Why a classic zombie apocalypse is impossible
Assuming Romero, Night of the Living Dead, style slow shuffling zombies have risen from the dead to consume the living, it would be numerically impossible for them to muster in sufficient numbers to allow them to take over the world. Bare with me now, assuming that every dead body buried within the last year, which is rough 64,579,200, were to rise on night one as zombies. Now that’s assuming none were cremated or were so mangled that it would make reanimation impossible, crushed in an auto accident for instance. This also assumes that the zombies rose in uniform numbers all around the world, which also isn’t realistic as mortality rates vary greatly from developed to developing nation. All that aside, we’re just taking of about 9.6 zombies for every 1,000 persons. Now assuming all the undead horde rose up at the same time at night and takes everyone by surprise. In the process let’s say on average each zombie killed two people or about 129,154,400, within the first 12 hours. By the second wave of deaths, following 12 hours, people are no longer being taken off guard and being to fight back, but since they don’t quite know how to kill them another two persons are killed per zombie.
At this point, roughly a day into the rising about 258,316,800 people have died, with no zombies causalities. By this point there’s still about 996 persons per zombie. Now not all survivors will want to or be capable of fighting back, so let’s just assume only one in 50 people wants to and is capable of fighting back, which is roughly 19 (rounding down) people per zombie.
In a worst case scenario let’s say that everyone who engaged the zombies died fighting and in the process eliminated all the zombies in the process. To makes things even more grave and realist, lets say another 21 persons per zombie were killed the subsequent fighting. That’s 44 killed per zombie or 2,841,84,800. Now though this is a huge number in a very worst case scenario, but considering that something like over 3.8 billion people survived its by no means a Day of the Dead style apocalypse. And yes I’m aware that some people would turn to zombies after being attacked, but as you can see from Dawn of the Dead that takes time and in the mean time all the original zombies would have been large eliminated and any new zombies would be killed either before they turned or in much smaller numbers by people who by this point would be quite good at eliminating them. A much more possible scenario for a level 4 outbreak leading to an end of the world would involved the infected instead of an undead rising.
At this point, roughly a day into the rising about 258,316,800 people have died, with no zombies causalities. By this point there’s still about 996 persons per zombie. Now not all survivors will want to or be capable of fighting back, so let’s just assume only one in 50 people wants to and is capable of fighting back, which is roughly 19 (rounding down) people per zombie.
In a worst case scenario let’s say that everyone who engaged the zombies died fighting and in the process eliminated all the zombies in the process. To makes things even more grave and realist, lets say another 21 persons per zombie were killed the subsequent fighting. That’s 44 killed per zombie or 2,841,84,800. Now though this is a huge number in a very worst case scenario, but considering that something like over 3.8 billion people survived its by no means a Day of the Dead style apocalypse. And yes I’m aware that some people would turn to zombies after being attacked, but as you can see from Dawn of the Dead that takes time and in the mean time all the original zombies would have been large eliminated and any new zombies would be killed either before they turned or in much smaller numbers by people who by this point would be quite good at eliminating them. A much more possible scenario for a level 4 outbreak leading to an end of the world would involved the infected instead of an undead rising.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tyler on -
not to mention theres no telling how outspread it could get before anyone even knows something has gone awry. half a block could be taken before word of violence gets out, half a city could be taken before we realize theres a riot, half of most cities could be taken before we realize their spread through a bite
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Permalink Reply by Rylan on -
Dead bodies are not typically stored near populated areas. Most large cemeteries, where most of our undead numbers would come from are located away from highly populated areas, so the undead would have to travel quite a distance before they start encountering large numbers of people. In the time that it takes them to shuffle into more highly populated areas no doubt the word would of gotten out.
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Permalink Reply by Tyler on
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theres also usually plenty of corpses in the morgues inside of hospitals and in funeral homes and other places closer to towns as well. all it would take is for one to get to a doctor, the doctor will get out through the rest of the hospital, nobody in the hospital will knows whats happening yet and soon you have a whole hospital full of the dead who will find their way out.
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Permalink Reply by JB on -
Who's to say that only the dead bodies from the past year will come back? Depending on the coffin and the land, it could take years for a body to fully deteriorate.
I do however agree that it would be over pretty quickly. Even if half the world population does turn, a well armed military, let alone civilian owned weapons, would take out the mass with fair ease. Imagine with the knowledge of head shots to kill zombies, one military member's standard issue of rounds is 200. Let alone the fact that they'd issue as much as possible. So even if every other shot missed, 100 zombies killed by one person is pretty good odds.
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Permalink Reply by Zedhead on -
Don't forget people dying from heart attacks, suicides, etc... when they first realize the dead are walking. Also, it would take some time for people to realize that they need to destroy the brain, or that anybody bit will turn. And don't forget the most depressing part; it will never end. Everybody that ever dies will turn, unless the brain is destroyed. A war breaks out between India and Pakistan? Every soldier, every civilian killed turns. Casualties quadruple, and the already chaotic theater of war just gets worse and spreads... A terrorist attack now becomes much more deadly, and more common, as terrorists know that the effectiveness of the attacks is going to be increased. Disease and starvation? Africa would become unlivable.
No, it could happen.
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Permalink Reply by jeremy on -
the goverment ha sthe cimeal whpens too turen the dead too the walking dead if they whont too just they done whont too so if it does happen it will be the usa falot so if it does happen u can blame obama too blame like all the other shit in the wourld is the prisdent foult
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Permalink Reply by Freekchild on -
What about biting?
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Permalink Reply by joshua day on -
good look into the blog rey. i dont believe we will have a romero type zombie invasion, but more like a 28 days later, or even that crappy quarantine type rabbies attack. a more fast pace rabbies infection is easier to believe then some people coming back from the dead. if anything i think a bio-terrorist attack through water systems, and such would be more realistic. of course then all u have to do is wait it out.
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Permalink Reply by Rylan on
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Totally agree, a level four outbreak would only be possible with A 28 Days Later/ I am Legend virus scenario, because it targets the living population, which is far more numerous then the recently dead (1-2 years). A highly infectious and deadly virus would also incapacitate large numbers of people, who then would also be easy prey for the zombie hordes. Thereby making it easier for the undead to totally overcome society and cause a zombie apocalypse.
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Permalink Reply by CrazyAndy on -
zombie pyramid scheme aside if zombies were to start appearing in a week would you rather have a horde mother fucking zombies running as fast as they can, like 28 days later, after you, or would you rather the lovely zombie that shamble and are easy to hide from. ask yourself that.
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Permalink Reply by joshua day on
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its not so much what i'd rather have, its just more of the cards ur dealt. shambling zombies would make since but medicly speaking, if there dead and run fast ther ankles would snap, since death causes stiffness and such. the running like a bat ouuta hell zombies in 28 days and i am legend arn't dead, just infected. i would rather have walkin rather then running, but it all depends on what happens. i have a plan for both infections
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