Q: What is the average speed of a Zombie?
A: The speed of a Zombie depends greatly on a number of things.
- The level of decomposition taken place
- The type of Zombie involved (see: 5 types of Zombie)
- The structural integrity of the propellant parts of the body (legs/arms)
As long as the body and majority of the muscle tissue remains in tact Chemical and Type 2 viral Zombies tend to move rather quickly. This is often due to either a chemical imbalance in their favor or a biologic defect caused by the illness This can allow for boosted stamina, aggression and general drive to get at who or what they are after. In addition to a basic boost to energy and mobility reserves, these Zombie types are often given a slight immunity to pain, allowing them to work past the feeling of exhaustion and bodily wear that a normal human being would experience after a short amount of time.
On the other side of the spectrum are Voodoo Zombies and Type 1 Viral Zombies. Both of these individual Zombie types suffer slowness from one or more potential ailments. Voodoo Zombies are often operating on little to no food and/or water. While that might be enough to slow this living Zombie type to a crawl, the addition of intense mental instability often leaves these Zombies with nothing more than a shuffling stumble. Type 1 Viral Zombies almost always suffer from decomposition or at least a lack of proper circulation, in addition to almost non-existent brain functions. This leaves these eerily “alive” meat bags walking with an extreme stumble and fumble. As their bodies further decompose and muscle tissue is lost, Type 1 Viral Zombies will cease to walk and quickly become crawlers or even entirely stationary.
Parasitic Zombies is where things get really interesting. Walking the fine line between living and dead, depending on the parasite involved, these Zombies can be lightening fast or achingly slow. This highly situational Zombie type is one of the more mysterious from the bunch and only time will tell how quickly they truly move in a case by case basis.
Slow moving Zombies were the norm in popular culture until fairly recently. Then suddenly, almost over night, authors and script writers started re-imagining Zombies in a quicker more lively light. Tired of ttelling of the same story over and over again, a handful of directors and authors breathed new, and very different, life into the undead by speeding up the movement, increasing the intelligence and raising the outward level of aggression. Popular culture jumped on board for the most part and fast-moving Zombies quickly took seat among the everyday Zombie. Nowadays it isn’t unheard of to see a Zombie sprint across a parking lot in pursuit of it’s soon to be meal or jumping over fences to get at what it wants… but remember this is fiction.
The likelihood remains that a Zombie, consisting of a reanimated corpse would most likely only be as fast as a stumble. With no blood flow there is nothing to feed the muscles what they need to keep going and the principles of movement still remain, even after death. A Zombie with a broken ankle or worse should move slower and more clumsily that a fresh Zombie with no major injuries to it’s legs.
