Surviving Bites and Scratches

One of the most controversial situations in any zombie fiction is when one of the characters in the story suffers a bite or scratch and the remaining survivors struggle with how to handle this new threat. In George Romero's classic Night Of The Living Dead, Cooper's young daughter is in the basement, bitten by a zombie. The other characters have no idea that she is slowly turning into a zombie. In The Walking Dead's first season, Jim is bitten by a zombie during an attack on the camp. This situation is presented in almost every legitimate piece of zombie fiction because of the dilemma it creates; our friend is now turning into a monster, we don't know how to stop it, we don't want to kill him, what do we do?

If you are bitten by a zombie, is it all over for you? In The Walking Dead, Rick was able to save Hershel after Hershel was bitten by removing the infected extremity from his body before the infection spread. This same tactic in the graphic novel was unsuccessfully employed to save the character Allen, who ultimately dies from blood loss. This shows both sides of the coin. You may be saved from turning into a zombie at the expense of a limb or you may be spared the "fever" one gets while turning by dying from an unsuccessful attempt at salvaging your human life. 

If a zombie bit or scratched your leg, would you want to attempt an amputation in hopes of continuing on? Or would you prefer to wait it out and test the laws of fiction (yes, laws of fiction. I realize what it sounds like) to see if you really turn into a zombie or if you just sneeze a few times, take a gnarly shit and recover. Chicken noodle soup should help.

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