It’s certainly true that the brain is the key to any zombie’s heart, and there are very few zombie movies that show any other way to kill these monstrous creatures. When I played Heroquest as a kid I didn’t really think (or know) that I was be hacking into zombie heads to defeat the Witch King’s minions, but it does bring a certain new angle to the game. Hey kids, play as the barbarian who can smash in skulls or be transformed by a zombie bite.
In my book, there are a few zombie deaths and I thought I’d investigate just how well the various weapons do.
Sword
Wilhelm certainly likes to swing his sword and I’d say it’s his primary weapon. He’s that dark brooding character who can fend off any foes with a trusty blade and, though I didn’t want him coming across as an unbeatable superhero, I tried to show he was good with a sword. There are several times he battles with both zombi and Hill People (for the later see the recently released After Death) and for the most part comes out on top.
The classic way to kill with the sword is decapitation and this makes it awkward to finish of the zombi. Unfortunately, in my book you can quite easily have a rolling head snapping at your ankles so a second plunge would be required. Another temptation would be to instinctively block or slash from left to right, but to lose an arm or leg would be nothing for these unstoppable creatures. Eventually, as with most zombie horrors, Wilhelm cottons on that a good blow to the skull is required.
Polearm
Oo no, no, no. In the battle of Abendale the town guard are armed with these long weapons, ready to impale the invaders of the city in their hedgehog formation. The trouble is that zombi are unstoppable. I remember once reading about the same formations with bayonets and how they could rarely be broken by cavalry. The horses would be more than a little reluctant to charge this hedge of spines, but zombi are quite the opposite when they see juicy brains beyond. On top of this, a good thrust to a small head would be needed to bring them down and this would not be the easiest to accomplish.
Pistol
We don’t really see this much in Demon Rising or After Death (Wilhelm has one such weapon and uses it for the last time during the attack on the mill), mainly because there’s no gunpowder weapons in the world I created. If you want to find out how Wilhelm got the weapon, you’ll have to read After Death and the third book in the trilogy when I write it! However, the weapon is effective at close range. When the zombi try to scramble up the stairs of the mill, a pull of the trigger blows in the skull of the nearest and blocks up the path of the others. But (there’s always a but), these firearms are of an old style that certainly aren’t good at long range and so its power against the undead diminishes. I certainly would not wish to stand near the grabbing arms and yellowed teeth.
Bow and arrow
This takes us to After Death when Emile is trying to hold off the attackers in the woods. She’s good with the bow having been taught by her old brother who went hunting with their father, King Theissen. However, how easy is it to hit the zombi slap bang in the forehead? I’d say not easy at all. There are several times when a shot goes amiss or leaves the advancing corpse with a missile protruding from its chest. Maybe it’s not the best to use unless…
Fire arrows
…you have it set alight! Now we’re talking! Granted the zombi aren’t massively flammable but get a bit of oil in there and whoosh! This one comes from the siege on Darlech castle in After Death, and it certainly brings down a fair few clutching killers. Trying to hold the dead back, the defenders light up and let fly, leaving the zombi as over-cooked barbeque burgers that eventually crumble to the floor. A little roasting of the brain is enough to release whatever magic is holding them up and a fair few collapse to the ground.
So there you have it, how my characters manage to keep the undead at bay. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes they meet a gory end, but whatever the outcome it adds to an enjoyable apocalypse tale.
Remember that After Death is now out, so if you want to give it a try you can find it on my Facebook page by clicking the link below. You’ll have to read Demon Rising first (I have that up for a very low price) to get familiar with the various characters. I hope you enjoy both books in the series.