TEXT: JOSEPH A. McCULLOUGH
  Zombies
  Zombies
  A H U N T E R ’ S G U I D E
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Contents
  Introduction
  4
  Necromantic Zombies
  6
  Voodoo Zombies
  14
  Nazi Zombies
  20
  Revenants
  25
  Atomic Zombies
  33
  Viral Zombies
  44
  Zombie Masters
  50
  Viral Hounds and other 
  55
  zombified animals
  Zombie Hunters
  59
  Zombie Hunter Weapons and equipment
  66
  Zombie Hunter Tactics
  71
  Further Reading, Watching, Gaming
  76
  glossary
  78
  index
  80
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Introduction
  This book is dedicated to the men and women who have lost their lives defending our right
  to rest in peace.
  In 2004, the United States Army granted me a rare privilege, a tour of the barracks
  and training grounds of the 34th Specialist Regiment at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
  I visited the base on a quiet Sunday morning, when most of the soldiers were absent
  on leave. My guide was a young lieutenant, a two-year veteran of the unit. He
  4
  Artwork by Ana Mlinar
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  answered my questions with a laugh and a smile as he showed me around. Midway
  through the tour, we entered the motor pool where the “Nightmen” stored their
  Humvees and trucks. As I touched the armored sides of the vehicles, I realized that
  they were covered in scratches and claw marks. 
  Standing in that garage, my whole perception of the war against the undead
  changed. Up to that point, my study of zombies had always been a dry, if somewhat
  rare, academic pursuit. In dusty libraries it is easy to forget that zombies are creatures
  of rotting flesh and congealed blood. While I had battled for the pride of publication,
  the men and women of the 34th had stood on the frontlines, protecting us all from the
  worst nightmares of our childhood.
  Since that day, I have devoted my time and energy to aiding the professional zombie
  hunters, through both academic research and potentially dangerous field work. I have
  traveled to several “hot zones,” escorted by the containment teams of different nations,
  in an effort to obtain useful information. Despite owning an expensive 9mm pistol, 
  I have never fired a shot at a zombie. I have run away from many.
  I’ve come to realize that unlike those battered vehicles in the 34th motor pool, 
  the scars of professional zombie hunters run deep, and the worst cannot be seen. 
  The Zombie Wars have claimed many victims, and not all of them have died on a
  battlefield. While fiction and film have glorified zombies and zombie hunters, the
  truth is much grimmer.
  I have written this book in an attempt to educate people about the true horrors of
  the zombie menace. The book opens with an individual analysis of each of the five
  main zombie varieties, while at the same time providing a short history of the zombie
  threat. It then covers some of the organizations that battle the undead and the
  weapons and tactics they employ.
  It is my hope that readers will obtain a better understanding of the immense threat
  posed by the undead and gain a new respect for those who stand on the frontlines of
  the Zombie Wars.
  5
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Necromantic
  Zombies
  The myths and legends of the ancient world are filled with stories of necromancers
  who could raise the dead and command them to do their bidding. These sorcerers
  often used their death magic to seize positions of power, becoming lords and kings and
  terrorizing their subjects with their undead armies. The great cities of Babylon and
  Nineveh particularly served as capitals of the necromantic arts, and from these centers
  the knowledge spread to the farthest corners of Europe and Asia. But in the early
  centuries after Christ, as his new religion began to take root in the Roman Empire, 
  the art of necromancy fell into decline. The Christian faith viewed necromancy as
  the most vile and heinous of the ungodly magics. The early popes worked tirelessly 
  to destroy all necromantic knowledge and to hunt down its practitioners. Still,
  necromancy survived. It is mentioned by Gildas in the dark days of Britain and in the
  accounts of numerous crusading knights. However, it was in the wilds of western China
  and the mountains of the Himalayas that the knowledge found safe haven and slowly
  started to filter back into Europe.
  While Europe remained unified under one church, it remained relatively safe from
  the terrors of necromancy. True, isolated incidents that challenged the champions of
  chivalry were not uncommon, but gone were the vast hordes of shambling dead that
  had formed the armies of many an ancient tyrant. The necromancers of the European
  Middle Ages proved weak magicians, only able to command a few reanimated zombies
  or skeletons. Unfortunately, a major revival came with the dawn of the modern world.
  In the sixteenth century, Christian unity shattered, first with Martin Luther and 
  then with countless successors. In this time of chaos and confusion, the dark arts of
  necromancy crept back into Europe, thriving amidst a new time of bloodshed. Still, it
  was not until the vast slaughter of the Thirty Years’ War that necromancers once again
  attempted to employ their death magic on a vast scale. Even a casual reader of the history
  of this time is likely to stumble across a reference or two. Perhaps the most common, and
  certainly the most terrifying, are the “sky battles.” Found in the manuscripts of both
  commoners and lords, sky battles often occurred on a battlefield a day or two after the
  armies had moved on. Different accounts paint wildly different pictures, but all agree that
  6
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  the dead rose up once again and renewed their battle. A few people mention the living
  generals in these battles, but no one seems to know fully what they meant. It is only
  now, with 400 years of hindsight that we can understand these sky battles as the first steps
  in a new age of necromancy. Clearly some of the ancient knowledge had been lost. 
  The new necromancers could raise up armies, but they could not yet control them. 
  The fractured state of Europe proved the perfect testing ground to run their experiments,
  a land covered in corpses and lacking central authority.
  7
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard from The Walking Dead
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  From the darkness of the Thirty Years’ War, it
  is easy to follow the progression of this new
  necromancy. The English Civil War saw the 
  first controlled use of a zombie army in Europe
  since before Christ.1 Soon thereafter it spread 
  to the New World and established a permanent
  foothold. Napoleon, to his credit, seems to have
  understood the dangers of necromancy and for 
  a while managed to nearly push it back out of
  Europe. Unfortunately, many of his enemies fled
  to Russia, and during Napoleon’s invasion and
  subsequent retreat from Moscow, they exacted a
  terrible revenge. To this day it is unknown how
  many Frenchmen or their allies were killed by the
  dead hands of one of their own army.
  With the allied victory at Waterloo, Europe
  settled into a period of outward expansion, and
  thus unwittingly spread necromancy to all corners
  of the globe. In America, the necromancers for the
  first time showed a sense of patriotism and waged
  their own war under the cover of their Civil War.
  While the number of necromantic incidents in 
  this conflict are far too numerous to mention, it is
  perhaps worth noting that the “Second Battle of Gettysburg” remains the single most
  recorded and studied clash of necromantic forces in history.
  The twentieth century actually witnessed a reversal of fortune for students of
  necromancy. Perhaps the death wizards had overplayed their hand in the Civil War,
  for governments around the world began to recognize the threat and the first
  government-backed zombie-hunter teams were formed. Also, numerous private and
  religious organizations joined in the fight. By World War I, the necromancers were on
  the run, and they played only a limited role in the Great War. In World War II, their
  services were shunned by the Allies, and many took refuge in the welcoming arms of
  Nazi Germany (see Chapter 3).
  Since World War II, necromancy has remained a constant low-level threat the
  world over. Free governments have worked together to fight against these dark wizards,
  and Communism also proved a bitter opponent of magic in all its forms. Today it is
  estimated that there are between 200 and 1,000 practicing necromancers in the world,
  with Africa having a greater number than anywhere else. For many reasons discussed
  below, necromantic zombies do not pose the same level of threat as the newer varieties,
  but they are still a dangerous force that has been driven to the brink of extinction
  before only to find new life in a new era. 
  8
  1
  Generally called “The March on Salisbury,” a horde of several hundred zombies was eventually hunted
  down and exterminated by a group of royalist cavalry.
  Artwork by Eren Arik
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  CREATION
  Like all forms of magic, necromancy is an art, not a science. It has few hard and fast
  rules, and it is often the variation and individual flair that gives it strength. Even if 
  I were so inclined, it would not be possible to give the basics of even a single spell to
  reanimate the dead in the space I have available. The famous grimoires, the great
  treasures of necromancy, are all vast tomes running for thousands of pages, often only
  covering a few spells. But even these should be seen as only rough guides and not
  zombie cookbooks. Their danger lies in their power of suggestion, their hints of greater
  and greater power. Most necromantic knowledge is passed directly from wizard to
  wizard or garnered through individual research.
  With all of that in mind, it is possible to present some of the more common
  elements of magical zombie creation in order that the process can be better understood
  and countered. Long ago, there may have been necromancers who could raise the
  dead with no more than a few words and a wave of the hand, but if so, those days are
  long gone. Even for today’s most powerful sorcerers, reanimation is a slow, messy
  process requiring a van-load of materials. First and foremost, the process requires a
  9
  CENTERS FOR NECROMANTIC AND
  ANIMATE NECROLOGY STUDIES
  Miskatonic University, Arkham, Massachusetts
  Despite its sinister reputation as “Suicide University,”
  Miskatonic remains the world’s foremost place of study for
  alternate theology, prehistoric philosophy, and animate
  necrology. Its 10,000 volumes on animate necrology comprise
  the single greatest collection in the world and helped greatly
  in the production of this work. While access to the library
  has become more restricted in recent years, it is still possible
  for those who are working in the field to gain passes without
  too much trouble. 
  The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  Under the leadership of Special Collections Administrator
  Douglas Hudson, the University of North Carolina at Chapel
  Hill (UNC) has quietly accumulated one of the most impressive
  collections of necromantic texts in the western hemisphere.
  Among the documents that can be found in the third
  subbasement of Davis Library are a copy of De Vermis Mysteriis,
  the Pnokotic Manuscripts, and several leafs of an original Arabic
  version of the Necronomicon. Thankfully, the university has
  realized both the value and danger of this collection and has
  greatly increased the security staff for its library system. Passes to
  see the collection are incredibly difficult to obtain, and even
  those with a legitimate need should expect to wait at least two
  years before gaining admittance.
  The Vatican Archive, Vatican City
  Most of what is contained in the Vatican’s legendary Corpus
  Mortuambulanticum is pure conjecture, but there are few who
  doubt it to be the single greatest repository of necromantic
  knowledge in the world. Virtually inaccessible and guarded by
  some of the world’s best soldiers, it remains the private domain
  of the Catholic Church, the Swiss Guard, and the Vatican
  Containment Soldiers, “The Bringers of Peace.” Constant
  demands by a few individuals in the animate necrology
  community to open up the archives have fallen on deaf ears. In
  point of fact, there are many, this author included, who believe
  the world is a safer place if those archives remain closed.
  The Bodleian Library, Oxford
  The world-famous Bodleian Library has made no special
  effort to acquire or catalog material relating to the undead,
  but nevertheless, it contains the most extensive and varied
  selection of works pertaining to revenants available. Many,
  if not most, of these accounts live only in manuscript form,
  and there are probably dozens that remain undiscovered
  along the endless miles of dusty shelves. The Bodleian is not
  open to the general public, but passes are not hard to obtain.
  Please note that because many of the manuscripts remain
  uncataloged, it is important to have a clear idea of the
  manuscript you need before you enter the library.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  “cauldron.” Anything that can hold liquid can serve as a cauldron, but the nature of
  the vessel will have subtle influences on the zombies created, and metal is still the
  preferred cauldron material. Also, it is best if the cauldron is big enough to hold a
  human body. Many bargain-basement necromancers have taken to using oil drums,
  which seems to produce a slightly more bad-tempered zombie.
  Into the cauldron goes a classic witch’s brew. The list of possible ingredients is
  never-ending, and each can have subtle effects on the zombie produced. However,
  one component that is central to all undead concoctions is fresh blood, the fresher the
  better. It might be possible to use animal blood, but considering the other main
  component is a corpse, human blood is the norm. All of the ingredients are added in
  a precise order over a number of days, usually accompanied by incantations and/or
  ritualized dancing. The entire process can take anywhere from three days to three
  months, and more often than not, it fails. 
  It is perhaps this high rate of failure that has saved us all from becoming the slaves
  (or ingredients) of the necromancers. Professor Katherine de Rowe of Oxford
  University, in her ground-breaking paper The Spread of Death Magic,2 stated that “One
  highly skilled necromancer is more dangerous than one hundred novices…,” and this
  is mainly due to their success rate in creating the undead. She also goes on to point
  out that nearly 80 percent of novice necromancers are killed in their first year of
  dabbling in the dark arts, although this statistic is highly debated.
  In the instances where the sorcery succeeds and a viable brew is concocted, the
  necromancer proceeds to either dunk a corpse into the cauldron or pour the contents
  onto the ground where a corpse is buried. This is generally accompanied by more
  incantations. Several necromantic texts state that dunking is preferable to pouring, but
  no official studies have ever been conducted. It takes a newly created zombie only
  minutes to wake up, although if it has to claw its way out of a casket or up out of the
  ground, it may take a while before it appears. 
  Although there is no exact liquid-to-zombie ratio, the bigger the cauldron the more
  zombies it can produce. It is also possible to store the liquid in sealed containers for
  later use. With stored brew, a necromancer can quickly create zombies; however,
  zombies created in this fashion are generally weaker than those created from fresh stock. 
  IDENTIFICATION AND THREAT
  Even at a great distance, the undead nature of a necromantic zombie is pretty obvious,
  although distinguishing it from other types of horde zombie might prove difficult.3
  Like their atomic cousins, necromantic zombies are slow, shambling creatures. Their
  gait appears unnatural and unbalanced, often made worse by missing or broken limbs.
  An overwhelming stench of death and decay accompanies these zombies. In the case of
  10
  2
  The Journal of Animate Necrology, Miskatonic University Press, Vol. 39 No. 2
  3
  The term “horde zombie” is sometimes used to group necromantic, atomic, and viral zombies together
  as these three types share a similar “herd mentality” and often form together in large groups.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  large hordes, this smell has been known to hit living beings with an almost physical
  force that can cause nausea, vomiting, and even fainting. Unlike other zombie types,
  necromantic zombies never speak, moan, or produce any other sound with their throats.
  Long-time zombie hunters who have faced multiple types of undead often claim that
  this silence is actually more terrifying than the horrific moans of atomic zombies.
  In appearance, there is one significant difference between zombies raised by magic
  and those created by other means. Chemical and viral zombification only affects the
  recently deceased, whereas magic can reanimate a corpse hundreds, even thousands of
  years old. For most of its short history, the science of animate necrology classified
  walking skeletons as a unique family of undead; however, current thought places them
  as a subtype of the necromantic zombie. In fact, the only major difference between
  skeletons and other zombies is that the skeletons are a bit more fragile but also 
  slightly quicker. (Apparently all that flesh was just slowing them down.) In a couple of
  instances, necromancers have also used zombification to reanimate an ancient mummy,
  but these too are just a peculiar brand of zombie and not a true living mummy.
  Because of their potential age, necromantic zombies often spawn in an advanced
  state of decomposition, and it is not uncommon for a shambler to leave a trail of rotting
  flesh and small body parts. More often than not, these zombies have empty eye sockets,
  exposed bones, dangling or trailing innards, and missing jawbones. They are almost
  always accompanied by black clouds of carrion crows or other flesh-eating fowl. 
  Should a zombie hunter overcome the stench and terror of a horde of magically fueled
  corpses, another nasty surprise awaits. Necromantic zombies carry guns. Or, to be more
  accurate, necromantic zombies are capable of using weapons. In most cases these will be
  simple bludgeoning or cutting weapons, the rusty knife being the most ubiquitous.
  However, zombies animated from professional soldiers or hunters accustomed to carrying
  firearms during life will continue to do so in death. True, their aim tends to be wild, but
  even zombies occasionally get in a lucky shot. Thankfully, these zombies are incapable of
  most other feats of manual dexterity, including reloading. It is up to the necromancer or
  his living servants to arm his zombies before he sends them on campaign.
  In hand-to-hand combat, necromantic zombies are the weakest variety of zombie.
  While strength varies considerably based on the skill of the necromancer, few of these
  zombies could match the strength of a full-grown man, and some are considerably
  weaker. One-on-one, most people should be able to defeat, or at least escape from, a
  necromantic zombie. Unfortunately, they are rarely encountered individually. 
  The goal of most necromancers is to build a vast army of zombie warriors for the
  purpose of conquest, but without a necromancer to guide them, magically created
  zombies have no will or intelligence of their own. Without specific instructions they
  will stand stock-still, unresponsive to any movement or threat. That does not mean a
  necromancer must be physically present to guide them. Zombies can be commanded
  to guard specific items or locations, with orders to kill intruders or would-be thieves.
  They can also be sent out to attack specific places or people or even to recover objects.
  They cannot, however, perform any action requiring a particular skill set. In fact,
  doorknob usage appears to be beyond their comprehension, although breaking down
  a door through weight of numbers does not.
  11
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION
  Ask any professional zombie killer which variety of zombie he least wants to face, and
  the answer will invariably be necromantic. This is not because they are particularly
  tough or dangerous, but because their elimination is incredibly messy. Unlike revenants
  or other horde zombies, necromantic zombies possess no single weakness. Since many
  lack any kind of brain, and some even lack heads, hunters cannot rely on the classic
  head shot or decapitation. Instead, the only way to kill a necromantic zombie is to bash
  it to pieces.4 There really is no scientific way to state this. These zombies are bound
  together by magic, and it is only through mangling and dismembering the corpse that
  the spell can be physically broken. Exactly how much damage a zombie can take depends
  on the skill of the necromancer who created it in the first place. If a zombie does possess
  a head, shattering the skull will normally do the trick. Otherwise, it is probably best to
  go for the spinal column. More often than not, breaking the zombie in two will also
  break the spell that animates it. If not, it will at least severely slow it down. 
  While machetes, katanas, and aluminum baseball bats are probably the ideal
  necromantic zombie killers and one should certainly be carried as backup, it is always
  best to take zombies out at a distance. The key for eliminating necromantic zombies
  with gunfire is caliber. While a .22 might be used effectively for sniping the brains out
  of other horde zombies, its lack of punch makes it mostly useless against magically
  powered corpses. If you want to kill these zombies, you need something that can blow
  off big chunks. At a minimum, hunters will want .45s, which is why so many modern
  hunters carry a Colt 1911 as their sidearm. However, the king of zombie killers remains
  the shotgun. Armed with either slugs or shot, at close range, a shotgun blast to the
  chest or head will generally take a zombie down.
  The best solution to a necromantic zombie incursion or threat, and one that is
  unique to this variety, is killing the necromancer. Although not an easy task, finding
  and eliminating the necromancer that created the zombies will break the spell, 
  and the corpses will immediately
  deanimate, crumpling into a pile
  of flesh and bones. 
  There are some people out
  there, even a few within the
  animate necrology community,
  who 
  argue 
  the 
  value 
  of
  “white magic.” There is certainly
  compelling evidence that some
  forms of magic can be used to
  effectively combat the undead.
  12
  4
  Linguistics is still searching for words
  to replace “kill” and “fatal” in
  discussions of the undead. Since none
  have yet been found, I will continue 
  to use them.
  Artwork by Gracjana Zielinska
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  However – and I want to state this as clearly as possible – “white magic” and “death
  magic” are vague and nearly meaningless terms. At best, they are two sides of the same
  coin. At worst, “white magic” is just a slightly cleaner form of necromancy. Both are
  at odds with the natural world. While the temptation to fight fire with fire remains
  great, it is always better to trust your 12-gauge than some ancient incantation.
  Of course, where necromantic zombies are concerned, the best solution is prevention,
  as it is easy to put the deceased beyond the clutches of even the most powerful death
  wizard. A corpse cannot be reanimated if it has been buried or interred with the proper
  rites and rituals of a monotheistic religion. Some people have argued that this is proof
  of the power of white magic, but more likely it is a flaw or weakness in the spells of
  necromancy. Since necromancy developed in societies where monotheism was rare, 
  or nonexistent, it seems the early wizards never factored the idea into their magic. 
  Either way, it works. Christian, Jewish, or Muslim makes no difference; the rites of each
  will stop necromancers cold. This also helps explain why necromancers are most
  prevalent during great wars, when thousands of corpses are left strewn across the earth,
  having never received their final rites.
  13
  LICHES
  Put simply, a liche is an undead necromancer, and thankfully, they are incredibly rare. To become 
  a liche, a death wizard commits a form of magical suicide in which the body is killed, but the soul 
  is bound to the reanimated corpse. Whether a liche is a zombie remains a topic of academic debate, 
  but at a minimum they should be considered an
  extremely dangerous form of magical zombie master.
  In appearance they resemble their zombie servants,
  with frail bodies withered by their own magic;
  however, that is where the similarities end. Liches
  possess all of the knowledge, skills, and abilities they
  possessed in life, including their magical abilities.
  They think, reason, and speak. They also seem to
  maintain whatever dexterity they had in life.
  Since liches remain so rare, there is little that 
  can be said about them with certainty. Liches have
  no known weakness. Massive amounts of physical
  damage may be able to destroy the magical bonds
  that hold them together, but this has never been 
  put to the test. Incineration is probably the best bet.
  If there are currently any liches in the world, they
  have remained hidden. Then again, when you are
  already dead, time is on your side.
  Artwork by Geneviève Morge
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Voodoo Zombies
  When the rise of Christianity drove the necromancers out of Europe, one group
  disappeared into the wilds of West Africa. Over the centuries, they wormed their 
  way into positions of power and incorporated aspects of their black magic, including
  the creation of zombies, into the local religions. Records from this time are almost
  nonexistent, and what little information we have comes from ancient folklore.
  However, this strain of necromancy slowly re-emerged with the rise of the slave trade
  in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. As the European slavers transplanted
  thousands of native Africans, including many witch doctors, to the islands of the
  Caribbean, the African religions slowly mixed with Roman Catholicism to create 
  the culture of voodoo. And with this culture came a new variety of zombie.
  US Marines stationed in
  Haiti in the early twentieth
  century.
  14
  Corbis
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Technically, voodoo zombies are a subclassification of
  necromantic zombies, but since they have been studied in
  isolation for so long, and because their magical reanimation
  contains so many unique elements, most animate necrologists
  continue to view them as a separate category. In fact, the most
  important contributions to the study of voodoo zombies have
  been made by anthropologists, most of whom are either unaware
  or unconcerned with the greater threat of the undead. 
  Voodoo took strongest root in the nation of Haiti, and it is
  there that a majority of voodoo zombies are found. Even so,
  voodoo is practiced by over sixty million people worldwide,
  including strong concentrations in parts of North, South, and
  Central America as well as the other islands of the Caribbean. In
  fact, voodoo had one of its strongest followings among the Creole
  people of Louisiana, and it is from their language that the word
  “zombie” originates. After the American Civil War, many of the
  Creole practitioners of voodoo were rounded up in the general
  pursuit of necromancers, and today the darker practices of voodoo
  only survive in America in the back streets of New Orleans and
  the most isolated parts of the Louisiana bayou.
  After successfully tackling the zombie problem at home, the United States attempted
  to strike against the heart of voodoo. After the lynching of Haitian President Jean
  Vibrun Guillaume Sam in 1915, the US Marines led an invasion of Haiti, ostensibly to
  restore order. Over the next twenty years, the Marines engaged in a systematic attempt
  to stamp out voodoo across the island. 
  Despite America’s clandestine war against necromancy and voodoo, most of 
  the citizens of the Western world remained blissfully ignorant of the undead threat. 
  This began to change in 1932 with the publication of The Magic Island by William 
  B. Seabrook. While many modern ethnologists have labeled the book “sensationalist
  trash,” Seabrook’s account of his travels through Haiti includes many details about
  voodoo, including an encounter with a zombie. The book caught the public imagination,
  especially the zombie incident, and soon the idea spread to Hollywood. In 1932, 
  The White Zombie, starring Béla Lugosi, hit theaters across the United States and
  launched a new genre of horror film that continues to cloud and confuse the true study
  of zombies to this day.
  The United States withdrew its forces from Haiti in 1934. Although the Marines
  had made a thorough effort to eradicate voodoo, it survived and slowly rebuilt. In 1950,
  François “Papa Doc” Duvalier came to power in Haiti and fostered the regrowth of
  voodoo. For twenty years, Duvalier ruled the country through a fear partially inspired by
  the black magic of voodoo. Some claim that he created his own small army of zombie
  soldiers, though this has never been confirmed. 
  Political upheaval eventually forced Papa Doc’s son and heir to flee the country,
  and thus ended the governmental support of voodoo. The practice remains strong,
  however, and America continues to send agents to the island to monitor the situation.
  A rare photograph of a
  voodoo zombie.
  15
  Mary Evans Picture Library
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  CREATION 
  The strain of necromancy that lives within voodoo has a distinct flavor that sets it apart
  from the death magic of Europe and Asia. The wielders of this magic are called bokors,5
  and even within their own culture are usually viewed as pariahs. While these bokors
  deal in all kinds of black magic, including fetishes and charms, they are most feared for
  their ability to create zombies. Unlike Western necromantic zombie creation that only
  deals with corpses, the creation of a voodoo zombie involves capturing a person’s soul.
  Among ghost hunters and others who study the
  ethereal undead, it is a well-established fact that an
  individual’s soul lingers near its body for a least a day
  or two after death, before continuing on to its second
  existence. During this period of lingering, souls are
  at their most vulnerable to necromancy. Using their
  dark arts, bokors can imprison souls in a sealed jar or
  trap them inside a fetish. These imprisoned souls are
  known as zombi astral and are forced to do the bidding
  of their captor. A zombi astral can be released by
  shattering the jar or fetish holding it.6
  Once a bokor has imprisoned a soul, he can
  command the corresponding body to rise up from
  death, using a substance known as zombie powder.
  This powder is basically a solid form of the brew used
  by other necromancers, though it contains several
  unique elements such as tetrodotoxin, an extremely
  powerful poison found in some puffer fish and octopi.
  16
  WADE DAVIS
  The foremost researcher into Haitian voodoo zombies, Wade Davis came to prominence in 1985
  after the publication of his book, The Serpent and the Rainbow. In its pages, Davis first revealed the
  importance of zombie powder in the creation process. Davis even managed to obtain samples of this
  powder, which revealed the presence of tetrodotoxin. In response to criticism, Davis followed 
  up his first book with a second, Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie, in 
  which he presents further evidence. While it remains unclear whether Wade Davis ever saw a true
  necromantic voodoo zombie or just a fake zombie produced by diluted zombie powder, his works
  have brought valuable attention to the Haitian zombie problem.
  5
  “Bokor” can have different meanings depending on
  where it is used. I am using it only in its most common
  definition.
  6
  Despite their name, zombi astral are an ethereal form of
  undead, and thus beyond the scope of this investigation.
  Artwork by Michael Maier
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Bokors sprinkle the powder into the mouth of a corpse while taunting it with its own
  captured soul. After rising, the zombie remains under the command of whoever
  controls the vessel in which its soul is imprisoned.
  It is worth noting that many bokors use zombie powder as a poison, slipped into
  food. There is no cure for this poison, and death normally occurs within four to six
  hours. Afterward, a bokor can quickly trap the soul and raise the zombie without a
  further application of powder. 
  Because voodoo zombies require the trapping of the soul, it is only possible to create
  them from the newly deceased. 
  IDENTIFICATION AND THREAT
  Voodoo zombies are the least immediately recognizable form of zombie. From a
  distance, they appear to be normal human beings, though perhaps a bit slow and
  lethargic. Up close, however, it is a different story. Voodoo zombies have empty,
  soulless eyes, slack-jawed expressions, and very slow movements. They do occasionally
  speak, responding to direct questions in a nasal voice devoid of emotion. A few bokors
  sew the mouths of their zombies shut, to prevent them from eating salt. Due to a
  peculiarity of voodoo necromancy, the ingesting of salt causes a voodoo zombie to go
  wild, attacking the bokor that created it. 
  Like all forms of necromantic zombie, voodoo zombies
  are capable of using weapons and even tools. In fact, it is
  probably more common for this variety of zombie to be
  used for manual labor than as a weapon. When they are
  armed, most zombies carry the traditional Haitian
  machete, a weapon they wield with lifeless indifference.
  Otherwise, they will attack with their hands, displaying
  normal human strength.
  In comparison to other forms of zombie, voodoo
  zombies offer little threat to mankind as a whole. The
  process of creating zombie powder is long, difficult, and
  expensive, and its use is limited to the newly deceased.
  Thus bokors are unlikely to assemble the large armies of
  other necromancers. On the other hand, the threat to
  the individual of being raised as a zombie is incalculable.
  With the possible exception of revenants, all other forms
  of zombie are the product of corpses whose souls have
  departed this earth. Voodoo zombism is the ultimate
  threat, the idea of slavery and imprisonment even after
  death. It is perhaps the greatest evil that necromancy has
  to offer and the main reason that the US government
  and other zombie-hunting agencies have worked so hard
  to stamp out the black magic of voodoo.
  François "Papa Doc"
  Duvalier, President of Haiti
  from 1957 until his death 
  in 1971.
  17
  Getty Images
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION
  The most fragile of all zombie types, voodoo zombies can be eliminated by either
  destroying the brain or through large amounts of damage to the body. A single shotgun
  blast or several shots from an assault rifle usually takes them down. Unlike other
  necromantic zombie types, killing a bokor does not automatically destroy his zombies,
  but the zombies will deanimate the second that their zombi astral is set free. 
  Because of their long association with the black magic of voodoo, the inhabitants
  of Haiti have invented many ways of preventing a loved one from becoming a zombie.
  Since cremation is generally out of the question, many families elect to rekill a corpse
  by destroying the brain or cutting the throat. Some even go so far as to sew the mouths
  shut to make the application of zombie powder more difficult. The most common form
  of prevention is for the family to stand guard over the body or grave for two days after
  death, ensuring that the soul safely passes on to the next world.
  PSEUDO-VOODOO ZOMBIES
  Research into voodoo zombies has often been confused by the presence of “fake zombies” or “living
  zombies.” Haiti remains a poorly policed state, and in many areas local gang bosses use the threat
  of zombification to terrify the populace. But these greedy and dangerous individuals rarely agree
  to pay for the services of a bokor, even if one can be found. Instead, these men sometimes buy a
  diluted form of zombie powder, which they use to poison those who attempt to defy them. While
  not poisonous enough to kill, the powder causes a deep paralysis. The gang then buries their victim
  in a mock funeral and leaves them trapped underground for half a day. The victim, still suffering
  from the poison and partial asphyxiation, is then dug up and beaten. The effect of this horrendous
  treatment can often break the spirit of an individual and reduce him to a highly suggestible,
  half-comatose state that resembles zombification in many ways. 
  These fake zombies have led to many cases of mistaken identity, and have made both bokors
  and voodoo zombies appear to be much more common than is actually the case. While the Haitian
  government has outlawed the use of drugs as a means of threat or intimidation, this does little to
  stop the practice. Fake zombies have also led to the creation of several “zombie rehabilitation
  centers,” a concept that would be laughable in the case of true zombies.
  Bokor with voodoo zombie
  While voodoo zombies are rarely employed as weapons, 
  most bokors select a couple of their smartest and toughest
  creations to act as bodyguards, using them to intimidate their
  foes and to provide cover if a quick getaway proves necessary.
  Note the zombie with the sewn mouth. This may have been
  done by the family of the deceased individual to try to protect
  against zombification, or just as likely, by the necromancer
  himself to try to guard against the dangers of salt.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Nazi Zombies
  Hidden beneath the British World War II codebreaking center at Bletchley Park is a vast
  basement, officially called “The Cloak Room.” All access points to the rooms were sealed
  in 1947, and since then no one, government or civilian, has set eyes on the place.
  According to the records, the Cloak Room served as an intelligence gathering center,
  but those records are exceedingly vague as to what information was collected. It is only
  in recent years, as the generation that worked in those rooms has begun to pass on, that
  a few whispered voices have spoken about the place as the location of Supreme Allied
  Command: Shadow Theater (SAC:ST). It was from these
  rooms that American General E. L. Whately organized a war
  within a war and led the battle against the Nazi Occult
  Division. While credit and honor is justly given to the 
  Allied soldiers who fought against the Nazi war machine, 
  the men and women who worked for SAC:ST should also
  be remembered. If not for their tireless efforts and great
  sacrifices, Allied victory might have proved impossible and
  the earth consumed by an endless tide of Nazi undead.
  The story of the Nazi undead program begins in 1917
  when a wounded German World War I veteran named
  Walter Nauhaus founded the Society of Thule.7 Based 
  in Munich, the secret order devoted itself to the pursuit 
  of necromantic knowledge. With the end of the Great
  War, the society expanded, adding new members from
  across Germany, including Adolf Hitler. Through subtle
  manipulations, Hitler and his supporters shifted the
  attention of most of the group away from occult rituals
  toward the idea of Aryan supremacy and melded the
  society with the German Workers’ Party. 
  20
  7 
  Thule was one of the great empires of prehistory. At its peak it
  contained all of Scandinavia and most of northern Germany. While
  all of the names of its rulers have been lost, there is an indication that
  it had only one great emperor, a liche who ruled for over 400 years.
  Artwork by James J. Frazier
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  However, with the dissolution of the Society of Thule, Hitler founded a new group
  called “The Brotherhood of Death,” which included all of the foremost occultists from
  the old society. As Hitler rose to power in Germany, the brotherhood rose with him.
  Word leaked across the globe that necromancers everywhere would be safe and
  welcomed by the Nazis. By the mid-1930s, it is estimated that between thirty and forty
  practicing necromancers had joined the Nazi ranks, and at least three times that
  number of acolytes were in training. 
  Thankfully, European necromancy was still suffering from the governmental
  offensives since the American Civil War. Huge amounts of knowledge had been lost.
  While a few sightings of early Nazi zombie experiments occurred in the 1930s, they
  were few and far between. The senior members of the Brotherhood knew they would
  have to look beyond the borders of Europe to regain this knowledge, and they pressed
  Hitler to organize an expedition to the Himalayas. Hitler, now busy with other matters,
  passed the request along to Heinrich Himmler, who in turn found his man in the 
  SS officer, Ernst Schäfer. The young and popular Schäfer had already participated in
  two expeditions into Tibet, and he wanted to lead his own. A student of anthropology,
  Schäfer had no interest in necromancy and originally refused to take any such wizards
  on his team. However, after the tragic death of his wife in a hunting accident, Schäfer
  had a change of heart and allowed several members of the Brotherhood to accompany
  the mission.
  The expedition proved a tremendous success, for Nazi propaganda, for European
  anthropology, and for the necromancers of The Brotherhood of Death. There are no
  records of exactly what knowledge the Brotherhood obtained, but the expedition
  marked a turning point in their efforts. From 1939 onward, the Nazi undead program
  slowly gained strength and confidence. There are at least two recorded incidents of
  The Nazi expedition 
  to Tibet. 
  21
  Bundesarchiv
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Polish villages being attacked by zombified Polish
  soldiers. In 1940, the Nazis unleashed a unit of armed
  and uniformed zombies called the Todesritter (or “Death
  Knights”) during their invasion of Denmark.
  While the Todesritter proved effective shock units,
  even the dozens of necromancers employed by the Nazis
  could not make a material difference in a war that
  would eventually involve millions. Hitler demanded a
  weapon that could sweep his enemies aside, especially
  the Russians. The Brotherhood, using the knowledge
  acquired in Tibet, realized the only way to produce such
  an army would be to overcome the monotheistic burial
  limitation, and the only hope of that lay in finding some
  of the ancient artifacts of the great religions. Thus the
  Nazis launched Operation Eklipse.
  While Eklipse saw many successes and failures, three
  missions stood far above the rest in importance. The first
  was the search for the Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis
  did briefly obtain the Ark, however American agents
  managed to recapture it before it could do any damage.8
  The second was the search for Zulfiqar, the legendary
  sword of Muhammad, which ended in disaster when an
  entire German division fell prey to an ancient curse. The last was the mission to capture
  the Spear of Destiny, better known to Western readers as the Spear of Longinus – the
  holy lance that pierced the side of Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross. In 1941 a group
  of Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) recovered the lance from its hiding place in
  Antioch, and removed it back to Germany. With this lance, the necromancers of the
  Brotherhood believed that they could raise up the millions upon millions of dead who
  had been buried with Christian rites.
  We will likely never know the full story of the grim battle waged by the forces of
  the SAC:ST to recapture the spear, nor the names of the men and women who died
  ensuring it could never be used. All we really know is that for the next three years 
  the spear was moved all over Germany, but everywhere the Nazis took it, Allied agents
  were waiting to pounce. The toll of these suicide missions must have stretched 
  the SAC:ST to the limit, but in the end, it was enough. Hounded at every turn, the
  Brotherhood never had a chance to make use of the spear or its potential power. 
  In 1945, elements of Patton’s armored forces recovered the spear, which was shipped
  back to the United States. Its current whereabouts are unknown.
  Without the Spear of Longinus, the necromancers never played a decisive role in
  World War II. That said, they still exacted a terrible price on the Allies. On the
  Eastern Front it is estimated that the Nazis created nearly a million zombies. Most of
  The Crusader forces
  attacking Antioch, where
  they discovered the Spear
  of Longinus.
  22
  8
  The US government has worked hard to keep all information pertaining to the Ark a secret. There 
  is at least one famous account of the Nazi capture of the Ark that only got past the censors because it
  changed all of the names of those involved, and even moved the date to several years before the war. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  these were flung at the Russians during the German retreat to Berlin. At first, the
  Todesritter proved extremely effective against the conscripted and poorly motivated
  Russian troops. However, even for the dead, the laws of warfare still applied. The Nazi
  zombie hordes could never achieve complete victory without armored support, armor
  the Nazis just didn’t possess by that phase of the war. Despite the damage they
  inflicted, most of the Todesritter ended up ground beneath the treads of T-34 tanks.
  In the aftermath of the war, members of the Brotherhood were hunted down and
  executed. Since the exact composition of the group remains unknown, it is impossible
  to say whether or not they were all captured, but it seems clear that a majority were
  dead by 1947.
  The Nazi zombie program is the closest the earth has come to the dark days of
  prehistory, when necromantic zombies stalked the earth in vast armies. While the
  Russians did prove that modern technology has lessened this threat, it should not be
  ignored. The possibility that one of the ancient artifacts could be recovered and break the
  bonds of monotheism is a dark and sobering thought. Also, the idea of state-sponsored
  necromancy should continue to be seen as one of the most dangerous forms of weapons
  development on the planet. 
  24
  Previous page: Nazi zombies
  The largest concentration of Nazi zombie forces was
  deployed during the Kursk offensive in 1943. While primarily
  remembered as a tank battle, the Germans began their
  attack by unleashing several divisions of Todesritter against
  the Russian defenses. While these zombies created havoc in
  the first tier of the Russian fortifications, they soon became
  isolated and proved easy prey for a Russian armored
  counterattack. Casualties for these battles are nearly
  impossible to calculate as it is difficult to determine 
  which soldiers were dead before the battle started. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Revenants
  “It would not be easy to believe that the corpses of the
  dead should sally from their graves, and should wander
  about to the terror or destruction of the living … did not
  frequent examples, occurring in our own times, suffice to
  establish this fact.” 
  William of Newburgh, Historia rerum Anglicarum
  Revenants are one of the first classifications of zombie
  that can be positively identified in historical sources. The
  Vikings called them draug or draugr and often included
  them in their semimythical sagas. However, it is with the
  later English medieval writers William of Newburgh and
  Walter Map that the first documented revenant attacks
  can be found. For the undead that stalk these tales clearly
  show the individuality, the malignant intelligence, and
  most importantly, the overwhelming sense of purpose that
  define these zombies.
  Thankfully, due to their relative rarity and their
  individual nature, revenants do not offer the same level of
  threat to mankind posed by their more common cousins.
  That said, individually, revenants are far and away the
  most dangerous type of zombie, and their elimination
  should be left in the hands of trained professionals.
  CREATION 
  Unlike every other form of zombie, revenants are not
  created through any identifiable external source. They are
  not magical, chemical, or viral, nor are they self-replicating.
  People who come into contact with a revenant have no
  25
  Artwork by Grzegorz Krysin´ski
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  chance of being infected or becoming undead (although “dead” is a likely outcome).
  Instead, the force that reanimates a revenant seems to come completely from within the
  deceased individual.9 This force, which is normally termed “drive” or “purpose,” is most
  often a single strong emotion or desire, the most common of which are anger and revenge. 
  While the creation process is not fully understood, the revenants’ drive makes them
  similar in nature to several forms of ethereal undead such as ghosts and wraiths, and 
  like those spirits, revenants are often said to “haunt” an individual or location. This
  comparison should not be carried too far, however, because unlike ghosts, revenants are
  in no way bound to a specific local. Instead, their drive tends to lead them to specific
  places. In the case of revenge, revenants will hunt down their target, following wherever
  that target goes. Where the drive is a more general anger, revenants tend to stay in one
  location, their graveyard, their home, or the scene of a major life event.
  Less commonly, some revenants return from the dead in quest of a specific object.
  Termed “Rose Bud Syndrome” after the 1951 “Hearst Incident,” these zombies are no
  less deadly than ones motivated by anger or revenge, and will literally tear
  people in half if they come between them and their desire. There have
  been several cases where the object of a revenant’s drive has been
  a specific person, but do not be fooled into thinking that 
  “love” ever plays a part in the makeup of any zombie. There
  has been no evidence of love or any other “good” emotion
  ever leading to the creation of a revenant.
  IDENTIFICATION
  AND THREAT
  In many ways, revenants do not fit the modern
  conception of the zombie, and for this reason
  they are often misidentified. At a distance,
  revenants are difficult to distinguish from the
  living. Although their movements are somewhat
  slow and mechanical, they are not outside human
  norms and are a far cry from shuffling gait of most
  26
  Best method of permanent elimination:
  incineration
  Artwork by Jamie
  Luning
  9
  Many leading animate necrologists still argue that there is a
  metaphysical element to the process. However, discussions 
  of Satan or other embodiments of evil are beyond this
  investigation.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  27
  RE-KILLING BILLY THE KID
  Undoubtedly the most famous revenant of modern times was William Bonney, better known by
  his alias, Billy the Kid. Born around the beginning of the American Civil War, Billy rose to
  prominence during the “Lincoln County War,” a bitter struggle between rival ranchers in New
  Mexico in 1877. During the fighting, Billy proved himself a remorseless killer, and in the years that
  followed, he traveled around the West working as a hired gun and gambler and leaving a trail of
  bodies in his wake. Finally, in 1881, a sheriff named Pat Garrett shot Billy dead with a bullet to
  the brain, but the story doesn’t end there.
  A great mystery surrounds the last minutes of Billy the Kid’s life. For one, some claim that Pat
  Garrett and Billy were old friends, and, if true, it certainly helps explain what happened next.
  Billy was buried at Fort Sumner in New Mexico, but two weeks later a soldier from the Fort
  discovered a hole in Billy’s grave. Billy’s body was missing. 
  For the next seventeen years, people all over the territory reported seeing Billy wandering the
  hills. On several occasions, posses were organized to search for the dead outlaw, and once an entire
  cavalry troop took up the chase. But the only thing any of them ever found were dead bodies,
  some shot, some torn apart. In 1908, Pat Garrett was murdered by a gunshot to the head. 
  The authorities arrested a man named Jesse Brazel for the crime. During his trial, Brazel claimed
  to have witnessed Billy the Kid fire the fatal shot. The judge struck Brazel’s testimony from the
  record, but the jury took less than thirty minutes to find Brazel not guilty.
  On the same day that Brazel’s trial ended, the body of Billy the Kid was rediscovered in its
  grave. In 1940 the United States government erected a steel cage over Billy’s grave. On the
  governmental requisition form in the box labeled “reason for expenditure” are the words “just in
  case.” The most complete account of the second life of Billy the Kid can be found in the book
  Re-killing Billy the Kid by C. Upson. 
  Photos of Billy the Kid’s grave as it looks today, still  protected by its steel cage. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  other zombie varieties. Nor do most revenants
  display the hideous wounds that are common among
  horde zombies. 
  All of that said, at close range few revenants will
  be mistaken for one of the living. Their skin is
  unnaturally pale, their blood having congealed and
  often pooled into their feet. This often leads to a
  tightening of the skin, most noticeable around the
  fingernails and mouth, giving the impression they
  have claws and fangs. The tongue and the inside of
  the mouth have usually turned black. However, 
  it is the eyes that have received most attention in
  the various accounts of revenant attacks. Where
  most zombies have blank, lifeless eyes, the eyes of a
  revenant seem to burn with a malignant intelligence,
  almost appearing to glow in some accounts. 
  These notable features have often caused
  revenants to be misidentified as vampires, a
  potentially deadly mistake. Revenants suffer from
  none of a vampire’s weaknesses. While revenants do
  tend to shun direct sunlight, it doesn’t cause them any ill effect. They can cross
  running water, eat garlic if they are so inclined, shrug off injuries from silver weapons,
  and even check themselves out in a mirror. Staking a revenant through the heart is
  likely to make it even angrier, but it won’t slow it down. There is some evidence that
  revenants have difficulty crossing thresholds into private or religious buildings, but
  there is no consistent agreement on this among scholars.
  The most important fact to note about revenants is that they are intelligent. They
  possess all of the knowledge they did in life, including specific skills and tool usage.
  While they may no longer possess the manual dexterity for origami, they can certainly
  pull the trigger of a gun, and, unlike necromantic zombies, revenants can both aim and
  reload. If a revenant commonly used weapons in its natural life, it will continue to do
  so in death and with only a slightly lessened ability.
  Death does, at least, seem to cost revenants some of their perception. Although
  significantly more alert than their brain-dead cousins, revenants generally suffer from
  poor vision, dulled hearing, and a complete lack of taste and smell. While this can, and
  certainly should be used to the advantage of those hunting a revenant, it can lead to
  overconfidence. Just because the zombie cannot see that well does not mean it can be
  fooled by simple tricks. Some revenants have shown a marked ability for sensing a
  trap and turning the tables on their hunters.
  Finally, revenants are able to speak. Due to dried throats and swollen tongues, they
  are often difficult to understand, however, with words coming out in a garbled rasp.
  While there is no point trying to reason with a revenant, it is often useful to try to
  understand what the zombie is saying, as it will likely give some indication of its
  motivation – information that can prove important in their destruction.
  28
  Artwork by Travis Ingram
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  PREVENTION AND
  ELIMINATION
  Revenants do not die easily. Whatever
  internal power brought them back to life will
  also keep them moving in the face of massive
  physical damage. There have been several
  cases of revenants being literally blown apart,
  and still the various parts struggled on.10 Like all
  undead, revenants do not feel pain, nor do they
  suffer trauma or shock. However, alone among
  zombie types, revenants do have a basic sense of
  self-preservation. They will “run away to fight
  another day” if they are badly outnumbered or
  suspect a trap, but only for as long as it takes them to
  regroup or regain the upper hand.
  Like necromantic zombies, revenants do not need
  brains, their own or anyone else’s. Many a novice
  zombie fighter has died after scoring a perfect
  zombie head shot on a revenant. In fact, guns are
  nearly useless against a revenant, unless the
  shooter can manage to completely blow the
  head off the creature or saw through its neck
  with automatic fire.
  Decapitation remains a revenant’s only
  weak point, and even then it is not fatal. The
  removal or destruction of the head of a
  revenant causes a temporary paralysis in the
  creature. This will usually last for no more
  than a few minutes, after which time all of the
  pieces of the body will again reanimate.
  Depending on the revenant, some will
  continue to operate in multiple pieces, while
  others will attempt to gather their pieces back
  together. One account even has the revenant
  sewing his severed head back onto the stump
  of his neck.11
  10
  Despite many rumors and reports to the contrary,
  revenants are the only zombie type whose severed
  limbs often continue to move independently of the
  rest of the corpse for more than a few seconds.
  11 Found in Chapter 32 of L. Murdick’s Memoirs. 
  The unpublished manuscript is held in the special
  collections department of Appalachian University.
  Artwork by Bill Reinhold
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  There are only two ways to permanently stop a revenant. The first is appeasement. 
  A revenant that has fulfilled its drive will eventually return to its grave and rest. Where
  the drive is in quest of a specific object, it is often best to just give the object to them.
  (After all, the irrational desire to possess it is what created the revenant in the first
  place.) Where a revenant is on a quest for blood, either for revenge or general anger,
  more drastic means must be used. To destroy a revenant, it must be totally obliterated.
  Certainly there are plenty of means to accomplish this – fire, acid, throwing them in
  30
  DRAUGR
  In most ancient and medieval societies, discussions of the undead were considered taboo and in
  some cases heresy. For that reason more than any other, few tales of ancient zombies have survived
  to the present day in any complete form. However, the Vikings are a notable exception, and many
  of their stories contain encounters with various forms of undead. While the stories of the
  zombie-like draugr must be read with a skeptical eye, the similarities between these creatures and
  revenants seem too close to be coincidental. 
  Sometimes called aptrgangr, meaning “after-goer,” the draugr are literally walking corpses. While
  they tend to show few signs of decay, their skin is normally described as either “black as death” or
  “corpse-pale.” Draugr are also often described as giants or able to change their size at will. Some
  animate necrologists have argued that this could be the result of corpse bloating, but it is perhaps
  more likely a simple literary device to explain the strength and toughness of these creatures.
  Certainly there is no other corporeal undead that has ever shown such an ability.
  In the sagas, the motivations of draugr are rarely explained, as they are often presented merely
  as a foil for the hero. That said, most have a tendency to haunt a specific area or continuously
  attack one family or village. Considering the commonality of blood feuds in medieval Norse
  society, it is easy to see these “hauntings” as the continuation of a feud from beyond the grave, an
  idea that fits well with the drive of most revenants.
  There is one subvariety of draugr, the haugbui, or “mound-dweller,” that displays a very clear
  drive. These creatures always stay in, or very near to, their burial mound in order to guard their
  burial treasure. While it is nowhere stated in the sagas, it is likely that these haugbui were notably
  greedy or miserly individuals in life, persons who valued the accumulation of wealth above all other
  things. It is a sad but not uncommon formula still occasionally seen in modern revenants.
  Despite their literary flourishes, the Norse were a practical people, and if they didn’t always
  explain the origins or motivations of draugr, they were at least clear on how to dispose of them.
  Since normal weapons were mostly ineffective against draugr, the heroes of the sagas generally
  had to wrestle them into submission; a fine idea for your ancient Viking heroes, a particularly bad
  idea for any modern hunter. Once the draugr was subdued, the Vikings would cut the head off it,
  which seems to have caused temporary paralysis much as it does with modern revenants. The two
  pieces of the draugr would then be burned down to ashes and these ashes were then buried or
  tossed into the sea.
  Complete incineration – it worked for the Vikings; it still works today.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  volcanoes, and nuclear detonation all work, but rarely are these practical in the field.
  For that reason, experienced revenant hunters will either attempt to lure the target into
  some sort of holding cell or go for decapitation. Once decapitated, the creature can be
  bound in either chains or metal cable (rope is not strong enough), and then quickly
  transported to the nearest disposal facility, normally a crematorium.
  Cremation also serves as the best form of prevention; ashes do not reanimate.
  Otherwise, preventing a revenant remains incredibly difficult. Despite vast amounts
  of research, predicting who will return as a revenant remains a fool’s game. Even if you
  did know or suspect a specific person will return, if you aren’t willing to cremate the
  body, then the next best thing is to wrap it in the strongest chains available, a rather
  tough sell to the next of kin.
  In the final analysis, there is little that can be done to prevent revenants. Even if
  they are not fully understood, they seem to be a natural part of this world. We can only
  deal with each one individually as and when they claw their way up out of the ground. 
  32
  Previous page: Revenant
  In the animate necrology community, the terms “reanimate”
  and “reawaken” have distinct meanings. A corpse reanimates
  when it becomes a zombie through magical, chemical, or 
  viral means. Revenants, on the other hand, are said to
  reawaken due to their greater intelligence and awareness.
  Most revenants reawaken within a year of their death, but
  this is by no means a certainty. The record for the longest
  period of “initial death dormancy” is held by the World War II
  Japanese soldier, Tadamichi Giichi, who died on Okinawa in
  1945 and returned to battle the Allies again in 1992. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Atomic Zombies
  The world changed on July 16, 1945, the day that Robert J. Oppenheimer and his team
  test-fired the “Gadget” on the White Plains Proving Ground in New Mexico. The
  detonation of that first nuclear bomb heralded in an “Atomic Age” for mankind, but it
  also caused a subtle change in the chemical makeup of the planet. Through means that
  are still not clearly understood, the nuclear explosions of 1945 caused an “excitement”
  in the molecules of the atmosphere. This in turn excited the water vapor in the air,
  33
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard from The Walking Dead
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  which fell to earth, infecting the rivers and seas and eventually the ground itself. The
  effect was not a cataclysm as some had predicted, but a slight change to the physical and
  chemical laws of nature. It changed the boiling point and freezing point of water by
  one-hundredth of a degree. It made certain types of metal alloys impossible to cast. And
  perhaps most importantly, it brought about the birth of a new variety of zombie.
  The term “atomic zombie” is slightly misleading. The explosion of the first atom
  bomb did not create any zombies, nor did the bombs dropped on Japan. Instead, they
  affected the world in such a way that future chemical processes would produce zombies.
  In fact, “chemical zombie” would probably be a more accurate term. While radiation
  remains the most common stimulus for an atomic zombie outbreak, it is not necessary.
  Nor are most atomic zombies radioactive (see notes below on “irradiated zombies”).
  For example, the Amazon River basin has seen several atomic zombie outbreaks due
  to certain combinations of nonradioactive industrial sludge being dumped into the
  river. Still, perhaps the “Atomic Age” deserves its own zombie, and by now the term
  is in common usage and would be difficult to change.
  There are many who argue that 1945 was the most important year in the war
  against the undead, as it marked a vital turning point. With the defeat of Nazi
  Germany, the forces of necromancy were scattered far and wide, and many of its
  premier practitioners were killed. Yet out of the ashes of World War II a new threat
  34
  IRRADIATED ZOMBIES
  While various forms of radiation can play a hand in the creation of an atomic zombie, most of these
  undead are themselves inert. However, because zombies are immune to all but the most powerful
  forms of radiation, it is possible for them to become irradiated. Irradiated zombies, or “rad zombies”
  for short, are walking dead that have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation and now carry
  that radiation inside their lifeless shell. Depending on the level of irradiation, these zombies can
  burn or blister flesh with their touch or even with their breath. Even low-level rad zombies are
  incredibly dangerous, as prolonged exposure in their vicinity can lead to radiation sickness, cancer,
  and death.
  The first reports of rad zombies came from Russia during the Gulag Uprisings. Sensing crisis, the
  Soviet military attempted to employ targeted nuclear weapons to stop the threat. Although these
  weapons effectively fried zombies within a limited “lethal zone,” the fallout irradiated most of the
  rest. Since the military didn’t realize this at the time, huge numbers of soldiers were exposed and
  died needless, painful deaths due to radiation poisoning. Since then, most countries have removed
  nuclear weapons from their anti-zombie arsenal. These days, rad zombies are most commonly found
  in the vicinity of nuclear power plants or nuclear waste dumps. 
  Becoming irradiated appears to have little or no effect on the zombie. It becomes neither
  stronger nor weaker. Theoretically, any type of zombie is capable of becoming irradiated, though
  to date there have been no reports of revenant or necromantic rad zombies. 
  Due to the ongoing possibility of rad zombies, most government-sponsored zombie-hunter teams
  now carry Geiger counters as standard equipment.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  arose, a nightmare not born of human evil, but of
  the seemingly random misapplication of science.
  The zombie threat no longer hid in the shadows,
  but instead, it waited peacefully in graveyards and
  morgues. Its potential now hangs in the air all
  around us, waiting for a chemical spark to bring the
  dead back to their feet.
  Looking back, it is now apparent that atomic
  zombie outbreaks began as early as 1946. These
  proved to be small, isolated incidents. Most were
  written off as the work of rogue necromancers and
  quickly forgotten. Then, in the 1950s, rumors began
  to leak through the Iron Curtain of massive uprisings
  in the eastern gulags of the Soviet Union. The
  underground press was filled with sensationalist tales
  of prisoners going wild, tearing their guards apart
  with their teeth and hands, and even turning to
  cannibalism. The Soviet Union called it Western
  propaganda; the Free World hoped it marked the
  beginnings of a revolution. Only a few knew the
  truth. In 1958, the Soviet military surrounded and
  closed off the city of Magadan as part of a special
  “military maneuver.” Only in the last year or two
  have a few accounts of the Magadan disaster made
  it to the Western world. 
  Meanwhile in America, a series of small outbreaks
  in California and Illinois alerted the scientific
  community to the fact that some new threat had arisen. With only sketchy reports and
  a few samples, a small group of universities worked together to found a new branch of
  science, Animate Necrology. While animate necrology would later encompass the study
  of necromancy and other varieties of the undead, it formed for the initial purpose of
  studying this new type of zombification. Many theories flew around in those early days.
  Some said it was a virus; others claimed that chemicals or radiation were eating away at
  the brains of the living, bringing on the appearance of death. The debate continued
  among this small community of scientists in America and abroad until 1968.
  In 1968, an American satellite in low orbit hit a small piece of space dust and
  exploded over rural Pennsylvania. Over the next few days, the local press reported a
  spate of mass murders. The situation quickly spun out of control and the state
  government called in the National Guard to stabilize the situation. Officially the
  government has never commented on what happened in Pennsylvania in 1968, but
  many witnesses survived and have come forward to tell their stories.
  It began in the hospitals and mortuaries. The recently dead stood up and attacked
  the living, stopping only to feast on those they had killed. As people died, they in
  turn rose up and joined the ranks of the zombies. Thousands died in less than a week,
  35
  Artwork by Francis Tsai
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  before the soldiers and local militia formed a cordon around the infected zone and,
  slowly tightening the circle, killed every zombie they could find. 
  Pennsylvania ’68 is now a rallying cry for those in the animate necrology
  community. It is both proof of the dangers of atomic zombies and a test case for the
  effective overwhelming response needed to contain and eliminate a threat. Since
  1968, the world has averaged nearly a dozen atomic zombie outbreaks a year. Most of
  these are small, and in the developed world they are quickly handled by specialist
  containment teams. However, the Third World remains extremely vulnerable to
  outbreaks, and it is often only with the assistance of the United Nations that an atomic
  zombie outbreak can be contained.
  CREATION
  The atomic blasts of 1945 left the world vulnerable to a particular form of
  contamination. The contamination can begin in either the air or water, but it will
  eventually spread from one to the other and into the ground as well. Unfortunately,
  the process of contamination is still only partially understood. It is a complex chemical
  reaction, often involving forms of extraterrestrial radiation. However, cases of
  contamination usually involve so many different chemical combination possibilities,
  that a true “source” has yet to be discovered. That, of course, assumes there is one
  source, and that contamination isn’t achievable in multiple ways. In most cases,
  contamination can be traced back to the legal or illegal dumping of industrial waste
  combined with a particular cosmic event, although there is evidence that both have
  caused contamination on their own as well.
  36
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard from The Walking Dead
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  The area of contamination is highly variable, depending upon the spread of
  chemical waste and/or the power of radiation. To date, no charted contamination zone
  has covered more than 100 square miles. Thankfully, contamination zones have a
  limited duration. Most last only a couple of days, though a few have been known to
  carry on for weeks. Only the Chernobyl event has lasted more than a year, and it
  currently stands as the largest continuous zombie-contamination zone on record.
  Again, the reason behind the duration of a contamination zone is unknown. Scientists
  and animate necrologists rarely get to visit a “hot zone,” and the Ukrainian authorities
  are still refusing to let international investigators near Chernobyl.
  Since the process of contamination remains obscure, it has proved impossible to
  predict where a hot zone might spring up. That said, once an area has become
  contaminated, the spread of zombification follows a predictable pattern. Unlike
  necromantics, atomic zombies only form from the recently dead. As a general rule,
  around thirty days seems the cutoff point for a corpse to be reanimated by chemical
  means. By then, much of the internal tissue of the body and many organs have turned
  to mush and escaping gases have ruptured the skin. The first to be affected in a hot
  zone will be the most recently dead. Hospitals usually form ground zero for an atomic
  zombie outbreak. One moment everything is business as usual; in the next a man who
  just died on the operating table gets to his feet and attacks the surgeon. Within a few
  minutes of the contamination, the corpses in the hospital morgue also reanimate. In
  less than an hour, funeral parlors and crematoriums are also affected. By the end of the
  day, corpses will be battering their way out of mausoleums or digging themselves up
  from their graves.
  There is a grim irony to outbreaks commonly starting in hospitals. Not only are
  they places where death and corpses are common, but they are also generally full of
  37
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard from The Walking Dead
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  the ill and injured who can offer no resistance to an attacking zombie. Thus a single
  zombie can kill numerous people in a short space of time. These victims, now part of
  the recent dead, will also reanimate and join the rampage. In such a way, the number
  of zombies caused by contamination can easily multiply in the first few hours. 
  IDENTIFICATION AND THREAT
  Because atomic zombies were the first zombie variety commonly accepted by the modern
  media, they have shaped the public perception of the undead threat. If you ask most
  individuals on the street to describe a zombie (and they don’t run away), they will most
  likely describe an atomic zombie. Put simply, an atomic zombie looks like an upright
  corpse that happens to be wandering around. They are generally deathly pale, have
  vacant, slack-jawed expressions, and walk with a limping, shambling gait. They will
  often extend their arms, groping the air in front of them, trying to grasp any living thing
  that comes near. Even from a distance, anyone who has any knowledge of zombies should
  be able to recognize them by their odd stance and movement. 
  Atomic zombies have only one motivating factor: the need to feed.12 While zombies
  have no metabolism as such, the chemical process that animates their corpses also
  slowly burns at the meat and tissue that holds the zombie together. Consuming more
  flesh gives the chemical process an alternate fuel source that will keep the zombie
  going. While no exact studies have been done, it is estimated that just a small handful
  of flesh or a small animal like a bird will keep a zombie going for at least a day or two. 
  In their quest for flesh, zombies wander aimlessly until something catches their
  attention. Atomic zombie eyesight is incredibly poor and is based on movement. They
  will react to anything that moves faster than their own shuffling walk. For the most
  part, these zombies rely on their hearing, which remains acute even in death. They
  generally notice any unusual sound louder than a slight breeze and will move in the
  direction of the noise. The louder the sound, the quicker they react (although “quick”
  is a very relative term here). Atomic zombies also possess a sense of smell, though this
  sense has only one setting. Once they are within a few feet of a living creature, zombies
  40
  12 Contrary to popular mythology, zombies do not need to eat brains. This seems to be a confusion of the
  idea that an atomic zombie needs its own brain to function. Zombies will certainly eat brains, but show
  no preference for them.
  Previous pages: The Peoria Outbreak, 1958
  One of the first major atomic zombie outbreaks in the
  United States occurred just outside the city of Peoria,
  Illinois in the spring of 1958. The contamination began
  when a nearby paper mill illegally dumped several vats 
  of industrial waste in a creek near a family-owned
  graveyard. Soon after, three recently deceased members
  of the Jeffries clan clawed their way up from their graves
  and wandered into the city. Over the next thirty-six hours, 
  the hordes swelled to over 100 zombies, including most of
  the members of the local high school football team. Local
  law-enforcement and emergency services eventually
  contained the outbreak before military help arrived. Over
  150 people died during those three days of terror, not
  including the Jeffries family who were dead to begin with. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  can smell it. It remains unclear exactly what
  scent zombies smell, though sweat remains the
  strongest contender.13
  The smell of living prey triggers this type of
  zombie’s famous “moan reflex.” Those unlucky
  enough to have heard the moan of a zombie
  wish only to forget the experience. Many 
  who have suffered from post-traumatic stress
  disorder relating to zombies have reported that
  it is the moan, more than anything else, that
  haunts their waking dreams. Zombies create
  this sound by pushing the excess gas generated
  by the chemical reaction up through their
  throats. The result is a dry, warbling groan that
  can be heard from several rooms away. 
  At first examination, the moan might seem
  a strange survival mechanism, as its only
  function is to attract other zombies toward
  food, thus forcing the original zombie to share.
  However, on further study, the moan is seen as
  a vital part of the zombie way of life (if you’ll
  pardon the expression). Individual atomic
  zombies are slow and awkward and only able
  to catch the injured, frail, or particularly
  stupid. It is only through gathering together
  and attempting to surround prey that zombies
  can truly hope to capture their meal. The
  moan has such a powerful pull on zombies that
  they will sometimes leave a fresh kill in order
  to follow another moan. 
  The moan, then, becomes the vital tool in the gathering of a zombie horde. 
  In scientific communities, any group of ten or more zombies is technically considered
  a horde, but most zombie hunters use the term to mean a much larger gathering.
  Otherwise, a horde is defined as any gathering of at least ten zombies where they are
  grouped closely enough that each member can hear the moan of at least three other
  members. When one zombie in a horde moans, the others will also, an effect that
  works like a lure to bring in zombies from all around. In cases of particularly large
  hordes, the cumulative sound of the moaning can reach painful volumes. 
  Even in a horde, atomic zombies are still mindless creatures. They do not employ
  any tactics per se. Surrounding their victims is only a happenstance of position and not
  a conceived plan. Despite this, a horde of zombies is extremely dangerous. Unlike
  their necromantic cousins, atomic zombies are incredibly strong. Since they feel no
  41
  13
  Thanks to Prof R. Sullivan’s “Porcine Feed Experiments,” blood has been ruled out as a zombie attractor.
  Artwork by Chris Stevens
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  pain, they will push their muscles past the limit. There have been cases where zombies
  have grabbed onto passing cars and had their arms ripped off at the shoulders rather
  than let go. In all cases it is best to stay as far away from an atomic zombie as possible.
  Once in their grip, it is difficult to escape, and their moan will soon attract others.
  ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION
  Thankfully, unlike necromantic zombies or revenants, atomic zombies have a clearly
  defined weakness. Despite their undead nature, atomic zombies still have one working
  organ: the brain. In the last few years, scientists have managed to conduct a number
  of neurological experiments on captured zombies. These tests have confirmed that
  while the creatures have no higher brain functions, no “thoughts” as we define them,
  their brains do coordinate and control their limited motor functions. If the zombie
  brain is destroyed, all motor functions cease, and the zombie deanimates, crumpling
  into a heap. 
  Destroy the brain and you destroy the zombie. In the late 1990s and the early years
  of the new millennium, this became the catchphrase of many amateur zombie-hunting
  societies. It appeared on T-shirts, bumper stickers, and key chains. As the internet
  grew in power and reach, the phrase traveled as fast and as far as email could carry it.
  It became an eight-word gospel, and many people died because of it.
  Don’t get me wrong, the knowledge is important, but the knowledge in isolation
  has two deadly shortcomings. First, as readers of this monograph will already be aware,
  the “destroy the brain” rule does not apply to all forms of zombies. It works for atomic
  and viral zombies but is less effective against necromantic zombies and revenants.
  Identify the zombie first, then determine the best way to dispatch it. However, even
  if you know you are facing an atomic zombie, there is a second problem. Destroying
  the brain isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds.
  Have you ever tried tossing a baseball in the air and hitting it with a bat? Most
  people, asked to do this for the first time, will swing and miss. In fact, many people will
  miss several times before they make contact. Now, imagine that baseball is coming at
  you with outstretched arms, a moan rasping
  from its blood-stained lips. Granted a zombie
  head is significantly bigger than a baseball, 
  but it is also moving in an erratic pattern. The
  zombie isn’t trying to dodge – they never do –
  but its broken-legged walk causes it to sway from
  side to side and up and down. You’ve got one
  shot with your bat. One swing to connect solidly
  with the skull with enough force to crack it open
  and smash the brains beneath. If you miss, if the
  shot glances off the skull, the zombie will wrap
  you in its arms and bite out your throat. In a
  matter of minutes, you will be one of them.
  42
  Photograph by Mike Slaby
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  The truth is, most people have not developed their hand-eye coordination to a
  point where they can hit a moving target solidly with any degree of consistency. Sadly,
  most people badly overestimate their own ability, and this has led to many needless
  deaths. Even for those trained in combat (or baseball), engaging in hand-to-hand
  combat against atomic zombies is never recommended. Remember, these creatures
  usually travel in hordes; even if you take down the first or second zombie, there will
  likely be more than you can kill. Where hand-to-hand fighting is unavoidable, kill
  only as many zombies as you need to clear a path and then run. Once you are out of
  their reach, they will not be able to catch you.
  In all cases, atomic zombies should be eliminated from a distance, but even then it
  can be more difficult than first imagined. Hitting a small moving target with a bullet
  is incredibly difficult, especially under pressure. Also, only a direct hit will penetrate
  the skull, as evolution specifically designed it to deflect blows. Still, a solid shot
  through an eye or smack in the forehead will take down any atomic zombie. The effect
  is virtually instantaneous, almost like flipping an off switch. The zombie immediately
  ceases all forward movement and collapses. 
  Because of the atomic zombie’s weakness, it is particularly easy to prevent, even if
  the prevention is just as distasteful as the cure. A corpse with a destroyed (or removed)
  brain will not reanimate due to chemical conditions. While most morticians are aware
  of the zombie threat, few will apply this simple preventive measure unless it is
  specifically requested. Where the next of kin does request zombie-proofing, or more
  commonly if it is stated in the will of the deceased, the mortician will drive a long, thin
  nail called a skull pick through the crown of the skull down into the brain. It is quick,
  mostly clean, and completely painless (assuming the recipient is actually dead). 
  For those afraid of having nails in their head after they die, there is always
  cremation, which prevents all forms of zombie reanimation. If neither of these options
  is acceptable, bodies can be buried in a metal coffin. While this will not prevent
  reanimation, when combined with six feet of earth, it will prevent even the most
  determined atomic zombie from breaking out, leaving the unfortunate corpse to slowly
  consume itself. 
  43
  Best method of elimination: 
  Destroy the brain
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Viral Zombies
  As early as the mid-1960s, a few within the animate necrology community described
  the zombie threat as a virus. With necromantic, revenant, and atomic zombies, the
  undead seemed to continuously evolve, offering new threats just as humanity came to
  grips with the old ones. Then, sometime in the early 1970s, the metaphor became a
  reality. Like most viruses, it is impossible to trace the zombie virus back to its origin,
  that point where an essentially benign biological agent mutated into one of the
  greatest dangers of the twenty-first century.
  Most necrovirologists agree that the first strands of the virus developed in China.
  However, because of China’s strict media control, doubts remain as to the exact time
  and location 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
  didn’t 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
  didn’t 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 government
  44
  14 For the most complete account of the unfortunate backpackers see Through the Land of the Dead by Abe
  Davies, Yukon Ink, 1974.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  and 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 “Zorros”
  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 world’s 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. 
  45
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard from The Walking Dead
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  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 leads to the second, more common way, the
  virus is spread.
  Like most living organisms, the Z-virus has the overriding goal to live and to
  reproduce. Using its new host corpse, the virus attempts to spread itself by attacking
  noninfected humans. To spread, the virus must penetrate a victim’s skin and infect the
  tissue beneath, which can be done with a quick bite or rake with fingernails. A wound
  that draws blood carries a nearly 100 percent chance of infection.
  Viral zombies are not cannibalistic. Although they often attack with their mouths and
  may occasionally get a bit overenthusiastic in their efforts to infect prey, they do not
  need to ingest flesh or anything else to survive. As of yet, science has no explanation for
  what viral zombies use as a power source. So, unlike atomic zombies, viral zombies often
  infect a host, leave him or her wounded, and quickly move on to the next target. Because
  of this methodology, viral zombie outbreaks can rapidly and exponentially expand. In
  truth, it is this expansion potential that is their biggest threat, and why it is imperative
  that outbreaks be quickly identified and contained.
  IDENTIFICATION AND THREAT
  One of the main reasons it took science so long to identify viral zombies as a separate
  classification is that the initial specimens appeared so similar in character to atomic
  zombies. All of the Chinese and Vietnamese
  outbreaks featured slow, moaning zombies. With
  their containment and elimination, few further tests
  were conducted. But as the years passed and the
  virus spread, different zombie outbreaks showed a
  worrying degree of individualism. Some zombies
  moved and reacted quicker. Others showed slightly
  more intelligence. Now, science understands this to
  be the result of Z-virus mutation. Today, there are
  47 different recognized strands of Z-virus, and each
  produces a different variety of zombie. Luckily, even
  with this variation, all viral zombies still show
  enough similarities that they can be discussed under
  46
  Artwork by Sina Kazemian
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  the same classification. In fact, the differences generally
  manifest as varying levels of speed and intelligence and
  not as any truly unique features.
  As mentioned, the first viral zombies mimicked
  atomic zombies in almost every way, except that they
  were not cannibalistic and reproduced through
  infection. These early viral zombies do still occasionally
  crop up, but their threat has mostly been contained. It
  is the newer “fast zombies” that now pose the greatest
  threat. Often called “aggressor zombies” in hunter
  circles, these undead are the most human-looking of all
  zombie varieties. At a distance it is nearly impossible to
  distinguish them from the living. A closer inspection
  reveals them to be unnaturally pale, with eyes rolled
  back into their heads. They almost always keep their
  mouths open and their teeth bared. In fact, the easiest
  way of recognizing a viral zombie, especially an aggressor,
  is how it charges directly at the nearest living person. 
  At the highest end yet recorded, aggressor zombies
  can run as fast as a living person. Moreover, with no
  functioning respiratory system or pain receptors, they are
  able to maintain a top sprinting speed for longer than
  most humans. In a straight footrace, aggressor zombies
  nearly always win. The same applies to hand-to-hand
  combat. These zombies can push their muscles to the
  limit longer than most humans. Considering that viral
  zombies only need to inflict a blood-wound, hand-to-
  hand combat should be avoided at all costs. 
  Viral zombies do not use weapons. It is unclear if this is due to a lack of intelligence
  or just a function of their drive to spread infection. There are no reports of them using
  tools of any kind, and like most other zombies, they will continuously ram themselves
  against a door in order to break it down without ever attempting to turn a doorknob.
  That said, unlike atomic zombies, some of the more aggressive viral zombies can climb.
  They will not attempt to scale the side of a building or anything tricky, but will happily
  launch themselves up and over any small wall or fence that stands in a direct line
  between them and their prey.
  Most viral zombies have decent sensory perception. Their eyesight is poor and mostly
  based on movement, but their hearing and sense of smell remain as acute as in life. 
  Some varieties of viral zombie moan and respond to moans in much the same way as
  their atomic cousins, but this is less and less common. Most viral zombies, and almost
  all aggressor types, do not moan. Despite this, they still possess a type of herd mentality.
  Viral zombies tend to band together in order to hunt prey and often react to one another.
  Viral zombie herd mentality remains a hotly debated topic among necrovirologists, with
  numerous credible but conflicting theories competing for space in the journals.
  47
  Artwork by Travis Ingram
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  48
  Artwork by Alan Gallo
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  ELIMINATION AND PREVENTION
  Despite their great speed and strength, viral zombies remain slightly more susceptible
  to physical damage than most zombies. While a single shotgun blast to the chest will
  not take one out, multiple blasts often do the trick. Alternatively, a fully automatic
  assault rifle can tear them apart. Such methodology does require a heavy expenditure
  of ammunition and is relatively slow. Luckily, like atomic zombies, all varieties of viral
  zombie are vulnerable to the destruction of the brain. One clean head shot will take
  them down, and this remains the favored technique of most hunters. It should be
  noted however, that the increased speed of aggressor zombies can make this a very
  difficult shot indeed.
  Humanity also possesses one weapon in the war on viral zombies that it doesn’t
  have for other types: anti-viral drugs. In 2002, Dr Hall Moore and his team at the
  University of Maryland created the first viable anti-Z-virus drug. While the drug could
  not be turned into a vaccine, it could be applied to a newly infected host before death,
  and it gave the victim at least a 50 percent chance at survival. Today, this drug has
  been improved to 90 percent effectiveness if applied within the first hour. 
  Mankind cannot grow over-dependent on this miracle drug. The Z-virus is a
  constantly mutating and evolving entity. It needs to be continuously studied and the
  anti-viral drugs modified to keep pace. Also, this anti-virus remains expensive to
  produce and difficult to store. For now, it remains the domain of governments and
  their containment teams.
  Other than the hope for more and better drugs, there is little mankind can do to
  prevent viral zombies. Governments must focus on quick containment of outbreaks;
  individuals should try their best not to get bitten. 
  49
  Best method of prevention: 
  Anti-Z-virus drug
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Zombie Masters
  Many within the scientific community will scoff at my inclusion of a section on zombie
  masters, but considering the rising tide of evidence, I believe it would be neglectful not
  to at least discuss the possibility of their existence. Traditionally, the term “zombie
  master” was irregularly applied to necromancers who had assembled a large force of
  zombie minions, but in the last decade it has become more commonly associated with
  a possible viral zombie phenomenon. Today’s zombie master generally refers to a
  zombie Typhoid Mary, a living human who carries the zombie virus.
  To date, no official study can confirm the existence of a human carrier. In fact,
  according to the official record, no one has ever survived infection from a zombie virus
  without the quick application of an anti-virus. But a lack of scientific documentation
  does not mean human carriers don’t exist. In the last ten years, there have been more
  than a dozen zombie survivor accounts that at least hint at the possibility. The first
  comes from the diary of Joanna Blitch, who survived for 12 days inside an office
  building during the 2002 “Mooresville Outbreak”:
  …overnight Casey turned into one of them, but was killed before she could hurt anyone else.
  Casey had never been touched by one of them, never bitten or clawed. But just the day
  before she’d applied bandages to Kevin’s arm after he’d cut himself on the glass. People
  began to talk, to say that Kevin must be infected, even though he showed no signs. During
  the debate, Kevin ran for the door and flung himself out into the night. We waited to hear
  his screams, but there was only silence.15
  Certainly this account is far from conclusive, but it is just one of several that tell a
  similar story. One of the most famous comes from Matthew Wright, who survived an
  outbreak in the English Midlands:
  I saw him standing there, surrounded by zombies, a terrifying smile on his face. It was clear
  he wasn’t one of them. He still had intelligence in his eyes. But they didn’t attack him. At
  first, they seemed to crowd around him to protect him. Then he raised his hand and pointed
  at us, and the zombies began to charge.
  50
  15
  From the unpublished diary of Joanna Blitch, which resides in the author’s collection.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Mr Wright’s account16 is notable for two reasons; first because it was the first account to
  be corroborated by independent witnesses, but more importantly, it introduced a new
  possibility to the world of zombie studies. In none of the varied accounts of possible
  zombie Typhoid Marys is the suspected carrier killed by zombies. In fact, in several cases,
  including Mr Wright’s, the zombies seem to protect and even obey the carrier. 
  The implications of a human mind controlling a viral zombie horde is worrisome
  in the extreme, and that has perhaps led some within the community to stick their
  heads in the sand and deny the possibility without a thorough investigation. Despite
  the admitted lack of concrete evidence, the only counter-argument seems to hinge
  on the impossibility of communication between a living human and a viral zombie. 
  Of course, this argument overlooks the ongoing debate about the viral hive mind. 
  As discussed in the previous chapter, some varieties of viral zombie do not moan,
  and yet they still seem to move in the same direction and “respond” to other zombies
  that have identified potential prey. Whether this is the result of some kind of psychic
  connection or has a more tangible scientific explanation, there seems no good reason
  that a human carrier of the virus might not also be incorporated into this hive mind.
  If this were the case, the complex, individualistic human mind might easily come to
  dominate the narrow thinking of a zombie horde. 
  51
  Artwork by David Machuca
  16
  Never Again: An Outbreak Survivor’s Tale, Dark Asylum Press, 2004.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Of course, this is all conjecture at this point, and I don’t want to overstate the case.
  I do want to make it clear that the possibility of such zombie masters should be
  considered, and all zombie hunters should be on the lookout. Should a true zombie
  master ever be encountered in the field, all efforts should be directed at its immediate
  elimination. As much as science would relish the chance to study a live specimen,
  the danger of human intelligence guiding a zombie outbreak is too great a risk.
  54
  Previous pages: The Toronto Frenzy 
  Despite the huge number of zombie outbreaks in the US,
  Canada has been relatively untouched by the zombie
  menace. However in 2007, a small viral outbreak occurred
  in Toronto resulting in 132 deaths. During this incident,
  several witness identified a red-coated woman directing
  the zombies. Later identified as Katherine Flint, this
  mysterious individual appeared during two further zombie
  outbreaks in the United States, evading capture both
  times. She has quickly risen to near the top of the FBI’s
  Most Wanted list, and remains the strongest evidence 
  for a living zombie master.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Viral Hounds and
  Other Zombified
  Animals
  In 1982, Sgt E. Moore of the British 77th Division reported the existence of a pack of viral
  zombie hounds terrorizing villagers in the backwoods of Bulgaria. This report revived an
  old debate within the animate necrology community about the commonality and
  classification of zombified animals, a debate which continues to the present. While some
  scientists believe that a new branch of study should be opened to focus solely on undead
  animals, others, this author included, believe that animals should be viewed as members
  of one of the already existent zombie classifications. In nearly every case, zombie animals
  display the same strengths and weakness of a human corpse of the same zombie type. To
  lump all zombie animals into one category could cause confusion and do a major disservice
  to the men and women who risk their lives combating the zombie threat. 
  55
  Artwork by Marissa
  "Llawlietdeathnote" Evans
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  The story of zombie animals begins with the ancient necromancers. Theoretically,
  a sufficiently powerful necromancer can reanimate the body of any creature as a
  zombie. However, there seems little point in the exercise. Reanimated animals retain
  few of the advantages they possessed in life. Even the larger mammals become slow,
  weak creatures, neither significantly stronger nor tougher than a human zombie. True,
  necromantic fish can swim and some undead birds can fly, but it takes an extremely
  imaginative necromancer to make use of such ineffectual servants. For the most part,
  necromancers reanimate animals more for vanity than anything else. Perhaps a skeletal
  mastodon is a status symbol in the necromantic community. Some necromancers do
  use an undead animal as a sort of grim familiar, though to what end is unknown.
  Interestingly, wielders of voodoo black magic are not able to create any zombie
  animals. Voodoo zombification requires the incarceration of the zombi astral, the soul
  of the deceased. Since animals do not possess souls, or at least not in the same way as
  humans, there is nothing for a bokor to imprison. Many bokors have other spells they
  use to enchant animals, but such magic is beyond this investigation.
  The possibility of animal revenants remains an intriguing one, but there are no
  clear-cut cases to date. There are several reports of dogs that have exhibited signs of
  revenant behavior or appearance, but so far every case has ended with the destruction
  of the animal in question, so no true studies have been possible.17
  It was only with the dawn of the atomic zombie that animals became true participants
  in the zombie curse, and then only on a limited scale. As science is still trying to
  determine exactly how various chemical interactions lead to the reanimation of corpses,
  it cannot at this time say why certain species are vulnerable and others are not. In fact,
  it may be that a specific chemical reaction only causes the reanimation of certain species,
  and that we only tend to notice when that species is human or another large mammal.
  Luckily, atomic zombie animals mimic their human cousins and become slow, sluggish
  creatures.18 Although dangerous, these undead animals have proven only a minimal
  threat to humanity, unlike their cousins, the viral hounds.
  Two dogs infected with the
  Z-virus.
  56
  17
  The most famous case is the 1889 “Moor Hound Incident.”
  18
  For a full list of creatures reanimated through chemical means see Dr M. Ramalho’s paper 
  The Unextinction Agenda.
  USAF
  Getty Images
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  There is perhaps a sick irony that the only species besides humans to be affected 
  by the zombie viruses is man’s best friend, but the truth is no joke.19 As incredibly
  dangerous as viral zombies can be, they are nothing compared to the four-legged
  variety. Blessed with the natural speed and powerful jaws of many dog breeds, viral
  hounds strike like undead missiles, covering ground at an incredible rate and snapping
  at exposed flesh with infected teeth. 
  While neither viral zombies nor viral hounds employ true tactics, the two groups
  often unintentionally work together to trap living targets. The speed of the hounds
  means they always outpace human zombies, reaching the target first. These swift
  attackers invariably force the living to seek shelter in either a building or a vehicle.
  While this shelter does provide protection from the hounds, it leaves people vulnerable
  to the zombies following close behind who will likely batter their way inside.
  Viral hounds can be eliminated through the destruction of the brain, but their
  speed and low profile make delivering such a blow difficult. Professional zombie
  hunters, when faced with a viral hound situation, almost always use vehicles in the first
  instance. Armored cars with battering rams or even snowplows make good weapons
  against viral hounds. Driving through a pack at high speed will usually mangle most
  of the hounds to such a degree that their speed advantage will be neutralized and they
  can be finished off at a leisurely pace. 
  Finally, a note on crows and other carrion fowl. It is not unusual to see birds pecking
  at the infected flesh of viral zombies (or any other type of zombie). While I can find
  no recorded case of birds becoming infected with the virus, eating zombie flesh has
  been known to cause aggressive, almost rabid behavior in birds – to the point that
  they will sometimes attack humans. These attacks are extremely dangerous as the
  birds strike from the sky and often go for a target’s eyes. However, wounds caused in
  such an attack are not infected. To date, no one has ever received a zombie virus
  through a bird attack. Still, this is just one more reason why strong eye protection is
  necessary when fighting in an infection zone.
  58
  Previous page: Viral hounds
  Unlike their human counterparts, zombie canines do
  possess a vague sense of hierarchy. Most zombie dog
  packs contain an alpha male, a dog that the others follow.
  These alpha males direct and guide their pack through a
  series of growls and barks that function in much the same
  way as zombie moaning. 
  While it has not been conclusively proven, zombie dogs
  show a predilection for attacking other dogs before
  attacking humans. Some mercenary containment units
  employ their own (living) dogs to act as bait should they
  encounter a zombie dog pack.
  19
  New research indicates that several primate species may also be vulnerable to the viruses.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Zombie Hunters
  Over the last two decades, the term “zombie hunter” has become diluted by the increasing
  number of amateur groups who seem determined to die in as gruesome a manner as
  possible. Theoretically, it is a problem that should take care of itself, but for every hick
  with a shotgun who gets his throat bitten out, it seems two more want to take his place.
  I have neither the time nor the inclination to talk about these groups. My interest is in
  the trained professionals who devote their lives to combating the zombie menace.
  The first true zombie hunters probably date back to the days of prehistory, but aside
  from a few fables and legends, their stories have been lost to us. During the Crusades,
  several knightly orders formed for the express purpose of battling the undead, but if any
  true accounts of their activities survive, they are buried deep in the Vatican’s Corpus
  Mortuambulanticum. In fact, despite the long history of zombies, the story of zombie
  hunting can only really be traced back to the mid-eighteenth century, with the
  formation of the Honourable Society of the Resurrection Men.
  HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF THE
  RESURRECTION MEN
  Generally, “Resurrection Men” refers to British body-snatchers of the eighteenth
  century, people who stole corpses and sold them to medical colleges. While technically
  illegal, the penalty for body-snatching was only a small fine, which was far outweighed
  by the potential profit. The trade became so popular, especially in Scotland, that it
  eventually attracted several necromancers who saw body-snatchers as easy supply men
  for zombie experiments. By the early 1750s, Edinburgh had become the necromantic
  capital of the world, and deaths due to zombie attack had reached unprecedented levels.
  While some body-snatchers grew wealthy supplying the necromancers, others turned
  against the trade. In 1756, an unknown Edinburgh body-snatcher founded the
  Honourable Society of the Resurrection Men in order to fight back. Because the society
  used an illegal practice to disguise their efforts to protect the public, the true identities
  of these first zombie hunters remain unknown. However, some of their noms de plume
  have become legendary: Mr Thomas Bones, Jonas Teeth Esq, Madame Noir Bent and
  59
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  of course, Stanley Barrett, the cyclopean artist, whose disturbing one-eyed painting
  style has landed his works in museums throughout Europe and America. 
  For decades the society waged a vigilante war against the necromancers and their
  body-snatcher helpers. Both sides suffered numerous casualties, but while necromancer
  numbers slowly dwindled, the society grew, gaining members in high places. Eventually,
  the society won the war, not on the streets of Edinburgh, but in the Houses of
  Parliament. In 1832, Parliament passed the Anatomy Act, which changed the law
  regarding access to cadavers and effectively ended the body-snatching trade. Learning
  from this lesson, the society continued in its mission to stop necromancy but now used
  60
  THE ZOMBIE DUELING ASSOCIATION
  Founded in the early years of the twenty-first century, the Zombie Dueling Association is an underground
  gladiatorial society which pits captured zombies against hired gladiators. Outlawed in every civilized
  country, the society holds secret events all over the world, including a yearly championship on a large
  ship in international waters. Zombies are supplied by several less-than-reputable mercenary organizations,
  while most of the gladiators come from the same place. However, occasionally gladiators are hired from
  professional sports, with former American Football players being in high demand. To become a member
  of the ZDA requires deep pockets, friends in the right places, and a complete lack of compunction. 
  The ZDA is organized into a number of different clubs, each of which supply their own gladiators and
  zombies. It is estimated that there are over 300 members worldwide.
  Artwork by Marc Lee
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  research and legal pressure as its main weapons. The Honourable Society of the
  Resurrection Men has survived to the present, and is now a pan-European organization
  dedicated to the elimination of all forms of zombie. However, as is wise for amateur
  organizations, they leave the actual combat to trained professionals.
  BUREAU 9
  The story of professional government zombie-hunting teams begins during the American
  Civil War. As mentioned previously, this war included a huge rise in necromantic activity.
  Realizing that the Union faced a threat perhaps even greater than the Confederacy,
  Abraham Lincoln asked the head of his bodyguard, Allan Pinkerton, to establish a new
  bureau to combat the problem. Pinkerton in turn
  gave the task to two of his most trusted men, 
  Agents Rufus Thurston and Roland Briscoe. These
  two men established “Bureau 9,” a hand-picked team
  of agents who traveled the country undercover,
  eliminating necromantic threats. The men usually
  worked in pairs. One agent served mainly as the
  investigator, identifying and studying potential
  threats. The second man carried the gun.
  After the war, President Andrew Johnson
  decided the bureau should continue its work.
  Records from this time are still classified and will
  probably remain so indefinitely. Still, it is well
  known that Bureau agents continued their work
  outside of the United States, traveling all through
  North, South, and Central America, and played a
  major part in the US interventions in Haiti. During
  World War II, the agents participated in many
  activities of the Shadow Theater. Today, Bureau 9
  continues its work as a joint project of the FBI and
  CIA. Their main targets remain necromancers 
  and bokors, but their activities also cover other
  zombie threats. Unlike the old days, however, when
  a serious threat arises they turn over operations to
  the military.
  62
  Artwork by Fab for KOEMZO DESIGN
  Previous page: “The LA Bust-out”
  In 2009, the United States experienced its largest and most
  public viral zombie outbreak in downtown Los Angeles. 
  Over a period of four days, members of the US Army’s 
  34th Regiment barricaded eighteen city blocks and launched
  a series of reconnaissance and rescue missions into the
  infected area. Dubbed the “LA Bust-out” by the media, the
  mission proved a huge success and for the first time brought
  the US Army’s specialist zombie hunters into the public eye. 
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  THE CONTAINMENT TEAMS
  While the zombie problem remained mostly necromantic in nature, governments
  deemed it best to have small organizations such as Bureau 9 deal with the threat and
  only call out the military in extreme circumstances. But with the rise of atomic
  zombies after World War II, a new solution became necessary. No longer could zombie
  situations be resolved with one well-placed bullet. Only boots on the ground could lay
  down enough firepower to stop a full outbreak. 
  The Vatican City was the first country to officially establish anti-zombie forces in
  1955, and many countries still send observers to see these specialist members of the
  Swiss Guard in action. However, these teams have limited reach and are only rarely
  deployed. The real advent of the military zombie hunters came in 1963 with the
  NATO “Containment Ordinance.” This small reorganization of military forces
  established specialist “Containment Teams” that could deploy quickly to suppress any
  zombie outbreak. These teams were multinational forces, with members drawn from
  all NATO countries. Containment team members received special training in
  combating zombies (all varieties) and specialist gear (see next chapter). While NATO
  still maintains a number of containment teams that can be deployed by helicopter or
  airlift, almost all of the member nations have now established similar organizations
  within their own militaries. 
  In the United States, the “Nightmen” of the 34th Specialist Regiment are based at
  Fort Bragg. The regiment boasts nearly 1,500 troops, including specialist support staff,
  and a dedicated flight of Black Hawk helicopters. The United Kingdom recruits most
  Some smaller countries
  employ special anti-zombie
  police units.
  63
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  of its zombie hunters from the ranks of the Royal Marine Commandos, placing them
  in a unit known as Division 77, “The Dirge.” 
  Today, most militaries contain at least a token zombie-hunting force, although 
  the quality and training of these groups varies wildly. The United States and Britain
  maintain two of the best because, for reasons unknown, these countries suffer a much
  higher rate of zombie outbreaks per capita than anywhere else in the world.
  OUTBREAK SURVIVORS
  While they’re not really “zombie hunters,” I believe it is worth mentioning the men
  and women who unwittingly get caught up in zombie outbreaks. Unlike the amateur
  hunters mentioned at the opening of this chapter, these people do not go looking for
  a fight but are only doing what they must to survive.
  There are several books on the market that attempt to educate people on how to
  survive a zombie outbreak. While some of these contain valuable information, they
  have also done much to propagate the “zombie survivor myth.” There is nothing
  glamorous or glorious about being caught up in a zombie outbreak. It is a terrifying,
  chaotic battlefield. No matter how many books a person has read or how many hours
  they’ve clocked at the shooting range, the single biggest factor in survival is luck. 
  Even for the lucky few who do escape, most suffer from post-traumatic stress
  disorder and can spend the rest of their lives trying to recover. Psychology is only just
  64
  MERCENARY ORGANIZATIONS
  With the vast increase in the zombie threat over the past two decades, a number of private
  military companies have seen an opening in the market. Call them “private zombie contractors”
  or “undead disposal specialists,” they are essentially mercenaries who specialize in fighting
  zombies. Like standard mercenaries, the different groups vary greatly in both ability and
  reliability. Some of these so-called organizations are little more than “wannabe” zombie hunters
  with a couple of hunting rifles and an armored pickup truck. Others are multinational
  corporations who employ numerous former containment team soldiers and supply them with the
  latest military hardware. Since most First World nations support their own containment teams,
  mercenaries are most active in less-developed countries, with South America, Africa, and parts
  of Asia being their main stomping grounds.
  To date the most successful and widely recognized of these organizations is Command: The Blue
  Marble (C:TBM). Originally established in South Africa in 1997, the group now supports bases in
  19 different countries around the world. Under the leadership of Aloysius Wu, C:TBM has
  expanded its operations to cover nearly all forms of undead and other so-called “monsters,” but
  battling zombie outbreaks remains their primary market. The group has a sterling reputation and
  an extremely high success rate, both of which are reflected in their top-of-the-market fees.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  beginning to scratch the surface of the effects of seeing a friend or loved one turned
  into a walking corpse. The Zombie Wars are not a game.20 While numerous civilians
  have been appropriately lauded as heroes for their actions during zombie outbreaks,
  they are greatly outnumbered by the piles of corpses left behind.
  65
  20
  See the Further Reading chapter for some great games relating to the zombie wars. 
  Artwork by Andrée Wallin
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Zombie Hunter
  Weapons and
  Equipment
  As with most modern military special forces, zombie hunters are allowed wide leeway to
  choose their own equipment. What follows is an overview of the most commonly
  employed weapons and equipment and the rationale behind their usage. This list is not
  meant to be exhaustive, nor is it a checklist for would-be zombie hunters. It is provided
  to give a better understanding of the desperate battles between the living and the undead.
  FIREARMS
  As explained earlier, guns are not always the most efficient zombie killers. However, since
  humanity hasn’t invented a better ranged-weapon alternative, firearms remain the
  primary armament for all zombie hunters. Of course, some firearms are more effective
  than others. Most zombie hunters carry some
  form of carbine as their primary weapon.
  Slightly shorter and lighter than assault rifles
  but with the same toughness and reliability,
  carbines such as the American M4 make good
  short-range zombie-sniping weapons and can
  be loaded up with a huge range of accessories.
  In a standard four-man zombie containment
  fire team, it is usual for at least two men to
  carry carbines. Of the other two, one is often
  equipped with a longer-ranged target rifle.
  The fourth team member generally carries a
  military shotgun. Military shotguns such as
  the AA-12 are considered by many to be the
  An AA-12 automatic
  shotgun. 
  66
  US Marine Corps
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  ultimate anti-zombie weapon. With their low
  recoil, extreme hitting power, and decent-sized
  magazines, they can blow apart just about 
  any zombie: magical, chemical, or viral.
  Unfortunately, these weapons and their ammo
  are quite heavy and using them can be
  exhausting. Thus they tend to remain a squad
  support weapon rather than standard equipment.
  Unlike many other soldiers in the field,
  zombie hunters always carry a pistol. Zombie
  fights often occur at close quarters where pistols
  are easier to use. Also large zombie hordes can
  often overrun a position, leaving no time to
  reload a primary weapon. Again, every man is
  free to choose his own backup weapon, but they
  generally fall into one of two categories. Some
  hunters prefer a light pistol with low recoil and
  a big magazine, which is good for calmly making
  head shots against atomic and viral zombies.
  Others, generally older hunters, like something
  with more punch, like the Colt M1911. These
  are good for blasting apart necromantic zombies
  and are less likely to glance off thick zombie
  skulls. Either can be an effective tool in the
  hands of a trained professional.
  HAND WEAPONS
  Most zombie hunters carry a knife, but this is only a tool and not really a weapon. In
  point of fact, there are no hand weapons that can be said to be very effective against
  most types of zombie. When desperate, hunters look for a heavy-hitting, balanced
  weapon that is unlikely to get stuck in a zombie. Baseball bats and machetes make
  good choices, but neither is likely to survive for more than a couple of kills before
  breaking or bending. While it is true that broadswords and katanas are probably the
  best anti-zombie hand weapons, neither is in common manufacture and nor are they
  easy to carry.
  HEAVY WEAPONS
  The military learned early on in the zombie wars not to rely on explosive weapons
  against the undead. Immune to shock, concussion, shrapnel, and even losing limbs,
  only a direct hit from explosive devices is likely to take out most zombies. Instead,
  67
  Artwork by Marc Lee
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  the best heavy weapon to use against zombies remains the good old-fashioned
  machine gun. While it is virtually impossible to make an aimed head shot with a
  Browning .50, it hardly matters when the heavy slugs literally tear the target zombie
  to pieces. Other members of the team can pick off the ones that are still crawling
  after the hail of bullets. The most devastating anti-zombie weapon is probably the
  minigun (a vehicle-mounted machine gun with rotating barrels), which is often
  carried by the helicopter support for containment teams.
  Having abandoned most sorts of grenade except signal smoke, most government
  hunter teams carry some form of directional anti-personnel scatterfire mine such 
  as a claymore. These weapons work much like giant shotguns or canister shot in
  Napoleonic cannons, firing hundreds of ball-bearings in one direction. Any time a
  hunter team decides to hold a fixed position, one of their first tasks is to set up
  claymores. Triggering a couple of claymores against a close-packed horde can have
  devastating effects.
  ARMOR
  The rising zombie threat forced military authorities to completely rethink personal
  body armor. Bulletproof vests and flak jackets were both unnecessarily bulky and
  provided little protection to areas mostly like to receive zombie wounds. Today, zombie
  hunters wear loose-fitting body suits made of a variety of extremely strong fabrics. 
  They are virtually impossible to tear with bare hands, and most zombies will have 
  68
  REAPER 1 AND REAPER 2
  During the 1988 Cerro Gordo, Iowa outbreak, local landscaper Neil Bower used a John Deere
  combine harvester to single-handedly eliminate a 300-strong zombie horde. The incident did not
  go unnoticed by the US government. Three years later, the military began field testing Reaper 1,
  a purpose-built zombie harvester. Initial trials found that the blades had a tendency to gum up
  after the first few dozen zombies, and the designers had greatly underestimated the “splatter effect,”
  which sent potentially deadly zombie-infected matter in all directions.
  By 1996, the military had created Reaper 2 as the ultimate zombie-fighting weapon,
  incorporating the lessons learned from Reaper 1. Smaller than a full-sized combine harvester, 
  Reaper 2 still towers twelve feet above the ground. It has a cockpit team of two, a driver and the
  commander who also rides shotgun, picking off any zombies that manage to survive the blades
  and cling onto the side. The vehicle can also carry six passengers and stocks a full communications
  array. The designers created Reaper 2 so that it could be disassembled into eight component parts,
  allowing it to be airlifted to trouble spots. While the deployment of Reaper 2 remains highly
  classified, there is evidence that it has been used on at least five different occasions in the last
  fifteen years.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  to chew for a while to get to the human underneath. While providing excellent
  protection, they hardly render someone immune to zombie attacks. It is not necessary
  to get through the clothes to mangle the human inside, and zombies are nothing if not
  determined when it comes to killing, eating, or infecting. 
  Along with the suit, hunters generally wear a selection of commercially available
  sporting protection. Hockey helmets remain popular, as do elbow and knee pads. It is
  easy to shatter your own elbow smashing it into a zombie skull. 
  NUCLEAR, CHEMICAL, AND
  BIOLOGICAL GEAR 
  Some of the first NATO containment teams went into action wearing full Nuclear,
  Biological, and Chemical (NBC) suits, but this was quickly deemed unnecessary in
  most situations. These days, full suits are generally only worn by the clean-up crews
  that come in after the frontline containment teams to finish off any stragglers and
  dispose of infected bodies.
  Standard soldiers do carry some defense against these elements. All hunters carry
  Geiger counters, both to warn them of a dangerous environment, but also to detect
  the possibility of rad zombies. Also, no zombie hunter is sent into combat without a
  couple of syringes full of anti-viral solution strapped into a high-impact container.
  Finally, zombie hunters are always equipped with a gas mask. This piece of equipment
  remains vital when dealing with viral zombies. It is easy to become infected even
  without getting wounded when fighting at close quarters. Any blood or tissue
  splattered into the mouth or even eyes can lead to infection. Most hunters will not
  go into combat wearing a mask, but will keep it close at hand for the minute that a
  situation turns dicey.
  Black Hawk helicopters
  have proved very effective
  in the military's fight
  against zombies. 
  69
  US Army
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  VEHICLES
  Vehicles remain a double-edged sword in the war against zombies. Without them, it
  would be impossible to mount the quick response necessary to contain outbreaks. They
  are also valuable as mobile gun platforms, means of evacuation, and offensive strike
  weapons. On the other hand, the noise generated by even the quietest vehicles makes
  them zombie magnets, and driving into an outbreak area will quickly generate a horde.
  Probably the most important vehicle in the zombie wars is the helicopter. Almost
  all containment teams are airborne trained, and helicopter deployment remains their
  number-one means of reaching a target zone. Helicopters can also remain on station
  to provide fire support and aerial reconnaissance. Unfortunately, unlike ground
  vehicles, it is never possible to turn off the engine and sit quietly if necessary.
  Larger military vehicles such as tanks and armored personnel carriers are rarely
  employed against the undead. While their sheer bulk makes them capable zombie
  squashers, most governments have found them inefficient and difficult to transport.
  Most containment teams use modified versions of their military’s main utility vehicle,
  such as the Humvee, sporting extra armor over the windshield and windows, and often
  employing a ram or cowcatcher on the front. 
  70
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Zombie Hunter
  Tactics
  “An outbreak of zombies infecting humans is likely to be disastrous, unless extremely
  aggressive tactics are employed against the undead.”
  When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection by
  Philip Munz, Ioan Hudea, Joe Imad, and Robert J. Smith
  Any discussion of tactics is fraught with peril. Rarely does any military operation,
  zombie or conventional, run strictly by the book. Every situation is unique and to try
  to impose a rigid adherence to one set of practices can only lead to disaster. While this
  chapter presents a brief overview of how most zombie hunter organizations attempt to
  run a modern containment operation, it is doubtful if any operation has ever run as
  smoothly as the idea presented here. Also, this presentation only applies to countries
  that have specialized containment teams on call.
  In the event of a reported outbreak, a single zombie hunter element (usually one
  squad or fire team) is airlifted via helicopter to the area. If the outbreak is in a town or
  city, the helicopter touches down just outside the urban area, and the hunters deploy.
  After the helicopter again lifts off, it circles around the target area to run reconnaissance.
  Meanwhile the hunters advance on foot. Nine times out of ten, the incident turns out
  to be a false alarm and the whole maneuver is written off as a drill. However, if either
  the team or the helicopter spots evidence of zombie infestation, they will immediately
  radio back to base to prepare for a full-scale containment. 
  The original hunter team remains on site to gather further information, most
  importantly determining the variety of zombie threat. In the case of a revenant, the
  team will immediately go on the offensive, trying to keep the revenant occupied until
  reinforcements arrive. If the zombies appear to be necromantic, including voodoo, the
  hunters attempt to remain concealed while searching for the necromancer behind the
  disturbance. If the outbreak proves to be either atomic or viral, the team will launch
  limited offensive operations. It is always easiest to stop a viral or atomic outbreak just as
  it is beginning, and if the team can take out any zombies early, they may save countless
  71
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  lives and prevent untold numbers of zombies being created later. Of course, when human
  lives are at stake, zombie hunters often get caught up in events on the ground and the
  theories are left behind by the practicalities of survival.
  Once alerted to an actual threat, a full containment team will be launched. In the
  United States, this would mean the entire 34th Specialist Regiment. A full mobilization
  usually takes one to two days, depending on the remoteness of the outbreak area. During
  this time, the target area is surrounded by the containment team. Usually, a dozen
  separate bases or checkpoints are established along the major roads or at access points
  to the area. From these positions, constant patrols are sent in all directions to ensure
  no zombies are slipping through the net to infect other areas. The men on the ground
  are supported by helicopters and, in some cases, unmanned drones. 
  Room clearance
  The attached diagram depicts the standard tactical practice
  of a US Army containment team engaged in clearing a room
  of any possible zombie threat. While the particulars are
  specific to US Army doctrine, most governments which
  employ containment teams use similar techniques.
  Trooper A is the squad heavy. In most cases, he will be
  equipped with the AA-12 automatic shotgun. Trooper A
  stands several paces in front of the rest of the team. He will
  take no part in the actual room assault unless commanded
  to do so by the team leader. His job is to guard against
  potential threats from deeper within the building. In the
  case of individual zombies advancing on his position, he is
  expected to carefully neutralize the threat. Should a zombie
  horde appear, he must alert the rest of the team, while using
  his heavy firepower to hold the horde back long enough for
  the team to begin extraction.
  Trooper B is the team leader. He stands several paces to the
  rear and is armed with the standard M4A1 carbine. His task
  is to provide rear security and maintain a grasp of the
  overall situation. While his task is similar to Trooper A, 
  a careful building clearance should reduce the threat of
  attack from behind.
  Trooper C stands directly in front of the door of the target
  room. At this point, he will sling his carbine and draw his
  sidearm. The specific sidearm will vary from trooper to
  trooper. Trooper C’s first task is to open the door. As soon as
  the door is open, Trooper C takes one step into the room
  (Point 1) and turns to face the near corner opposite to the
  direction the door opened (The near right corner in this
  case). Eliminating any potential threats in this corner,
  Trooper C must immediately advance several paces toward
  the far corner on the same side of the room (Point 2) so as
  to make space for Trooper D.
  Trooper D begins the assault next to Trooper C, standing on
  the side opposite to the door hinges. As soon as Trooper C
  advances out of the doorway toward one far corner, Trooper
  D moves several paces toward the other far corner. Trooper
  D’s first task is to make sure that no zombies are concealed
  behind the door. Although the door itself provides a
  momentary shield for Trooper C, the location behind the door
  is the most dangerous in the room, as any zombie located
  there will also be protected. Once any threat behind the
  door has been neutralized, Trooper D must turn his attention
  to the far corner on his side of the room. It is hoped that by
  this point, Trooper C will also be able to focus on this area.
  A key note to this diagram: Troopers C and D only advance into
  the room as far as is necessary to move freely and to see all
  corners of the room. Distance from the zombie threat remains
  vital, even in the narrow confines of room clearance. Once the
  room has been fully checked and all zombies have been
  eliminated, Troopers C and D rejoin the rest of their team
  outside the room and the process is repeated in the next room.
  Room clearance is a painstakingly slow, but absolutely
  necessary part of any zombie containment.
  Key:
  Trooper             Zombie         Dead zombie
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  C
  B
  D
  A
  1
  2
  3
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  As the containment is being established, a number of sorties are launched into the
  outbreak area with the purpose of bringing out survivors. Most of these sorties are
  conducted by individual fire teams on foot, though they remain in constant contact
  with ground and air transport, as either will be made available for emergency
  evacuation. These teams advance as far as they can into the zone, rounding up the
  living and escorting them back to the containment line. At all costs, the teams must
  avoid alerting and causing the movement of a horde toward the lines.
  74
  Artwork by Charlie Adlard
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  By the time the containment lines are fully
  established, the variety of zombie threat should have
  been determined. In the case of necromantics, the
  containment team will immediately go on the offensive,
  launching a massive attack from one side of the circle
  and attempting to overwhelm the horde with superior
  firepower. While the main attack goes straight after the
  zombies, a number of small teams attempt to infiltrate
  behind the lines in search of the necromancer. Most of
  the time the necromancer cannot be located and the
  mission becomes one messy clean-up operation.
  If it is determined that the zombies are either viral or
  atomic, a completely different strategy is employed.
  Instead of going on the offensive, the containment team
  selects a portion of its line and reinforces it with field
  fortifications, claymores, and emplaced weapons, setting
  up a defense in depth. Once this is done, a vehicle-
  mounted attack element is sent into the outbreak area
  with the specific intent of causing a zombie horde to
  advance toward the fortified section of the line. By
  baiting the zombie horde, it can be coaxed into a kill
  zone and wiped out by overwhelming firepower. Once
  the containment team destroys the main horde, it goes
  on the offensive, slowly collapsing the containment
  circle, eliminating all zombies encountered. 
  Most containment teams, such as the 34th, are organized to independently cope
  with an outbreak in a small town or village. Should the outbreak take place in a major
  city, or spread throughout a whole region, obviously further military aid would be
  needed. In this case, the general military provides the manpower to form the
  containment lines, while the specialist zombie hunters run sorties and handle most of
  the direct combat. 
  To date, the battle of Mexico City remains the single largest recorded zombie
  outbreak since the American Civil War. This battle saw the employment of tactics
  similar to those described above. However, if the infection had managed to spread
  beyond the confines of the city, or if the number of infected had reached hundreds of
  thousands instead of just thousands, it is likely that such tactics would not have been
  effective. It remains imperative that all zombie outbreaks are contained as swiftly as
  possible. If the governments of the world have a plan or strategy in the event of a
  cataclysmic outbreak, it remains tightly under wraps. It is clear, however, that such an
  event would force some difficult moral decisions, that some would have to be sacrificed
  to save the whole. Let us pray that it never comes to that.
  75
  Artwork by Ben Rollman
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Further Reading,
  Watching, and
  Gaming
  The following list includes many of my favorite zombie-related items. It is far from
  exhaustive, but should give anyone a good start on their own delving into the world
  of the zombie.
  BOOKS
  The Serpent and the Rainbow & The Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of
  the Haitian Zombie by Wade Davis. The premiere books about “real” zombies 
  in Haiti.
  The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. The book that launched the current
  zombie publishing boom.
  World War Z by Max Brooks. A global history of a zombie “doomsday” scenario, 
  and arguably the best zombie book ever written.
  Day by Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne. My personal favorite first-person zombie
  survival story.
  COMIC BOOKS
  The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. Having
  already run for over seventy issues, this ongoing drama has established itself 
  as the most successful zombie comic book to date. Thanks to the generosity 
  of Charlie Adlard and Robert Kirkman, several pieces of artwork from this series
  have been reprinted in this book.
  76
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  GAMES
  Zombies!!! by Twilight Creations.
  Containing over 100 plastic zombies,
  this delightful little board game plays
  more like a video game.
  Last Night on Earth, The Zombie Game
  by Flying Frog Productions. Another
  good board game where participants can
  play either survivors or zombies. The
  game also comes with its own
  soundtrack!
  Ambush Z by Ambush Alley Games. 
  A terrific wargame, focusing on military
  actions against the zombie threat.
  Probably the best game for recreating
  the actions of professional containment
  teams.
  Undead States of America. Another great
  wargame designed to refight zombie
  battles on an epic scale. 
  All Things Zombie by Two Hour
  Wargames. Perhaps the most popular
  wargame rules for outbreak survivor vs.
  zombie confrontations.
  MOVIES
  The White Zombie (1932). The first feature-length zombie film, starring Béla
  Lugosi.
  Night of the Living Dead (1968). A small-budget, independent movie directed by
  George Romero, it truly launched the zombie film genre and remains one of its
  strongest examples.
  Dawn of the Dead (1978). Romero’s unconnected follow-up to Night of the Living
  Dead cemented his reputation as the greatest zombie director of all time.
  28 Days Later (2002). Revitalized the zombie genre for a new generation and
  brought the idea of fast-virus zombies into the mainstream.
  Shaun of the Dead (2004). Both a hilarious spoof and a good zombie movie at the
  same time, the movie helped open the zombie genre to a wider audience.
  77
  Artwork by Amanda Spaid
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Glossary
  Aggressor zombies
  A variety of viral zombie that is faster and more aggressive
  than the normal viral zombie.
  Atomic zombies
  Zombies created through a chemical or radioactive
  contamination of a specific geographic area.
  The Brotherhood of
  An organization founded by Adolf Hitler after the 
  Death
  dissolution of the Society of Thule; it included all of the
  foremost occultists from the old society.
  Bureau 9
  An organization founded by Allan Pinkerton during 
  the American Civil War to combat the zombie threat. 
  It continues to function in that capacity even today.
  The “Cloak Room” 
  A secret suite of rooms hidden beneath the British World
  War II codebreaking center at Bletchley Park. It served as
  the Headquarters for Supreme Allied Command: Shadow
  Theater (SAC:ST).
  Command: The Blue
  An organization of mercenary soldiers trained as 
  Marble (C:TBM)
  zombie hunters.
  Containment Teams
  Specialist multinational teams within the military forces
  of NATO countries that can deploy quickly to suppress
  zombie outbreaks. 
  Division 77, “The Dirge” Zombie-containment team of the British military.
  Draugr
  Walking corpses from Norse/Viking mythology.
  Grimoire
  A book of spells or a manual for the use of black magic.
  The Honourable Society
  A group founded in 1756 in Edinburgh by an unknown 
  of the Resurrection Men
  group of body-snatchers to fight the influx of necromancers
  in the city.
  Horde
  Any gathering of at least ten zombies where they are
  grouped closely enough that each member can hear the
  moans of at least three other members.
  Irradiated zombies or
  The walking dead that have been exposed to dangerous 
  “rad zombies”
  levels of radiation and now carry that radiation inside 
  their lifeless shell.
  Liche
  An undead necromancer.
  The “Moan” 
  A dry, warbling sound produced by some varieties of zombies
  that appears to be a primitive means of communication
  among them.
  78
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Necromancer
  One who uses necromancy or the magic of death.
  Necromancy
  Black magic; the practice of using the dead in magical rituals.
  Necromantic zombies
  Zombies created using black magic to reanimate the bodies
  of the dead.
  “Nightmen”
  Nickname of the members of the US Army 34th Specialist
  Regiment, which specializes in zombie containment.
  Operation Eklipse
  A World War II German mission to find certain religious
  artifacts, with the aim of using them to facilitate the
  creation of zombies in far larger numbers.
  Reaper 1 and Reaper 2 
  Harvester-type vehicles created to combat large groups of
  zombies efficiently.
  Revenants
  A variety of zombie reawakened by a force that seems to
  come completely from within the deceased individual.
  Society of Thule
  A secret order founded in Munich, Germany, by 
  a World War I veteran, devoted to the pursuit of
  necromantic knowledge.
  Supreme Allied Command: A secret Allied organization formed during World 
  Shadow Theater (SAC:ST) War II to combat the threat of the Nazi occult program.
  Todesritter
  “Death Knights” – a unit of zombie soldiers unleashed 
  by Hitler during World War II.
  Viral hounds
  Zombie canines.
  Viral zombies
  Zombies created through a contagious virus that infects 
  the living and turns them into zombies, following the rapid
  onset of death.
  Voodoo
  A magical and religious practice, often involving witchcraft
  and necromancy, largely centered in the islands of the
  Caribbean Sea
  Voodoo zombie 
  A particular form of necromantic zombie created through
  the use of voodoo.
  Z-virus
  The virus that creates zombies.
  The Zombie Dueling
  An underground gladiatorial society which pits captured 
  Association
  zombies against hired gladiators.
  Zombie hunters 
  Those who hunt down and try to eliminate the threat
  represented by zombies.
  Zombie master 
  A term once applied to necromancers who had assembled a
  large force of zombie minions, but has recently become more
  commonly associated with a zombie Typhoid Mary: a living
  human who carries the zombie virus and can transmit it to
  others without suffering its effects.
  79
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  Figures in bold refer to illustrations.
  aggressor zombies  47
  Anatomy Act (1832)  60
  animate necrology  35
  Antioch  22
  aptrgangr 30
  Ark of the Covenant  22
  armor  68
  atomic zombies
  characteristics  40–42
  creation  33–35, 36–37, 40
  killing  42–43
  prevention  43
  Barrett, Stanley  60
  Billy the Kid  27
  Black Hawk helicopters  69
  Bletchley Park  20
  Blitch, Joanna  50
  blood  10
  Bodleian Library, Oxford  9
  body-snatching  59
  bokors  16–17, 18, 19, 56
  Bones, Thomas  59
  Brazel, Jesse  27
  Briscoe, Roland  62
  Brotherhood of Death  21, 22, 24
  Bulgaria  55
  Bureau 9  62
  carrion fowl  58
  cauldrons  10
  Chernobyl  37
  “The Cloak Room”  20
  Command: The Blue Marble (C:TBM)  64
  containment teams  63–64
  Corpus Mortuambulanticum 9, 59
  Creoles  15
  Crusaders  22, 59
  Davis, Wade  16
  Davis, Abe  44
  Division 77 (“The Dirge”)  64
  draugr 25, 30
  Duvalier, François “Papa Doc”  15, 17
  Edinburgh  59–60
  English Civil War  8
  firearms  66–67
  Flint, Katherine  54
  Garrett, Pat  27
  Gildas  6
  grimoires  9
  Haiti  15, 19
  hand weapons  67
  haugbui 30
  heavy weapons  67–68
  helicopters  69, 70, 71
  Himmler, Heinrich  21
  Hitler, Adolf  20–21
  Honourable Society of the Resurrection Men
  59, 60, 61
  horde zombies  10, 41, 51
  irradiated (“rad”) zombies  34
  Johnson, Andrew  62
  Kursk offensive (1943)  23
  “LA Bust-out” (2009)  62
  liches  13
  Lincoln, Abraham  62
  Louisiana  15
  Lugosi, Béla  15
  Luther, Martin  6
  Lyssavirus 44
  Magadan disaster (1958)  35
  The Magic Island (William B. Seabrook)  15
  Map, Walter  25
  “The March on Salisbury”  8
  mercenary organizations  64
  Mexico City, zombie outbreak  45, 75
  Miskatonic University  9
  “The Moan”  41, 47, 51
  Moore, Sgt E.  55
  Moore, Dr Hall  49
  Mooresville Outbreak (2002)  50
  mummies  11
  Napoleon  8
  NATO  44, 63
  Nazi zombies  20–24
  necromancy  6–8, 13
  necromantic zombies
  characteristics  10–11
  creation  9–10
  killing  12–13
  prevention  13
  “Nightmen”  4–5, 63, 72
  Noir Bent, Madame  59
  nuclear, chemical, and biological gear  69
  nuclear explosions  30, 33–34
  Operation Eklipse 22
  Passage of Darkness (Wade Davis)  16
  Pennsylvania incident (1968)  35–36
  Peoria Outbreak (1958)  38–39
  Pinkerton, Allan  62
  Porcine Feed Experiments 
  see  Prof. R Sullivan
  private zombie contractors  64
  pseudo-voodoo zombies  19
  Ramalho, Dr M.  56
  Reaper 1/Reaper 2 68
  revenants  17, 31
  characteristics  27–28
  creation  25–26
  killing  29–30, 32
  prevention  32
  room clearance  72–73
  “Rose Bud Syndrome”  26
  Sam, Jean Vibrun Guillaume  15
  Schäfer, Ernst  21
  “Second Battle of Gettysburg”  8
  The Serpent and the Rainbow (Wade Davis)  
  16
  skeletons  11
  sky battles  6–7
  Society of Thule  20
  Spear of Longinus  22
  Sullivan, Prof R.  41
  Supreme Allied Command: Shadow Theater
  (SAC:ST)  20, 22, 62
  Teeth, Jonas  59
  Thirty Years’ War  6
  Thule  20
  Thurston, Rufus  62
  Tibet
  Nazi expedition to  21, 21
  viral outbreaks  44
  Todesritter (“Death Knights”)  22, 24
  Toronto Frenzy (2007)  52–53
  undead disposal specialists  64
  University of North Carolina  9
  US Army 34th Specialist Regiment  4–5, 63,
  72
  US Marines  14, 15
  Vatican Archive  9
  Vatican City  63
  vehicles, use against zombies  69–70
  Vikings  25, 30
  viral hounds  55–58, 57
  viral zombies
  characteristics  46–47
  creation  46, 51
  killing  49
  in Los Angeles  61, 62
  voodoo  14–15, 56
  voodoo zombies  18
  characteristics  17
  creation  16–17
  killing  19
  prevention  19
  Whately, General E.L.  20
  white magic  12–13
  The White Zombie (movie)  15
  William of Newburgh  25
  witches’ brew  10
  Wright, Matthew  50–51
  Wu, Aloysius  64
  Z-virus  44–46, 49
  carriers  50
  zombi astral 16, 19, 56
  zombie animals  55–56
  Zombie Dueling Association  60
  zombie hordes  10, 41, 51
  zombie hounds 58
  zombie hunters  59–65
  tactics  71–75
  weapons and equipment  66–70
  zombie masters  50–54
  zombie outbreak survivors  64–65
  zombie powder  16–17, 19
  Zulfiqar (sword of Muhammad)  22
  80
  Index
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
  First published in Great Britain in 2010 by Osprey Publishing,
  Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 0PH, UK
  44-02 23rd Street, Suite 219, Long Island City,
  NY 11101, USA
  E-mail: info@ospreypublishing.com
  ' 2010 Joseph McCullough
  All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study,
  research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
  Act, 1988, no part of this publication
  may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
  means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or
  otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Inquiries
  should be addressed to the Publishers.
  A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library
  Print ISBN:
  978 1 84908 395 9
  PDF ebook ISBN: 978 1 84908 818 3
  EPUB ebook ISBN: 978 1 84908 827 5
  Page layout by Myriam Bell Design, France
  Index by David Worthington
  Typeset in Goudy OldStyle, Chandler 42, Bank Gothic and Conduit ITC
  Originated by PDQ Media, Bungay, UK
  Printed in China through Bookbuilders
  10
  11
  12
  13
  14
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  2
  1
  Osprey Publishing is supporting the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading
  woodland conservation charity, by funding the dedication of trees.
  Dedication
  I would like to thank my beautiful wife, Stephanie McCullough. It
  takes a wonderfully patient woman to support her husband in
  writing a book about walking, flesh-eating corpses.
  © Osprey Publishing. Access to this book is not digitally restricted. In return,
  we ask you that you use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only.
  Please don’t upload this pdf to a peer-to-peer site, email it to everyone
  you know, or resell it. Osprey Publishing reserves all rights to its digital
  content and no part of these products may be copied, stored in a retrieval
  system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
  recording or otherwise (except as permitted here), without the written
  permission of the publisher. Please support our continuing book publishing
  programme by using this pdf responsibly.
  © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dark (osprey)/DARK 003 - Zombies - A Hunter's Guide.pdf