I mentioned in my last post, I was surprised at what seemed to be an emphasis on the shotgun at the shooting competition. I’m used to pistols and rifles and before the competition had really only seen the shotgun used in movies for things like deterring zombies. Maybe the two stages I didn’t see didn’t require its use so much, but because it seemed so popular, I decided to ask my dad how come I never saw him with a shotgun. The conversation went something like this:
Dad, how come I’ve never seen you shoot a shotgun before?
I don’t like to make a mess. I like clean, precision shots.
Ok, but do you have a shotgun?
Yes, I have two, but they’re taller than you are.
I saw some at the competition that were small enough for me to shoot.
I don’t care if other people have little guns. Mine are too big for you.
But if I don’t know how to shoot a shotgun, how will I ever defend myself from a zombie invasion?
And then, rather than laughing, or saying I was being ridiculous, he launched into a tirade about whether I’ve actually considered the improbability of zombies. Not the liklihood of invasion mind you, but the actual mechanics required for zombies to pose a threat.
Tell me exactly, how is rotten, dead flesh supposed to move. The flesh is dead and rotting. Movement would make it fall off the form, and it wouldn’t be able to move in the first place since dead flesh doesn’t respond to nerve impulses. And if it can move even though it’s dead, how would shooting it help anything. Will making it more dead stop it?
For the record, shotguns are used for bird and sometimes deer hunting.
4 Comments
July 1, 2009 at 4:27 pm
this made my morning!
when my friends talk about the zombie apolocalypes, they usually just talk about how ill have to carry on the species.
yech
July 1, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Bacteria could potentially worm its way into the brain stem, which controls motor and nerve function. Random electrical impulses could be sent triggering movement. As the bacteria multiply, evolution takes hold and allows for them to work in tandem in the cerebral cortex as well, forming a rudimentary sort of consciousness that conceivably could be set on “attack” mode to acquire food/more hosts.
Just saying.
July 1, 2009 at 7:15 pm
You could also have a parasite that manages to worm its way into the brain and shut down any functions except those it needs – again making scary fast zombies. Even a fast-evolving parasite would have destructive consequences to its hosts and probably go through the available supply of humans rather quickly.
Any good zombie defense plan also requires a decent supply of 0.22 or 5.56mm. They’re plentiful, allow you to engage the shambling hordes at range, and the round fragments in the body, potentially causing enough damage to slow down or halt the zombies’ progress. I’ll bet the guy who wrote World War Z did not think of that one.
July 2, 2009 at 5:57 pm
It always comes back to WWZ with you, doesn’t it?