This zombie drug is no joke. It is a mixture of household ingredients such as paint thinner, iodine, and gasoline and a bunch of other crazy stuff that makes me wonder how the hell to do people figure this out. It gets the user high as hell, but it’s pretty much a nuclear bomb on the user’s body.

From the article:

“Crocodile” gets its reptilian name because the toxic ingredients in the drug make user’s skin turn scaly, but that’s only the beginning. After longer use, addicts will develop rotting sores.

and how about this:

Pictures of krokodil in late-stage addicts are extremely disturbing. The flesh on their skin has become grey and peeled, some people’s bones are even showing — people are literally rotting to death.

For the truly brave, the article even includes a photo of a long time user. I imagine the photo will want to make you dunk your head in a toilet. I don’t know. I’m too chicken to look.

This drug is currently making the rounds in Russia, but it has yet to hit the shores of the US. I have a strong feeling that we will be hearing a lot about this wonder in the near future. It’s cheap. It’s effective. It’s creepy as hell.

God, what happened to the days of sniffing glue?

‘Zombie Apocalypse’ In Russia: Krokodil Drug Turns People Into ‘Zombies’ (ibtimes.com <- new window)

Here’s a matchup that on the surface looks to be an easy winner, but before you go ahead and cast your vote, take a moment to think about this one because when you do … I think you’ll see that it’s not so clear cut as it appears. The key thing to remember that in a post apocalyptic situation, a machine gun can be a magnet to your location. If you aren’t shooting and moving, you’re basically ringing the dinner bell for all the undead near you. While the flare gun doesn’t have great kill potential, it does have great distraction potential. When the power is out and the dead is wandering the dark streets like lost sheep, a nice bonfire can open a closed road and if the neighborhood gang just happens to be the target of that said bonfire, then all the better.

In any case, as for last nights matchup … the hatchet went down swinging. The machete still reins king. I gotta say, I do like the utility value of the hatchet, but as Garrett mentioned on the Facebook page, a lot of swinging is gonna result in some rubbery arms. Personally, I wouldn’t want to get close enough to a zombie to get into the wet work, but then again, I’d be lucky to survive the first few days. Sure, I can write about the upcoming zombie apocalypse but those skills don’t translate well into survival skills.

Here’s the breakdown for tonight’s matchup:

AK-47

Pros: great range, rugged gun, able to tackle individuals or hordes
Cons: requires ammo, makes noises, other survivors may try to fight you for it

Flare Gun

Pros: could burn the zombie’s eyes out, can create distraction, silent but deadly
Cons: one shot wonder, specialized ammo, could create an angry flaming zombie

Just a reminder about the judging. These are Romero type zombies. They are slow and sluggish. Headshots or decapitations will kill them. Bites will lead to probable infection, then death. You should judge a weapon based on its effectiveness against one zombie to an entire horde. A weapon does not need to be lethal to be effective. If it buys you some time to escape, then it should be looked on with favor.

So which do you think will make for a better zombie killing weapon?

Updated Weapons Bracket

The Bracket so far

Which one would you take in a zombie apocalypse?

Hammer

Pros: can use as a makeshift crowbar, could break bone, light on the arms
Cons: hammering nails could raise attention, damage pending on arm strength, useless against multiple zombies

Pitchfork

Pros: can pin a zombie to a wall, could be used push back multiple zombies, long swing radius
Cons: could get stuck in a zombie, could be cumbersome going through doors, breakable handle

Just a reminder about the judging. These are Romero type zombies. They are slow and sluggish. Headshots or decapitations will kill them. Bites will lead to probable infection, then death. You should judge a weapon based on its effectiveness against one zombie to an entire horde. A weapon does not need to be lethal to be effective. If it buys you some time to escape, then it should be looked on with favor.

So which do you think will make for a better zombie killing weapon?

But here’s a project that I can really sink my teeth into … it’s a children’s book being ported over to the iPad (cool) which tells the story of a zombie in a treehouse (very cool) which is going to be read some very prominent Mystery Science Theater 3000 Alum (awesome).

They currently have Joel Hodgson, Kevin Murphy, and almost Michael J. Nelson lined up. If they meet their stretch goals, they’ll also acquire the talents of J. Elvis Weinstein, Trace Beaulieu, Bill Corbett, and “TV’s Frank” Frank Conniff. If they hit the 42k mark, they’ll even rope in Neil Gaimen. This proves to me they either have some amazing connections or have lots of compromising pictures of the MST3K cast with a Filipino house boy.

Last I checked, they were 1k short of their goal with only 43 hours to go. If you like zombies, treehouses, and Mystery Science Theater, this sounds like the project for you.

On an aside, if there were a zombie in my treehouse, I’d burn the fucker down. Just say’in.

There’s a Zombie in My Treehouse! – iBook and Sequel (kickstrarter.com <- new window)

The usher’s job must have been hilarious — “Bride, Groom, or Undead”. And while the answer to the last group may seem obvious, I have been to weddings when it really wasn’t the case.

It’s a little hard to see the photo I posted, but that’s the minsitor holding two guns, getting ready to do his business. A shotgun wedding, indeed.

So what was the reason for such a day?

The Zombies crashed the wedding free of charge, but they did accept donations for brain cancer. Posenauer says the money is going to the Chris Elliott Foundation who does research for brain cancer.

The cause is especially dear to the groom’s heart who suffered a brain aneurysm. “This makes it an ever bigger thing for us because my mom has had brain surgery before and so it just seems like a great cause. It just really fit with everything we wanted to do today,” says Fulks.

The quoted passage is a little wonkish as I’m guessing the mother had the aneurysm, although I’m not sure. Maybe I should run it through Google translate.

In any case, enjoy the vid.

NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

Kennewick couple holds Zombie wedding for good cause (kndo.com <- new window)

Well, I remember I visited the town of Megaton to trade with the local merchant. She lived in corrugated house with multiple floors. It was filled with an assortment of broken electronic devices, shambled furniture, and some other derelict knick-knacks to produce an overwhelming sense of squalor. After our trade, I decided to snoop around when I noticed the merchant doing something entirely unexpected. She started sweeping the floor. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Lady, I thought. You live in the roach pit. The floor is the least of your problems.

Throughout the rest of the game, I continued to see the same sense of disarray. Even in Tenpenny Tower, where clients paid big money, er caps, to live also lived in shambling rooms. I gotta say, it irritated me. Did the nuclear apocalypse wipe out simple home repair skills? If you paid big money to stay in a room, would you accept a sheet-less stained mattress as your bed. Or a tattered rug to adorn your floor? Or non-functioning electronic devices to line your shelves?

I would think not, even if the remedies were not on hand. I’d use clothes on the bed, if no sheets were available. I’d remove the rug and toss out of all the useless thing. My point, just because the world has gone to hell outside my dwelling, it doesn’t mean I have to reflect it inside of it. In fact, I believe an ordered abode would be the key for a sane and functioning mind.

And then there’s body hygiene. Under a state of siege, it makes sense to be grizzled and nasty, but zombie or biker gang sieges can only go on so long. Once a new state of normal is established, hygiene should be a top priority to staying alive. Yet, in scores of post-apocalyptic films we see people living like Monty Python peasants. I think the Middle Ages were a fantastic public service announcement on why we shouldn’t return to such a lifestyle. Apocalypse or not.

Which brings me to the real killer resource in any survival situation. It’s a resource that has been proven the most valuable in every apocalyptic event that has shook humanity up to this date. It’s not guns and ammo. It’s not gold. It’s clean water.
In a world of the dead or a world of the nuclear wasteland, clean water would be the new gold standard. Water filters would be the gift of kings. Guns may enforce your will, but to have a will, you need to drink clean water. And without access to it, you’d gladly trade your guns for it.

I never see water mentioned in zombie films, but to me, that’s where all the action would take place long after the store were looted.

Just my thoughts. I’m no expert on the subject as I haven’t lived through the collapse of civilization but if you have, let me know if I’m on the mark here. And well, if you haven’t, let me know as well.

Cheers!
Brian

The idea of the series started as a way to keep me writing daily, and like all writers, I’ve found myself “distracted” by many other things. This web site being one of them. I could list them all but I’m boring myself just to think of them. So what’s the status of the project? Well, not so good.

The first book is drafted with the first half done. The second book is 25% complete and the third book is awaiting ground breaking. Yes, this is a very depressing revelation. In these five years, I’ve watched the zombie market explode and now as I make a concerted effort to wrap this up, I’m watching the national interest fade. Oh well. I’ve always been late to things. Why start now?

So what’s the plan? In short. Finish. The. Series. I have 92 writing days ahead to finish both books, after which, I’ll be wrapping up the first book. Once complete, I’ll start querying agents while completing the final two books. I have to have the entire series done by the end of next year.

Some people write spec novels. I decided to write a spec trilogy. All I can say is … never again. When I jumped into this ocean, I couldn’t even fathom how deep it really went. Thankfully I love the characters and the story as a whole. Some day, I hope you will feel the same.

Now back to writing.

PS – if you would like to read the first chapter, you can check out this preview over here. Feel free to leave comments.