Z is for Zeke, of course!

(The best part of this exercise 8-)

            Zeke is what the soldiers in 'World War Z' call individual zombies, like Charlie for VC, Ivan or Johny Reb in wars past. I think Mort and Morticia are winners, too, but Zeke is a name, even a slightly funny name, and since it comes from Ezekiel, it has a certain biblical connotation, which, I wonder, does that explain some of my stories?

            As has already been pointed out, Zombie stories are not about zombies. Of course they aren't, you might say- Zombies aren't real. But the fears and uncertainties we hang on them are very real; pandemic, panic, un-civil unrest, martial law... Thinking about your Zombie Plan is a fun way to take a step back from some very scary manure, and talk about preparedness and security.

            You can't prepare for the unexpected; disasters will happen that we maybe should have thought about (the prospect of a new New Madrid earthquake is the one that I think about after Japan), and the only thing which will carry you through is luck, a little foresight, and a mental attitude. Survivors are all alike in this respect; they have survived, and in doing so, they found the inner resources to act to save themselves and others. Of course, some of the rat-bastards didn't worry about others, but they are surprisingly rare. In a disaster, taking care of others is itself a survival mechanism, tried and true, repeated again and again, and we call these magnificent people, simply, heroes.