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Zombie Apocalypse? No Problem! The Horde
Nov. 21st, 2005 06:44 pmOr: How I spent my undead life.
The biggest problem with dealing with the undead menace that is to come will be the fact that after everything finally dies down, and you're tucked in safe and sound, the Horde will be around to make life miserable for the survivors. Not only make their life miserable, but to make it difficult to the point of trying to end it.
See, the Horde doesn't care how long it takes to get to you. They'll bang at that fence you've constructed around your building for the next year (or longer) if that's what it takes to get through it into your domain.
The Horde is a phenomenon with the Zombie Menace that seems to just happen naturally, and no-one is quite sure how or why. Zombies, after a time, seem to be driven to seek out one another's company. Perhaps it is a survival instinct saying that as a group they are stronger than alone against the Human Menace, or it could simply be some tendancy left over from the human host to gather with others. No one knows why, exactly, and to be honest that's the least important question. However, there are a few things that are important to note about Horde zombies.
The first thing to note is that a pack of zombies, which usually consists of five to ten zombies, is much more difficult to kill or get away from than one or two unless you are specifically prepared for a pack. This may sound like a situation where the term "duh" is applicable but the truth is that even a far-flung pack where every member is twenty feet away from another is still a dangerous pack. Perhaps more dangerous than one where it's easy to count how many they are because they're all grouped together.
The best method in dealing with a Pack is either through strength of numbers, which includes multiple humans with good, powerful, weapons, or avoidance through advance scouting with good intelligence. If you're using the power approach of having many people with good weapons, the suggested weapons include explosive devices useable usually only before the Pack notices you coming, because by the time they see you coming, they will be on the move straight towards you. An explosive device at that point will either fall behind, be kicked back at you, or be used at such close range that you're putting your own team at risk. Going the stealth route is adviseable when you can find an alternate route that's safe, or have a small enough number of people with all the proper "anti-sense" equipment (perfume bombs as well as blinding grenades, and sonic noise makers all come to mind) to be able to first try to sneak by and then confuse the creatures long enough to run by if need be.
A Pack of Zombies, however, is nothing when compared to a Murder. A Murder of Zombies is any group of Zombies ranging in number from ten to fifty. Usually you will get some in an advanced state of decay, and some more fresh. The fresher they are, the faster, stronger, and more agile, normally. The dangerous part of a Murder, aside from the obvious number advantage, is that it will be difficult to tell which are most dangerous. A Murder tends to mull around a lot until prey is readily available, and which time the faster and more deadly Zombies strike out at the food to entrap it, while the slower, older Zombies come in almost as a reinforcement group. The tactics are instinctual, if not even baser than that as simple ability, but very effective.
The best ways to battle and survive battle with a Murder of Zombies is through tactical weapons, personnel placement, and preparedness. You need powerful weapons that are capable of ripping multiple enemies to shreds in one shot, and you need to keep in touch with the fact that even these are only half as powerful against these creatures as they would be against normal humans. Foreknowledge is important when dealing with a Murder because if you simply stumble upon one without realizing it's there, you are most likely not prepared for it, and thus will be chased down until you either reach safety, or are caught. Tactics to fight Murders should be taught to any group of survivors with over twenty people in it. With knowledge comes the ability to survive.
Where a single person might be able to destroy a Pack, and has the slightest possibility of getting away from a Murder under very favorable circumstances, the Horde will destroy them.
The Horde is a group of Zombies over 50 strong. Fresh, old, small, large, every size, shape, and fitness available. If you are caught alone in an area with a Horde, you want to save a bullet for yourself, but take out as many before-hand as possible.
A Horde of the shambling undead fills a large area, scouring for any signs of life to feast upon. At the first sign, an almost electrical current goes through the group, and as one they charge. The sign of life could be a light put on at the wrong time, a word said too loudly, or just an innocent sneeze that wouldn't stay in. Once they catch scent of you, they lock on.
They won't get bored, and they won't go away unless they find bigger food. That's important to remember. If you are surrounded in your post-apocalypse residence, you're in for the long haul. If you have enough ammo, and a good vantage point, you of course want to take out as many of the individuals in the Horde as possible, but this has the detriment of calling in others to the crowd. It's a trade off of taking one out now, but adding more for later.
If you have those large explosive weapons we were talking about earlier, now would be a good time to use them.
The most important thing to note is that if help is on the way, you want to clear out as many of these creatures as possible because any help that can assist you is either going to be kept away by too many of these monstrous undead, or will proceed to use whatever means necessary to wipe out the menace, even if that means taking out some survivors, like you, along the way.
The true lesson to be learned here, more than killing Packs, Murders, or thinning the Horde, is that you need to stay safe, quiet, and undetected to be truly safe. It's unlikely this will happen, but the longer you do this, the longer you have to prepare for the future. The longer you have to prepare defenses, shelter, gardens for food, and water collectors, the longer you and your team can survive.
There is hope, through knowledge.
The Zombie Apocalypse series is brought to you in order to prepare humanity for what is to come when it happens. The more informed we are, the more survivors there are. The more survivors there are, the more likely we are to actually destroy the menace. I want to keep people informed so that I can be there when the menace is finally gone.
The biggest problem with dealing with the undead menace that is to come will be the fact that after everything finally dies down, and you're tucked in safe and sound, the Horde will be around to make life miserable for the survivors. Not only make their life miserable, but to make it difficult to the point of trying to end it.
See, the Horde doesn't care how long it takes to get to you. They'll bang at that fence you've constructed around your building for the next year (or longer) if that's what it takes to get through it into your domain.
The Horde is a phenomenon with the Zombie Menace that seems to just happen naturally, and no-one is quite sure how or why. Zombies, after a time, seem to be driven to seek out one another's company. Perhaps it is a survival instinct saying that as a group they are stronger than alone against the Human Menace, or it could simply be some tendancy left over from the human host to gather with others. No one knows why, exactly, and to be honest that's the least important question. However, there are a few things that are important to note about Horde zombies.
The first thing to note is that a pack of zombies, which usually consists of five to ten zombies, is much more difficult to kill or get away from than one or two unless you are specifically prepared for a pack. This may sound like a situation where the term "duh" is applicable but the truth is that even a far-flung pack where every member is twenty feet away from another is still a dangerous pack. Perhaps more dangerous than one where it's easy to count how many they are because they're all grouped together.
The best method in dealing with a Pack is either through strength of numbers, which includes multiple humans with good, powerful, weapons, or avoidance through advance scouting with good intelligence. If you're using the power approach of having many people with good weapons, the suggested weapons include explosive devices useable usually only before the Pack notices you coming, because by the time they see you coming, they will be on the move straight towards you. An explosive device at that point will either fall behind, be kicked back at you, or be used at such close range that you're putting your own team at risk. Going the stealth route is adviseable when you can find an alternate route that's safe, or have a small enough number of people with all the proper "anti-sense" equipment (perfume bombs as well as blinding grenades, and sonic noise makers all come to mind) to be able to first try to sneak by and then confuse the creatures long enough to run by if need be.
A Pack of Zombies, however, is nothing when compared to a Murder. A Murder of Zombies is any group of Zombies ranging in number from ten to fifty. Usually you will get some in an advanced state of decay, and some more fresh. The fresher they are, the faster, stronger, and more agile, normally. The dangerous part of a Murder, aside from the obvious number advantage, is that it will be difficult to tell which are most dangerous. A Murder tends to mull around a lot until prey is readily available, and which time the faster and more deadly Zombies strike out at the food to entrap it, while the slower, older Zombies come in almost as a reinforcement group. The tactics are instinctual, if not even baser than that as simple ability, but very effective.
The best ways to battle and survive battle with a Murder of Zombies is through tactical weapons, personnel placement, and preparedness. You need powerful weapons that are capable of ripping multiple enemies to shreds in one shot, and you need to keep in touch with the fact that even these are only half as powerful against these creatures as they would be against normal humans. Foreknowledge is important when dealing with a Murder because if you simply stumble upon one without realizing it's there, you are most likely not prepared for it, and thus will be chased down until you either reach safety, or are caught. Tactics to fight Murders should be taught to any group of survivors with over twenty people in it. With knowledge comes the ability to survive.
Where a single person might be able to destroy a Pack, and has the slightest possibility of getting away from a Murder under very favorable circumstances, the Horde will destroy them.
The Horde is a group of Zombies over 50 strong. Fresh, old, small, large, every size, shape, and fitness available. If you are caught alone in an area with a Horde, you want to save a bullet for yourself, but take out as many before-hand as possible.
A Horde of the shambling undead fills a large area, scouring for any signs of life to feast upon. At the first sign, an almost electrical current goes through the group, and as one they charge. The sign of life could be a light put on at the wrong time, a word said too loudly, or just an innocent sneeze that wouldn't stay in. Once they catch scent of you, they lock on.
They won't get bored, and they won't go away unless they find bigger food. That's important to remember. If you are surrounded in your post-apocalypse residence, you're in for the long haul. If you have enough ammo, and a good vantage point, you of course want to take out as many of the individuals in the Horde as possible, but this has the detriment of calling in others to the crowd. It's a trade off of taking one out now, but adding more for later.
If you have those large explosive weapons we were talking about earlier, now would be a good time to use them.
The most important thing to note is that if help is on the way, you want to clear out as many of these creatures as possible because any help that can assist you is either going to be kept away by too many of these monstrous undead, or will proceed to use whatever means necessary to wipe out the menace, even if that means taking out some survivors, like you, along the way.
The true lesson to be learned here, more than killing Packs, Murders, or thinning the Horde, is that you need to stay safe, quiet, and undetected to be truly safe. It's unlikely this will happen, but the longer you do this, the longer you have to prepare for the future. The longer you have to prepare defenses, shelter, gardens for food, and water collectors, the longer you and your team can survive.
There is hope, through knowledge.
The Zombie Apocalypse series is brought to you in order to prepare humanity for what is to come when it happens. The more informed we are, the more survivors there are. The more survivors there are, the more likely we are to actually destroy the menace. I want to keep people informed so that I can be there when the menace is finally gone.
