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What the most popular zombies? Max Brooks’ zombies are created with the “solanum” virus. These are fast zombies, much like runners. They are relentless and tireless in their pursuit of the next victim, showing petrifying speed and agility. They are also not stopped by hesitation nor doubts, and they in fact possess a complete disregard of their own safety. (It’s not like there’s anything worse than existing as the rotting undead, but hey, it is what it is.) What the most popular zombies? These zombies don’t necessarily want to consume flesh but are rather much more focused on attacking humans and spreading the infection. The infection can transform the host from a healthy human being to a full-fledged zombie in 12 seconds.
There are some variations in the incubation period, some taking 10 to 15 minutes before the turning. The process involves the disease killing the person and then reanimating them once they are actually dead. This is a case not just of mere infection but full-on transformation from living to dead to the undead. What the most popular zombies? These zombies can be extremely dangerous on their own and become nearly unstoppable when attacking as a group. However, when there is no one to attack and transform nearby, they go dormant.
The Cordyceps Zombies
What the most popular zombies? Featured in the video game and film The Last of Us and The Girl with All the Gifts, these zombies have been victimized by a strain of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It is a parasitic fungus that affects insects, changing their behavior in order to promote the spread of the disease. This strain then begins to infect human beings, transforming their behavior and eventually their physiology designed for the promulgation of the fungal infection on a larger scale.
Stage One
The infection and transformation to the cordyceps have four stages. First, the host is infected from a bite or inhalation of the fungal sports. It will take hours before the first symptoms set in, though in some cases it takes days. The initial phase would turn the human victim into a runner; it is caused by the fungus driving the human into a homicidal rage, which then leads to attacking all non-infected persons. Though the victim would appear to be fully human at this stage, they would have diminished eyesight as the fungus starts growing in the ocular cavity. Also, they are incapable of speech and thus just mutter or scream unidentifiable words and sounds. They are able to run, but the movements are jerky and uncoordinated. Still, they are very dangerous.
Stage Two
By the time the infection reaches stage two, the fungus would have been growing in other parts of the body, particularly the head. Additionally, the ocular cavity would have been filled and thus the victim would have been half blind. At this point, the infected would rely on echolocation to find and identify its victims.
Stage Three
In the third stage, the fungus would have spread even more, and the infected would be fully blind. Zombies at this stage are typically called clickers; their reliance on echolocation has grown stronger. They are also strong and could even overpower physically fit adults. When angered, these zombies will screech and flail their arms while running towards their target. Their physical limits would be significantly reduced, making them tremendously dangerous.
Stage Four
At the final stage, the fungus would have covered the entire body. The host body would be starting to turn into a bloater, who are very terrifying to look at and particularly hard to eliminate.
When the end of the host is near, the fungus would direct the body to a dark and damp place where it could release the spores. It is extremely alarming especially in densely populated urban areas where residents would be susceptible to the infection.
The Radioactive Type
What the most popular zombies? The radioactive types have been reanimated through radiation. This type, again, is largely featured in Romero stories, where zombies originated from a radiation caused by a space probe.
Radioactive zombies are super dangerous, not just because they are zombies but because they are also radioactive. This combination is alarming, and radioactive zombies are arguably one of the deadliest types of the undead. They can contaminate everything they touch, such as water sources and even land. They can contaminate the animals and humans that they face.
Most Powerful Weapon
The radioactivity by itself is these zombies’ most powerful weapon, and they wield it unwittingly. Just the same, the victims won’t be aware that they have come into contact with something radioactive until it is too late.
The likeliest places for radioactive zombies to nest in would be near nuclear power plants that had melted down. There could be a nuclear explosion that left behind unstable energy.
What the most popular zombies? The best way to avoid radioactive zombies would be to avoid going into nuclear territory in the first place. Don’t even venture into power plants or such places, even out of curiosity. If you happen about such a place accidentally, turn around immediately. If you spot zombies from afar, don’t draw near. Find a way to dispatch them from a long range.