Dealing with a Zombie Bite

Even the finest of hunters will make mistakes, from the rankest amateur to the hardiest professional, if their lucky they will be able to learn from their mistakes. Proper hunter protocols should always be employed when approaching any infectious or venomous creature. Examples of these include werewolves, vampires, lamias, and viral zombies.

For this post we will be addressing the viral zombie. It is hard to differentiate sometimes between those zombies created with magic or drugs from those created with a reanimation viruses. We will address the difference between these types of zombies in a later post. For a VZombie such as those seen in the popular documentaries Dawn of The Dead or World War Z, their bite is fatal although not instantaneously so.

The manner of dealing with a zombie bite will depend on the severity of the injury. From the moment of the bite a countdown clock starts ticking. Upon death the infected will return with an insatiable hunger for human flesh and no mental ability to control this hunger. At this point in time the individual’s soul has fled the body and all that remains is to make the corpse rest.

Step by Step Guide:

There is no hard and fast rule to how long it will take an individual to turn. 

Step 1: Don’t Panic.

Everyone including the victim should remain calm and not jump to conclusions. For the victim panicking will only increase blood flow and spread the virus faster. Cherish every moment of life remaining.

Step 2: Establish the fact that the person has in fact been bitten.

More than one victim has been put down because their friends and colleagues were too zealous and didn’t have the proper mindset to check. Many hunters wear leather, Kevlar, and other protection that will prevent a zombie from actually breaking a person’s skin. The procedure for this is to have at least two people pull back clothing to expose bare skin, wash away any blood and dirt and check for bite marks.

Step 3: Check that the zombies are in fact viral zombies

This might be a hard question to answer, refer to the later post (when available) on differentiating zombies in the field. Sometimes this is easier to establish than others, i.e. if you are in a medical laboratory, secret bunker, or in a full blown apocalypse. If the zombies are not Vzombies then clean the wound as zombie mouths are absolutely filthy and soldier on. If signs point towards Vzombies proceed to step 4.

Step 4: Determine time remaining

This is generally a rough guess at best an infection can take anywhere from minutes to days to claim its host depending on the location of the wound, virulence of the infection, and immune system of the victim. A bite to the arm can take hours, a bite to the neck minutes, etc.

Step 5: Treat the victim accordingly

An infected individual can still serve a variety of uses depending on the situation; bait, a distraction, and many more uses can be served by the soon to be walking dead. If they can still carry and use a weapon then they serve as excellent point men as there is nothing left to lose. Should the rest of the team need to extricate from a situation the infected will make a great rear guard.

WARNING: Do not attempt to execute or terminate the victim before they have come to terms with their predicament. This can lead to retaliation and an escalation of injuries, it is best to allow them the time needed to get what affairs they can in order before the end.

Step 6: Wait and monitor

If there is no suicidal position or use for the infected then allow them to continue as before if it will not put others at risk. They will grow weaker and sicker as the infection takes root. Should they stumble and fall, do not attempt to assist them. Speak to them in calm tones and try to get a response. However respect must still be shown while the individual is still alive and cognizant, this is an excellent opportunity for goodbyes.

Step 7: Terminate

It is recommended that the task of terminating your friend/family member/team mate be left to no less than three individuals. Emotions and misplaced feelings can lead to a person firing high or not being able to bring peace to the corpse. Studies show that the more guns are pointed at the recently deceased the more likely hood of a shot finding the mark.

Holy Ammunition LLC sells a device called the Z Preventer, a halter monitor connected to a small shaped charge attached to the base of the skull. The halter monitor will detect when the heartbeat has ceased, the Preventer produces little more than a quiet pop and separates the brain from the spine, causes great trauma to the brain while only causing a relatively small and clean wound. If body recovery is possible this will also allow an open casket funeral.

 If a Z Preventer is available hook the individual up with the failsafe. Then a team can be assured that the individual will be dealt with at the proper time without any additional burden of guilt or human foibles getting in the way. The low level of noise is also much less likely to attract any other creatures that are in the area as compared to a series of gunshots.

If these seven simple steps are followed it will allow a group to deal with the tragedy of a zombie bite with as little suffering as possible.