ZOMBIES!!!

Complete Biography of 14 of the World’s Most Popular Walking Undead

Zombie Slayer

PUBLISHED BY:

Apocalyptic Publishing

Copyright © 2012

Cover Image by: Victor Habbick

Illustrations by: sirkillington

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means,
electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and
publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product
of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.

____________________________________________
Table of Contents

What is a Zombie?

Types of Zombies and Their Characteristics

The Standard Zombie

Berserk Zombies

Crawling Zombies

Merciful Zombies

Spitting Zombies

Scientifically Generated Zombies

Fast Feet Zombies

Disintegrating Zombies

Psycho Zombies

Nazi Terrorist Zombies

Cyber-Robotic Zombies
Voodoo-ific Zombies

Star Wars Space Zombies

Stupidly Smart Zombies

The Zombie Finale

What is a Zombie?

The word zombie comes from the Kongo word for soul, “nzambi,” and is used to
describe the corpses that rise up and walk again in human form, but are no longer
living. Zombies engage in all of the most terrible things, such as: cannibalism,
desecration of grave sites, and they smear the lines between the living and dead.
Zombies have become quite popular in European and North American folklore since the
late 19th century, but stories about zombies are as old as humans. One of our
oldest literary works, the Epic of Gilgamesh, even mentions zombies.

The term "zombie" in more recent times, has been used to describe the walking
“undead” in horror books and films. Figures of zombies have appeared throughout
history in fantasy and entertainment themed books and skits, as early as 1929 in
the William

Seabrook novel, The Magic Lady. However, the first real “zombie” film, from which
most mass zombie ideas come from, is George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead
(1968). Since then, zombies have appeared as the main subjects in various TV
series, books, and movies.

Zombies have often been presented as a person that has been infected by the Solanum
virus, but are no longer truly human in our understanding of the word. To fulfill
the needs of modern horror fiction no doubt, zombies are portrayed in a variety of
ways. They are most commonly portrayed as creatures that have been reanimated by
scientific or supernatural means, and that feed on the flesh of humans or animals.
They seem to have incredibly low intelligence levels, and may never be under any
other person’s direct influence or control. This is the most common class of
zombie, and is often called the “Romero” zombie for the producer who originally
“defined” them.

Most zombies have no real purpose in their un-life other than to wander looking for
living creatures to feed on. They just walk around aimlessly searching for human
flesh. Once they locate a living creature, a type of frenzy sets in and they will
often release guttural cries and moans to signal other undead in the area to the
meal. Contrary to popular belief, the cemetery is usually the perfect place to hide
from zombies. The reason for this is that it only takes a couple of hours or less
for a dead corpse to reanimate into a zombie, which is not enough time for the body
to make it to the grave. There have been no recorded reports of a zombie rising up
again while in a coffin. Most of the time, zombies would try to avoid cemeteries,
because to them, all they represent is large spaces of abandoned land with no
living creatures on it.

Some other names for zombies are: the undead, ghouls, draugr, Frankenstein, or
golem.

Types of Zombies and Their Characteristics

A Zombie, in a general description, is a non-living person who has lost his or her
sense of identity or self-awareness, and is only interested in the consumption of
any living organism around, no matter what the cost. Overall, MOST are not a very
intelligent group of creatures, but tend to make up for this deficiency in mass
numbers. A lot of people have mixed ideas of what zombies actually look like. Some
people believe zombies are bloody creatures with missing limbs and such; however a
zombie can look just like a normal person, a person that has simply been bitten.
One thing is almost certainly true in every zombie tale, if you're bitten by one,
you will become one. The state of “zombieism” is almost always severely contagious,
and often tends to spread like wildfire.

Listed below are several well-known types of Zombies.

The Standard Zombie

The Standard Zombie is resurrected human corpses that shuffle their feet and moan
almost constantly. They are unable to move their bodies properly, and while they
are not very quick on their feet, they can be very aggressive. These zombies are
usually infected with a virus that causes the body to degenerate severely. These
are the types of zombies that, in the media, you often see coming out of gravesites
or cemeteries. The virus is usually transmitted with a bite from the infected
zombie, but any other transfer of bodily fluids can cause the victims to contract
the virus. This often changes based on the type of infection and its severity.

Popular culture depicts zombies with the following traits:

• A degenerative human, deceased and then risen, usually due to the infection
contracted while the body was still alive.

• Drastically reduced speed and range of motion known to healthy humans, although
some more recent productions show them as having supernatural speed.

• Increased physical endurance due to the removal of the normal neurological muscle
limits of a living being.

• Dramatically reduced or completely absent cognitive or brain function.

• An overpowering desire to consume living human or animal flesh, most of the time
favoring brains.

• Total neglect or disregard of healthy human biological needs including sleep,

conventional diet, digestion, respiratory, and cardiac function.
• Supernatural resistance to potentially deadly injuries to any part of the body
excluding the brain.

• Possess traits similar to a rabid person. I.e. Low intelligence level and high
aggression.

Berserk Zombies

Berserk Zombies are the most rare and sadistic of the known zombie types. They
often have an overly-aggressive, frightening appearance and usually sport a twisted
clown like grin and sick laugh. They seem to take great pleasure in causing their
victims pain. They are known to brutally beat their targets for quite some time
before biting them, and some people speculate that they may simply be “playing with
their food” similar to the way cats will often play with a mouse before having
lunch. The Berserk Zombie will only begin to feed once the victim stops responding
to the attack. Because it takes so long for this zombie to actually infect his
victim, they may survive without ever being bitten, although due to the brutality
of the attack the chances are very low. Berserk Zombies have been known to run
upwards of 30 miles per hour, and when they site a potential victim they will
immediately run full speed ahead to tackle them. They have been observed traveling
in destructive packs of 20 or more.

Crawling Zombies

Known as the slowest and dumbest class of zombies, the Crawling Zombies are
considered the least dangerous zombie type when spotted alone. However, they do
like to group together, and show incredible power in numbers. They are the most
common zombie type encountered, and outnumber any other zombie class 20:1. Because
they are so slow and relatively unintelligent, they often aimlessly wonder around
waiting for a human victim to stumble upon them. Crawling Zombies move at a
moderate walking pace and it would easily be able to outrun them. If a Crawling
Zombie can get within an arm’s reach of a victim, it will quickly lash out and
attack with vigor. Viewing them as a harmless predator would be a deadly mistake.
Merciful Zombies

The Merciful Zombies are the most humane and peculiar of all the other zombie
types. Unlike other zombie classes, these creatures have more graceful and elegant
movements, and don’t flop flail around aimlessly. They will not seek out potential
victims; rather they will follow weak, sick, or injured humans, tracking them until
they collapse. Only then, when the human is unable to continue will the Merciful
Zombie move in. They will coddle their dying victim after infection, often stroking
them and making soft and comforting coos to help them relax. Once a victim has
reanimated, the Merciful Zombie may stay alongside them for several hours to assist
them in their transition. Sometimes, Merciful Zombies will even protect unturned
humans from being mutilated by other zombie classes. These zombies have also been
called the “Angels of Death.”

Spitting Zombies

Known as one of the most lethal zombie types, the Snake Spitting Zombie can infect
a human without ever even touching them. This zombie class does the most damage
from a distance. Similar to spitting snakes, this type of zombie can spew acidic,
virus-containing saliva over 50 yards! Once the acid touches the victim, it acts as
a super-fast-acting digestive agent, making it much easier for them to be
completely consumed. If an unlucky human comes to close to the Spitting Zombie, it
will vomit this concoction all over their body. These zombies are known to travel
with packs of Crawling Zombies, and can be recognized in the crowd by their acid-
burned hair and clothes, and the disgusting gagging noises coming from their
throats.

Scientifically Generated Zombies

Scientifically Generated Zombies are “brought back” or reanimated in a way that can
at least be partially explained by scientific concepts. Usually, this is by way of
a contracting a virus. These are the most common types of zombies, and they are
featured front and center in many movies (Dawn of the Dead & Night of the Living
Dead), TV shows (The Walking Dead & Dead Set), novels (Dead of Night & Monster
Island), and games (Resident Evil & Dead Rising).
Fast Feet Zombies

Fast Feet Zombies are not "true" zombies in the way that we understand them,
because they are “technically” still alive. These zombies are actually pre-zombies
if you will, and are truly living humans that have been infected with the virus and
show effects of it in its earliest stages. These creatures are able to run very
quickly over long distances. However, there is a bit of a trade-off involved,
because for what they gain in the speed department, they lose greatly in other
areas. They are not as durable as their slower, less intelligent cousins. They can
be killed by thirst or starvation, they can bleed or be killed by wounds to the
chest, and there is also the small possibility that they could be killed by the
infection itself. Not all people infected with the virus actually make it to
reanimation. Fast Feet Zombies can be seen in movies like 28 Days Later, or in
video games such as the Left 4 Dead series.

Disintegrating Zombies

These zombies are almost identical to the Standard Zombie except for a few key
differences.

• They exhibit an onset rapid bodily decomposition that, after a certain point,
just completely stops so that they still remain durable. This is accompanied by
intensified rotting stench that serves as one of the zombies most potent weapons.

• These zombies exhibit NO blood coagulation, and will often splatter when hit,
shot, or cut. Any injuries on the zombie will not heal over, thus making their
wounds as efficient in infecting other people as their bite.

• Once a person has come into contact with bodily fluid from this zombie, the
transformation is almost immediate, taking as little as only a few seconds
sometimes.
Psycho Zombies

The Psycho Zombies have been infected with Trixie, a super strong warfare agent
that drives them murderously insane. The Psychos retain the biggest part of their
intelligence, including some of their sense of identity and even memories, but they
still become very irrational and insanely violent. Because of their heightened
mental status, the Psycho Zombies can drive vehicles and use weapons. They can
stand perfectly still and pretend to be a corpse holding position to wait for
uninfected humans to come near. Once they see uninfected people, they will follow
them, lead them into traps, and eventually attack them.

Nazi Terrorist Zombies

Nazi Terrorist Zombies are former German (Nazi) soldiers who were infected with
Element 115. Element 115 is made from one of the most radioactive elements known to
man, Ununpentium. They retain most of the same unlovable qualities they possessed
in life, but in addition are now famished flesh-lusting monsters as well. Element
115 is known to allow infected zombies to mutate and form special abilities or
special strengths. It is also known to infect dogs. This type of zombie is featured
in Zombies mode on Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Cyber-Robotic Zombies

Cyber Zombies are zombies that are reanimated by cybernetic means. This might
include robotics or galvanization. What makes this type of robot so special is that
it is semi-mechanical, and either follows a program installed within a
microprocessor in its brain or is controlled by a different means. They have no
ability to reason, no free will, and but can make some decisions on their own,
depending on their programming. Due to their artificial intelligence features, and
their robotic incorporations, cyber zombies are significantly more intelligent than
standard zombies, and are also faster and stronger than other zombies and humans
too.
Voodoo-ific Zombies

Voodoo Zombies are humans reanimated by a Bokor (meaning ‘witch doctor ;) by the
use of poisons or special herbs. These are supposedly the first zombies, and from a
religious standpoint, the only ones with any type of true historical presence.
According to the Vodoun, or Haitian Gods, a dead person can be revived by a Voodoo
sorcerer. These zombies remain under the control of the sorcerer since they have no
free will of their own. "Zombi" is also another known name of Damballah, the voodoo
snake god. There are also stories in the voudon tradition that a human soul, known
as a zombi astral, can be captured by a bokor to enhance his powers.

Star Wars Space Zombies

Star Wars Space Zombies are corpses brought back by the use of Sith Magic. For the
most part, these beings were scarce in the Star Wars universe. Korriban Sith
zombies is the name first attached to the corpses of sentient beings that had been
reanimated by the Sith King’s experiments with alchemy and Sith magic. These beings
were capable of infecting more people through biting their victims. Their physical
appearances could vary wildly depending on their former species, former gender,
amount of damage sustained in battle, and how much time had lapsed since infection.
They could lay dormant for long spans of time, but there are some accounts of the
undead falling in battle to rise up immediately with huge open wounds and missing
limbs. They had a wretched stench and moved with an odd haphazard gait.

Stupidly Smart Zombies

Stupidly Smart Zombies are undead beings who retain the majority of their
personality, and can retain all, if not overly-enhanced, parts of their
intelligence. These zombies exhibit inept reasoning skills. They can use weapons
and work out intricate plans to avoid traps set for them by humans, AND set their
own traps in return. They work together in groups and are capable of communicating
efficiently in whatever language they used during life. Their only difference
between themselves and the living is the overpowering hunger for flesh. Some of
these zombies are of genius intelligence, and can devise ways to reanimate portions
of their distorted bodies to carry on in their quest for human meals. These types
of zombies are incredibly rare.

The Zombie Finale

Zombies have become very popular icons in recent fantasy-horror themed media. While
they are most often portrayed as mindless decaying corpses with an uncanny hunger
for human brains and flesh, it is important to understand that some (more than one
might realize) have some very lethal special abilities. Whether it is an uncanny
speed, heightened intelligence, or built-in weaponry, zombies can be a very
resilient force to be reckoned with. One should not take the zombie situation
lightly. They are among us, and they are hungry.

Check out our newest releases, Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse and The Best Weapons
for Obliterating Zombies!

And be on the lookout for our next book on the best weapons for obliterating
zombies!

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