Lumbering Zombie Horde

The gurgling moan of the zombie horde means you better run… before the decaying mass sniffs you out and infects you.

The lumbering zombie horde isn’t quick, but it insinuates constant impending doom, adding desperate survival as an atmospheric element to your narrative. You can run away, but their sheer numbers and their deadly contagious dripping body parts make them a persistent threat. And when (if?) you sleep, your dreams are haunted by their vacant stares and blackened teeth…

Writing Prompts for a Lumbering Zombie Horde

At first, the infection doesn’t seem like a big deal; just a common cold or flu. At what point does your character realize that those around them — family, friends, colleague, classmates — are beyond the usual sniffles and fever?
Where is the best place to hole-up against a relentless crowd of half-dead, mangy, brainless zombies? In the basement or on the roof? At a grocery store or gun store? In the woods or in the city? On an bridge or in a tunnel?
Zombies could be magically controlled by some evil wizard. How could the spell be broken and the zombie-folk freed from the yoke of dark enchantment?
What could be a cause for zombies-in-the-making? Those supposedly harmless GMOs? A leak from some alternate energy transformer? Alien space particles? A not-to-be-opened-ancient tomb? A dybbuk box? Cotton Candy from a strange midway vendor? Biblical prophecy? A zit that gets out of control? A bite from a feral animal? Eating at a food truck from “out of town”? [dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”50%” height=”” background_color=”#fcd49e” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#f08307″ ]I loved her. Used to love her. But now? What was she now?[/dropshadowbox]
What kind of things would your mind do as you watch the world unravel around you? Just how would you cope with the withering away of your loved ones, your child maybe? Check out our sanity post for some ideas.
What if you were told by your health care provider that you were infected? What would you do? How long would you have before you hungered for human flesh? What if there was an antidote but you just couldn’t afford it? Who would you want to infect to “take down” with you? How would you protect your family from yourself? Would you tell them or would you hide it? What if the authorities tried to lock you up, execute you, banish you, or experiment on you?
On a tour to an ancient site or wonder of the world, you get lost. Despite your many efforts to find your way back to your tour group, you become more distant and isolated. It is then that you stumble upon a strange ritual involving zombies. What will you do?
Imagine if a cure for zombie infection was discovered. Would you volunteer to join the medical task force going into infected areas to administer the antidote?
On a college campus, students are being infected with a catastrophic plague. Now the campus has been quarantined. You and a small group of uninfected students are trapped in there. What are you going to do when no one on the outside will listen or help you?
Construction means progress, right? Well, what about when a new construction project digs up an old burial ground housing corpses that are triggered awake? Yikes!
You receive a phone call and it’s from your sick mother (sister, son, uncle, cousin, etc.). They tell you that the tests revealed an unknown infection and that they are in a quarantined ward of a “government facility”. They are allowed only three visitors and you are one of them. Of course, you’ll have to talk through safety glass. What are you going to find out when you get there?
Okay, so the whole world gets infected with a zombie disease. Now society is adapting. Everyone is infected so it’s the new normal. What exactly does that weirdness look like?
As the infection spreads, you and some friends make a pact that if any of you starts to show signs of the disease, one of the others will do “the act” of euthanizing the infected. Now your best buddy is twitching, sweating, and pleading from the ears. How will you “put them out the their misery?” Can you do it?
Trapped in the upper floors of a skyscraper by a ravenous zombie horde below, you wonder how long you can survive? What can you do as those around you become unraveled in panic and despair? Can you get a message to the outside world?
The Zombie Games are starting a new season. Can you win the games this year by being the lone survivor running the gauntlet of challenges and winning over the crowd support? Or will you lose along the way and join the throng of past contestants that continue to feed the pool of zombie combatants? Good luck… you’re really gonna need it!

Zombie Horde Descriptions

There is a lot of variation between zombies and those distinctions can be a ton of fun to explore. With this in mind, here is a menu of some stuff to consider…

emaciated, thin, wasted, wasting, stretched, wasting away, withering, withered, decayed, shrunken,
mottled, spotted, decayed, rotted, rotten, crumbling, falling apart, [dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”50%” height=”” background_color=”#fcd49e” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#f08307″ ]She looked at me, her sunken eyes pleading… or were they just hungry?[/dropshadowbox]
foul, evil, vile, corrupt, corrupted, noxious, adulterated, sinister, dire, ominous, pernicious, wicked, unwholesome, malignant, malevolent, grim, heinous, nefarious, obscene, diabolical, godless, hopeless, lost,
putrid, putrescent, pungent, sour, sickly, spoiled, fetid, acrid, odorous, stinking, ripe, rancid, rank, fecal, curdled, polluted, offensive, foul, disgusting, gross, repulsive, caustic, bitter,
infected, diseased, ill, sick, incubating, growing, fungal, bacteria laden, viral, contagious, feverish, chilled, chilling, delirious, fungal growth, mildew,
insane, mindless, thoughtless, hopeless, careless, blank-eyed, vacant, beyond help, gone, too far gone, dead eyed,
dripping, slimy, filmy, goopy, gooey, oozing, puss filled, bursting, festering,
bones protruding, skin pustules, scabbed, scarred,
feral, primal, enraged, berserk, crazed, mad, insane, hostile, aggressive, destructive, unrelenting, relentless, dangerous, barbaric, fiendish, beast-like, monstrous,
ragged, bandaged, wrapped, torn up clothes, ripped pants, threadbare gown, torn shirt,
flaked skin, peeling skin, blistered dermis, caked grime, coated, filmy,
loose teeth, missing teeth, sharpened incisors, toothless, rotted teeth, fanged,
long fingernails, missing nails, sharpened nails, claws, talons, dirty nails, blackened nails,
dirt, clay, dust, sand, muck, mud, gunk, grease, oil, mould,
begging, pleading, salivating, gnashing teeth, seething, reeling, contorting, twitching, grabbing, scratching, clawing, moaning, sighing, grunting, nattering,
wounds, fatal wound, mortal wound, bullet hole in the forehead, amputated arm, break, fracture,
various body parts in states of gangrene, rigor mortis, rot, disease, contortion, dislocation,
convulsions, spasms, twitches, flicks, chatters, ticks,
limbs and parts in impossible angles, bends, twists,
wispy hair, hair tufts, falling out, long, unkempt, gnatted, knotted, animated, pulled out, shaved in a tribal pattern, in strange places, kinked,
distended eyes, sunken eyes, bulging eyes, unfocused eyes (or maybe focused eyes are worse?), penetrating eyes, feral eyes, desperate eyes, desolate eyes, vacant eyes, eyeless, glowing eyes, wormy eye, filmy eyed,
the horde as a whole may be: reeling, wrangling, rumbling, rambling, ravaging, hungry, hostile, vile, animated, active, brimming, festering, fomenting, forming, foaming, frothing, crazed, mad,

Zombie Horde Environments

Though a zombie horde could erupt into action in virtually any place, here are some ideas that we thought might lead to good (evil) narrative fun…

hospital, hospice, field hospital, medical unit, triage centre, decontamination chamber, intensive care unit, secure hospital ward,
morgue, coroner’s office, funeral home, cemetery, mausoleum, burial ground, memorial garden, ancient battle field, unhallowed ground, once-hallowed ground, burial pit,
a quiet unsuspecting neighbourhood, suburbs, projects, ghetto, uptown, downtown, residential area, university area, gated community, city core,
subway system, tunnel, sewer network, undercity, basement complex, under the stairs, in a closet, basement, cellar, attic, that locked room with the odd key, mine shaft, railway tunnel,
behind door number two on a gameshow, inside a hockey bag, under some hay in a pick up truck, in a crate of grapes from South America,
zombie epicenter, origin of evil, rift in the earth, vortex, energy convergence, evil distortion, plague source, leaky lab, radiation center, reactor crack, circle of corruption, mind control transmitter, contamination source, vile hot dog vendor cart that started it all
ford, traverse, shallows, river bank, lakeside, seaside, beach, dunes, downs, field, vale, valley, ravine, gully, gulch, ditch, cliff, bluff, mountain pass, hollow way,
castle, dungeon, haunted keep, ancient city, lost city, pyramid, a Wonder of the World,
in a dreamscape, alternate universe, parallel existence, strange dimension, time warp,
gas station, grocery store, bank,
ski hill, amusement park, circus, festival, fair ground, park,
shopping mall, big box store, warehouse, outlet store, shopping center, shopping commons,
college campus, high school, dormitory, student union hall, lecture hall, science lab,
nightclub, dance hall,
dock, wharf, seaside, port, quay, pier, boardwalk, promenade,
arena, gladiator pit, race track,
field, yard, garden, orchard, farm, barn, out building, silo,
sky scraper, tower, office building, condo complex, town clock tower, bridge, trestle bridge,
alley, snicket, small path, VC tunnel network,
door, gate, passage, entrance, exit, threshold, toll gate,
wall, palisade, barrier, embankment, earthenwork, moat, dam, fence, barricade,
survival commune, religious enclave, fortified mansion,
ammo store, artillery battery, fuel reserve, deserted air field,
zoo,

Zombie Horde Stuff

Some zombie hordes carry nothing but disease; however, you can have your zombies clutch a few cool objects to add to the terror (or comedy)…

weapons, machete, sword, pointed stick, club, rake, pitchfork, whip, chain, spiked club, mace, putrid pus bomb, vile goo blaster gun, infected arrows and a bone bow, sharpened rip on the end of a spear shaft, fiendish improvised weapons, pike, spear, booby trap,
tattered clothes, torn pants, ripped shirt, dirty jacket, sleeveless coat, rusty armour, damaged helmet, aviator sunglasses, top hat, armour, crown, vestments, cloak, hood, suit, gown, worn out shoes, soiled undies,
zombie pirate stuff: barnacles, eye patch, peg leg, saber, net, trident, rope, block and tackle, a dead fish, conch shell, tangled fishing line,
wheel chair, crutches, skateboard, scooter, motorbike, magic carpet, wagon, tank, wheel barrow, follow this link to more vehicles
wallet, key, map, trinket, key chain, charm bracelet, teddy bear, beads, playing cards, Mothers Day card,
random body parts as weapons or adornments (or for snacks): bones, skull, rib, hair, nails, shrunken head,
fork, spoon, knife, (for eating fellow humans, of course)
journal, book, tome, spellbook, records, deed, photo album, sketchbook, diary,
tools of the trade from when they were “normal”: kit, outfit, gear, equipment, tools, implements, workwear, instruments,
digging and burrowing tools: shovel, rake, pickaxe, spade, trowel,

Characters Associated with Zombie Hordes

As zombie hordes roam about and ravage the country side, lots of people come into contact with them. Add a bunch of these into your narrative madness…

military personnel, national guard, police, quarantine security, private security, the army, the Feds, SWAT, tactical squad, sniper,
specialist, consultant, analyst, apocalypse expert,
inspector, detective, investigator,
necromancer, wizard, witch, sorceress, summoner,
elder, wise one, seer, psychic,
paladin, knight, hero, ranger,
medium,
medical personnel, EMTs, paramedics, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, apothecary,
firefighter, emergency response team,
scientists, lab techs, researchers, zombiologist (zombologist, zombiist, zomboenterologist), anthropologist,
media, news reporters, record keepers, journalists, cameraman, freelancer, pundits, consultants, researcher,
gawkers, onlookers, bystanders,
religious people, cultists, end-of-the-world criers, evangelist, fundamentalist, priest, holyman,
hippies, beatnik, peacenik,
politicians, revolutionaries, rebels, anarchists, spokesman, representative, congressman, senator, leader, minister, prime minister, president,
CEO, businessman, executive, megacorp representative,
salesman, hawker, peddler,
protester, rioter, anti-zombie protest, angry citizens, “help the zombies” picketers,
refugees, asylum seekers, homeless, evicted, beggars, victims, the affected, amnesty seeker,
thrill seeker, partier, reveler, fatalist, zombie hunter, zombie matador,
hoarder, survivalist, mercenary,
charity, fundraisers, do-gooders, door-to-door solicitor, aid organization, NGO,
thieves, robbers, scavengers, petty criminals, shell men, cons, swindler,
insurance people, adjusters, inspectors, lawyer, litigator, ambulance chaser, class action suit lawyer,
carrion animals, scavengers, rats, hyenas, crows, magpies, coyotes,
creep, freak, weirdo, madman, psycho,
celebrity, musician, folk artist, bard, singer, comedian, gameshow host,
other undead: ghosts, vampire, poltergeist, hag, skeleton,

Zombie Story Lines

A zombie horde may present the obvious “character vs. zombie horde” conflict, yet there are so many more possibilities for your story or roleplaying campaign. See if any of these work for you…

character must fight zombies (there… we said it)
character inadvertently starts a zombie plague and must fix it
character at odds with a leader is given an impossible task (doomed mission; sacrificial operation)
character fights against society to “help” the zombie infected
an infected character must deliver a formula for an antidote to scientists while fighting against an oppressive multicorp trying to silence them
character must protect a bitter enemy in order to reconcile with another
“worthless” character must prove “worthiness” in the face of doom
character must survive hostile world to save others from zombie horde
character must fight own inner demons (fear, guilt, anxiety, passion, jealousy) to help others
character denies a supernatural force power over his or her will
character must find way back to loved ones
character must suppress hatred to do what needs to be done
character must fight hopelessness or loss in order to help others
character must prove a superior wrong and face the consequences in order to do what is right
character does the wrong thing and must repair relationship
to restore order, character must sacrifice something dear

Zombie Horde Notes and Ideas

You can add in zombie animals to your zombie horde: skeletal horse, feral cats, mangy dogs, undead rat swarm, decaying wolf, zombie elephant,
surround your zombies with a variety of vile undead creatures: skeleton warriors, ghost, ghouls, hags, evil undead faeries (oh, the horror!), rotting hill giant, fiendish troll, hell hound,
You could consider an entire army of zombies: perhaps a military battalion is infected and turned; an ancient burial ground is uncovered and zombie corpses rise from the earth; a necromancer curses an entire castle and the army within falls under his zombie control;
When creating zombies for your horde, consider what jobs they may have had before becoming zombies. This can give you some specific ideas for filling out their characters. For example, what tools might zombies from a commercial kitchen carry (knives, a spatula, pan lids, aprons, a cool chef’s hat). Zombies from a hospital? Construction site? School children?
As the world falls into apocalypse, think of all the wonderful infrastructure that can begin to fail. This gradual decay of life-as-we-know-it is truly frightening as the zombie mass continues to grow.

More Lumbering Zombie Horde Ideas Coming Soon!!!