Rise: Thoughts, Part 4

I’m happy to announce that this post will finally conclude my review of Gareth Wood’s online novel Rise. Of course I still have his follow-up story, Age of the Dead, ahead of me, but one step at a time.

*Warning* Spoilers

Anyways, my last Rise post was pretty much just a quick run down of the advantages and disadvantages that may come from finding, and taking refuge in a military base. I’d like to elaborate a bit further on that topic by discussing a few of the other functions the military could potentially facilitate, beyond simply maintaining a fortress.

[LONG-TERM DEFENSE]

One proactive measure pursued by the military in Rise is land reclamation. New fences and guard towers were regularly under construction, and the base’s safe zone seemed to be under continuous expansion. While the base was probably fairly large to begin with, it quickly spread to include the neighboring town and residential areas. Additionally, outside of the fences and towers, mounted patrols continually swept a five kilometer buffer zone that was kept clear of any approaching undead.

The military also manned and supplied small, but heavily fortified, towns that served as beachheads for remote missions and civilian scavenging teams. Establishing distant havens of safety gave survivors access to far more resources than could be found around a single place of refuge. This becomes an issue of vital importance as your population of survivors begins to grow. Towards the end of Rise, the population under the protection of the military had reached nine thousand, and was continuing to grow. Sustaining a population of that size is only feasible through coordinated efforts to conduct salvage operations across large distances and an active effort to begin producing new food and manufactured goods.

[RESCUING OTHERS]

Another service, that aided the main characters of Rise, was Search and Rescue. SAR teams were regularly dispatched to retrieve trapped survivors, and offer assistance to people attempting to reach the base. Search and rescue seemed to be an implicit job duty for the military patrols, regardless of what their primary mission may have been, but SAR specific missions were common when the base was contacted remotely via radio, or patrol did not check in as expected.

[CRIME]

Another topic, that explicitly highlights the value of the military, is crime. There is no doubt in my mind that people living through this event will be resorting to measures they would never have considered in their previous lives. As was quoted in the story, we’re only three missed meals away from anarchy, and I believe that is true. Our society is incredibly fragile, and entirely dependent upon the coordinated efforts millions of people with millions of highly specialized skill sets. The vast majority of us simply do not have the knowledge required to be self sufficient. How many of us know how to bake our own bread, much less mill our own flour, much less grow our own grain?

Looting and scavenging will be a survival necessity. Theft and robbery will be rampant. Rape and murder will happen. I’d like to think these latter incidents will be at a minimum, but they will be a very real threat, and without law enforcement, will be all the more common and vicious.

Our protagonists encountered an organized gang of raiders at the end of Rise, and while they survived (with the aid of the military’s SAR efforts), they were very nearly killed. I think groups of organized rapists and murderers will be at a minimum, but they will exist and will warrant extreme caution. As with all of the other hazards that come with encountering other survivors, I have no great strategy to recommend. I simply suggest maintaining constant vigilance, being very wary of strangers, and not advertising your position or resources any more than necessary.

[ZOMBIE PHYSIOLOGY]

Rise ends without a very definitive conclusion regarding the source and nature of the zombie infection. The scientists in the story somehow rule out viral origin, and some theorize that the plague has something to do with our genetics. Observation showed that reanimation appeared to be occurring under inconsistent circumstances. Some people were reanimating after dieing, without having been bitten. Other people were killed by zombie mobs, but did not rise.

The protagonist even encounter a functioning zombie that simply stands still, and makes no effort to pursue the living. They also hear reports of some undead simply falling over dead (completely dead) at random. There is speculation that the undeads’ limited brain function simply fails eventually, but no one really knows.

Now while I am of the opinion that the undead plague will likely be of viral origin, I do appreciate the ambiguity Mr. Wood leaves in his story. We cannot predict where this plague will come from, or what its attributes will be. Even if it isn’t something totally bizarre or alien, the average survivor isn’t likely to have a team of scientists available to explain all the details. Chances are, most of us are going to have nothing more than the power of observation at our disposal.

Well, I hope those that have not read Rise will give it a shot, as it’s a great read. I’ve mentioned merely a small sampling of the many interesting points raised in the story, so there is much more to be enjoyed and considered. My compliments to Mr. Wood, I hope he continues to write.

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
• Eaten alive by zombies… or subsisting solely off of MRE’s? Hold up a second, lets not rush this decision.
  Rise: Thoughts, Part 3