Posted in Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: The Aftermath











To me, that is the greatest challenge of them all.



Posted in Women Who Wow Wednesday


No one messes with Selena. No one. At first glance, she doesn’t say much. Her beautiful looks do not betray her enthusiastic will to survive. Not until the infected crash through a safe house does she show her true colors. With a machete in hand, she kills her best friend after seeing his arm bleeding from a bite wound. She would do it again in a heartbeat.

Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris

Adding to Women Who Wow Wednesday is Selena, the 28 Days Later character that shows no qualms in dispensing justice against the infected.

The story begins in a primate lab where scientists are experimenting with chimpanzees, infecting them with a virus called Rage. Animal rights activists overtake the lab’s security and quickly proceed to free the subjects of the experiments. Unbeknownst to any of them, they unleash the deadly virus on Great Britain, leaving the island in tatters from the devastating effects.

When Jim meets Selena (Naomie Harris), she and her fellow fighter, Mark, take him in as one of their own. Jim came from a hospital nearby, the sole survivor from the medical facility. The first thing Jim witnesses is Selena’s willingness to kill in order to remain alive. He can’t understand what drives her to want to destroy everything around her. Within days, he discovers her unyielding determination to survive—even if it means killing everyone around her that exhibits symptoms of the Rage virus.

Naomie Harris in 28 Days Later
Naomie Harris in 28 Days Later

Other characteristics set Selena apart from the rest of the survivors. She sees things as black and white. Do this, get killed. Do that, live. You get bitten, you die. Simple as that. Her definition of living is surviving. The infected are fast. The infected are strong. Nothing she will do can replace her life that was. But she can certainly ensure her safety by keeping her wits about her.

That is, until we see her eyes light up when passing a grocery store with the other survivors in the car. They go shopping. The first thing she advises everyone to do is to not take anything that needs to be cooked, which prompts Jim to say, “I think I can eat that raw.” Of course, Selena has her own weakness. “If I never see another chocolate bar again, it’ll be too soon. Not counting Terry’s Chocolate Orange!”

As tough as Selena appears, she also has a soft heart. Embracing the sight of horses running free on the moors warms her face with a smile that stretches from ear to ear. Talking with Jim, she states, “You were thinking that you’ll never hear another piece of original music ever again. You’ll never read a book that hasn’t already been written or see a film that hasn’t already been shot.” Huh, Selena—the softie.

Inasmuch as Selena sleeps with a machete in her hand, she’s very much a woman. Nonetheless, nothing will deter her to outlive the infected. She has life built in to her makeup.

Always cautious, always ready for a battle, Selena is a powerhouse fighter ready to take on anything that may get in her way.


Do you remember Selena from 28 Days Later? What did you think of her?

Posted in Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: Assumptions

What if everything we’ve read about the zombie apocalypse is true? What if there is a dreaded undead virus that will render the dead as living corpses, what then? What about all those movies about survival in the end times? Does this mean it would be wise for us to heed their advice and treat everyone as an enemy? As part of my Monday Mayhem series, let’s explore zombie apocalypse assumptions and determine if we really do have a chance or not.

Do we have a chance?
Do we have a chance?

Let’s assume a zombie apocalypse is possible. That somewhere in this finite world we call earth, there’s a virus capable of turning ordinary humans into raging monsters bent on sucking the life out of humanity.

Let’s assume a science experiment can and will go horribly wrong. Or a culture exists in the nether-reaches of some forest somewhere that can raise the dead in some mysterious incantation meant to bring loved ones back from the grave with absolute terrible consequences.

Let’s assume those initial victims (patient zeroes, first fruits, etc.) begin to wreak havoc with society. That the whole thing might occur in a deserted place or a populated city somewhere, which then spreads from animal to human, human to human, curse to human, all in a wave of terror that sweeps civilization as we know it today to bring a catastrophic onslaught of destruction on everything we know and love.

Will we survive?
Will we survive?

Let’s assume measures we’ve taken to protect ourselves from the cataclysmic event fails. Our water supply dwindles, our food disappears, our homes become unlivable, and our culture vanishes before our very eyes, what then? After all, all it takes is one bite, one drop of blood, one secretion of saliva to spread the condition to someone else. Who’s to say we’ll be safe?

Let’s assume the government has an exit strategy in place for all those deemed valuable to bringing about the replenishment of humanity in a new society. Will it survive? What if the rebuilding process involves creating a walled city strong enough to protect the last of us from harm’s way? What if the city has checkpoints in place, guards at every corner, cameras to monitor residents, daily and weekly spot checks to ensure no one—absolutely no one—poses a threat to the rest of society. What then, will we be safe?

And let us assume we do have a chance at survival. That we do end up fostering the new birth of the ideal society. That we will lead those less resilient on a quest to bring about the change we so much desired before the zombie apocalypse occurred. Will we manage?

If society has taught us anything, it’s Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. No amount of planning will change the inevitable outcome we will experience at the hands of zombies. We may run, we may hide, and we may believe we’re safe behind walls of stone fashioned to keep the undead at bay, but if it’s going to happen, it will happen. Nothing can prevent it. It’s a law of nature to deceive ourselves into believing we can survive.

Then again, maybe it’s all fiction and we can laugh at those who believe otherwise. Just a thought.


What do you think? Can a zombie apocalypse occur? What are our chances at survival?

Posted in Monday Mayhem

How Far Would You Go?





The question is, how far would you go?


Again, how far would you go?

Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach


How far would you go?