How to Identify a Zombie

Zombies, sometimes known as the Undead, originally existed only in the voodoo rituals of the Caribbean. But after George Romero's 1968 cult classic, "Night of the Living Dead," zombies took on a life of their own. Here's how to identify, deal with and dispose of these slow-moving, smelly creatures before they turn you into one of them.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Be aware of their intense desire to eat brains. Get away from them, preferably in a flight out of town, as fast as you can. And don't hole up in a shopping mall.

2. Check out the pale, bloodless appearance to help identify a zombie. Zombies also appear in torn, musty clothing that barely covers their decaying flesh. There might even be bite marks from a fellow zombie, but if you can see this, you're way too close and might be a zombie yourself.

3. Look for zombies if you're near a cemetery or morgue. You might find a particularly frisky one in your backyard if radiation or an epidemic has caused mass reanimation. In that case, barricade yourself in the house, but don't get stuck in the basement.

4. Identify staggering movements. Zombies never vary their pace (even drunks do that). They make rumbling, groaning noises as they lurch forward in search of their prey. If they're a "Return of the Living Dead" type zombie, they can actually talk.

5. Smell the decomposing flesh. That's a good way to tell there's a zombie nearby even before you see them.

6. Run when they try to bite you. Or burn them or beat them or best of all, annihilate their brain.

Resources

• Learn About zombies.

[Haoie]

on 7/25/2008 Better stock up on the heavy weapons.