Urban Zombies and High Rises

April 28, 2008

Today, my post is a question/answer post. One of my readers wrote in with a very important question that directly involves all urban survivors. If there is any possibility that you might be in or near a city when the outbreak occurs, you should read this post carefully.

How do you feel about high-rises, as in “I Am Legend”? Can dead zombies use elevators? - Suzi

Great question, Suzi. Quite often, and especially in the heart of big cities, people try to use the height of sky-scrapers as an advantage against the encroaching dead menace.

There are multiple reasons for the choice:

  • The height - The height of the buildings give a feeling of safety, and make survivors feel as if they’ve been removed from the armageddon unfolding below.
  • The reduced access - Keeping in mind the limitations of the zombie (Shelter from the living dead) it’s easy to think that a high-rise building is inaccessible to the average zombie, who can’t use elevators, use keys or climb walls.
  • Better Surveillance - Limiting his/her scope to one floor, with only one or two entrance/exits makes a survivor feel more in control of what is happening.
  • Comfort - Being indoors is always preferable to the alternative. A survivor can stay out of the weather and usually maintain some form of air conditioning. And, finally, let’s face it: If the survivor is used to high-rise buildings, it’s going to be psychologically more comforting as well.

The upsides of high-rise buildings certainly make them sound palettable and even preferable to other shelters, but they must never be considered. They are dangerous traps and will expose you to the horrible enemy more easily than an open field. Here are the reasons to avoid high-rise buildings at all costs:

  • Difficult Access - Often some of the things that make a shelter seem appropriate are reasons that it isn’t appropriate. We musn’t forget that the zombie is a pale and horrible reflection of ourselves. If it’s impossible for a zombie to do something, it may also be impossible for a human. Imagine going out for supplies and being chased back to you living quarters by a hoard of undead. Do you really want to be chased up 40 flights of stairs? And, what about getting the place to begin with? Unless you’re already living there, you would have to fight your way through multiple levels of zombies to find an appropriate living space. It’s impractical and unsafe.
  • Few exits/entrances - Every benefit comes with a problem. By limiting the number of places that a zombie can use to get in and out, you also limit your own entrances and exits. In an emergency you need as many exits as possible.
  • It’s a trap - A high-rise is a trap. Imagine the concept of a high building laid on its side. Imagine that you still have to go all the way to one end to get in and out. It looks like a bucket with you, the prey, caught in one end, and the other end open to whatever comes along. Also, I don’t think I have to remind you of the plot of The Towering Inferno, but I will remind you that the rise of the zombies will more than likely be accompanied by many accidental and intentional fires.

So, Suzi, when the end approaches, do everything you can to insure that you are as far away from high-rises as you can get. Don’t put yourself in the position of being the only human left in an infested trap.

Posted by flowersjustin | Filed Under zombies 

Comments

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    Excellent points, all...
    And since I referenced "I Am Legend," do you think a compound surrounded by a stockade fence would provide protection? Seems unlikely to me, but then perhaps distance from the horde of undead would help, unless you have undead which, like the Uruk-hai, can cover distance at speed in daylight...
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    Great questions, Suzi!!

    And you raise a few interesting points, that I should have addressed in this post. The reason I didn't is because I wanted to focus on the immediate question about high-rise buildings.

    But, now the point has come up again, and I should mention it. The creatures in the original Richard Matheson novel, "I Am Legend," were definitely, and without question, Vampires and not Zombies. I saw the movie, as well, and I don't think that this point was made.

    But, it does bring up an interesting comparison: If Zombies are undead and Vampires are undead, aren't they the same thing? And, the answer is no. The difference lies primarily behind intelligence (With the vampire in the lead) and motivation (The vampire feeds on blood in order to continue its existence, the zombie eats flesh for no immediately apparent reason), and in many cases (excluding "I am Legend") religion as well. The Vampire is a legend inspired by christianity, while we are unsure of what brought the first zombie into existence.

    This is also important when considering the legend of the Uruk-hai, most notably from Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. The Uruk-hai's creation seems very indicative of the creation of undead, but in reality they are a real, living and breathing race. The Uruk-hai were a special breed of orc, that was possibly cross-bread with men (or possibly with a goblin/man half-breed).

    Now to the fortified compound. If you were willing to upgrade the stockade fence to a high wall and combine it with another form of defense (e.g. The interconnected buildings on extremely high pier beams) I would concede that this would be a great plan. The problem with a fence is that eventually one of the creatures will hurt it in some way. And, eventually the weakness would become a path through the fence. Your compound, with no other protection, wouldn't go very far toward protection. For reference, see "28 Days Later," and pay particular attention to the compound that is the setting of the end of the movie.

    And, always keep Murphy's Law in mind: If it can go wrong, it will go wrong.

    Thanks for the Comment,
    Justin
 

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