Okay, there seems to be a misunderstanding that I feel needs to be cleared up. Fire, with zombies IS BAD!!
Think about the rule: You must remove the head, or destroy the brain.
Why does fire kill? Because it does horrible damage to the internal organs. How does a zombie die? From destroying the brain. It is going to be very difficult to keep enough heat on the zombies to cook the brain in this way without them managing to catch you or something else on fire.
I am therefore curious if anyone can come up with a convincing argument as to why malatovs or flamethrowers or anything like that is useful!
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD |
Ah THIS post.
I was wondering about that.
Well, my thinking is, if a zombie's limbs and muscles are rendered useless, then it won't be able to do much to attack. So I suppose acid bombs would work just as well assuming they can do away with any muscley tissue, thus rendering the zombies imobile.
Another thing about the cocktails, is that I wasn't saying they should be intended for situations where the zombies are in the same room. Of course not! that would be suicide!
What I meant was as an additional means to subdue them, especially if one cannot get close, or if you should run into a cluster of them in an enclosed area that you can get away from.
So yes, I do believe that they could prove useful for somethings... but not ALL situations.
A zombie made without it's musculature (basically down to the bone if possible) & ligaments is a zombie that really can't move anymore.
Good points to keep in mind though.
Thanks for the post on fire.
I am not flesh, nor stone or smoke...
I am as I am, I am the DarkCloak.
(-''-)
Come say hello sometime www.thedarkcloak.com
Ok. I see. Think of it this way:
Molatovs require fuel -- flour, alcohol, .... some sort of flammable substance. How easy is that going to be to find? Yes, we can make alcohol, but it will take a lot of carbs that could go to feeding ourselves, feeding other animals/livestock, etc. Then, even if we get that alcohol, there are a lot of things we can use it for other than lighting a zombie or ten on fire -- it could be used for heat, energy production, metalwork, .... or any number of things other than molatovs.
See my point? Still feel the same about it?
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
Zombies seem to have a fear of fire that is very primative and without reason. Perhaps a lil part of that functioning lizard brain knows "FIRE BAD". Therefore I'd think it would be quite a good defense for getting out of situations if you had some well made torches on long shafts.
As for fuel, in the long term it's simple enough to make without getting into the time consuming production of alcohol. Rendering down animal fat and plant oils. Even waxes and perhaps if you're in an urban environment, chipping up tar from the roads and melting that down would make an extremely effective burning material which would only require a small amount, though it would be smelly and you'd have too be carefull with the smoke as it's toxic if breathed in too much.
I am not aware of zombies being afraid of fire, but, let us assume that to be true. Even if they are afraid of fire, the fear will not be as strong in them as in humans -- zombies aren't scared of light, their not scared of heat, but let us assume they are scared of something that seems to cause them damage that is bright and hot. i think the zombie would have to actually have the torch right in their face before they get the point. In which case you may be attracting more attention. Think of it: you waving a torch around at dusk in a zombie filled neighborhood is like waving in the zombies to take a bit out of you. Use the stick, skip the fire.
Yes, you can get fuel from various sources, but I still think it could be better used to do other things. Using fire seems only to be about convenience -- we have fuel, so lets torch them. Almost as if you're letting out some pent-up agression
but I think that simply taking a few minutes to poke them is far more efficient with the resources.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
I was told once, that the problem with lighting a zombie on fire, is that you are now being chased by a zombie who's on fire.
But really, the biggest issue is the fuel. Fuel used on zombies is fuel not used to keep us warm, cook meat, and generally survive. It's a practical matter.
However, for disposing large groups of zombies, and I mean large enough to start piling, a small amount of fire could go a long way. So I think that would be practical.
No we're cookin'!
I am not flesh, nor stone or smoke...
I am as I am, I am the DarkCloak.
(-''-)
Come say hello sometime www.thedarkcloak.com
You summed fire up rather nicely. I like how its phrased: the problem with lighting a zombie on fire, is that you are now being chased by a zombie who's on fire. Hehe.
On another note, there is another thing to consider: what happens if the disease is not actually a virus but is instead a prion, or an infectious protein? Though the scientific community is not entirely sure it exists, they believe it to be the cause of 'Mad Cow disease.' Since these prions aren't alive they aren't destroyed through fire, but are then transmitted via the air to another medium. So, burning zombies may spread these prions around and they end up floating around in the atmosphere until it rains and they end up in our food supply or water supply. What do we do then?
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
There's some incorrect info there.
Prions are self-replicating, infectious protein structures. Technically, they are not alive, but they are biological in nature.
According to my biologist friend, prions are "difficult to denature in acid but can certainly be destroyed by fire."
Cattle with BSE (a prion-based disease) are burned. Prions are probably too heavy to become airborne, and I couldn't find anything that said prions can even survive outside of a host.
Thanks for the correction. Obviously there was a little shortcut in my research that was....not good. The article I read was obviously out of date...so its good to know these things.
All that needs to be said is this: FIRE = BAD
I was killin' zombies before it was cool.