Rise: Thoughts, Part 3

I’ve finished re-reading Rise, taken note of a number of interesting topics, and come to the conclusion that I’m going to have to split the remaining discussion points between two posts. I’m already resigning myself to being selective about what I include, and I just don’t think I could do the material justice if I packed it all into a single post. That said, let me begin.

*Warning* Spoilers

To summarize the storyline up to this point, the characters have been on the road, scraping together supplies, rescuing other survivors, and basically doing everything in their power to flee the undead. However, they have not been traveling with any concrete destination in mind.

Now, as good fortune would have it, they happen to spot a few military transports flying high above, and realize that there must be military bases that have survived the initial onslaught of zombies. A few twists and turns aside, the characters make it to a military base and begin a new stage of life.

[MILITARY BASE]

This turn of events is of particular interest because I think it is a fairly plausible scenario. I can’t say that every military compound is guaranteed to be a bastion of safety ( Consider the fate of the National Guard base that people were advised to seek out in the beginning of Dawn of the Dead 2004 ), however, there is no denying that a large, fortified, provisioned, armed, and well organized facility has a slightly better chance of holding out than most civilian locations. Regardless, it is a destination worthy of consideration when making your survival plans, or deciding which direction to flee if a zombie outbreak is already upon you.

Another disclaimer I must give, before encouraging everyone to flock to their nearest military presence, is that there always exists the possibility that the military may sooner or later be under orders to kill everyone they see, infected or not, as a means of containing the spread of the infection ( consider when things got out of control in 28 Weeks Later ). Unfortunately, short of walking up and seeing if they shoot you, I’m not really sure how to determine the status of this possibility, but it is factor that survivors should keep in mind.

Now, with those little warnings out of the way, lets move on to the good news. Military bases are generally pretty damn big. Potentially dozens of square miles or more, surrounded by fences, and home to a large number of well armed individuals who have undergone professional combat training. Infrastructure is likely to include barracks, cafeterias, warehouses, armories, training facilities, generators, waste treatment, and more. Equipment and supplies may include trucks, APC’s, aircraft, weapons, ammunition, body armor, communication gear, medicine, water, and non perishable food. I doubt that every base is equally equipped to survive an outbreak, and do battle with the undead, but they’re certainly going to have a lot more to offer than one would find elsewhere.

[MILITARY RULE]

It is easy to see that this could be a pretty sweet deal for a survivor, provided the soldiers didn’t shoot you on sight, but there are some serious trade-offs that have to be considered. Even if the base is under the command of the same bunch of friendly Canadians that sheltered the survivors in Rise, you are still entering a world of military law and justice. Slackers aren’t likely to be tolerated, and anyone who poses a threat to the greater whole could swiftly find themselves in front of a firing squad.

[SURVIVOR PSYCHOLOGY]

One should also remember that military personnel are still just people, and susceptible to the same weaknesses and fallibility found in everyone. When world order breaks down, military commanders will quickly find themselves in high stress situations, forced to make difficult decisions, and without a chain-of-command to defer to. Scenarios like that in Day of the Dead could quickly develop, and civilians could soon find themselves under the control of a crazed tyrant.

The pro’s and con’s of seeking shelter under military protection hit both extremes of safety and hazard. Individuals will have to weigh the available information, consider the unknowns, and make a decision for themselves. I would venture to say that the potentially positive attributes out-weigh the negative, as survival is the highest of priorities. Of course, this goes right out the window if snipers are killing anything that comes within a hundred yards of the gates.

You can find a pdf copy of the story here: http://www.angelfire.com/empire/garething/apoc.html

Read other “Rise” posts:

• For all your undead medical questions, consult your friendly neighborhood pharmacist.
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 1
• What’s this!?! Zombie flambe??
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 2
• Zombies, and the thin green, black, and brown line.
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 4