The Source/Cause of the Infection!

[Conf]

yeah we're alive seems to have a zombie/notazombie switch, I kinda miss the Romero slow burn turning process

[Grognaurd]

There is a subsection of biology called astrobilogy. Life on other planets, bacterial contamination and clean up in the space station etc. But, on the fringes there is a scientist that preaches that virus can be shed from coments and asteroids. They slowly settle in the atmosphere. Birds catch influenza first because they are in the area while we are on the ground. They start in China because the himolayas (spelling?) disrupt the wind currnets as the highest place on Earth. These statements are conjecture with no real proof. But, he also claims that the influenza hit on the same day in the Us and in India. But, there were no means of transportation fast enough to do that.

Space Rabies!

I think it is an interesting plot device for stories, but I do not believe that space influenza is a regular thing. I have also been unable to substantiate his claim that things started on the same day.

Without invoking a large conspiracy, the astrobiology theory of disease is a mechanism of dispersal of the contagion.

[Daniel Glenn]

A mutated or genetically altered strain of rabies sounds very interesting, but what I’ve been dwelling on is how it began. Mind you, I just started listening to this podcast just a month ago and I’m only up through Chapter 17; however, early on our survivors were watching a DVR of a newscast that had been recorded in The Tower. It appeared that the infections had their beginnings in many major cities across the United States, perhaps, even in every major city around the world, within hours or minutes of each other. Though this infection metastasizes rather quickly through the host and is easily transferred to another host’s body, it would be impossible for the disease to appear in every major city across America in an hour if this with a natural infection. Also, if this had been a natural infection, then we would have seen one city or area with the country with infections; then, following manmade transportation routes, primarily roads, as we’ve yet seen a zombie that can pilot a plane or boat, we would have seen the infections travel to other parts of the country. That this is not a natural occurring plague is also supported by the fact that the outbreak appears to have occurred on isolated areas of our planet, such as the islands of Hawaii, at the same time as on the mainland. If the plague had originated on the mainland, then it should have reached Chile long before it reached Hawaii, as the ocean would have created a natural barrier. The way in which the infection has spread would suggest an orchestrated event; biological terrorism. So, let us assume that I’m right, that a person or persons unknown have released this ‘zombie’ plague upon the earth. This raises several questions, of which are: 1) Who are they? 2) For what reason did they release the plague? and 3) What was the initial catalyst? Was this the action of some nation looking to obtain all of our planet’s limited natural resource and dominate the world? A zombie plague would ride the world of humans, yet leave their resources intact. A nuclear bomb gets rid of just some humans, but generally makes the hardest hit area uninhabitable for decades. Was this a holy war against ‘unbelievers’, with ‘The Profit’ heralding the coming destruction of mankind and reaping political and military power by the accurate prediction of man’s fall? Also, if we can assume that this plague is manmade we can assume that there may be an antidote and/or that the plague may have a shelf life. The longer that you allow any plague to go unchecked, the higher the chances are that the plague will mutate and make it harder to combat or eradicate. But if you can design the plague to expire within six months or a year, and are able to hold up somewhere underground for that time, you’ll come out of the hole you’ve dug for yourself, release a dove and be King of the Earth, with everyone you’ve saved with you in your hole groveling at your feet, ready and willing to be your faithful subjects. What was the initial catalyst? The easiest way to spread such a plague would be through the air, say within ten feet. Someplace where there are lots of people jammed together, like on a subway. I’m thinking of a unit that is basically an atomizer hooked up to a cell phone; something small enough to be hidden under a seat or in a ventilation system. You don’t need to contaminate a city’s entire water system, or drop a dirty bomb, or fly over each city in a helicopter and spray the populous. In this way, it takes just one person to become infected and the deed is done. I look forward to your comments.

[kek]

Taking into consideration all other zombie outbreaks and causes out there, this one I think is from human testing. They mention on the news broadcast that 'Ink' is being moved to a mental institution. They could be moving him from the hospital somewhere and along the way he gets out, possibly in the zone where Lizzy and Victor got sick. He spreads the disease from there, and the people transporting him could have been carrying whatever they injected him with and it became airborne, expediting the process. Considering that no one who was in that area later got sick, perhaps the 'virus' can only survive for a short time in the air, say a day or two. that would explain the spreading from that zone and perhaps the odd feeling in the air without getting infected. The mental place under the hospital not on the map could have been illegal testing of some sort of super virus that the creators may have thought could do good or bad. Maybe they were hoping for a sort super soldier, or something, that would be strong, fast, fearless and not react to pain (jumpers?) or giants to be super strong (behemoths?) etc, you get the idea, and the tattoos for the little ones a way of recognizing what works and what does not, and Ink or whoever is one of those doctors changed over and trying to continue the experiment (dr.'s make smarter zombies). Many movies and books have been based off of trying to get a 'better' human. Perhaps this outbreak is that kind of attempt gone horribly wrong?
This was kinda lengthy, but I think as I write, so yeah this is just my rambling brain trying to work things out lol.

[ZombieNick]

Khhhaaaaaaan!!! I mean, Kek!!!!!! DAMN YOU!!!!

You beat me to it. As for a specific infection that causes the Zombie-fication, I have no idea but, I am of the opinion that the virus or whatever it maybe, is the result of human experimentation wither it be intentional or not. The area not mapped in the Hospital was most likely a testing facility and probably not the only one.
Hospitals are typically run by a larger, parent corporation (Umbrella Corp.?), having said that there are probably hospitals nation wide, if not world wide, conducting the same experiments. Now as to the intentional release of the outbreak, I see several scenarios: it was completely intentional, as to what the desired outcome of the release, your guess is as good as mine. World domination, purging the world of the unpure or unworthy, general death and destruction, pure scientific knowledge. Another idea is that it was completely a work of fate, the stars aligned against us, an human error lead to chain of events which allowed the outbreak occur.

Or perhaps it was a coordinated prison break by the test subjects. Now at first it may sound outlandish but, hear me out. In the hospital the zombie that was encountered stopped a flying arrow, who's to say that the zombies do not have other ways to communicate and coordinate a jail break. This is the Zombie Revolution!!!! Rise up, my Undead brethren and strike down our Human oppressors!!!

LoL. Okay, sorry just having a bit of fun but, their demonstrated level of intelligence is scary, couple that which their strength and other extra-natural abilities, looks like us (the human race), is in a world of hurt. My question is who is leading them. Is it Ink? Another zombie? The Zombie King? Or maybe a human . A man. And he rests atop a throne of corpses. . . .

[Hollomandious]

I like the human testing under the hospital (and other places) scenario.

Aside from the Jail Break idea, could also have been released by some hippy who thought that it would be a good way to bring attention to what they found. Idiot.

[Daniel Glenn]

I dislike the whole 'human-testing-gone-wrong' storyline. It's been done before; over and over. Give me something new as a catalyst. Give me an evil protagonist that has caused this to happen. He'll make zombies look like innocent victims of his terrorist crimes; a devil worse than Hitler for Michael and what remains of the Armed Forces to fight.

[kek]

Like I said before, it seems to me to be human testing. Maybe Daniel Glenn is right, but instead of one evil protagonist, it could have been a group. Perhaps something like Umbrella Corp. that is trying to come up with a way to eradicate the human race, or the classic 'take-over-the-world' plot. It could be anything, and thanks to KC's amazing writing and story telling, we know it can be anything. There are so many ways to play this. Perhaps there is an evil protagonist, but his plans went awry and he became a zombie, maybe a zombie king or Ink. Or maybe a hippy organization did discover the human testing and tried to bomb it or stop it or something (explosions at beginning? lol) but instead ended up spreading the contagion. Or someone tried to break Ink out of jail or the madhouse or wherever he was and that caused the outbreak. So many possibilities!

As a writer (well, hopeful writer lol) I can appreciate the fact that KC is heightening the suspense by including all these little tidbits that will make us think one thing, but then the next week he will come up with something completely new and blow all out theories and predictions out of the water. That is one of the reasons this is an amazing podcast.

Well, that is enough of my rambling, I tend to write a lot when I am thinking and typing at the same time lol.

[Daniel Glenn]

No, it's great. I like what you've written. Guess we will have to see with what KC comes up with.

[Austin king]

I think its genetic mutation done to people because of hints in ch1