I've been fiddling around with this with Mick, and came up with this scenario.
Zombies were supposed to be a joke.á Something that you see on movies or joke about with your friends.á Unfortunately, for some reason or another, they became real.
No one knows exactly what happened.á Some say it was an experimental rabies vaccine that didn't work right, some said that it was a newer, deadlier version of mad cow disease.á Some say that it was the heralding of the Apocalypse.á It didn't matter, all that mattered was that zombies were real, and they were here.
Within days, almost every major city had reports of zombies.á Within a week, the infection spread.á By the time the military mobilized, their numbers were too great to contain.á Heavy weapons were too risky to use in civilian populated areas, and infantry could just as easily become victims.á They had more success in less populated areas, but there as just too much ground to face the horde at every front.
The objectives quickly changed from extermination to containment.á Air travel was shut down, and any planes were either shot down or redirected to containment camps.á Safe locations established and their locations were broadcast on the TV and radio.á The military abandoned us in order to preserve the lives of those lucky enough to be evacuated.
Since then, there hasn't been any news.á Aside from the endlessly playing list of safe locations, there hasn't been anything.á For all we know, the so called "safe" locations had a containment breach and have been overrun with zombies.á They could write the cities off as a total loss and just nuke us into oblivion.á There's no way to know.
It's up to us to save ourselves.á Either by escaping to one of the military's positions and hoping it's still safe, or by hiding and waiting for the zombies to die.á No one is going to save us, so we have to save ourselves.
I just hope we make it.
--Excerpt from an abandoned journal.
Important info:
Overall situation:
The outbreak started a few weeks ago, and went unnoticed for a week or so. By the time it was recognized, the infection was already problematic. It was initially treated as a disease, which led to a large number of hospital patients being infected or killed. By the time it was recognized as a threat, the infection was too widespread for the military to combat them effectively.
For practical purposes, high population density areas have been abandoned by the government. The high concentration of zombies, combined with the high risk of collateral damage, civilian casualties, and infection, made it too risky. Instead, the military has created several fortified "Safe Zones" out in the countryside. Their locations are broadcast over the Radio and TV, and civilians are encouraged to head towards them. There are occasional ventures into the cities to evacuate surviving civilians, but in general, they're on their own.
Zombies:
-Zombification is a disease. If you're bitten, you transform within hours or a few days. While research into a vaccine/cure is underway, it is slow going, both due to the danger involved, and the current situation.
-Zombification is a universal threat, meaning anything can be infected. As it can only be transmitted via bodily fluids, smaller life forms are effectively immune, as any injuries dealt by a Zombie is likely to kill it.
-Zombies start as fast zombies, but their highly aggressive nature causes a high rate of injury, which leads to impaired mobility.
Start Location: A city in the Midwest. This is to prevent the easy escape of going to sea. It also has a wide variety to places to move to/hide/start from.
City's Population Status:
20% Zombified (Active)
14% Zombified (Dead)
31% Evacuated
27% Dead
8% Surviving in the city
How's that look to you guys?