Star
Trek: The Next Generation
had an enemy called The Borg that was these cybernetic organisms. The number
one thing with the Borg was the expenditure of energy. A member of Starfleet
could beam onto one of their cube vessels and actually walk around without a
Borg sentry animating and coming after them. The hive mind, the Collective,
knew that one unassimilated person was in there but the threat wasn’t worth the
energy disbursement. Once invaders started shooting phasers, then drones would
be dispatched. These zoms are kind of the same way.
I have to give Luke credit for this
theory but think of it like a video game. When you are running around in a
video game, you can often see enemies in the distance before they “spot” you.
So those enemies just kind of wander around however their program tells them
to. If you get within certain proximity of a bad guy, they turn and come after
you (as per their programming). But you have to get within that aggro range for
them to come after you. While zombies do hunt, their level of sharpness seems
to have left them in unlife. So 90% of the time, the zombies just shuffle
around looking for food – looking for something to get in their aggro range.
Going back to the theory of the energy
expenditure, I have actually seen one give up and take a seat in a car. (Again,
I think it is just instinct kicking in.) Chances are you may come across one
that has powered down on a park bench or anywhere comfortable. But then if
something gets within that aggro range, they get back up and start shuffling
towards their target.
Now if you can get out of that aggro
range and they lose you, they are going to go back to that instinctive hunting
cycle. Of course, the best way to get out of their aggro range is to provide
them with an easier and more accessible target. So in a way, zoms are not too
different from running away from a rampaging T-Rex or a grizzly bear. (And yes,
I have done both in my adventuring days so hold off your snarky comments.)
I don’t have to run fast… I just have
to run faster than you.
In all seriousness, one zombie will
not track you down if you drive away in a car. They will track you until they
lose you off their radar and since they are not tremendously fast, most of the
time, you can outrun them.
Again, going back to that expenditure
of energy, we noted something pretty important when we went out to neutralize
the tornado sirens. Most zoms just shuffle about, barely picking up their feet.
I think it has something to do with their deteriorating motor skills. Now,
these guys don’t flat out sprint but the closer they get to their target, the
harder they work. When the zoms started coming up the back way to the store and
saw fresh meat, they started hustling.
This leaves you with an interesting
decision to make. You want them to be close enough so you can shoot them with
accurate head shots but the closer they get the faster they come. So you have
to wait but you cannot wait too long.
Stay frosty. They are coming…
