of the initial outbreaks. The first confirmed report comes from 1972, when a group of American and Canadian backpackers became entangled in an outbreak near the Tibet border. The Chinese authorities held the backpackers in prison on supposed visa violations for nearly a year before bowing to international pressure for their release. Upon their return to North America, the outbreak survivors told their tale to anyone who would listen. 14 For over six months, the story made the rounds through television and newspapers but was eventually lost in the noise from the Watergate scandal.
Unfortunately, the problem did not go away. Instead, it spread. In 1977 several outbreaks occurred in remote parts of Vietnam. By 1980, almost every country in Asia had experienced at least one undead event. In those early days, most people didnât recognize the virus as a form of zombification. Working with only limited data, virologists assumed it to be a new strain of Lyssavirus , the family which includes rabies. It was not until the mid-1980s that specialists realized that virus victims were, in fact, dead. The victims still walked around and tried to attack other people, but by almost every other factual indicator their bodies had died. Their hearts stopped beating. They didnât breathe. Their brains showed no activity beyond basic sensory response and motor control. No hint of a personality remained.
By this point, the virus, now sometimes called the Z-virus, had spread to Africa and Eastern Europe. As it began to enter North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-protected territory, knowledge of the virus spread quickly through governmentand military channels. Thankfully, previous outbreaks had been small and successfully contained, though more through luck than any coordinated response. Since most First World nations already maintained zombie-containment teams to combat earlier threats, they retrained them to tackle this new menace.
In 1994, the world witnessed its first mass outbreak of zombies in the suburbs of Mexico City. At first, the violence was mistaken for a massive drug war between rival clans. By the time the true danger had been ascertained, thousands had been infected and rampaged through the city. Despite the brave battle fought by the Mexican âZorrosâ Special Forces, the government pleaded for outside assistance. Within twenty-four hours, a multinational task force headed by the Americans landed outside the city. The battle of Mexico City lasted for nearly four days, as anti-zombie forces scoured the city, eliminating the infected. When the smoke finally cleared, 37,000 people had died, including an unknown number of task force soldiers.
While the feeble cover-up allowed most of the worldâs population to dismiss the whole situation, people in power realized that the zombie threat had reached new levels. In the last twenty years, there have been no fewer than 342 confirmed viral zombie outbreaks, and who knows how many more have gone unreported. Incredibly, much of the world is still only slowly waking up to this massing threat. While no subsequent outbreak has reached anywhere near the level of Mexico City, many believe it is only a matter of time.
CREATION
The Z-virus lives in the blood and tissue of the human body. It can be spread in two ways. First, it can be accidentally ingested. It is theorized that most viral zombie outbreaks begin with one individual either eating infected food or drinking contaminated water. It takes only a minuscule amount of infected tissue to taint a new host. Once infected, the host can live anywhere from one hour to a day and a half, depending on the strength of the virus and the determination of the host. During this time, the host develops severe flu-like symptoms, becoming pale and weak until death finally claims them. After death, it is only a matter of minutes before the now-lifeless corpse reanimates. The new zombie immediately seeks out others to infect, which
Unfortunately, the problem did not go away. Instead, it spread. In 1977 several outbreaks occurred in remote parts of Vietnam. By 1980, almost every country in Asia had experienced at least one undead event. In those early days, most people didnât recognize the virus as a form of zombification. Working with only limited data, virologists assumed it to be a new strain of Lyssavirus , the family which includes rabies. It was not until the mid-1980s that specialists realized that virus victims were, in fact, dead. The victims still walked around and tried to attack other people, but by almost every other factual indicator their bodies had died. Their hearts stopped beating. They didnât breathe. Their brains showed no activity beyond basic sensory response and motor control. No hint of a personality remained.
By this point, the virus, now sometimes called the Z-virus, had spread to Africa and Eastern Europe. As it began to enter North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-protected territory, knowledge of the virus spread quickly through governmentand military channels. Thankfully, previous outbreaks had been small and successfully contained, though more through luck than any coordinated response. Since most First World nations already maintained zombie-containment teams to combat earlier threats, they retrained them to tackle this new menace.
In 1994, the world witnessed its first mass outbreak of zombies in the suburbs of Mexico City. At first, the violence was mistaken for a massive drug war between rival clans. By the time the true danger had been ascertained, thousands had been infected and rampaged through the city. Despite the brave battle fought by the Mexican âZorrosâ Special Forces, the government pleaded for outside assistance. Within twenty-four hours, a multinational task force headed by the Americans landed outside the city. The battle of Mexico City lasted for nearly four days, as anti-zombie forces scoured the city, eliminating the infected. When the smoke finally cleared, 37,000 people had died, including an unknown number of task force soldiers.
While the feeble cover-up allowed most of the worldâs population to dismiss the whole situation, people in power realized that the zombie threat had reached new levels. In the last twenty years, there have been no fewer than 342 confirmed viral zombie outbreaks, and who knows how many more have gone unreported. Incredibly, much of the world is still only slowly waking up to this massing threat. While no subsequent outbreak has reached anywhere near the level of Mexico City, many believe it is only a matter of time.
CREATION
The Z-virus lives in the blood and tissue of the human body. It can be spread in two ways. First, it can be accidentally ingested. It is theorized that most viral zombie outbreaks begin with one individual either eating infected food or drinking contaminated water. It takes only a minuscule amount of infected tissue to taint a new host. Once infected, the host can live anywhere from one hour to a day and a half, depending on the strength of the virus and the determination of the host. During this time, the host develops severe flu-like symptoms, becoming pale and weak until death finally claims them. After death, it is only a matter of minutes before the now-lifeless corpse reanimates. The new zombie immediately seeks out others to infect, which
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