The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: Once bitten, twice shy
By Liam O'Leary
There are few things worse than having a zombie bite you. But, there ARE things you can do if that happens, as The Walking Dead has shown us.
I woke up this morning feeling like I may have caught The Flu (Which is going around right now), that got me thinking about one of the worst things that can happen in a zombie apocalypse: Zombie bites.
Being sick is bad enough in a zombie apocalypse, but, a zombie bite will give you the worst germ imaginable: The zombie virus. All you need is one bite to go from a normal person to a flesh-hungry walking corpse, and, obviously, it’s the zombies’ best means of reproduction.
Now, while you can avoid having zombies bite you, the question remains of what do you do if you are bit?
Well, that question hinges largely on where the bite is. For now, let’s assume that you were bit on the hand or foot, or some other extremity, it’s not too important.
Anyways, if your bite is in one of these locations, GOOD NEWS: It’s not fatal! I mean, it is, if left untreated, but, you’re not absolutely condemned to become a zombie. That said, your treatment is…grim, to say the least.
If you recall what happened to Hershel at the beginning of Season 3 of The Walking Dead, you know what I’m going to tell you: The only way to treat a zombie bite is to remove wherever the bite is, fast. Of course, this sort of treatment should be left in the hands of someone in your group who has some real medical experience; Having some amateur cut off an infected limb doesn’t do any good if the person just dies of blood loss instead.
In fact, while we’re at it, this seems like a good time to mention that, if you know someone with medical training, to try to find them when the zombie outbreak begins.
If you know any doctors, EMTs, veterinarians, army medics, medical students, whatever, make sure you find them and stick by them the moment people start eating each other. People with medical skills maybe the only thing that saves you in a dangerous situation, and they might be able to teach you some of what they know, which is invaluable.
Of course, if you’re bit, you can’t really pick where it happens; There’s always the chance your bite will be somewhere you can’t get rid of.
In the event this happens…you can’t fix it. But, even if you won’t survive, depending on where your bite is, you’ll still have time to help your group. Whether it’s fighting hostiles or zombies, or something else, use all the time you have left to be as helpful to your group as you can be. Just because you don’t have much time doesn’t mean you should waste it.
On that note, of not wasting the time one has after a zombie bites you, it’s crucial that you accept your circumstance.
Hiding your bite won’t help, lying about it won’t help, denying it won’t help. You need to accept what’s happened and deal with it as best as you can.
If you don’t accept it, and don’t tell your group, firstly, you’ll ambush friends and family with your impending death, secondly, you might just ambush them literally by turning, and attacking them when they’re least expecting it.
A zombie bite is pretty much the worst thing that can happen to you in a zombie apocalypse because, obviously, it can turn you into a zombie. But, a bite is not a certain death sentence. If the bite is on your extremities, you have a chance to survive, if you’re fast enough. If not, you may still have the time to help your group before the disease inevitably takes you. Regardless of where your bite is, you need to accept it. You can’t ignore a zombie bite, as you risk your group’s safety if you do. You need to face your circumstances and use the time you have left as best as you can, besides, it’s not like you can change it.
Next: The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: Four ways to fight a hostile invasion
And that’s our survival rule of the week!! Hopefully, it will help you should you ever need it and give you that mental edge that will prove so crucial once the dead start eating everyone.
If you like this and want to find out more rules to survive the zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can get it on Kindle here and on iTunes here!