The Zombies

The Silver Virus

The threat we face in this apocalypse is not a typical Hollywood zombie. In fact, if you don’t know what a typical Hollywood zombie is, then you’re probably in a better position to learn how to counter them than most. That is, you don’t have false percep–tions of what these zombies are capable of, so you have a clean slate on which to build your knowledge.

The “zombies” we face are a symptom of the Silver Virus. The origin of the Silver Virus is unknown, but it is clear that it turns any living being, including humans, dogs, and insects, into a metallic, zombie-like version of itself whose only goal seems to be attacking other living beings. The CDC has learned very little about the virus, but it has discovered there are two ways to trans–mit the virus.

The Silver Virus is transmitted when an in–fected entity, known as a “Silver,” bites or scratches another being. The transmission can only be completed if skin is broken.

This means the virus is neither air–borne nor waterborne, so masks are not required and water is safe to drink.

Metallic Blood of the “Silvers”

Silvers

Before you learn how to fight and survive in this new world, you must first understand the threat we face. Silvers are a symptom of the Silver Virus. Although not confirmed, the prevailing theory is that the Silver Virus enters a host – any living being – and slowly transforms the host into its Silver form, which then becomes a vessel for transmission by attacking other living beings.

There are two types of Silvers: Alphas and Followers. You can learn specific information about each on page 3. Followers are the more common type you will encounter as one Alpha controls all followers within an approximately 10-mile radius. This means that you can expect one to two Alphas for each city or town in the New River Valley.

General Characteristics

All Silvers can be characterized by the following common traits:

  • Metallic skin: spreads from the bite or scratch location to cover all natural skin or fur. Can make Silvers easy to spot, but also protects them from many weapons.
  • Highly intelligent: Silvers have been known to organize raids with carefully planned attack strategies on survivors.
  • Weakness to light: Silvers will not go outside during a sunny day, and shining any bright light at them will cause a disorienting effect.

Alpha Silvers

Alpha Silvers have the same general characteristics as all Silvers, with a few key distinctions:

  • One Alpha in a 10-mile radius: Alphas are rare and control all Follower Silvers in their range, so they are also geographically spread out.
  • Large and powerful: Alphas are much larger than typical Silvers and are very difficult to fight, in part because there will be a higher density of Follower Silvers close to the Alpha.

Follower Silvers

Follower Silvers operate within a hive mind: they follow the orders of the Alpha, but they also seem to have the ability to communicate with each other telepathically. Therefore, if you encounter and fight one Follower, there will likely be others nearby who will show up to help their comrade.

Encountering Silvers

How to Spot Silvers

As mentioned before, a Silver’s metallic skin makes identification fairly easy for fully-turned Silvers. However, some recently bitten or scratched beings may be partially connected to the Silver hive mind, so you need to be vigilant in inspecting unknown parties. Follow these steps to be safe:

  1. Halt Unknown Party: if needed, draw a weapon on the suspect to conduct a search.
  2. Ask if Bitten or Scratched: if the suspect confesses to exposure, there is no need for a search. You have found a Silver.
  3. Conduct a Search: thoroughly search the suspect. If they have been bitten or scratched, the surrounding skin will be metallic.
  4. If you find a partially turned Silver, you have to act fast. As mentioned, even a partially turned Silver may be connected to the hive mind, so other Silvers may be nearby. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for the Silver Virus. However, there are ways to slow down the spread or stop the spread. If you find yourself in this situation, proceed to How to Delay Virus Spread

How to Evade Silvers

There are a few things you can do to avoid an encounter with a Silver:

  • Only venture outside during daytime. Silvers become disoriented in sun–light, so it should be safe to go outside during the day.
  • Avoid dark areas (indoor and outdoor). Even during the day, there may be areas where Silvers are active. Be mindful of the light levels.Light from a flash–light can disorient or freeze silvers. If you see a Silver, use this to your advantage to hide or escape.

Delaying the Virus Spread

If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched, remain calm. The closer the virus gets to the brain, the more connected an individual becomes to the Silver hive mind. However, it is possible to slow down the spread or even stop it before you may have to consider death.

If the bite or scratch is on the affected individual’s torso, neck, or head, there is no way to stop the spread. In this case, it may be beneficial to slow the spread before putting down the individual for the group’s protection.To slow down the spread, apply electricity to affected area:

  1. Obtain a battery or other power source, at least 9V.
  2. Obtain two wires or gator clips connected to conductive wires. These are the wires you would use to jump start a car. See: Jump Starting a Vehicle
  3. Connect one end of both wires to opposite ends of battery.
  4. Connect the other end of one wire to the affected area. It doesn’t matter which wire you connect first.
  5. Connect second wire to affected area.This will complete the circuit and temporarily slow the virus spread.

If the bite or scratch is on an arm or leg, amputation will stop the spread entirely. Obviously, this option does not sound appealing. However, you must weigh it against turning into a Silver.

To amputate a limb, follow these steps:

1. Obtain a tourniquet. This can be an elastic strip, a belt, or even a strip of cloth.

2. Obtain gauze and bandages. Lots of gauze and bandages.

3. Obtain a large, sharp knife or saw. See: Obtaining Weapons

4. Wrap tourniquet tightly around limb.Place it above where you plan to cut.

5. Cut limb below tourniquet.Immediately apply bandages.

How to Kill Silvers

At some point, you will encounter a Silver and be unable to escape. Therefore, you should know how to fight a Silver.

A Silver’s weak spot is its brain. The virus turns the brain into something resembling a Central Processing Unit, and the rest of the body cannot function without it.

You will need a high-powered rifle to penetrate the Silver’s armored skin. See: Obtaining Weapons. To kill a Silver:

  1. Aim for the head. Target the Silver’s weak spot.
  2. Shoot. A single well-placed round will stop the Silver.

Target the Silver’s head. Any damage to the brain will kill the Silver