Notes on Zombie Behavior - a short scrawled text to be used as a guidebook

 -Seem to be attracted by loud noises and light. Unless absolutely necessary, use suppressed weapons or melee. Destroying the brain seems to instantly kill the creatures. Loud noises are usable for pre-planned ambushes. However, care must be taken to always plan for the worst, hence sentries, "plan-B's" egress routes, et. al. must all be considered, at the very least.

-The creatures seem to go dormant during the night, meaning night-time ambushes/raids are much more effective. Care must be taken to ensure the group stays together, and light and noise discipline must be observed. To avoid friendly casualties, always keep in mind a route of egress, and ensure consensus.

-Visual and auditory centers seem to be impaired, as well as cognitive functions, rendering the creatures unable to do even basic actions such as opening doors, or vocalizing anything complex. Something as simple as closing a door or window, or breaking line of sight and then abruptly changing direction, or even deploying a smoke bomb can mean the difference between life and deeath.

-Pain response seems non-existent, hence killing strikes are the only way to safely dispose of the creatures. In order to quickly dispatch of them, strikes are to be aimed at the cranium or the neck, with the goal of severing the brain stem or destroying the brain.

-Explosives and fire-based attacks have proven ineffective at best.
In a lot of cases, a horde set alight will slowly burn, spreading the fire wherever they go.
 

Anecdotally speaking, I have seen entire city blocks go up in flames after a horde was set alight and the burning fat dripping off their bodies ignited something flammable.

-Barring certain individual exceptions, most of the creatures seem to be quite weak, only posing a threat in groups.
However, they seem to naturally congregate in groups larger than a hundred, and slowly roam around, occasionally attempting to gain entry to an enclosed area by bashing their limbs against the walls and windows.

-The creatures seem to lack any sense of self-preservation, and will gladly walk towards a firing-line while being mowed down left and right.
The same applies to driving, as not even an imminent high-speed collision will elicit any form of response.

-Populations seem to be focused on urban areas, with some stragglers out in the forests.
The latter are especially dangerous, due to the low visibility afforded by the trees.
When possible, never go alone. 

Clearing a suitable area around your outpost will enable easier spotting of potential threats.

-As loud noises and lights draw their attention, it is possible to set an "alarm-trap" or "-bait" by using an emergency vehicle's sirens and light bar to lure the creatures towards a certain place, and then either eliminating them or sneaking by while they are distracted.

-The smell of corpses, both fresh and rotting, and the smell of blood (same as above), seems to attract them.
Before going out on a raid, wash yourself, your clothing, and your weapons. 

In case of long excursions, extra water can easily be packed and acquired for this purpose, as it requires no purification. However, careful marking and separation of potable and tainted water is a must.

-Animals seem to instinctively know when the creatures are nearby. Hence the absence of birdsong and other such noises is a good indicator of when to be extra careful. A keen sense of smell can also help in avoiding unnecessary confrontation.
 

 

-While these creatures do not seem to require sustenance the same way we do, they will (perhaps instinctively) eat as much as they can, sometimes to the point of their stomachs bursting.
Some even go as far as to eat their own dead, rotting "comrades".

-These creatures are no longer alive, meaning natural decomposition seems to both slow them down and weaken them.
What controls these creatures and compels them to move and attack is unknown.

-The creatures are always aggressive, and physical contact entails a high chance of infection due to the amount of bacteria found in necrotized tissue. 

While scratches and bites to the extremities are rarely particularly dangerous, they do carry the risk of infection, and a severed artery in the leg is not an impossibility.

Wounds to the thorax and abdomen are usually more severe, requiring rapid medical attention, depending on the depth of the wound. Recommend all survivors to wear either padded down vests or bullet-proof ones to minimize the risk of trauma to the organs.

Attacks aimed at the neck and head can be instantly fatal, and if survived, require IMMEDIATE medical attention.
Recommend all survivors to carry a bag of hemostatic powder, a bandage, alcohol wipes and to cover their necks, either with scarves or thick leather coverings.