Rise: Thoughts, Part 1

I’ve begun reading Gareth Wood’s online novel, Rise, for the second time, and I’m still finding it to be a pretty entertaining tale. It was my intention to simply devote a single entry to this story, but I’ve only made it about a quarter of the way through, and I already have too many discussion topics for a single post. Consequently, I think I’ll split my thoughts on this story into perhaps three or four posts, as I’d hate to condense all of this into a singe entry.

*Warning* Spoilers

Presented in the form of a survivor’s journal, the story offers a reasonably plausible perspective on a small group of survivors running from a global zombie pandemic. Now, while I really like how the encounters, events, and general scenario unfolds, I’ll admit that some of the characters are a bit of a stretch. I just find it a little too convenient that our main character’s sister happens to be a paramedic, and his future girlfriend ( that they encounter and rescue ) happens to be a competition-level marksman, with a sniper rifle and a backpack full of ammo. Additionally, our narrator is a little unbelievably heroic about rescuing every survivor they encounter, and has a slightly annoying habit of mentioning his judo skills a little too often. However, those few reservations aside, it is a well written story that addresses a wide range of relevant topics.

[OUTBREAK PREPARATION]

One of the first items that I paused to consider was the topic of awareness, and preparation for a zombie outbreak. In Rise, our main character keeps a casual eye on initial news coverage, but doesn’t actually become concerned until he reads that this strange sickness has turned all of western Africa into a hot zone. Despite this awareness of the issue, there doesn’t seem to be any real need for action until he sees reports of the infection reaching France and Mexico. At this point, our narrator begins preparing to immediately leave the city, however, the infection has arrived and he and his sister barely make it out alive.

I found this interesting because I can easily see this being a time-line that I would unfortunately follow. I am fairly good about staying on top of the news, but I’m certainly not an alarmist, nor even much of a survivalist. If I read about a new disease spreading though Africa, I doubt that I would consider it to be of any threat to me. It would certainly have to be spreading globally before I realized that this was a real threat to myself, and that I needed to flee. As the author of this blog, I know this doesn’t speak too well of me. However, I haven’t actually ever seen a zombie before, so I’m probably not going to realize that it’s actually happening until I see some convincing footage, or the neighbors start coming through the windows.

This line of thought simply served as a reminder to me, and possibly you, that one should always go ahead and take the time to prepare their bug-out-bag, and plan their escape routes BEFORE a crisis comes along.

[FIRST-AID / MEDICINE]

Another important topic to remember is first-aid and medicine. Medical professionals are in high demand today, so it is easy to imagine how valuable their skills will be if society has collapsed and we’re fleeing an army of the undead. In this story, the main character has the remarkable (and rather unlikely) fortune of having a paramedic for a sibling. In reality however, most survivors are not going to have the luxury of consulting trained professionals, but will have to treat and take care of themselves. I think this underscores the importance of having at least some basic knowledge of first aid, and the value of stockpiling medicine and medical texts.

[SALVAGING SUPPLIES]

I think raiding a pharmacy and/or medical clinic should probably be an early priority during the outbreak. As deadly as a bite from the undead may be, ordinary cuts and scrapes can become infected and prove just as fatal. Now given my lack of medical training, I really don’t have any great advice on what to grab once you’re in that pharmacy. I will only venture that it might be good to stock up on antibiotics, painkillers, and the meds you need to treat any chronic ailments that you currently suffer. Regardless, it seems pretty self-evident that educating yourself, beforehand, would be a wise course of action.

[SHARING RESOURCES]

To highlight an interesting idea, that I don’t recall having seen before, I’d like to point to the practice of leaving small caches of supplies behind you, as you travel, with notes saying who you are and where you’re headed. It is certainly a very generous, and optimistic, act, but I am not entirely convinced that it is the safest course of action. I definitely think it is a bad idea if you do not have a surplus of supplies, as your primary concern needs to be your personal survival. But even if the availability of supplies is not an issue, I think it is still questionable. You just have no way of knowing who will find that note, and what their intentions may be. I know this is a rather pessimistic attitude, but in the anarchy of a zombie outbreak, I am certain that there will be people taking advantage of this lack of order. I’d like to think that there won’t be rampant rape and murder, but I know it will happen, to some degree or another. Hopefully only a small percentage of survivors will be subjected to these horrors, but I’m certain everyone will need to be on their constant guard against theft and armed robbery. I have no doubt that there are great advantages to be gained by having other survivors to rely on, but determining who you can trust is not an easy task.

I believe that fleeing urban areas is a necessary defense against both the undead, and the living. Once the zombie threat has at least stabilized, then it might be ok to start seeking others out, and rebuilding society. But before then, I think a degree of isolation might be a good safety precaution.

[ZOMBIE SURVIVAL TIPS]

The last tidbit I’d like to comment on, which could also serve as a decent piece of advice, is that the survivors always wait, watch, and listen, before getting out of their cars, entering a new area, or exiting a building. For five or ten minutes, they’ll just wait, watching and listening for any movement, zombie moans, or any hint of danger. It would certainly take patience, but I think this safety measure is well worth the time. Those extra moments can really make the difference between recklessly walking into peril, and spotting a threat while you still have options.

Thats all for now folks. I’ll add another entry after I’ve made some more progress.

Read other “Rise” posts:

• What’s this!?! Zombie flambe??
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 2
• Eaten alive by zombies… or subsisting solely off of MRE’s? Hold up a second, lets not rush this decision.
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 3
• Zombies, and the thin green, black, and brown line.
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 4