Zombie Cliche Lookout: Demands
Once human villains show up in a zombie stories, the power dynamic needs to change. This typically goes through a fairly predictable pattern. We start the story with our survivors at the absolute bottom of the power hierarchy. They are completely outmatched by the zombies, who don’t respond to pain, hunger, fear, or any of the other human weaknesses that plague the rest of us. There are also a hell of a lot of them, and their numbers grow each time another survivor is killed without their brain being destroyed. Eventually, the people who continue to survive tend to get better at it, and understand how to overcome the zombies by exploiting their own inherent weaknesses.
Those same survivors will now begin to organize and grow. Some of them will not be constrained by generally accepted morality, and will quickly overcome and exploit those who are unable or unwilling to use violence to defend themselves. At some point, however, the hostile survivors are going to encounter a group that isn’t so easy to push around, and that’s where things can get interesting.
About this Episode:
The original script slowed down a bit here as I had Henry approach from off screen. This felt like a complete waste, so instead I had him simply emerge from inside the cabin.
Discussion Question: Potential Explanations
You are now the writer of Bricks of the Dead. Congratulations, you’ll probably want to start drinking heavily. The task before you is simple: how does Henry’s group explain and/or justify what they are doing here? What is it they’re trying to accomplish, and to what ends are they willing to go to get done what they need to get done. Are you going to make these guys straight villains? Give them some sort of reasonable motivation? Do your best! Odds are, it’ll be better than what I came up with.
Typo alert: “exploiting their on inherent” on–>own 😀
“and what to what ends are they will to” remove 1st “what”; will–willing 😉
“Do you best” you–>your
Well, I think I know where Dave’s typos he wrote up during the Royal Wedding were hiding, now! 😀 Some are even just outright extra words! 😀
Hah, found them!
Fixed all, thanks.
The first panel with Henry seeming to appear out of the door is good, although I’m not sure if he should have turned around to face Murphy so quickly in the second panel. it seems to work, though! 😀
Fair enough. I was going for the idea that he was putting space between the two “teams”, as it were. He and Bill are together, making Murphy outnumbered.
As to what I’d do it’d probably be trying to reason with these people, at least that’s the fair route to take. They could, as I’ve implied in other comments on other episodes, simply start shooting people. I would hazard a guess, however, and state that it’s not their intent to be murderers.
They’re probably trying to understand who and what they’re dealing with here. Or maybe this is an entrance exam to their group, hey, go talk to this guy and see what happens, if you survive we let you join, kind of deal. 😀
Man, the idea that this is an entrance exam is a pretty cool one. That could make a cool short story/film.
It started small, taking supplies from stores and other places since no one was using them. But those ran out or there were to many zeds to make it worth the risk. Then they found bodies with supplies and zeds with supplies and took them but there was never enough. They encountered other groups who would not trade or share. They were insulted and infuriated. How could these people not help them, how could they let them die. They were not powerful enough to just fight these groups but they knew they were smarter. A plan was developed and with patience they could get what they needed to survive. Since other groups did not want to share they were getting what they deserved. Maybe if they did not fight back and showed they proper difference to their betters they would be allowed to keep enough to get by.
Damn, that’s a pretty realistic sounding justification you’ve got there. Love it.
plot twisted: one of the new group shows an empty clip, the one that doesn’t says: “same”. You wonder now if Gus really stood up to all the pressure or did the new guys unload and hide the rest of the ammo.
Henry’s wife left him, for Gus. Gus was a great, caring guy. Henry was just okay. Pre- or Post-Apocalypse. Both work fine. Now Henry is pissed about this. Idk how much the rest of the group would know of this.
If it was pre-apocalypse. Im sure murphy would know about it, though. So let’s go with Post apocalypse. And maybe Henry’s wife died after this and he blames gus for that as well.
Just found an announcement from the BCN about the closure of the BCN site in my spam folder.
This is not spam, if you are a BCN member, please check your spam and junk folders for this message and unmark it as spam or junk!
The message’s address should be from the BCN site itself, which you can visit – currently – by clicking on the BCN link on the sidebar.
I’m not an admin or anything, just a member of the BCN putting this out there so everyone’s aware of this. Hopefully Dave will put an announcement up on his site soon!