Chapter 28- Last Dying Breath Part 3

[nikvoodoo]

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The final part of chapter 28 drops in just about 3 hours! Discuss here!

ALSO! BABY BORN WITH THREE HEADS! SEE THE PICTURES HERE FIRST! Just two bits a pape, sir!

[ZomNom]

Can't wait.

I've been checking the podcast since 12:00am EST. I had no idea what time it would release today.

Here's to hoping we get a reveal about Burt!

[Litmaster]

Tick, tick, tick, tick.....

Color check: COMPLETE.
Bold check: COMPLETE.
Italics: ALL GOOD.
Font check: OPERATIONAL.

Ok Kc, we're ready to roll! (limbering up...) I got the day off today, so let's DROP THIS PUPPY!

[Grognaurd]

In this episode we have a new enemy that we have not seen before. Time.

The time given for an air tank is for normal conditions. If one is working very hard and breathing heavy, than it is a lot less. Like the highway millage per gallon for a car is measured at 45MPH. Since most people on the freeway go much faster than 45mph,

"Your results may very"

Run out of air and try the local variety?

Or something noble like, we will never both make it. You cannot carry me, take my tank and go

Or something hideous: Hmm... Two tanks two people is not enough. One People and Two tanks, yea thats the ticket...

[reaper239]

don't they have monitors for the tanks? i'm sorry, it hits 50% and i'd be initiating GTFO protocols. honestly though, the smartest thing would've been to hit a fire house and pick up some rebreathers. light (comparitively) functional and designed for intensive labor.

[nikvoodoo]

don't they have monitors for the tanks? i'm sorry, it hits 50% and i'd be initiating GTFO protocols. honestly though, the smartest thing would've been to hit a fire house and pick up some rebreathers. light (comparitively) functional and designed for intensive labor.

In her previous life, CJ may have been a scuba diver. If that's the case, she'd probably immediately go to those vs. Fire Department equipment. Especially if you don't know how the stuff works.....that....that'd be a big whoopsie.

[Pandora]

Tick, tick, tick, tick.....

Color check: COMPLETE.
Bold check: COMPLETE.
Italics: ALL GOOD.
Font check: OPERATIONAL.

Ok Kc, we're ready to roll! (limbering up...) I got the day off today, so let's DROP THIS PUPPY!

NO DOUBT!!! *refresh *refresh *refresh!

[brad1]

when does it come out?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Pandora]

NO DOUBT!!! *refresh *refresh *refresh!

according to Nikvoodoo...NOW!!!

[Pandora]

according to Nikvoodoo...NOW!!!

OH MY bad...in 5 mins! lol...trying to pass the time listening to rasputina...grrrrr

[Cabbage Patch]

It's downloading now from iTunes.

[Litmaster]

I found a link for Dunbar Apartments (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1066&bih=742&q=4225+S+Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x80c2c861145772b3:0x26feaf956236874,4225+S+ Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&gl=us&ei=r0mMT4LDDubW0QHDkbXUCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA) in LA at 4225 S. Central Avenue. It's got the fire escapes... looks to be about right for Tower #2.

[Raven]

I found a link for Dunbar Apartments in LA at 4225 S. Central Avenue. It's got the fire escapes... looks to be about right for Tower #2.
Wow and here I just figured it was Dunbar concrete harking back to all of the cemented up windows. Nice find!

[Litmaster]

Quick thoughts:

Cracks & Zombie Gas
Seems to be the result of some underground explosion. Interesting that the air around there not only makes one nauseous, but also turns one into a zombie. Vic had a close call, there.

Saul Immune?
More evidence here by the fact that he was not affected by the zombie gas, although I'll have to listen again to see how long he was actually breathing it. The first thing I thought of when he tripped was that he was going to pop his air line and not realize it until later. That still may be a discovery when they get back to CJ's place.

Vic a Maller?
Intimations here that there is something in Vic's past that is going to haunt him, and others. The insurance salesman bit seems unlikely, but what seems more likely is that he is some kind of criminal covering up.... could he have any connection to the Mallers?

CJ's Information Control
Here she goes again, with her convenient 'forgetting' to tell the boys that too much bad air will cause them to turn. Nice going, CJ... now we know why you didn't want to go yourself. I see a big blow-up between she and Saul coming...

More later....

[fridginators]

Slightly anti-climactic episode. We didn't learn very much nor were too many questions asked. I guess it was a little naive to think we'd find out that much at Ground Zero, and I did highly enjoy Saul and Victor's banter this episode. Those two are fast becoming the most enjoyable aspect of this show. I particularly enjoyed their zombie theories - I think KC must have had fun writing those. I also liked how KC focused on their story for the entire episode - it would have felt too disjointed had he cut back to Ft Irwin.

However, there is significant detail if nothing too overt was mentioned:

a) Obviously, those damn cracks. What the hell are they???
b) We now have another indicator that there is something different about Saul and Tanya. However, we still don't know if this is due to their blood or due to the drugs, so all the "immunity" theorists ain't got nothing yet.
c) CJ definitely wasn't initially trusting, and as predicted, had knowledge that she chose not to reveal. Will be interesting to see how much she tells, and indeed how much she knows.
d) The Zombie Smoke Monster does actually infect you, although we don't know how much exposure is required, which seems strange, as zombie infections generally operate on the principle that as soon as the infection enters your body you will begin to turn/die.

Oh and nice use of music too in this episode. Overall, interesting episode, but hard to take much away from it. Another piece in the puzzle, in which we'll gradually learn what's wrong with Tanya, what's the deal with Ft Irwin, what CJ knows, what the new trio plan to do, etc, which will probably take place over the next two or three episodes, before Burt, Angel, Lizzy, the Mallers and maybe even the Colony re-enter the plot and shake everything up.

[UndeadSweeper]

You forgot that Englewood has crack joke. LOL Saul. Your sense of humor is back :)

And KC, you had me going that we were going to lose Vic. Please don't kill him off, he only the spanish person I have hear in the post-zombie age. I don't know what the matter with Hollywood but apparently we can't live through these. :(

All we got is a Spanish gang in Walking Dead. >: /

[Osiris]

It seems obvious now that we're dealing with an incredibly ancient organism that was released from far below the surface of the Earth through the cracks as a result of shifting plates or a sink hole. Kc answered the eternal debate: What really killed the dinosaurs?

Zombie T-Rex!

[Adventureless_Hero]

I am very interested to see where the story is going with Saul. I don't think the antibiotics had anything to do with it, but rather his genetics. It could explain a little about Tanya. Perhaps she knows she is immune (may have been scratched by a Zed at one point and realized she didn't turn). Maybe she is afraid the physical at Ft. Irwin will show that she has had an encounter with a zombie and she is afraid they will kill her. I'm thinking she and Saul have the cure in their blood. But I don't want to go too far out on a limb with what little information we have. It's just something to stew over.

Regarding the cracks in the ground, I immediately started thinking that it could have been a bacteria laden gas that escaped from deep in the Earth. If tectonic activity released it all around the world, that could explain the seemingly simultaneous appearance of zombism internationally.

[ZomNom]

"Talk to me Goose!"

[UndeadSweeper]

It seems obvious now that we're dealing with an incredibly ancient organism that was released from far below the surface of the Earth through the cracks as a result of shifting plates or a sink hole. Kc answered the eternal debate: What really killed the dinosaurs?

Zombie T-Rex!


Nope, it was a flying squid. Sometime mistaking for meteor.

[UndeadSweeper]

Talk to me Goose!

That was a top Gun reference right?

[Osiris]

That was a top Gun reference right?

Sadly, yes.

[Witch_Doctor]

In her previous life, CJ may have been a scuba diver. If that's the case, she'd probably immediately go to those vs. Fire Department equipment. Especially if you don't know how the stuff works.....that....that'd be a big whoopsie.

No. I'm certain now that CJ was either a Bond villain or Batman nemesis.

[HarleyQuinn]

Talk to me Goose!

"You and your damn movies, Burt!"

[Osiris]

No. I'm certain now that CJ was either a Bond villain or Batman nemesis.


CJ is the new Scratch. Only not nearly as awesome. Seriously... think about it.

[Witch_Doctor]

CJ has: <br />
<br />
1) A Secret Lair. <br />
<br />
2) Weapons and supplies galore. <br />
<br />
3) A 1960's movie Woman-in-charge-of-a-secret-organization-hell-bent-on-world-domination-or-fighting-evil-doers voice. <br />
<br />
4) Had an...

[HardKor]

First Impressions:
1. The give and take between Saul and Victor is nothing short of amazing. I could listen to them two bicker for hours and love every second of it!
2. Saul's little "joke" with his arm in the crack made me bolt upright, everything was building for something to happen with the slow music build up. Then when he came out with "just kidding" I was yelling at my iPod with the same intensity Victor was yelling at Saul.
3. Anyone else think the Saul and Victor's discussion about the outbreak was Kc's way of poking fun at all of us? As soon as they said aliens that's all I could think about. Now I just want to know, who called the giant squid?
4. The evidence is building for the whole Tanya/Saul immunity thing. There have been too many clues now starting with Saul's wound in season 2 and now with Tanya's freak out and Saul not being affected by the ground zero miasma.

[Leah]

Actually, I'm starting to think CJ is right about the medicins in Saul's blood. It would make sense for Tanya to be on a IV as well, easy to cover up underneath some clothes.
Also because this might jumpstart some experiments with antibiotics and Ground Zero.

Although I understand Vicky for freaking out, I still think it's strange he's so suspicious of Saul.
Maybe Tanya experimented on some more people at the colony, people Victor didn't trust?
Maybe he has seen this before. He was pretty sure Saul would be able to breath the entire way.

[HardKor]

Actually, I'm starting to think CJ is right about the medicins in Saul's blood. It would make sense for Tanya to be on a IV as well, easy to cover up underneath some clothes.
Also because this might jumpstart some experiments with antibiotics and Ground Zero.

Although I understand Vicky for freaking out, I still think it's strange he's so suspicious of Saul.
Maybe Tanya experimented on some more people at the colony, people Victor didn't trust?
Maybe he has seen this before. He was pretty sure Saul would be able to breath the entire way.

Tanya did say that they tried those antibiotics on the slow turner at the Colony and they didn't work. Of course that's assuming that Tanya was telling the truth when she said that. But I'm more inclined to believe her on that account. I just don't buy the whole antibiotics made Saul immune thing.

[reaper239]

saul is an asshole. "oh... oh my god... oh... oh my... it's... it's... a crack." "no, you have lizzie." "yeah, good point, keep going." "we found crack in inglewood, big surprise."

[GD_Elite]

It's looking quite nice for the family immune theory to be true right now.
We know Tanya was against a check up from last time, and she has a bandaged arm which she brushed off, and now this episode Saul is unaffected by the zombie gas and he potentially has Tommy's zombie blood in him. Possibility?

[ZomNom]

I love the one-liner movie references.

Anyway. Interesting tid-bits here. We learn that Saul is immune, and like stated above, Tawnya is too. And has probably been bitten (by the whole coat hint). But, there's something more here as well. Maybe there is something to the cocktail drip that Saul is on. Remember how the anti-biotics didn't work for him? And how it was only after his ma's show up that Saul gets better? Tawnya may have found a way to use their blood to counter-act turning. Time will tell.

Maybe we'll get a mostly Ft. Irwin episode next time dealing with Tawnya and meet the "Colonel"? And a cut-scene of Burt and Angel in the clutches of Scratch outro? (crosses fingers).

[reaper239]

In her previous life, CJ may have been a scuba diver. If that's the case, she'd probably immediately go to those vs. Fire Department equipment. Especially if you don't know how the stuff works.....that....that'd be a big whoopsie.

any municipal organization will have manuals with their equipment. learning to use a rebreather would be simple compared with the payoff of less weight.

[Cabbage Patch]

I found a link for Dunbar Apartments (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1066&bih=742&q=4225+S+Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x80c2c861145772b3:0x26feaf956236874,4225+S+ Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&gl=us&ei=r0mMT4LDDubW0QHDkbXUCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA) in LA at 4225 S. Central Avenue. It's got the fire escapes... looks to be about right for Tower #2.

This Dunbar Hotel, now a low-income housing apartment building, is actually a famous historic site in LA. Here are a couple of links:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar_Hotel
LA County Historic Site Info: http://lahd.lacity.org/lahdinternet/Portals/0/Portfolio/E-Summary%20Historic%20Study.pdf

Note the outside fire escapes, the grand lobby and the proximity to Inglewood! The Dunbar Hotel is not as tall as the Other Tower in W.A., it only has 4 floors. Everything else is a remarkable fit.

[yarri]

HOLY shit! that's all I can say now.

[Witch_Doctor]

The Two Things that struck me about this episode are:
1) Seems like we might have an idea about the source of the explosion heard in "It Begins: Part 1" I always wondered what was the deal about the explosion. Michael was insistant that it had nothing to do with the new construction as suggested by the professor. Obvious tell tale signs are the cracks and the haze. A more subtle sign was the comment by Saul about a fire not having been put out.

2) It looks like KC is taking the zombie-origin theme into a new direction with Saul and Victor joking about the theories of zombie origins. Can we, now, cross out Aliens, Witchcraft and Voodou chicken bones & puffer fish magic, Goverment experiments with 2-4-5 Trioxin Gas, Harry Potter, Rabies, and yes GIANT SQUIDS (Cthulu?)?

Also, a geological origin involving the cracks could explain the world-wide impact of the (virus/gas/bacteria/prions/ectoplasm/radiation/pixie dust?) Not only did they find crack in Ingelwood, but a pervasive haze. My bet is that INK is SnoopDawg. Woof Woof Mutha F...

[Leah]

But if the cracks would have spread worldwide, would they not have seen some cracks outside Inglewood??
I think it might be an impact-crack., and it is possible things have landed all over the world.
Khalani was in Hawai and he did not mention any cracks there. So did the zombies swim?

[Witch_Doctor]

But if the cracks would have spread worldwide, would they not have seen some cracks outside Inglewood??
I think it might be an impact-crack., and it is possible things have landed all over the world.
Khalani was in Hawai and he did not mention any cracks there. So did the zombies swim?

The Cracks would be the source of the localized outbreaks before they spread to outlying areas. CJ mentions in 28 part 1, that the reason there are no special kinds of zombies (Sorry Michael) down south near the colony is because something here is different from something there. That something is ground zero. Also, Hawaii is a volcanic island. Perhaps more/better outlets to the surface for underground zombie gas.

[Leah]

The Cracks would be the source of the localized outbreaks before they spread to outlying areas. CJ mentions in 28 part 1, that the reason there are no special kinds of zombies (Sorry Michael) down south near the colony is because something here is different from something there. That something is ground zero. Also, Hawaii is a volcanic island. Perhaps more/better outlets to the surface for underground zombie gas.

You are right... Hawai makes more sense now.... ;)

[reaper239]

The Two Things that struck me about this episode are:
1) Seems like we might have an idea about the source of the explosion heard in "It Begins: Part 1" I always wondered what was the deal about the explosion. Michael was insistant that it had nothing to do with the new construction as suggested by the professor. Obvious tell tale signs are the cracks and the haze. A more subtle sign was the comment by Saul about a fire not having been put out.

2) It looks like KC is taking the zombie-origin theme into a new direction with Saul and Victor joking about the theories of zombie origins. Can we, now, cross out Aliens, Witchcraft and Voodou chicken bones & puffer fish magic, Goverment experiments with 2-4-5 Trioxin Gas, Harry Potter, Rabies, and yes GIANT SQUIDS (Cthulu?)?

Also, a geological origin involving the cracks could explain the world-wide impact of the (virus/gas/bacteria/prions/ectoplasm/radiation/pixie dust?) Not only did they find crack in Ingelwood, but a pervasive haze. My bet is that INK is SnoopDawg. Woof Woof Mutha F...

naturally? all around the world? at once? i find that a hard sell. cthulhu, giant squid not withstanding, would actually be a great explenation. well, maybe not cthulhu himself, but some eldritchian horrors akin to him. after all, R'lyeh was a city submerged under the ocean. i find it plausible that if a number of these eldritchian cities were to surface at the same time, it would cause tectonic activity, perhaps releasing some cursed horror from the depths of the earth. mwahahahahahaha

[Witch_Doctor]

But if the cracks would have spread worldwide, would they not have seen some cracks outside Inglewood??
I think it might be an impact-crack., and it is possible things have landed all over the world.
Khalani was in Hawai and he did not mention any cracks there. So did the zombies swim?

Kalani wouldn't have been able to mention anything about cracks. No body can get close enough to the cracks and survive long enough to report about their existence. They even nixed the idea about flying over ground zero in chapter 22 after Pegs and Victor told the others that they drove through it.

[Witch_Doctor]

naturally? all around the world? at once? i find that a hard sell. cthulhu, giant squid not withstanding, would actually be a great explenation. well, maybe not cthulhu himself, but some eldritchian horrors akin to him. after all, R'lyeh was a city submerged under the ocean. i find it plausible that if a number of these eldritchian cities were to surface at the same time, it would cause tectonic activity, perhaps releasing some cursed horror from the depths of the earth. mwahahahahahaha

Global geological event is a hard sell but a story about zombies is right up It-Can-Happen lane.:cool: We're still missing pieces to the puzzles.

[Cabbage Patch]

I just checked, and the Los Angeles subway system does not run underneath Inglewood. Too bad, as that would have explained the presence of passageways below the water and sewage lines.

[Witch_Doctor]

Kalani also says that the zombies in Hawaii were '...nastier, meaner than the kinds here."

[Adventureless_Hero]

I don't think the meds helped Saul overcome or become immune/resistant to the zombie virus. Tanya said she had used her "strongest stuff" on a slow turner back at the colony. Later she said she was using her strongest stuff on Saul. I do believe Saul had A infection, but not THE infection. The meds helped him with that. As far as not turning and being resistant to The Haze, I believe he and Tanya have a natural resistance to turning in their genes.

(The Haze; I coining it ;) )

[Witch_Doctor]

I just checked, and the Los Angeles subway system does not run underneath Inglewood. Too bad, as that would have explained the presence of passageways below the water and sewage lines.

Los Angeles has a subway?

[Leah]

Kalani also says that the zombies in Hawaii were '...nastier, meaner than the kinds here."

Because the virus was much more contained on the island?
The closer to the impact, the nastier they get....

[reaper239]

I just checked, and the Los Angeles subway system does not run underneath Inglewood. Too bad, as that would have explained the presence of passageways below the water and sewage lines.

a lot of cities during prohibition found themselves riddled with secret tunnels and such.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Clindamycin and vancomycin are the drugs Saul's mother used on him. They are strong antibiotics. They slow or stop the growth of bacteria. If they are indeed the wonder drugs that helped Saul over come The Infection, then The Haze is filled with bacteria. Gaia is fighting back by releasing a deadly wind.

Someone also mentioned Cthulhu. I liked that very much. :D

[HarleyQuinn]

With Tanya being a vet surely she had to have injections such as rabies and protection from other viruses that animals can pass to humans. Could explain possible immunity.

[UndeadSweeper]

With Tanya being a vet surely she had to have injections such as rabies and protection from other viruses that animals can pass to humans. Could explain possible immunity.

But Saul was down before she got there. And we saw how fast Tommy change compare to Saul.

[Kc]

I found a link for Dunbar Apartments (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1066&bih=742&q=4225+S+Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x80c2c861145772b3:0x26feaf956236874,4225+S+ Central+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90011&gl=us&ei=r0mMT4LDDubW0QHDkbXUCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA) in LA at 4225 S. Central Avenue. It's got the fire escapes... looks to be about right for Tower #2. Wow... Same name, but the real tower is named something different. I wonder if anyone will find it.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Wow... Same name, but the real tower is named something different. I wonder if anyone will find it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

^ This?

http://www.dunbararmored.com/

^ Or this?

Anyway, why would you say something vague like that KC?! Why!!!

[Kc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number^ This?http://www.dunbararmored.com/^ Or this?Anyway, why would you say something vague like that KC?! Why!!!The real tower didn't have a name I liked, do I changed it... But it is a real place... I have pictures I will post eventually...

[Adventureless_Hero]

The real tower didn't have a name I liked, do I changed it... But it is a real place... I have pictures I will post eventually...

Cool beans. I can already see this place hosting a We're Alive party in the future!

[abayarts]

Cool beans. I can already see this place hosting a We're Alive party in the future!

i'll go to that

[UndeadSweeper]

i'll go to that

Careful, KC maybe plan to make this a reality show and unleash a zombie outbreak around the tower. KC "You guys didn't believe my story was good enough, let's see how well you guys can live through this. Mawhahahaha"

[Pandora]

Okay...I am gonna go out on a limb here. I bet anyone who Tanya has treated for anything medical has been treated for the Z virus. So...that includes herself, Saul, Michael, Riley anyone else?

[nikvoodoo]

Okay...I am gonna go out on a limb here. I bet anyone who Tanya has treated for anything medical has been treated for the Z virus. So...that includes herself, Saul, Michael, Riley anyone else?

I'd imagine Hope is on that list too.

[cupcakezombie]

What if Tanya's bandage doesn't hide a burn specifically, but her own antibiotic picc line.
She said that the antibiotics didn't work on the slow turner, but what if they got to the person a bit later so they were too far gone. The antibiotics might have slowed it down even more so she extrapolated that they can stop you getting infected.
She might be treating herself and Saul (and maybe Hope without her realising it) because she figured that they slow the spread down.
Michael might even have something under his cast.

[cupcakezombie]

Also we haven't discussed the dying trees.
Whatever it is would take a while to kill trees as they process things a lot slower than animals. But that does mean that whatever the mist is, has been very consistant for the length of the outbreak. I wonder if it is just from the air or soil or both.

[HardKor]

The biggest problem I have with this whole line of thought that Tanya may be secretly inoculating people is: If she had found a way of preventing the zombie (virus/bacteria/etc) why on Earth would she keep that a secret? I know people in We're Alive are stubbornly tight lipped about everything, but if Tanya knew something that could prevent people from turning I would think she'd be telling everyone who would listen.

[Litmaster]

Ok, so now that I've digested things a bit more, here's my formal post for the latest:


On Ground Zero
If you remember, waaaaaay back in Chapter 1 (at 2:23, in fact) there was the sound a loud explosion when Michael was in class with that awful professor:D... It certainly seems now that the explosion happened at ground zero and was caused by some kind of seismic activity.

I checked, and there actually is a fault line that runs right underneath Inglewood, I believe called the Newport Inglewood fault line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport-Inglewood_Fault). The wikipedia article does say there was a 4.7 quake on May 17th 2009... very close to the May 8th starting date of our story. I also found this MAP (http://www.cccarto.com/faults/la_faults/index.html?COL=2+ROW=2+ZOOM=c+GPSX=-1+GPSY=-1)which shows exactly where the fault line runs in relation to the streets. Seems like we found the origins of our zombie outbreak right there, folks.


Bodies, Blood, & Dead Trees
The interesting thing here is the absence of all living--or dead--or undead-- things here, due to some kind of gas, it seems (haze), that has emitted from the ground from these cracks. There is probably a larger explosion site from which the cracks spiderwebbed out from, seemingly. And all the dead bodies laying around, which were not collected by Ink and the Gang... why not? You'd think the Zombie Gas would be like fertilizer to them, but they stay away... why? Too much of a good thing??


What is Saul?! What is Tanya??
So the Tanya / Saul immunity thing is no secret now, and I agree with Adventureless Hero and others that it is genetic immunity--not antibiotics--that enables Saul to somehow breathe in Ground Zero. But how can one be immune to a natural gas outbreak??

And yes, I agree to the notion that Tanya has secretly found out she is somehow immune (probably because she got bit before but didn't turn). However, she doesn't want to let others know about this, lest she get the chains and armed guard treatment, or worse! Perhaps she is afraid someone will just kill her, thinking that she is just a really slow turner or something. In that case, I can understand her aversion to inspection by the Army dudes.

Prediction: I see a situation coming where both Tanya and Saul will become the guinea pigs for a zombie cure in their respective areas (Ft Irwin and LA, respectively).


CJ Sabotage?
And lastly, it seems that CJ may well have left Victor's tank half-empty on purpose, given that she "checked it twice" and yet he still ran out of air well short of the time allotted. Why would his be half full and not Saul's? It's possible that she wanted to use Vic as a guinea pig to see if he would in fact turn once he entered Ground Zero, although I'm not sure what she could learn from this (she already had intel that this happened before, right?). Anyway, she is looking pretty frigging manipulative lately...

[cupcakezombie]

The biggest problem I have with this whole line of thought that Tanya may be secretly inoculating people is: If she had found a way of preventing the zombie (virus/bacteria/etc) why on Earth would she keep that a secret? I know people in We're Alive are stubbornly tight lipped about everything, but if Tanya knew something that could prevent people from turning I would think she'd be telling everyone who would listen.

But if you only have a small supply that Tanya said was really hard to get? Maybe her choice is not to share but ask for more if they end up in a situation where they can get more.

Another point worth discussing: More proof that the zombies don't go back to Englewood... all the bodies that are rotting, just left there

[awkwardalex]

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

The final part of chapter 28 drops in just about 3 hours! Discuss here!

ALSO! BABY BORN WITH THREE HEADS! SEE THE PICTURES HERE FIRST! Just two bits a pape, sir!

I got a feeling that a three eyed baby woukd be in ground zero.

Okay finally got to listen and report:

This episode is why I LOVE this show! When Vicky was having trouble breathing I was to! Amazing Job!

Atomic Hampster I thoight of you when Vicky and Saul were swapping theories.

Now I am totally for the Saul immune theory. I admit I thought that it was a wee far fetched at first but...

[cupcakezombie]

Ok, so now that I've digested things a bit more, here's my formal post for the latest:


On Ground Zero
If you remember, waaaaaay back in Chapter 1 (at 2:23, in fact) there was the sound a loud explosion when Michael was in class with that awful professor:D... It certainly seems now that the explosion happened at ground zero and was caused by some kind of seismic activity.

I checked, and there actually is a fault line that runs right underneath Inglewood, I believe called the Newport Inglewood fault line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport-Inglewood_Fault). The wikipedia article does say there was a 4.7 quake on May 17th 2009... very close to the May 8th starting date of our story. I also found this MAP (http://www.cccarto.com/faults/la_faults/index.html?COL=2+ROW=2+ZOOM=c+GPSX=-1+GPSY=-1)which shows exactly where the fault line runs in relation to the streets. Seems like we found the origins of our zombie outbreak right there, folks.



The only problem I have with this is the timing and perhaps the location of the University/College in relation to Englewood. If there was an underground explosion of that sort of level that he could hear, then it is likely that the might have felt the ground move, and an explosion wasn't something that any of the reports they collected in the Tower mentioned.
Also, he left class and depending on how long it took to find a TV there were already reports from the news stations which would seem to fast to me.

[Osiris]

CJ Sabotage?
And lastly, it seems that CJ may well have left Victor's tank half-empty on purpose, given that she "checked it twice" and yet he still ran out of air well short of the time allotted. Why would his be half full and not Saul's? It's possible that she wanted to use Vic as a guinea pig to see if he would in fact turn once he entered Ground Zero, although I'm not sure what she could learn from this (she already had intel that this happened before, right?). Anyway, she is looking pretty frigging manipulative lately...

It's a move that would consider overtly hostile and evil were it made by... Scratch. CJ should be dealt with ASAP. Kill her and burn the remains.

[cupcakezombie]

CJ Sabotage?
And lastly, it seems that CJ may well have left Victor's tank half-empty on purpose, given that she "checked it twice" and yet he still ran out of air well short of the time allotted. Why would his be half full and not Saul's? It's possible that she wanted to use Vic as a guinea pig to see if he would in fact turn once he entered Ground Zero, although I'm not sure what she could learn from this (she already had intel that this happened before, right?). Anyway, she is looking pretty frigging manipulative lately...

My thinking is that she would have tried Saul if she actually did this on purpose, as she already seemed to have a theory ready for him

[Hellbringer]

Someone also mentioned Cthulhu. I liked that very much. :D

I don't think it's Cthullhu. Personally, I was thinking of something like the Thorian (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Thorian) from Mass Effect. That's what came to my mind.

Apparently, I still have Mass Effect on the brain.

But now, it's the sad part; we have to wait two weeks to see what happened at Fort Irwin. Oh, the theories that will pop into our minds in the mean time.

[TASM]

Saul's "crack in Inglewood" joke was great, but didn't make me laugh as much as his Ghosbusters comment a couple of episodes back. Love Saul.
The cracks... Hmm. Intriguing. What can cause such huge cracks?
-underground explosion
-massive earthquake
-gigantic. living thing emerging from the earth
-gigantic living hulk-like thing smashing the ground
-Satan and the Archangel Gabriel in the movies The Prophecy

Beyond that, I'm stumped. Well, there were those alien robots from War of the Worlds, but I doubt that.
The gas obviously takes a while to turn you into a zombie... Or it needs to hit the bloodstream in high doses to do so, otherwise Vic would have gone brain-eater on us already. Thus, the idea of a virus can be dismissed. Definitely seems more like a Biological/chemical agent.

Tanya and Saul immune. Could it have to do with their race? Just thinking that there aren't many African-American characters and the two that there are have been exposed in some way and not turned. Just a thought.

All in all, I'll stick to the giant flying squid theory... Seems legit.

[Osiris]

Giant 'squid' a la Watchmen.

ibOzymandiasConspiracyTheory

[TASM]

Ok, so now that I've digested things a bit more, here's my formal post for the latest:


On Ground Zero
If you remember, waaaaaay back in Chapter 1 (at 2:23, in fact) there was the sound a loud explosion when Michael was in class with that awful professor:D... It certainly seems now that the explosion happened at ground zero and was caused by some kind of seismic activity.

I checked, and there actually is a fault line that runs right underneath Inglewood, I believe called the Newport Inglewood fault line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport-Inglewood_Fault). The wikipedia article does say there was a 4.7 quake on May 17th 2009... very close to the May 8th starting date of our story. I also found this MAP (http://www.cccarto.com/faults/la_faults/index.html?COL=2+ROW=2+ZOOM=c+GPSX=-1+GPSY=-1)which shows exactly where the fault line runs in relation to the streets. Seems like we found the origins of our zombie outbreak right there, folks.


Bodies, Blood, & Dead Trees
The interesting thing here is the absence of all living--or dead--or undead-- things here, due to some kind of gas, it seems (haze), that has emitted from the ground from these cracks. There is probably a larger explosion site from which the cracks spiderwebbed out from, seemingly. And all the dead bodies laying around, which were not collected by Ink and the Gang... why not? You'd think the Zombie Gas would be like fertilizer to them, but they stay away... why? Too much of a good thing??


What is Saul?! What is Tanya??
So the Tanya / Saul immunity thing is no secret now, and I agree with Adventureless Hero and others that it is genetic immunity--not antibiotics--that enables Saul to somehow breathe in Ground Zero. But how can one be immune to a natural gas outbreak??

And yes, I agree to the notion that Tanya has secretly found out she is somehow immune (probably because she got bit before but didn't turn). However, she doesn't want to let others know about this, lest she get the chains and armed guard treatment, or worse! Perhaps she is afraid someone will just kill her, thinking that she is just a really slow turner or something. In that case, I can understand her aversion to inspection by the Army dudes.

Prediction: I see a situation coming where both Tanya and Saul will become the guinea pigs for a zombie cure in their respective areas (Ft Irwin and LA, respectively).


CJ Sabotage?
And lastly, it seems that CJ may well have left Victor's tank half-empty on purpose, given that she "checked it twice" and yet he still ran out of air well short of the time allotted. Why would his be half full and not Saul's? It's possible that she wanted to use Vic as a guinea pig to see if he would in fact turn once he entered Ground Zero, although I'm not sure what she could learn from this (she already had intel that this happened before, right?). Anyway, she is looking pretty frigging manipulative lately...

Hey. On the point about Saul's tank... have you considered that immunity could be based on ethnicity? It might seem kinda crazy at first, but how many African-Americans have we seen turned? As a matter of fact there's only been a handful of black characters on the show. What if CJ knows this and thus, didn't bother shortening Saul's tank because she knew it'd be a wasted effort?

[Pandora]

I'd imagine Hope is on that list too.

yeah definitely Hope. She is prolly going to try and get Kelly and Pegs too. I hope she does! So funny how Victor was freakin out on Saul. TWO WEEKS is going to be HARD! I am glad Vic didnt die. I was just sure it had to be him! I was looking at the time left thinking "last dying breathe" ahhh you got us KC. BTW the last few chapters have been ON FIRE! my of ALL of them, and I didnt think you could top Devils Workshop


OH MY...Congrats to you and Blaire! God Bless you both! I hope you have a wonderful wonderful life together!

[7oddisdead]

Mole people..Alls I'm saying

Good episode..can theorize on this for weeks

[Pandora]

I still think Tanya is making them immune, as she can (drips, needles no telling)...she is prolly a veterinarian for a reason!

[abayarts]

I'm so glad no one died in this chapter, beside Kalani of course.

[abayarts]

I'm just happy that Saul and Vic didn't find a cave or hole containing a plug, that if unplugged can end the world. ;)

[Cabbage Patch]

Hey. On the point about Saul's tank... have you considered that immunity could be based on ethnicity? It might seem kinda crazy at first, but how many African-Americans have we seen turned? As a matter of fact there's only been a handful of black characters on the show. What if CJ knows this and thus, didn't bother shortening Saul's tank because she knew it'd be a wasted effort?

I'm not saying that ethnicity isn't a factor in immunity, but if it is shouldn't we be seeing more African-American survivors, not less?

[Pandora]

I'm so glad no one died in this chapter, beside Kalani of course.



ME TOO! I like Kalani! I might have done the same...I think by the time I hit second tower I would have told them what was up and asked for help...not sure what he was thinking, LIke the mallers would have REALLY let him have his DAUGHTER back...shpft yeah right.

[Pikepaw]

Ok I am going to put down my thoughts as usual not caring if they have already been said. This episode got me very tense at several moments, even when Saul was pulling Victor's chain. Like Vic, I did not find it funny. Also I am worried that Saul's scrapped knee might have opened him up to being contaminated or infected by something. I don't buy that the powerful antibiotics flowing in Saul's veins allowed him to resist Ground Zero effects unless they have side effects I am not aware of. I admit to not being a drug expert in any way shape or form. This thing can't be bacterial, because then the effects would stay with you no matter how far away you got.

We can also rule out the soundwave weapon thing that deters crowds. Ground Zero effects are definitely in the air, meaning it is a gas or a spore or something else that you need to breathe in to feel. I will confess, though I am skeptic of it, Chapter 28 as a whole is major evidence for the Tink family immunity thing. Tanya's freak out about being examined, plus her earlier chilliness and now Saul's resistance to Ground Zero is quite the case. These things happening all at once is suspicious, like KC wants us thinking the Tinks are immune...

I have my theory on the cracks. Clearly they are the opening to Hell/Sheol, if you follow the Abrahamic religions, yay Jesus. Or to Tartarus, if you follow the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, hail Zeus. Or to Niefhiem, if you are a pagan Norse believer. Go Thor. That is where my religious knowledge ends, so in essence, the Underworld. I'm putting down my flag in the "escaped from Hell" theory, and I will stand by it!

[ICEMAN TRAVIS]

I just checked, and the Los Angeles subway system does not run underneath Inglewood. Too bad, as that would have explained the presence of passageways below the water and sewage lines.

You mean passageways that we know about, never know what elso might be under there in Kc world.

[Kn1ckerb0cker33]

Michael might even have something under his cast.

Speaking of Michael, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN THE WATER FACILITY!?

[Kc]

Speaking of Michael, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN THE WATER FACILITY!?

Squids...

[Kn1ckerb0cker33]

squids...

teehee

[phobiarg]

Squids...

Go figure, the Navy breaks an Army's arm...

[Pandora]

Saul and Victor better figure out that CJ was trying to kill Victor..or experiment. I knew something was up when she designated them their tanks. Saul blue Vic yellow?

I am peeerty blonde and I would pick up on THAT!

[Godsendunlimited]

What if Tanya was the slow turner that she used the meds on but when she used it worked and she used the same meds on sol. They were used for fight bacteria and the haze was full of bacteria(theory). So, do you think Tanya actually has the cure?

[Pandora]

What if Tanya was the slow turner that she used the meds on but when she used it worked and she used the same meds on sol. They were used for fight bacteria and the haze was full of bacteria(theory). So, do you think Tanya actually has the cure?

She has definitely had the opportunity more than any other. Treating z's, she is known to try and curb the virus.

[Witch_Doctor]

Between 3:30 and 3:47 I can hear sirens. Is this a sound mixing error or am I miss hearing something else?

[Condor]

Saul makes the comment "...rotting bodies were scattered all over..." -- After 3 months, shouldn't the bodies be completely rotted and decomposed and not "rotting"?

When Saul, stuck his hand into the crack, I kept thinking "No Saul, No Saul,..." I just knew he was going to drop the camera and they were going to have to find a way to retrieve it, which would have led to one of them running out of air and the "last dying breath".
I didn't, however, fall for the "arm grab". As soon as Saul started screaming, I knew he was just f-ing with Victor.


Also we haven't discussed the dying trees.
Whatever it is would take a while to kill trees as they process things a lot slower than animals. But that does mean that whatever the mist is, has been very consistant for the length of the outbreak. I wonder if it is just from the air or soil or both.
That's a good point, there would have to be a constant flow of the haze since the outbreak, otherwise a single "burst" it would have dissipated by now.


I'm not saying that ethnicity isn't a factor in immunity, but if it is shouldn't we be seeing more African-American survivors, not less?
We really don't know much about the "red shirts" of the tower and we only know about a handful of the Colony so there could be more. Also, I know this might sound racist, but (statistically) a large percentage of prison populations are African-American, so logically many of the Mallers should be.


Careful, KC maybe plan to make this a reality show and unleash a zombie outbreak around the tower. KC "You guys didn't believe my story was good enough, let's see how well you guys can live through this. Mawhahahaha"
Now that's a show I'd want to be a contestant on.


Mole people..Alls I'm saying
Crab people! :)


Also, a geological origin involving the cracks could explain the world-wide impact of the (virus/gas/bacteria/prions/ectoplasm/radiation/pixie dust?) Not only did they find crack in Ingelwood, but a pervasive haze. My bet is that INK is SnoopDawg. Woof Woof Mutha F...
LMAO

[Red Shirt]

I just checked, and the Los Angeles subway system does not run underneath Inglewood. Too bad, as that would have explained the presence of passageways below the water and sewage lines.

No, but the Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon Fault Zone (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqscanv/FaultMaps/Los_Angeles.html) is.


It seems obvious now that we're dealing with an incredibly ancient organism that was released from far below the surface of the Earth through the cracks as a result of shifting plates or a sink hole. Kc answered the eternal debate: What really killed the dinosaurs?

Indeed. An ancient bacteria that was trapped deep under the Earth and released during a minor quake. Biologists have discovered bacteria living in rock strata a mile down... it's not that much of a stretch of the imagination that there is more to be discovered several miles down. The danger there is that It would likely disappeared from the surface of the Earth millions of years before primate evolution began. If the Inglewood cracks play out along these lines, I'd be curious to see if there are any insects surviving at "Ground Zero."

Doubtful, because it would seem that whatever it is it is killing the trees too... if that is the case and this thing kills everything, then I posit that this thing has been absent from the surface for nearly the entirety of Earths history. It would have emerged in the Archean (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archean) Eon, then have been "sequestered" "shortly" thereafter. As hostile to life as this thing seems to be, it would have to be for the rest of evolution to have progressed.


Dr. Tanya did say that they tried the Super-Antibiotic cocktail on a "slow-burn" infected, but it didn't work. Perhaps Saul having it in his system before possible infection granted him immunity.

I just wish that I had posted my thoughts on this sooner. I already had the sub-surface bacteriological idea before this weeks episode. Hearing that there were cracks in the ground cemented it for me.

[Pandora]

Between 3:30 and 3:47 I can hear sirens. Is this a sound mixing error or am I miss hearing something else?

I think it is the vehicles rpms changing and wind?

[cupcakezombie]

Saul makes the comment "...rotting bodies were scattered all over..." -- After 3 months, shouldn't the bodies be completely rotted and decomposed and not "rotting"?



Not necessarily. Remember that there are no animals or insects and possibly not even normal decomposition bacteria living in the area. These all play a huge part in the rotting process. So it would only be the affect of the weather. The bodies are probably more like ones that are covered and sealed in a 'normal' situation.

[awkwardalex]

In association to all i'm plugging three things together from what we learned today. And it could be far fetched i admit that.
1. Cracks that go far underground from (possibly) a minor earth quake. That they beileve could be a gas leak
2. Way back when in chapter one Michael hears a boom that makes him leave his classroom
3. Many almost all zombies turn within seconds or a minute.

Could this 'boom' be from ground zero?

[yarri]

In association to all i'm plugging three things together from what we learned today. And it could be far fetched i admit that.
1. Cracks that go far underground from (possibly) a minor earth quake. That they beileve could be a gas leak
2. Way back when in chapter one Michael hears a boom that makes him leave his classroom
3. Many almost all zombies turn within seconds or a minute.

Could this 'boom' be from ground zero?

OH alex freaking awesome idea! how far was Michael from ground zero?

[7oddisdead]

Lemme throw this around

The buildings on the street had burned. Burned...not blown up..leads me to believe gas line breaks...not gas line booms...im putting something together in my head...

[GeneTwo]

O... M... G...

I just saw this quote on the "Favorite Quotes", where Datu says to Michael "Michael, I've seen some scary things in my life...but Kelly? Like that?" That is Kelly naked and wet, because of showering.

So we know that Kelly is horny. Was she trying to get IT ON with Datu way back when!!! First Kalani now Datu. Ok, It happened to Datu first, but still.

[yarri]

Lemme throw this around

The buildings on the street had burned. Burned...not blown up..leads me to believe gas line breaks...not gas line booms...im putting something together in my head...

Todd, we both know I've not got great understanding of mechanics but help me understand. Wouldn't a blown up gas line make a boom then the burn would happen? Which could be what Michael heard at school?

[cupcakezombie]

In association to all i'm plugging three things together from what we learned today. And it could be far fetched i admit that.
1. Cracks that go far underground from (possibly) a minor earth quake. That they beileve could be a gas leak
2. Way back when in chapter one Michael hears a boom that makes him leave his classroom
3. Many almost all zombies turn within seconds or a minute.

Could this 'boom' be from ground zero?

Again the problem I have with this is the timing and perhaps the location of the University/College in relation to Inglewood. If there was an underground explosion of that sort of level that he could hear, then it is likely that the might have felt the ground move. To make cracks in the ground of that size it needs to be a reasonable major jolt.
An earthquake or explosion wasn't something that any of the reports they collected in the Tower mentions. It seems to be likely that might have come up at some point.
Also, he left class and depending on how long it took to find a TV there were already reports from the news stations which would seem to fast to me.

On the other hand I have no other explanation for how this occurred at all. :)

[7oddisdead]

Again the problem I have with this is the timing and perhaps the location of the University/College in relation to Inglewood. If there was an underground explosion of that sort of level that he could hear, then it is likely that the might have felt the ground move. To make cracks in the ground of that size it needs to be a reasonable major jolt.
An earthquake or explosion wasn't something that any of the reports they collected in the Tower mentions. It seems to be likely that might have come up at some point.
Also, he left class and depending on how long it took to find a TV there were already reports from the news stations which would seem to fast to me.

On the other hand I have no other explanation for how this occurred at all. :)

And this is what I'm wrapping my head around...did the cracks cause the boom..or the boom cause the cracks...when your given so little info..the natural progression is to tie them together

[yarri]

And this is what I'm wrapping my head around...did the cracks cause the boom..or the boom cause the cracks...when your given so little info..the natural progression is to tie them together

Just means we have to work it from both angles... which at the moment hurts my brain

[Ra1th]

Here's my problem with the earthquake releases ancient bacteria problem. The outbreak happened simultaneously throughout a number of major cities. The only way that could have happened is if there were a number of earthquakes in a number of different places. And if there was something like that taking place, then we would have heard about the earthquake that came before the outbreak. Also if the boom michael heard was the earthquake that began the outbreak, then they would have mentioned crazy shaking. An earthquake would need to be an 8 or higher to start cracking the ground open the way it was described, and I guarantee you that everyone would have felt a level 8 earthquake. Just my two cents. Also angel still isn't back yet. :(

[Leah]

I'm still keeping to my theory that the cracks are impact-cracks, form something landing with major force.

1. Cracks run only locally (Inglewood is not that big), an earthquake would cause larger cracks and buildings would collapse, not burn.
2. Michael and other survivors must have felt the ground shaking. - But they did not
3. None of the news teams reported the ground shaking, which would be their reason to go to Inglewood.
4. Buildings were burnt, my guess is that whatever landed also burned with the rest.
5. Also explaines the dead corpses, these were people who died during the impact/ crash, not by zombies.

Only problem I see with this theory is the BIG BOOM we heard in Chapter 1. If that BOOM was the crashing of the vessel, the news reports were on it way to soon. However, if something landed and then exploded, that would give the news crew time to be there on time.

Thoughts anyone?:)

[Triggernator]

Just as an aside. As a geology student I can tell you that anything biological underground in Hawaii is likely to be crispy fried due to all the magmatic chambers under the island and the fact that the island isn't all that old. Also the idea of multiple earthquakes is very unlikely as we know from the news casts from season 1 (The two things, Part 3) it is in multiple cities (Detroit, San Diego, New York, Houston, Chicago) across america and internationally. None of other mentioned (save San Diego) cities are near a Fault system, so a tectonic hazard is out of it.
Also the Saul's Antibiotics didn't save the infected person, but what if the are acting to prevent Infection. It is mentioned that they stop the reproduction of bacteria right? So what if they are stopping the initial infection from spreading, acting as an inhibitor and slowing the growth of the zombism. This might lead to Saul gaining a form of immunity, as now he has been infected with a weakened version of the virus (like an inoculation) due to the bacteria being weakened from the Antibiotics in his system.

[Grognaurd]

The Salk Institute?

http://www.salk.edu/

Nah, it is too far south

[7oddisdead]

alright, i try to keep the more "crackpot" stuff out of the chapter discussion threads...but here we go....fiction ahead.

ive been thinking along similar lines to leah's above post about impact cracks. really something about the entire description of the scenery at ground zero didnt add up. as many others have mentioned, an earthquake type thing couldn't have caused them..people would have mentioned that..the explosion couldnt have been underground...michael likely wouldnt have heard it from his location at school..

sooo


saul can joke about it as much as he wants, but to my outside eye..this feels very alien. the way im seeing it is this; ship enters our atmospere at a high enough velocity heading straight for the ground that a sonic boom of sorts happens over not just inglewood, but all of LA..hence michael hearing it from the school..obviously the ship or whatever must have been relatively small to avoid burning up on entry..and something like that could hit the earth with enough force to cause the cracks but perhaps it didnt stop at the surface..it just kept goin down...leaving us with a lovely alien bacteria soup up here to deal with...and i mean, shit..if i were invading another planet, first thing i would do is bring in something that would cause the planets top species to wipe itself out...hands free genocide..heh

well enough of my made up stuff..(ive been reading a ton of hard sci fi lately, can you tell?)

another thing though...what if saul isnt immune, but simply a carrier? wonder why lizzies getting sick...

kaw

[Eviebae]

I'm assuming that exposure to The Haze caused the zombie outbreak. I'm also assuming that Ground Zero's explosions (Michael Bay!) and cracks in the ground allowed more of The Haze to escape all at once and that it continues to escape at larger, more toxic levels than anywhere else (otherwise it would dissipate with the first Santa Ana). That all sort of implies a massive and continuous supply of the stuff.

If you say natural disaster, you have to account for Ink and his prescient tattoos. If you say manmade, you have to account for the science of it all.

::Edited to Add:: It acts like a toxin and a disease at the same time.

[Litmaster]

In association to all i'm plugging three things together from what we learned today. And it could be far fetched i admit that.
1. Cracks that go far underground from (possibly) a minor earth quake. That they beileve could be a gas leak
2. Way back when in chapter one Michael hears a boom that makes him leave his classroom
3. Many almost all zombies turn within seconds or a minute.

Could this 'boom' be from ground zero?

Yeah... I already brought that up back on page 7 with this:



On Ground Zero
If you remember, waaaaaay back in Chapter 1 (at 2:23, in fact) there was the sound a loud explosion when Michael was in class with that awful professor:D... It certainly seems now that the explosion happened at ground zero and was caused by some kind of seismic activity.

Also,


An earthquake or explosion wasn't something that any of the reports they collected in the Tower mentions. It seems to be likely that might have come up at some point.

Several people brought this up, but we should keep in mind that anyone around the boom was likely turned or killed. And Michael was 20 miles away from the boom, I think it mentions in Chapter 1...


Here's my problem with the earthquake releases ancient bacteria problem. The outbreak happened simultaneously throughout a number of major cities. The only way that could have happened is if there were a number of earthquakes in a number of different places.

Right, that's my issue with the whole earthquake theory. It would be one thing if they were all around the Ring of Fire (still really unlikely), but the reports on the TIVO Lizzy finds mention cities like Houston and Chicago... not near any fault lines there that I know of.

A viral outbreak of 'natural' origins is generally only going to have one epicenter. If there are multiple epicenters to the overall pandemic, that points to only one cause: bio-terrorism.



I'm still keeping to my theory that the cracks are impact-cracks, form something landing with major force.

1. Cracks run only locally (Inglewood is not that big), an earthquake would cause larger cracks and buildings would collapse, not burn.
2. Michael and other survivors must have felt the ground shaking. - But they did not
3. None of the news teams reported the ground shaking, which would be their reason to go to Inglewood.
4. Buildings were burnt, my guess is that whatever landed also burned with the rest.
5. Also explaines the dead corpses, these were people who died during the impact/ crash, not by zombies.

Only problem I see with this theory is the BIG BOOM we heard in Chapter 1. If that BOOM was the crashing of the vessel, the news reports were on it way to soon. However, if something landed and then exploded, that would give the news crew time to be there on time.

Thoughts anyone?:)

The cracks aren't just local (see above). The thing I can't figure out is, if this is caused by bio-terrorists, then why the underground delivery of the bacteria and why an explosion?? The only thing that could cause cracks like that is either an underground explosion or earthquake.

Also, I mentioned back on page 7 that the cracks probably spiderwebbed out from a central blast site, but in listening again Vic saw the crack get to a maximum width of 6 inches and then narrow again from there. This would mean no central blast site or UFO impact landing site. Didn't Kc already dispel that one with his joke about dead aliens?


Just as an aside. As a geology student I can tell you that anything biological underground in Hawaii is likely to be crispy fried due to all the magmatic chambers under the island and the fact that the island isn't all that old. Also the idea of multiple earthquakes is very unlikely as we know from the news casts from season 1 (The two things, Part 3) it is in multiple cities (Detroit, San Diego, New York, Houston, Chicago) across america and internationally. None of other mentioned (save San Diego) cities are near a Fault system, so a tectonic hazard is out of it.

Also the Saul's Antibiotics didn't save the infected person, but what if the are acting to prevent Infection. It is mentioned that they stop the reproduction of bacteria right? So what if they are stopping the initial infection from spreading, acting as an inhibitor and slowing the growth of the zombism. This might lead to Saul gaining a form of immunity, as now he has been infected with a weakened version of the virus (like an inoculation) due to the bacteria being weakened from the Antibiotics in his system.

Now that's something new... that Saul has been inoculated by a Zombie booster shot, of a kind. Gave you rep for that.

[zombiesurvivor]

Tanya did say that they tried those antibiotics on the slow turner at the Colony and they didn't work. Of course that's assuming that Tanya was telling the truth when she said that. But I'm more inclined to believe her on that account. I just don't buy the whole antibiotics made Saul immune thing.

The questions that pops into my head all the time is what is Tanya hiding under her bandage. Did she burn herself in surgery? Or is she hiding something else? What about Saul and his medicine? What is in his medicine?

[Jeebogs]

I liked the banter Between Saul and Vicky. Saul is really getting into his stride with all the film quotes, cheesetastic.
I was on the edge of my seat with all of KC's "Red Herrings" though, the arm in the crack, Sauls fall etc. Glad they both survived, but I had a feeling they would.

I still think CJ is treating VicSaul as pawns though. She's still holding back info from them. Designating which tank is whose? Hmmm. Also, why not give them extra tanks in the car? That way, their stay is extended and they have a sure supply for the journey home. The car won't mind carrying the extra weight, surely?

[Adventureless_Hero]

Everyone has been pointing to the explosion Michael heard in his classroom as possibly being the point at which the ground ruptured in Inglewood. It's possible but I do agree that there likely would have been early reports of earthquakes and what not, despite the fact that the bigger news of people acting batshit crazy was taking place. I can't overlook the fact that perhaps there were reports of earthquakes but we just didn't hear about them. As far as I know, earthquakes are pretty common place in L.A., right? So perhaps the survivors did experience earthquakes, but the more pressing matter of zombies has been occupying thier mind. It doesn't seem so unlikely that the minute more survivors learn about the cracks that people could start saying, "Yeah, come to think of it, I did feel tremors."

We DO HAVE ONE DOCUMENTED CASE FROM THE MAIN CHARACTER in episode 2-1, May 8th, the day of the outbreak. I documented it in the time line long ago. Michael take guard duty and puts his back to the door. He notes that he feels vibrations and dismisses them as distant explosions. It could have been more earthquakes, possibly on a more severe and news worthy level.

As to what caused them or what is in the Haze, I have no clue. I did like Triggernator's post (http://www.zombiepodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?3120-Chapter-28-Last-Dying-Breath-Part-3&p=38185&viewfull=1#post38185) but we also have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief. Although I think some research into the hardy bacteria that survive in harsh climates are worth reading into. There are some amazing things to be found in deep sea thermal vents, though I don't imagine any bacteria can thrive in magma. I really did put a lot of stock into the alien theory, especially with the groups of zombies acting in a military fashion, but it seems that is falling apart as a solid theory since there were no badass spaceships to be found at ground zero.

[Chogidog]

A couple questions for me from the episode:
1) Were the cars set up as roadblocks to keep ppl out, or just left random/riot style?
2) Saul asks Victor twice if he's doing ok, and tries to make Victor take the entire tank before they get to the car. Did he already know he's immune or is the point that he tells Victor that the air is good and it's not proof that it's a surprise to him?
3) Will Saul's knee scrape be more proof of his immunity? If it's an open wound, is that a route to infection?
4) If the crack is big enough that foundations and houses are falling in, why is he taking dollar bill wide - 6" pic's?
5) Victor has a history of seeing sewer and gas lines? Was he more than an insurance salesman?



Also we haven't discussed the dying trees.
Whatever it is would take a while to kill trees as they process things a lot slower than animals. But that does mean that whatever the mist is, has been very consistant for the length of the outbreak. I wonder if it is just from the air or soil or both.

Zombie Trees! - Cue the Whomping Willows and Treebeards!

[Leah]

We DO HAVE ONE DOCUMENTED CASE FROM THE MAIN CHARACTER in episode 2-1, May 8th, the day of the outbreak. I documented it in the time line long ago. Michael take guard duty and puts his back to the door. He notes that he feels vibrations and dismisses them as distant explosions. It could have been more earthquakes, possibly on a more severe and news worthy level.

I really did put a lot of stock into the alien theory, especially with the groups of zombies acting in a military fashion, but it seems that is falling apart as a solid theory since there were no badass spaceships to be found at ground zero.

Oh Yeah, I forgot about those vibrations.... but they could very well be the explosions caused by fires in Inglewood:)

Don't give up on the alien theory yet! The spaceships might have burnt, or what if they weren't spaceships put man-made toxic-gas bombs? Alien or not, an absence of spaceships or whatever does not mean there weren't any.

Going back to my impact-cracks theory:
1. Cracks run only locally (Inglewood is not that big), an earthquake would cause larger cracks and buildings would collapse, not burn.
2. Michael and other survivors must have felt the ground shaking. - But they did not
3. None of the news teams reported the ground shaking, which would be their reason to go to Inglewood.
4. Buildings were burnt, my guess is that whatever landed also burned with the rest.
5. Also explaines the dead corpses, these were people who died during the impact/ crash, not by zombies.

AND ADDING TO THE LIST (forgot who mentioned it)
6. The cracks get narrower towards the end, indicating a crash site

[Flame_Alchemist44]

The questions that pops into my head all the time is what is Tanya hiding under her bandage. Did she burn herself in surgery? Or is she hiding something else? What about Saul and his medicine? What is in his medicine?

Maybe she was in Ingelwood when it happened? Or near it?

[Flame_Alchemist44]

I don't know if this has been said before, but has anyone thrown out the possibility of an Umbrella style cause? World organization begins developing a biological weapon around the world, another organization finds out, sets out to destroy organization #1 and inadvertently sets off the zombie apocalypse.

[Leah]

Adventureless Hero just pointed me to a huge hole in my theory... They did not see any craters....
If the cracks were caused by an impact, there must be a crater.
Did Saul and Vicky just miss it?? Mmmm not so sure...

[Adventureless_Hero]

Adventureless Hero just pointed me to a huge hole in my theory... They did not see any craters....
If the cracks were caused by an impact, there must be a crater.
Did Saul and Vicky just miss it?? Mmmm not so sure...

Yeah...it kind of shoots it down. I'm sorry about that, especially since you encouraged me to keep the faith in my alien theory.

[Witch_Doctor]

I believe that we just may be over thinking things a bit. That is, putting more thought into the plausibility of things happening than the writer did when writing the story. In the real world some of our theories might not pan out due to limitations of physics and biology but this is a work of fiction. Although KC has, thus far, woven a masterful tale it is still possible that not everything would happen in the story as it would in reality.

[UndeadSweeper]

Just wondering, Could Tanya be lying about the slow turner? Out all of the event we noticed the zombis turn quickly but we only have Tanya's account of slow turner. She seem to be hold back a lot of secrets.

[Litmaster]

.
.
.
Only Cracks, No Craters
Listen to it again, folks...
Victor says at 10:28, "This is as wide as it gets here. The rest gets smaller."
And at 10:45, "It's about as wide as a dollar. What's that... six inches?"
And at 10:51, "And it goes deep."

So that means
NO CRATERS
NO SURFACE EXPLOSIONS WITH DEBRIS FLYING EVERYWHERE
NO UFO CRASH OR ANY OTHER IMPACT CRASH

The only way it could be a UFO crash would be if your hypothetical alien ship were as thin as a butter knife and happened to do an intergalactic pencil-dive into downtown Inglewood, USA. But even that would leave some dust and rubble debris around, so yeah... can we finally put the UFO theories to bed?

Or are you going to tell me next that the exhaust vents on the flying saucer must have vaporized the rubble when it landed?!??


On the Fire
Doesn't mean that anything crashed. Hell, maybe some guy was ironing when he got chomped by a Zed-Head and accidentally burned his house and the whole block down when he went off hunting for more victims. Maybe someone's candle collection fell over. Maybe a guy was smoking in his hay-loft when his Zombinated wife came up to get a snack... Could have been anything that caused the fire. There are probably dozens of fires that happen around a big city every day, and with no fire dept. on duty to take care of it, it's no wonder a whole block burned to the ground.



Boy, I haven't had this much talk about cracks since the plumber last came to visit :D [cue rimshot!]


Ok, ok... I won't quit my day job.
Todd, stop groaning!
And Nik, quit rolling your eyes!

[Cabbage Patch]

...I really did put a lot of stock into the alien theory, especially with the groups of zombies acting in a military fashion, but it seems that is falling apart as a solid theory since there were no badass spaceships to be found at ground zero.

Dude, the alien ships are there, they're just cloaked! This is the same way the Star Trek crew were able to hide a Klingon Bird of Prey in Golden Gate Park in Star Trek IV! My theory is that when Saul tripped and fell it wasn't the fissure that got him, but rather the outstretched, invisible landing struts of the alien star cruiser.

[zombie19]

I am very interested to see where the story is going with Saul. I don't think the antibiotics had anything to do with it, but rather his genetics. It could explain a little about Tanya. Perhaps she knows she is immune (may have been scratched by a Zed at one point and realized she didn't turn). Maybe she is afraid the physical at Ft. Irwin will show that she has had an encounter with a zombie and she is afraid they will kill her. I'm thinking she and Saul have the cure in their blood. But I don't want to go too far out on a limb with what little information we have. It's just something to stew over.

Regarding the cracks in the ground, I immediately started thinking that it could have been a bacteria laden gas that escaped from deep in the Earth. If tectonic activity released it all around the world, that could explain the seemingly simultaneous appearance of zombism internationally.

I agree.
I feel like Tanya was attacked by a zombie when they were testing on them in the hospital. She must have covered it up with a burn(Someone made this point in part 2). Plus, if Hope was there, she wouldn't have been able to see what happened to Tanya. With that said, I think Saul has to be immune. Bullet hole and now this.

This is a blast from the past, how did all the people being dragged back to the arena never turn. They were really dragged on the floor without getting scratched. There had to be blood or other zombie juices all over the floor. I just found that hard to believe. If I remember correctly, Tommy was the only person that turned while we were present.

[Chogidog]

This is a blast from the past, how did all the people being dragged back to the arena never turn. They were really dragged on the floor without getting scratched. There had to be blood or other zombie juices all over the floor. I just found that hard to believe. If I remember correctly, Tommy was the only person that turned while we were present.

Maybe the Z's know who's immune and eliminating them for sport?

[ReeceJM]

What if CJ set it up so that they would run out of air- therefore turning and leaving. Thats why they took a camera, she planned to go and pick it up afterwards. Basically just using them now she has info.

(Just exploring different ideas, please pick floors in this.)

[Adventureless_Hero]

This is a blast from the past, how did all the people being dragged back to the arena never turn. They were really dragged on the floor without getting scratched. There had to be blood or other zombie juices all over the floor. I just found that hard to believe. If I remember correctly, Tommy was the only person that turned while we were present.

I have often wondered this too. In the scene where Riley and Angel were immersed in a mountain of rotting flesh at the arena I wondered how it was that they didn't catch any kind of infection, especially when Riley got rotting filth in her eye. I'm thinking two things are happening; 1)somehow, the corpses that are being used as food for the zeds are not turning. Could it have somthing to do with how Riley noticed the zeds were drooling like dogs when they smelled sweat? Do they emit a zombie venom of sorts? It would mean they could turn you when they want rather than whenever you contact them. 2) the zombie virus exists in the zeds blood itself. So even if a zed doesn't bite you with a venomous bite, his blood gets in you and you contract the infection, like tommy did. If the corpses at the arena that Riley and Angel were buried in were victims of the zeds, they could have been infection free based on my notion that zeds emit venomous bites only when they want to turn you.

So a zombie bites you with it's drooling bite and you contract the virus. But maybe he can turn off his virus spreading capabilities? It's a stretch. But contact with zombie blood will most likely turn you 100% of the time. The corpses at the arena were human victims who were infection free, while the corpses outside the arena were infected.

[Osiris]

I have often wondered this too. In the scene where Riley and Angel were immersed in a mountain of rotting flesh at the arena I wondered how it was that they didn't catch any kind of infection, especially when Riley got rotting filth in her eye. I'm thinking two things are happening; 1)somehow, the corpses that are being used as food for the zeds are not turning. Could it have somthing to do with how Riley noticed the zeds were drooling like dogs when they smelled sweat? Do they emit a zombie venom of sorts? It would mean they could turn you when they want rather than whenever you contact them. 2) the zombie virus exists in the zeds blood itself. So even if a zed doesn't bite you with a venomous bite, his blood gets in you and you contract the infection, like tommy did. If the corpses at the arena that Riley and Angel were buried in were victims of the zeds, they could have been infection free based on my notion that zeds emit venomous bites only when they want to turn you.

So a zombie bites you with it's drooling bite and you contract the virus. But maybe he can turn off his virus spreading capabilities? It's a stretch. But contact with zombie blood will most likely turn you 100% of the time. The corpses at the arena were human victims who were infection free, while the corpses outside the arena were infected.

Long, but true story. The rules for this infestation are confusing at the best of times.

[Eviebae]

So a zombie bites you with it's drooling bite and you contract the virus. But maybe he can turn off his virus spreading capabilities? It's a stretch. But contact with zombie blood will most likely turn you 100% of the time. The corpses at the arena were human victims who were infection free, while the corpses outside the arena were infected.

Meaning that maybe the infected outside were giving off something? That's an interesting thought!

According to Riley, the people she saw seemed to be turning from getting splashed by blood. But, in one of the accounts, there was a man who pulverized a zombie's head into mist with his fists and didn't turn.

What if this is a two part cocktail (a Zombie if you will :P) where you need exposure to a gas/toxin/mutagen and exposure to a particular disease? There was an explosion at Ground Zero that released a lot all at once.

What if the explosion was someone's attempt to stop what was about to happen?

[Adventureless_Hero]

Meaning that maybe the infected outside were giving off something? That's an interesting thought!

According to Riley, the people she saw seemed to be turning from getting splashed by blood. But, in one of the accounts, there was a man who pulverized a zombie's head into mist with his fists and didn't turn.

What if this is a two part cocktail (a Zombie if you will :P) where you need exposure to a gas/toxin/mutagen and exposure to a particular disease? There was an explosion at Ground Zero that released a lot all at once.

What if the explosion was someone's attempt to stop what was about to happen?

That is a very big possibility, but I was thinking more along the lines of:

The blood contact will always turn you.
Sometimes, a bite will turn you, depending on if the zombie had his drool on (venomous bite).

[Osiris]

That is a very big possibility, but I was thinking more along the lines of:

The blood contact will always turn you.
Sometimes, a bite will turn you, depending on if the zombie had his drool on (venomous bite).

Or if he's bleeding from the gums or lips or has an open sore. zombaids.

[UndeadSweeper]

That is a very big possibility, but I was thinking more along the lines of:

The blood contact will always turn you.
Sometimes, a bite will turn you, depending on if the zombie had his drool on (venomous bite).

Don't think the blood contact will always turn you. How about went our heroes were in arena and was stuck in pile of bodies? I would guess that some of the virus should have been on some the bodies. But they didn't turn. Nor when Datu was carry by the Z. It look to be only only to affect certain people.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Don't think the blood contact will always turn you. How about went our heroes were in arena and was stuck in pile of bodies? I would guess that some of the virus should have been on some the bodies. But they didn't turn. Nor when Datu was carry by the Z. It look to be only only to after affect certain people.

A couple of posts back I tried to rationalize how it could have occured but I was rather long winded, as Osiris pointed out. ; )

Basically I was thinking that because the zombies intended to eat the people they brought in to the arena, they did not infect them or taint the meat. I know that they were piling some of their own dead outside the arena, but it seemed like the ones in the pile that Riley and Angel climbed in was full of human corpses that hadn't turned. I don't think Datu had direct contact with the blood, at least none that was introduced into his blood stream.

[Osiris]

Don't think the blood contact will always turn you. How about went our heroes were in arena and was stuck in pile of bodies? I would guess that some of the virus should have been on some the bodies. But they didn't turn. Nor when Datu was carry by the Z. It look to be only only to after affect certain people.

Unless the virus itself was dead within the cells of the bodies in the pile. Perhaps the virus requires the host to have a 'lifeforce' to feed upon and without it... le dead.

[Osiris]

A couple of posts back I tried to rationalize how it could have occured but I was rather long winded, as Osiris pointed out. ; )

Basically I was thinking that because the zombies intended to eat the people they brought in to the arena, they did not infect them or taint the meat. I know that they were piling some of their own dead outside the arena, but it seemed like the ones in the pile that Riley and Angel climbed in was full of human corpses that hadn't turned. I don't think Datu had direct contact with the blood, at least none that was introduced into his blood stream.

Still not as long as most of my tirades.

[UndeadSweeper]

A couple of posts back I tried to rationalize how it could have occured but I was rather long winded, as Osiris pointed out. ; )

Basically I was thinking that because the zombies intended to eat the people they brought in to the arena, they did not infect them or taint the meat. I know that they were piling some of their own dead outside the arena, but it seemed like the ones in the pile that Riley and Angel climbed in was full of human corpses that hadn't turned. I don't think Datu had direct contact with the blood, at least none that was introduced into his blood stream.

But the gases is airborne so the virus would need to be able to survive without a host for sometime too. So an Arena fill to the rim with zombies would be filled with the virus too right?

[Adventureless_Hero]

But the gases is airborne so the virus would need to be able to survive without a host for sometime too. So an Arena fill to the rim with zombies would be filled with the virus too right?

Adventureless_Hero tapped the side of his nose, knowingly. "Ah, right indeed."

Seriously thought, that is a good point to ponder. I'm not sure if we'll ever get a complete understanding of the zombie virus. What if the Haze is airborn, but once it is introduced to the host it only can be transmit via bodily fluids?

[UndeadSweeper]

Also I was also think ground zero should been fill with massive amount of bodies if all who came in contact with the gases died. But from the sound of it, it look to be they only saw a couple of bodies there. So I think some may of turn and walk out. So certain people are affect come back again.

One more note: Why is the Haze still around? It was a bomb or canisters should the haze dissolute after some time? On something deep in the Earth would be able to hold up a constant stream like this.

[Hellbringer]

Don't you guys start bringing that that T-virus stuff... I might need an umbrella to protect myself from that one.

[yarri]

Unless the virus itself was dead within the cells of the bodies in the pile. Perhaps the virus requires the host to have a 'lifeforce' to feed upon and without it... le dead.


Most virus are very fragile and don't survive long outside the human body. Have you considered that as a reason for why some of the bodies didn't turn and some did was that like "normal" virus that some people are naturally immune? Maybe its the same for this virus which is why some become meat and some become more zombies?

[Osiris]

Adventureless_Hero tapped the side of his nose, knowingly. "Ah, right indeed."

Seriously thought, that is a good point to ponder. I'm not sure if we'll ever get a complete understanding of the zombie virus. What if the Haze is airborn, but once it is introduced to the host it only can be transmit via bodily fluids?

If the haze wasn't airborn I don't think we would see it lingering as a 'haze in the air'...

[Adventureless_Hero]

If the haze wasn't airborn I don't think we would see it lingering as a 'haze in the air'...

It could be a spore type thing. Oh man, I remember ages ago, I posted something about that zombie fungi that was infecting ant brains. ewww, google zombie fungus and you'll see images of it on ant heads. Anyway, what if the haze is a type of spore. There is a giant plant living in the Earth....bah! I'm done with this for today. :P

[UndeadSweeper]

Most virus are very fragile and don't survive long outside the human body. Have you considered that as a reason for why some of the bodies didn't turn and some did was that like "normal" virus that some people are naturally immune? Maybe its the same for this virus which is why some become meat and some become more zombies?

Wait could be the common cold/flu? Just evolve version? Look at the people that haven't been affect, soldiers, criminals and doctors, they would all have a their yearly shot, right?

[Osiris]

Most virus are very fragile and don't survive long outside the human body. Have you considered that as a reason for why some of the bodies didn't turn and some did was that like "normal" virus that some people are naturally immune? Maybe its the same for this virus which is why some become meat and some become more zombies?

Could be a lot of factors to consider. Diet, drugs or chemicals ingested by certain individuals, medications, antibodies, genetics? Could be it doesn't affect people with green eyes or a chemical from hair dye, makeup... it could be any combination of them as well. Though it is possible there is no 'immunity', simply some are able to fight off the infection longer than others? Tanya did say that some take longer to turn than others. This could be explained away by the method the infection/virus was transmitted. Really hard to say.

[Bonnonon]

.
.
And at 10:45, "It's about as wide as a dollar. What's that... six inches?"




I remember listening to that part of the episode and thinking KC must not know measurements... a dollar is only 26.5 mm wide, not 6 inches. I then paused the episode and laughed at myself for forgetting that the USA uses dollar bills. oops.

I hit the wall and caught up with the current episodes two weeks ago. I thought I would not like the pace of one episode per week, but so far I am enjoying every moment WA.

Keep up the great work.

[yarri]

Could be a lot of factors to consider. Diet, drugs or chemicals ingested by certain individuals, medications, antibodies, genetics? Could be it doesn't affect people with green eyes or a chemical from hair dye, makeup... it could be any combination of them as well. Though it is possible there is no 'immunity', simply some are able to fight off the infection longer than others? Tanya did say that some take longer to turn than others. This could be explained away by the method the infection/virus was transmitted. Really hard to say.

A stronger immune response and the factors you listed really make me think about different possibilities. Logic would state that there has to be a commonality between them.

[cupcakezombie]

One thing to remember about immunity is that to get it your body needs to have been 'exposed' to whatever it is at some point to get the antibodies. Natural immunity comes from anitbodies that you get from your Mum/Mom.
Not saying this to stop any theories, but just to keep in mind when we discuss this.

(Very basically :) )

[yarri]

One thing to remember about immunity is that to get it your body needs to have been 'exposed' to whatever it is at some point to get the antibodies. Natural immunity comes from anitbodies that you get from your Mum/Mom.
Not saying this to stop any theories, but just to keep in mind when we discuss this.

Yep yep yep.. makes me wonder if its like I think it was Os that said it constant exposure to low doses of what ever the "haze" is.. (if it wasn't Osiris and someone else I beg your forgiveness)

[Osiris]

I remember listening to that part of the episode and thinking KC must not know measurements... a dollar is only 26.5 mm wide, not 6 inches. I then paused the episode and laughed at myself for forgetting that the USA uses dollar bills. oops.

I hit the wall and caught up with the current episodes two weeks ago. I thought I would not like the pace of one episode per week, but so far I am enjoying every moment WA.

Keep up the great work.

But the dollar is 6.14 inches long. It makes sense if you consider that Saul isn't going to spit out the mouthful "It's about as wide as a dollar is long".

[awkwardalex]

But the dollar is 6.14 inches long. It makes sense if you consider that Saul isn't going to spit out the mouthful "It's about as wide as a dollar is long".

Exact reason i think we should post a photo of dollar and a hand. We have so many listeners out of the US.

Or if anyone can find that large of a crack...

[yarri]

You all thought I was in my tin foil hat when I said it was Tree hugging bio terrorist hippies didn't you? hmmm :)

[7oddisdead]

Well they need to hug the trees more gently...they kinda killed em..:D

I wouldn't write ANY theory off just yet...right now all we have is some cracks and a haze to go on...judging from the various opinions here...this could go any of a half dozen ways...including aliens (not likely, but just roll with it)...

I'll remind haters that as unlikely as it seemed at first...kalani was the rat..and it made for a hell of a story...whos to say the outlandish wouldn't do the same here?

[yarri]

Well they need to hug the trees more gently...they kinda killed em..:D

I wouldn't write ANY theory off just yet...right now all we have is some cracks and a haze to go on...judging from the various opinions here...this could go any of a half dozen ways...including aliens (not likely, but just roll with it)...

I'll remind haters that as unlikely as it seemed at first...kalani was the rat..and it made for a hell of a story...whos to say the outlandish wouldn't do the same here?

Casualties of war some must be sacrificed so that the Earth can live!!!! ( I love my tin foil hat I feel pretty in my tin foil hat)

[yarri]

Wait could be the common cold/flu? Just evolve version? Look at the people that haven't been affect, soldiers, criminals and doctors, they would all have a their yearly shot, right?

For the most part yes they all would have though this idea doesn't hold water. In the story there has not as of yet been a good examination of the dead that didn't turn. At this point its pure speculation.

[Osiris]

Exact reason i think we should post a photo of dollar and a hand. We have so many listeners out of the US.

Or if anyone can find that large of a crack...

ibDollarBillsOnButts

[Osiris]

Well they need to hug the trees more gently...they kinda killed em..:D

I wouldn't write ANY theory off just yet...right now all we have is some cracks and a haze to go on...judging from the various opinions here...this could go any of a half dozen ways...including aliens (not likely, but just roll with it)...

I'll remind haters that as unlikely as it seemed at first...kalani was the rat..and it made for a hell of a story...whos to say the outlandish wouldn't do the same here?

The outlandish you say? So... Saul actually turns out to be cool?

[awkwardalex]

ibDollarBillsOnButts

Ha. Didn't even realize it came out like that.

[UndeadSweeper]

For the most part yes they all would have though this idea doesn't hold water. In the story there has not as of yet been a good examination of the dead that didn't turn. At this point its pure speculation.

I know it's still pure speculation, but I can explain some of the gaps in the theory. Why did the Major and the Docs, explained by Ducan, turned? Generally military, doctors and cops are part of the first responder team in a way. So they would be the first one to come in contact with the virus at it full strength. Could be why they are affect differently andare usually the "smart one" Z. Maybe another reason why Scratch was afraid of cops being in the tower. There could been an unusual number of them still around. Also PIMP Z was thought to be the madman on the news. Which point back to criminals. But it only a theory.

[UndeadSweeper]

A couple of posts back I tried to rationalize how it could have occured but I was rather long winded, as Osiris pointed out. ; )

Basically I was thinking that because the zombies intended to eat the people they brought in to the arena, they did not infect them or taint the meat. I know that they were piling some of their own dead outside the arena, but it seemed like the ones in the pile that Riley and Angel climbed in was full of human corpses that hadn't turned. I don't think Datu had direct contact with the blood, at least none that was introduced into his blood stream.

Another thought, we still don't know if all these corpse are '"clean". Remember that KC has remind us throughout the story that all the bodies are taken. Neither human nor Z were left. We know this since Angel's gf bodies was taken and we know that she turned. So were all the corpses at the Arena? If not, where are the bodies of the undead? Something else came up too, When the zombies are have "their games" at the Arena won't they infect the victims when they being torn asunder. Wouldn't they turn at that time? I yet to hear them eat their own kind yet.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Another thought, we still don't know if all these corpse are '"clean". Remember that KC has remind us throughout the story that all the bodies are taken. Neither human nor Z were left. We know this since Angel's gf bodies was taken and we know that she turned. So were all the corpses at the Arena? If not, where are the bodies of the undead? Something else came up too, When the zombies are have "their games" at the Arena won't they infect the victims when they being torn asunder. Wouldn't they turn at that time? I yet to hear them eat their own kind yet.

I'm assuming that they take the turned corpses to the outside of the arena since that is where one of the trackers ended up. Datu, Riley, and Angel saw a pile of what looked like trash outside the arena but ended up being zombie corpses or something. As for the ones you say they will turn during "thier games", this goes back to that outlandish theory of mine that the zombies have the ability to not turn someone if they don't want to. So when they want to infect someone they secret that drool Riley observed in the video taped experiment with the sweat jars. When they just want to chow down, they don't secret sweat? I dunno. I'm really reaching on this one.

[UndeadSweeper]

I'm assuming that they take the turned corpses to the outside of the arena since that is where one of the trackers ended up. Datu, Riley, and Angel saw a pile of what looked like trash outside the arena but ended up being zombie corpses or something. As for the ones you say they will turn during "their games", this goes back to that outlandish theory of mine that the zombies have the ability to not turn someone if they don't want to. So when they want to infect someone they secret that drool Riley observed in the video taped experiment with the sweat jars. When they just want to chow down, they don't secret sweat? I dunno. I'm really reaching on this one.

Hmm.. why drag an corpse so far just to disposal it outside your home? Could you just leave where it is if you not going use it?

[Osiris]

Hmm.. why drag an corpse so far just to disposal it outside your home? Could you just leave where it is if you not going use it?

Would you leave parts for your car in a place where they were not readily available? Or would you keep them in a shop?

[Adventureless_Hero]

Hmm.. why drag an corpse so far just to disposal it outside your home? Could you just leave where it is if you not going use it?

Good question. But then I can't figure why Angel and Riley didn't get infected when buried under that mountain of rotting flesh. Luck, maybe? I thought the best answer was they were keeping infected dead separate from uninfected corpses. But the why is still a mystery to me.

[Osiris]

Good question. But then I can't figure why Angel and Riley didn't get infected when buried under that mountain of rotting flesh. Luck, maybe? I thought the best answer was they were keeping infected dead separate from uninfected corpses. But the why is still a mystery to me.

Yarri and I may have figured that out a few posts/pages ago.

[Nate Eeez]

They kept the bodies to eat.

[Osiris]

They kept the bodies to eat.

While it is true that we know the keep some of the bodies to eat, we don't know for certain that Pinboy McStripeySuit isn't using body parts to Frankenstein together an army of super-zombie soldiers with 5 arms, 3 legs and two heads with an extra set of jaws sewn into each shoulder! Not to mention a stomach of teeth a la The Thing (1982).

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsfovviswz1r3lx5ao1_500.gif

[Rombie]

Just wondering, Could Tanya be lying about the slow turner? Out all of the event we noticed the zombis turn quickly but we only have Tanya's account of slow turner. She seem to be hold back a lot of secrets.

What about the idea that Tanya was able to cause the slow turn with medication. While i do not think it is a cure maybe if the medication is used in daily doses it prevents the onset of zombieism.
Tanya on more than one occasion reminded Saul to not miss a dose.
I am thinking Tanya is also infected and with out her medication will turn. Now that the Army Dr. has her the truth will come out.
The people at the colony were not the nicest folks around so i could imagine human experimentaion went on.

Great episode as usual!

[Skeptic-all]

I think that crack was made by the explosions heard in the very first episodes. AND they were not man made. AND they cause the zombies... AKA the mole people! Yes I knew it!!
The mole people are invading LA and the world. That is why the "zombies" are ugly, have copious amounts of zits and pimples, and are different sizes. People in the world are different sizes so it could reason that mole people are different sizes as well. Also they carry an infectious virus in their saliva that makes normal people into stupid cannibals and since their mole-world was running out of food they decided to BOOAAM! and take over the Earth. That could also explain why Skittles said that some of the special kinds are blind and have a good sense of smell... that describes... A MOLE!! or... Mole People! And the one with the markings is their Mole Leader! Plus the "haze" could be an underground vapor that the mole people are used too and makes normal people into zombies. That is my theory: Mole People are invading LA and their infectious saliva and haze turns normal people into the zombies. Yea!

[Osiris]

I think that crack was made by the explosions heard in the very first episodes. AND they were not man made. AND they cause the zombies... AKA the mole people! Yes I knew it!!
The mole people are invading LA and the world. That is why the "zombies" are ugly, have copious amounts of zits and pimples, and are different sizes. People in the world are different sizes so it could reason that mole people are different sizes as well. Also they carry an infectious virus in their saliva that makes normal people into stupid cannibals and since their mole-world was running out of food they decided to BOOAAM! and take over the Earth. That could also explain why Skittles said that some of the special kinds are blind and have a good sense of smell... that describes... A MOLE!! or... Mole People! And the one with the markings is their Mole Leader! Plus the "haze" could be an underground vapor that the mole people are used too and makes normal people into zombies. That is my theory: Mole People are invading LA and their infectious saliva and haze turns normal people into the zombies. Yea!

So... the haze is moleman farts?

[Pikepaw]

Just a quick thing on Victor and the Dollar comparison thing. In Canada, as many of you know, our monopoly money does not have a one dollar bill. We have a one dollar coin, which is gold coloured and that is fun.
So my default when Victor pulled out a dollar was to picture a round gold coin. It gave me a laugh on my repeated listenings when I caught myself and had to force visualize paper money. That is just my fun little story. I must now repeat: "dollarzdollarzbillz"

[Condor]

.
.
.
Only Cracks, No Craters
Listen to it again, folks...
Victor says at 10:28, "This is as wide as it gets here. The rest gets smaller."
And at 10:45, "It's about as wide as a dollar. What's that... six inches?"
And at 10:51, "And it goes deep."

So that means
NO CRATERS
NO SURFACE EXPLOSIONS WITH DEBRIS FLYING EVERYWHERE
NO UFO CRASH OR ANY OTHER IMPACT CRASH

The only way it could be a UFO crash would be if your hypothetical alien ship were as thin as a butter knife and happened to do an intergalactic pencil-dive into downtown Inglewood, USA. But even that would leave some dust and rubble debris around, so yeah... can we finally put the UFO theories to bed?

Or are you going to tell me next that the exhaust vents on the flying saucer must have vaporized the rubble when it landed?!??


On the Fire
Doesn't mean that anything crashed. Hell, maybe some guy was ironing when he got chomped by a Zed-Head and accidentally burned his house and the whole block down when he went off hunting for more victims. Maybe someone's candle collection fell over. Maybe a guy was smoking in his hay-loft when his Zombinated wife came up to get a snack... Could have been anything that caused the fire. There are probably dozens of fires that happen around a big city every day, and with no fire dept. on duty to take care of it, it's no wonder a whole block burned to the ground.



Boy, I haven't had this much talk about cracks since the plumber last came to visit :D [cue rimshot!]


Ok, ok... I won't quit my day job.
Todd, stop groaning!
And Nik, quit rolling your eyes!

Remember, "Crack is whack".

[Witch_Doctor]

Yep yep yep.. makes me wonder if its like I think it was Os that said it constant exposure to low doses of what ever the "haze" is.. (if it wasn't Osiris and someone else I beg your forgiveness)

Forgiveness given :)

ALCOHOL!

There are a number of instances where we suspect that someone MAY become infected. To add to the mystery, we are denied information to conclude that person X was absolutely exposed. In most, not all, of those instances alcohol was involved.

1) Riley and Angel in the stack of bodies at the arena. They doused themselves with wine prior to that scene.
2) Saul getting shot by Burt, possibly through Tommy. Saul was the drunkest dude at the party.
3) Tanya dragged by Randy. No drinking involved. She is the outlier. This doesn't disprove the hypothesis but highlights that there could be unique circumstances concerning her that is not readily known or understood.
4) Riley on the farm. She was tore-up from the floor-up drunk. While Kelly and Michael searched for her Kelly made a number of comments that Riley was not alone.
a) The tracks Kelly and Michael follow diverge into two tracks.
b) Kelly says, "The tracks might not be hers."
c) Riley is STILL at the Weed.

[Eviebae]

For the most part yes they all would have though this idea doesn't hold water. In the story there has not as of yet been a good examination of the dead that didn't turn. At this point its pure speculation.

Or an examination of those that did turn. Maybe that's what's going on on those upper floors? I want to know what they look like on the inside!...or even a good description of what they look like on the outside...

[Osiris]

I'm curious to know how they taste.

[yarri]

I'm curious to know how they taste.


Like chicken?

[Eviebae]

Yep yep yep.. makes me wonder if its like I think it was Os that said it constant exposure to low doses of what ever the "haze" is.. (if it wasn't Osiris and someone else I beg your forgiveness)

Whatever you need to make a zombie, it's all right there at Ground Zero. How far did Saul and his Mom live from there?

[Cabbage Patch]

Whatever you need to make a zombie, it's all right there at Ground Zero. How far did Saul and his Mom live from there?

Saul lived in Compton, which is southeast of Inglewood and on the other side of the 110 Highway, a fair distance away from Ground Zero. Tanya lived in Anaheim, which is much further southeast in Orange County, beyond the place that The Colony is located.

[Osiris]

Saul lived in Compton, which is southeast of Inglewood and on the other side of the 110 Highway, a fair distance away from Ground Zero. Tanya lived in Anaheim, which is much further southeast in Orange County, beyond the place that The Colony is located.

This effectively rules out their proximity to Ground Zero as the answer to their immunity.

[Eviebae]

I wonder who Saul's Dad was?

[Eviebae]

I'm curious to know how they taste.


Oh Blegh!

[Eviebae]

Like chicken?

Zombie Tenders! Now with haze sauce!

[yarri]

Zombie Tenders! Now with haze sauce!

All natural 100% pure zombie no fillers.

[yarri]

I wonder who Saul's Dad was? I was wondering about that too. He's never mentioned. Maybe he's like Anakin Skywalker and the Haze is his father..

[Witch_Doctor]

I'm curious to know how they taste.


Humans : http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/05/human-meat-taste-cannibal

Zombies : http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=649&catid=19&subcatid=123

Skittles : http://skittles.com/

Scratch : http://lh6.ggpht.com/_T8d6Iy6Ppdc/TEs45XWlcgI/AAAAAAAAHYk/-fNsjOZh8c4/s1600-h/Bat-Droppings%5B4%5D.jpg

[UndeadSweeper]

Forgiveness given :)

ALCOHOL!

There are a number of instances where we suspect that someone MAY become infected. To add to the mystery, we are denied information to conclude that person X was absolutely exposed. In most, not all, of those instances alcohol was involved.

1) Riley and Angel in the stack of bodies at the arena. They doused themselves with wine prior to that scene.
2) Saul getting shot by Burt, possibly through Tommy. Saul was the drunkest dude at the party.
3) Tanya dragged by Randy. No drinking involved. She is the outlier. This doesn't disprove the hypothesis but highlights that there could be unique circumstances concerning her that is not readily known or understood.
4) Riley on the farm. She was tore-up from the floor-up drunk. While Kelly and Michael searched for her Kelly made a number of comments that Riley was not alone.
a) The tracks Kelly and Michael follow diverge into two tracks.
b) Kelly says, "The tracks might not be hers."
c) Riley is STILL at the Weed.

Wait, Alcohol sound about right as defense...... They are distract when alcohol is the system since alcohol also leave the body when you sweating. So they are not able to track you since you don't have any scent in essence. Immunity hmmm...

[7oddisdead]

Humans : http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/05/human-meat-taste-cannibal

Zombies : http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=649&catid=19&subcatid=123

Skittles : http://skittles.com/

Scratch : http://lh6.ggpht.com/_T8d6Iy6Ppdc/TEs45XWlcgI/AAAAAAAAHYk/-fNsjOZh8c4/s1600-h/Bat-Droppings%5B4%5D.jpg

not gonna lie...that cannibalism article had me enthralled...

[Turtius]

Wow... Same name, but the real tower is named something different. I wonder if anyone will find it.

Is The Tower based on SB Tower on Spring st?

[HardKor]

Forgiveness given :)

ALCOHOL!

There are a number of instances where we suspect that someone MAY become infected. To add to the mystery, we are denied information to conclude that person X was absolutely exposed. In most, not all, of those instances alcohol was involved.

1) Riley and Angel in the stack of bodies at the arena. They doused themselves with wine prior to that scene.
2) Saul getting shot by Burt, possibly through Tommy. Saul was the drunkest dude at the party.
3) Tanya dragged by Randy. No drinking involved. She is the outlier. This doesn't disprove the hypothesis but highlights that there could be unique circumstances concerning her that is not readily known or understood.
4) Riley on the farm. She was tore-up from the floor-up drunk. While Kelly and Michael searched for her Kelly made a number of comments that Riley was not alone.
a) The tracks Kelly and Michael follow diverge into two tracks.
b) Kelly says, "The tracks might not be hers."
c) Riley is STILL at the Weed.

One addition to this that I think someone brought up before, Victor douses himself in cologne and also threw cologne bottles on the ground to mask his trail in chapter 18. Cologne has alcohol in it.

[UndeadSweeper]

I was wondering about that too. He's never mentioned. Maybe he's like Anakin Skywalker and the Haze is his father..

It's the PIMP Zombie.

[Cabbage Patch]

Is The Tower based on SB Tower on Spring st?

Turtius,

The SB Tower on Spring Street is on my short-list of guesses for the location of CJ's "Other Tower". But if you look up and down that area around the intersection of S. Spring and W. Sixth Streets there are a number of buildings that could fit the bill. Older tower buildings with grand, multi-story lobbies and outside fire escapes aren't that common in LA, but the ones there are all seem to be in that one neighborhood.

The one thing that makes me wonder about the SB Tower is that it doesn't have a multi-story parking garage next to it.

[mem]

I was wondering about that too. He's never mentioned. Maybe he's like Anakin Skywalker and the Haze is his father..

are they related to Jenna Haze ?

[Hellbringer]

Guys,

Just replayed this part's podcast and while thumbing through some of the others threads, I came across this from Cabbage Patch...

"I'd like to propose three options, that I don't think are mutually exclusive.

1. A lone surviving correctional officer from Eastern Bay. He could have been gathering intel on the Mallers all this time, with a goal of recapturing the inmates, or rescuing some of the Maller's slaves.

2. A scout or recon unit from somewhere outside of Los Angeles. This could be military from some place like Fort Irwin, or from Navy ships that were at sea when the apocalypse occurred. Or maybe from a South American country where the zombies never struck.

3. A new survivor group I would call "The Boozers". This would consist of heavy drinkers, skid row alcoholics, frat boys, 1960s era Mad Men, etc., who discovered that the zombies ignore them as long as they're properly soused. They form a wandering band, travelling from liquor store, to bar, to supermarket, scavenging for food and booze. They would have answers to every single question regarding the outbreak, but would be too far gone to explain any of it coherently. "

He posted this in Jun 2011 in the "If you could add one new character?" thread. DUDE, you've been predicting theories on CJ and Ft Irwin since like Chapter 23. If I hear anything about a group of Riley type people, I'm throwing in the towel.

[GeneTwo]

Humans : http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/05/human-meat-taste-cannibal

Zombies : http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=649&catid=19&subcatid=123

Skittles : http://skittles.com/

Scratch : http://lh6.ggpht.com/_T8d6Iy6Ppdc/TEs45XWlcgI/AAAAAAAAHYk/-fNsjOZh8c4/s1600-h/Bat-Droppings%5B4%5D.jpg

Taste the rainbow!!! LOL!!!

[Witch_Doctor]

Forgiveness given :)

ALCOHOL!

There are a number of instances where we suspect that someone MAY become infected. To add to the mystery, we are denied information to conclude that person X was absolutely exposed. In most, not all, of those instances alcohol was involved.

1) Riley and Angel in the stack of bodies at the arena. They doused themselves with wine prior to that scene.
2) Saul getting shot by Burt, possibly through Tommy. Saul was the drunkest dude at the party.
3) Tanya dragged by Randy. No drinking involved. She is the outlier. This doesn't disprove the hypothesis but highlights that there could be unique circumstances concerning her that is not readily known or understood.
4) Riley on the farm. She was tore-up from the floor-up drunk. While Kelly and Michael searched for her Kelly made a number of comments that Riley was not alone.
a) The tracks Kelly and Michael follow diverge into two tracks.
b) Kelly says, "The tracks might not be hers."
c) Riley is STILL at the Weed.

My point isn't that the alcohol's smell masks our heroes from the zombies but that the massive amount of alcohol in Saul's and Riley's bodies either prevented or assuaged any infection they may have gotten from an exposure to zombie blood or drool. I thought it was well established and widely accepted that the smell of alcohol masks human scent from the zombies. During the war KC pretty must nailed home the fact the Saul was drunk. A lot of story time was used focusing on Saul intoxication. Each episode is 30 minutes or less so that would be an expensive 'filler' scene. Having one less soldier to fight wouldn't have mattered since they had no weapons. Riley was established as a lush in season one. She being a wino was only significant twice. Once to clear her suspicion of shooting Pippin, the other so that she could wander away in a drunken stupor, only to be found be Michael while Kelly continuously screams, "... these tacks look like they're going the other way!....Michael, the tracks might not be hers.... She's covered in (?)..."
What, Kelly? What was she covered in? Ding dang it, Michael! Why do you always interrupt people when they might have something important to say?
Check this out: Michael in Hawaii, December 7 1941.... Mike, "What are you looking at through your binoculars?" Random Sailor, " I don't believe it but I think I see..." Michael, " Just what the hell are you getting at!!??" Sailor, "You know what? Forget it!! I'm going back to the Arizona!"

[UndeadSweeper]

My point isn't that the alcohol's smell masks our heroes from the zombies but that the massive amount of alcohol in Saul's and Riley's bodies either prevented or assuaged any infection they may have gotten from an exposure to zombie blood or drool. I thought it was well established and widely accepted that the smell of alcohol masks human scent from the zombies. During the war KC pretty must nailed home the fact the Saul was drunk. A lot of story time was used focusing on Saul intoxication. Each episode is 30 minutes or less so that would be an expensive 'filler' scene. Having one less soldier to fight wouldn't have mattered since they had no weapons. Riley was established as a lush in season one. She being a wino was only significant twice. Once to clear her suspicion of shooting Pippin, the other so that she could wander away in a drunken stupor, only to be found be Michael while Kelly continuously screams, "... these tacks look like they're going the other way!....Michael, the tracks might not be hers.... She's covered in (?)..."
What, Kelly? What was she covered in? Ding dang it, Michael! Why do you always interrupt people when they might have something important to say?
Check this out: Michael in Hawaii, December 7 1941.... Mike, "What are you looking at through your binoculars?" Random Sailor, " I don't believe it but I think I see..." Michael, " Just what the hell are you getting at!!??" Sailor, "You know what? Forget it!! I'm going back to the Arizona!"

The one we can't fit in this theory is Duncan. He been alone most of the time and I don't think he drinks.

[Witch_Doctor]

The one we can't fit in this theory is Duncan. He been alone most of the time and I don't think he drinks.

Smeagol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gollum)... uh I mean Duncan, wouldn't be explained by this because we haven't seen an episode where he is bitten. Tanya, on the other hand, is the outlier. There are questions of whether or not she has been exposed, and when and where if so.

[IamPaul]

Love the episode! One thing I just thought of, and may have been addressed in the 20 pages of the thread, maybe the 'anti biotic' Tanya gave Saul is not and 'anti biotic'. Saul said he did not know what it was, never heard of it. Maybe it is some sort of cure or protection. Maybe Tanya's freakout is about a bite or scratch and with her 'anti biotic' she has been able to postpone or cure an infection. She is afraid when the personnel find the injury, they will take her out or use her as a test subject.

[Skeptic-all]

Sorry that was a lame theory... maybe mole man burps and farts... I dunno. I should go join them... maybe they will accept me since society doesn't. BOOHOO!!:o

[Mombie]

"Talk to me Goose!"

I thought that was a sure sign that Vic was a goner in this episode. I had to take a moment when Saul said that!

[Red Shirt]

Also, he left class and depending on how long it took to find a TV there were already reports from the news stations which would seem to fast to me.


When I first listened to that episode, I don't know why, but I kinda assumed that the video was coming in from a news chopper. This is LA after all. I've never had the opportunity to visit, but from the stories I have heard about the goings on in the city... It stands to reason that a good news channel would have a news chopper in the air nearly all the time to get the jump on breaking news.


Again the problem I have with this is the timing and perhaps the location of the University/College in relation to Inglewood. If there was an underground explosion of that sort of level that he could hear, then it is likely that the might have felt the ground move. To make cracks in the ground of that size it needs to be a reasonable major jolt.
An earthquake or explosion wasn't something that any of the reports they collected in the Tower mentions. It seems to be likely that might have come up at some point.

True, to crack open the Earth as deeply as it is implied by Saul's surveying, it would have to have been a significant quake. Something on the order of 6, 7 or even higher magnitude. Unless the widening of the cracks is something that has been taking place for a loooong time, slowly and steadily. The "explosion" could have been the "gas" build up inside the crack(s) finally punching through and there was no quake at all.

Another thing that occurred to me today is that Kolani said that this started on the Big Island and then spread. As it happens, only the Big Island has active volcanoes today (http://www.hawaiilogue.com/active-volcanoes-in-hawaii.html). Two in fact. He also said that they were nastier there than the ones in LA... The crust is "thinner" in Hawaii, therefore it stands to reason that IF something welled up from below the surface, Hawaii would get a bigger/worse "dose."

The analogy I'm thinking of is an air bubble under a sheet of ice. It will spread out, "looking" for ways to escape. Either through holes (Hawaii) or cracks (San Andreas and sub-faults)

So, did this only happen to Hawaii and LA? Or did this happen all around the Pacific rim, along the "Ring of Fire?" Or globally, starting at faults and volcanoes?

Here's the thing. We can kick around all these reasonable hypotheses, but why the near simultaneity of the "event?" In my mind casts doubt on it being "natural." So is it the "End Times," the awakening of an Eldrtich Horror, or has Mother Nature finally had enough of our crap?

[reaper239]

My point isn't that the alcohol's smell masks our heroes from the zombies but that the massive amount of alcohol in Saul's and Riley's bodies either prevented or assuaged any infection they may have gotten from an exposure to zombie blood or drool. I thought it was well established and widely accepted that the smell of alcohol masks human scent from the zombies. During the war KC pretty must nailed home the fact the Saul was drunk. A lot of story time was used focusing on Saul intoxication. Each episode is 30 minutes or less so that would be an expensive 'filler' scene. Having one less soldier to fight wouldn't have mattered since they had no weapons. Riley was established as a lush in season one. She being a wino was only significant twice. Once to clear her suspicion of shooting Pippin, the other so that she could wander away in a drunken stupor, only to be found be Michael while Kelly continuously screams, "... these tacks look like they're going the other way!....Michael, the tracks might not be hers.... She's covered in (?)..."
What, Kelly? What was she covered in? Ding dang it, Michael! Why do you always interrupt people when they might have something important to say?
Check this out: Michael in Hawaii, December 7 1941.... Mike, "What are you looking at through your binoculars?" Random Sailor, " I don't believe it but I think I see..." Michael, " Just what the hell are you getting at!!??" Sailor, "You know what? Forget it!! I'm going back to the Arizona!"

so, what i think i'm hearing here is that the key to survivng the zombie apocalypse is to be beyond smashed 24/7. i can dig it.

[yarri]

so, what i think i'm hearing here is that the key to survivng the zombie apocalypse is to be beyond smashed 24/7. i can dig it.

Can you shoot straight drunk off your ass? I'm not sure I could how about I just wear the booze like perfume?

[uuhhhuuu]

ok i got a couple of theories i want to put out there.
1st. what if the reason that "the One with the Markings" did not attack Skittles was because he knew he was mentally unstable. Ink was being held in an insane asylum because he was crazy, he later on became Paul/the one with the Marking. What if he knew that unstable people would become (or at least could become) "smart" zombies. he might not have wanted to risk infecting Skittles.
2nd. Tanya. if Tanya was naturally immune to the zombie blood, then she might have learned through an experience. (a.k.a. a bite/attack early on) if she did learn that she is immune then she would most likely want to run tests on how the zombie blood works.(that's why she was so interested in the journals, and the experiments) so if Tanya is immune she might be able to pass it down to her kids. also when she got to the tower it sounded that she knew that Saul couldn't possibly be infected. (i think Burt's shot went threw Tommy and got stuck in Saul)
3rd. i think CJ purposely gave Victor the yellow air tank because she knew she didnt fill the tank all the way. she wanted to do some tests, and figgured they would be good Guinea pigs.
well those are my thoughts so far. everyone let me know what you think. :)

[Osiris]

ok i got a couple of theories i want to put out there.
1st. what if the reason that "the One with the Markings" did not attack Skittles was because he knew he was mentally unstable. Ink was being held in an insane asylum because he was crazy, he later on became Paul/the one with the Marking. What if he knew that unstable people would become (or at least could become) "smart" zombies. he might not have wanted to risk infecting Skittles.
2nd. Tanya. if Tanya was naturally immune to the zombie blood, then she might have learned through an experience. (a.k.a. a bite/attack early on) if she did learn that she is immune then she would most likely want to run tests on how the zombie blood works.(that's why she was so interested in the journals, and the experiments) so if Tanya is immune she might be able to pass it down to her kids. also when she got to the tower it sounded that she knew that Saul couldn't possibly be infected. (i think Burt's shot went threw Tommy and got stuck in Saul)
3rd. i think CJ purposely gave Victor the yellow air tank because she knew she didnt fill the tank all the way. she wanted to do some tests, and figgured they would be good Guinea pigs.
well those are my thoughts so far. everyone let me know what you think. :)

It all sounds reasonable. I'm starting to think that CJ is just as 'evil' as Scratch, only way less awesome. Though it strikes me that she didn't give it to Saul... is it possible that CJ knows something about Saul? Was there a mole within a mole within a mole? If you consider the address that one of the Mallers had clutched in his hand... the amount of intel that CJ had on the Mallers... something doesn't sit right with me. CJ is clearly up to no good and has ties within the Maller group or within the Tower group. Or what's left of it.

[uuhhhuuu]

It all sounds reasonable. I'm starting to think that CJ is just as 'evil' as Scratch, only way less awesome. Though it strikes me that she didn't give it to Saul... is it possible that CJ knows something about Saul? Was there a mole within a mole within a mole? If you consider the address that one of the Mallers had clutched in his hand... the amount of intel that CJ had on the Mallers... something doesn't sit right with me. CJ is clearly up to no good and has ties within the Maller group or within the Tower group. Or what's left of it.


i think CJ just doesn't realize how good it is that she found friendly people. they could be a big help if she thought things threw instead of experimenting o them and keeping them at arms length.

[Cabbage Patch]

i think CJ just doesn't realize how good it is that she found friendly people. they could be a big help if she thought things threw instead of experimenting o them and keeping them at arms length.

That's why I was wondering if there was any evidence that the recently turned zombie who had the address of the garden on him had been wearing a scuba tank. Another CJ experiment gone wrong?

[uuhhhuuu]

That's why I was wondering if there was any evidence that the recently turned zombie who had the address of the garden on him had been wearing a scuba tank. Another CJ experiment gone wrong?

hmmm nice thinking. or maybe it was one of the deserters, the Mallers could of picked him up lol

[reaper239]

i think CJ just doesn't realize how good it is that she found friendly people. they could be a big help if she thought things threw instead of experimenting o them and keeping them at arms length.

you gotta think though, she is a hardcore type a personality with control issues. the last time she had a group that she trusted they got taken down by towtm and his goon squad. i think she cracked a bit under the pressure. now it was no duncan/skittles transformation, but i think that she wound up sitting there working her fingers until they bled freaked and muttering to herself doing whatever she could to stop the zed menace from getting to her.

on an unrelated note, does anyone else pronounce towtm as totem in their heads?

[Adventureless_Hero]

Can you shoot straight drunk off your ass? I'm not sure I could how about I just wear the booze like perfume?

I once cleared 22 levels in Duck Hunt after putting down around 14 Dos XX. :D

[UndeadSweeper]

ok i got a couple of theories i want to put out there.
1st. what if the reason that "the One with the Markings" did not attack Skittles was because he knew he was mentally unstable. Ink was being held in an insane asylum because he was crazy, he later on became Paul/the one with the Marking. What if he knew that unstable people would become (or at least could become) "smart" zombies. he might not have wanted to risk infecting Skittles.
2nd. Tanya. if Tanya was naturally immune to the zombie blood, then she might have learned through an experience. (a.k.a. a bite/attack early on) if she did learn that she is immune then she would most likely want to run tests on how the zombie blood works.(that's why she was so interested in the journals, and the experiments) so if Tanya is immune she might be able to pass it down to her kids. also when she got to the tower it sounded that she knew that Saul couldn't possibly be infected. (i think Burt's shot went threw Tommy and got stuck in Saul)
3rd. i think CJ purposely gave Victor the yellow air tank because she knew she didnt fill the tank all the way. she wanted to do some tests, and figgured they would be good Guinea pigs.
well those are my thoughts so far. everyone let me know what you think. :)

I believe Skittles has been around other zombies not a part the Marking crews. That why we have is re-account of stay away from places with "smart one". I do believe he is in danger of being a attacked if he was found.

[nikvoodoo]

It all sounds reasonable. I'm starting to think that CJ is just as 'evil' as Scratch, only way less awesome. Though it strikes me that she didn't give it to Saul... is it possible that CJ knows something about Saul? Was there a mole within a mole within a mole? If you consider the address that one of the Mallers had clutched in his hand... the amount of intel that CJ had on the Mallers... something doesn't sit right with me. CJ is clearly up to no good and has ties within the Maller group or within the Tower group. Or what's left of it.

Not sure I go Mole within a mole within a mole etc.

I think she showed her hand when she pointed out the IV line into Saul. I think she had information about GZ that lead her to suspect Saul might be immune so she decided to use them as lab rats. I had said CJ was playing a pretty simple game by letting them go into GZ: If they succeed, she gets more information. If they fail, she still gets information AND she eliminated two people who tried to choke her out when they first met.

Completely manipulative is Ms. CJ and if Victor wasn't so focused on Saul and Saul wasn't so focused on defending himself, they might have realized how badly they got played.

[reaper239]

Can you shoot straight drunk off your ass? I'm not sure I could how about I just wear the booze like perfume?

i knew a guy, i tell you no lie, wrecked out of his mind, went behind his house, to shoot a mouse, totally completely blind, saw his cousin, bout a dozen, one eye thought it was a deer, said "i can hit that, with or without my hat, i just need a few more beers." grabbed his gun, to have some fun, thought cuz's ass was his head, shot a round, the left cheek went down, and he thought he shot that deer dead.

my cousin, who shot my other cousin (texas redneck family), was mortified that he shot someone, and my shot cousin was a little butt sore (pun intended) but other than that he was fine.

[yarri]

i knew a guy, i tell you no lie, wrecked out of his mind, went behind his house, to shoot a mouse, totally completely blind, saw his cousin, bout a dozen, one eye thought it was a deer, said "i can hit that, with or without my hat, i just need a few more beers." grabbed his gun, to have some fun, thought cuz's ass was his head, shot a round, the left cheek went down, and he thought he shot that deer dead.

my cousin, who shot my other cousin (texas redneck family), was mortified that he shot someone, and my shot cousin was a little butt sore (pun intended) but other than that he was fine.


I <3 You :D

[uuhhhuuu]

i knew a guy, i tell you no lie, wrecked out of his mind, went behind his house, to shoot a mouse, totally completely blind, saw his cousin, bout a dozen, one eye thought it was a deer, said "i can hit that, with or without my hat, i just need a few more beers." grabbed his gun, to have some fun, thought cuz's ass was his head, shot a round, the left cheek went down, and he thought he shot that deer dead.

my cousin, who shot my other cousin (texas redneck family), was mortified that he shot someone, and my shot cousin was a little butt sore (pun intended) but other than that he was fine.

awwww u troll lol

[uuhhhuuu]

you gotta think though, she is a hardcore type a personality with control issues. the last time she had a group that she trusted they got taken down by towtm and his goon squad. i think she cracked a bit under the pressure. now it was no duncan/skittles transformation, but i think that she wound up sitting there working her fingers until they bled freaked and muttering to herself doing whatever she could to stop the zed menace from getting to her.

on an unrelated note, does anyone else pronounce towtm as totem in their heads?

who's Towtm and his goon squad?

[yarri]

awwww u troll lol


he's no troll......

[uuhhhuuu]

Not sure I go Mole within a mole within a mole etc.

I think she showed her hand when she pointed out the IV line into Saul. I think she had information about GZ that lead her to suspect Saul might be immune so she decided to use them as lab rats. I had said CJ was playing a pretty simple game by letting them go into GZ: If they succeed, she gets more information. If they fail, she still gets information AND she eliminated two people who tried to choke her out when they first met.

Completely manipulative is Ms. CJ and if Victor wasn't so focused on Saul and Saul wasn't so focused on defending himself, they might have realized how badly they got played.

i wouldn't go as far as to say that CJ knew that Saul was immune, but she might have a feeling that these two have gone threw a lot and might be different at least. also would you hold a grudge to someone that choked you , because YOU shot at them. also its the zombie apocalypse, you haven't seen good people in god knows how long. they don't want to kill you so why be hostile towards them? they could be two more allies.

[reaper239]

who's Towtm and his goon squad?

towtm is short for the one with the markings. towtm is generally accepted as one of the zombie leaders, along with ink who may or may not be towtm, and also may or may not be mr zombie kitty. when i say his goon squad, i refer to the zed under his command.

[uuhhhuuu]

I believe Skittles has been around other zombies not a part the Marking crews. That why we have is re-account of stay away from places with "smart one". I do believe he is in danger of being a attacked if he was found.

isn't it weird that the three times we hear of skittle he never is attacked?
1. Before the Arena, he was just walking around and started screaming and left.
2. When he helped Angel and Kalani, he changed a hummer tire out in broad day light.
3. After CJ's tower fell he told her that "he was right there and they didn't touch them"
Maybe thats why the zombies collect some people (example Tanya) because they know they can be different from regular humans.

[uuhhhuuu]

towtm is short for the one with the markings. towtm is generally accepted as one of the zombie leaders, along with ink who may or may not be towtm, and also may or may not be mr zombie kitty. when i say his goon squad, i refer to the zed under his command.

ooooh ok. So its Towtm/Ink/Paul/Zombie badass. . . . ok i get ur drift lol :)

[reaper239]

awwww u troll lol


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxv2C5fplX8&amp;feature=related

[uuhhhuuu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxv2c5fplx8&feature=related

now thats a troll. Lol gg!!

[Kc]

Turtius,

The SB Tower on Spring Street is on my short-list of guesses for the location of CJ's "Other Tower". But if you look up and down that area around the intersection of S. Spring and W. Sixth Streets there are a number of buildings that could fit the bill. Older tower buildings with grand, multi-story lobbies and outside fire escapes aren't that common in LA, but the ones there are all seem to be in that one neighborhood.

The one thing that makes me wonder about the SB Tower is that it doesn't have a multi-story parking garage next to it.

Not it ;)

Does this help? 1779

[nikvoodoo]

i wouldn't go as far as to say that CJ knew that Saul was immune, but she might have a feeling that these two have gone threw a lot and might be different at least. also would you hold a grudge to someone that choked you , because YOU shot at them. also its the zombie apocalypse, you haven't seen good people in god knows how long. they don't want to kill you so why be hostile towards them? they could be two more allies.

I didn't. That's why I say she might have suspected something.

And yes. I would hold a grudge against someone that tried to choke me out when I first met them after they tried to lay a trap to ensare me. They also have (potentially) gained access to my supplies if they succeed in their mission. I betcha part of CJ hoped at least one of them died in there.

She could very well be pleased as punch to let them into her tower now. But if what people are saying is true and Victor's tank was meant to be leaky on purpose...*shrug*

[uuhhhuuu]

I didn't. That's why I say she might have suspected something.

And yes. I would hold a grudge against someone that tried to choke me out when I first met them after they tried to lay a trap to ensare me. They also have (potentially) gained access to my supplies if they succeed in their mission. I betcha part of CJ hoped at least one of them died in there.

She could very well be pleased as punch to let them into her tower now. But if what people are saying is true and Victor's tank was meant to be leaky on purpose...*shrug*

i agree. i think CJ did give Victor a leaky tank. She specifically told Saul "yours is the Blue one" and Victor was already cracking jokes that CJ likes Saul. so if she was gonna run a potentially deadly test, might as well risk the one you least like.

[Cabbage Patch]

Not it ;)

Does this help? 1780

New things this clue reveals:

• It's one of those tower buildings build around an inner courtyard. That explains why it was so hard to get from the rooms where Kalani and Sean were to the area where the weapons were stored!

• Note the bands near the top floor and at the bottom of the picture. These are fairly common on the older LA skyscrapers, so let's hope they're mirrored on the outside.

• This looks to me like there are 10 stories in the "tower" portion of the building, with a lower "lobby" portion forming the base. The pattern is similar to SB Tower, but clearly different. It's probably not the 204 East 7th Street location either.

The search continues! Follow the details at this thread: http://www.zombiepodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?3135-The-Hunt-for-the-Other-Tower

[Dramadaddy]

I know I'm jumping into the 23rd page of this thread, but has anybody considered that if Saul is immune it may be because of the shot through Tommy and into him? Similar to an immunization shot, getting a little bit of the sickness and letting your immune system build up a natural immunity to it??

Like I said, I'm sorry if this has already been discussed but I don't have the time to go back and read all 23 pages. I'll try to keep up in the future now that I'm current w/the show.

[Osiris]

I know I'm jumping into the 23rd page of this thread, but has anybody considered that if Saul is immune it may be because of the shot through Tommy and into him? Similar to an immunization shot, getting a little bit of the sickness and letting your immune system build up a natural immunity to it??

Like I said, I'm sorry if this has already been discussed but I don't have the time to go back and read all 23 pages. I'll try to keep up in the future now that I'm current w/the show.

It's possible that may be the case. However, it does little to help explain Tanya's reaction to the mandatory examination. Of course, it doesn't need to explain it, the Tanya immunity theory is just that--a theory. I'll run with it. Why the hell not? Good idea, man.

[myltldmn]

First post, and I'll admit I only read the first 7 pages of this thread, so I apologize if I'm repeating.

Has anyone thought that the trees being dead really has nothing to do with the virus/bacteria/plague/squid/whatever?

Los Angeles was built out of a desert and without human intervention it wouldn't take long for the natural order of things to start returning the landscape back to its natural state? It could be a detail KC threw in as a theory derailment? I know it doesn't seem to fit his MO, but you know writers like to throw people for a loop and intentionally mislead. After all, writers are professional liars. And of course I say that with the utmost respect (since that is what I am currently trying to become myself). Just something to think about.

[Cabbage Patch]

First post, and I'll admit I only read the first 7 pages of this thread, so I apologize if I'm repeating.

Has anyone thought that the trees being dead really has nothing to do with the virus/bacteria/plague/squid/whatever?

Los Angeles was built out of a desert and without human intervention it wouldn't take long for the natural order of things to start returning the landscape back to its natural state? It could be a detail KC threw in as a theory derailment? I know it doesn't seem to fit his MO, but you know writers like to throw people for a loop and intentionally mislead. After all, writers are professional liars. And of course I say that with the utmost respect (since that is what I am currently trying to become myself). Just something to think about.

Interesting point, and one that is perfectly valid. Los Angeles was actually more savannah than desert before people transformed it, but the fact remains that there isn't much ground water storage, it doesn't rain that often, and all the rivers have been concreted in order to protect against flash flooding so the rain doesn't really benefit the vegetation. Without ongoing irrigation most of the greenery in LA is going to die. The WA story has moved well into the Summer so all the grass should be dead and the trees should be dying.

The one thing that gives me pause, though, is that the characters made special mention of the dead trees and vegetation near Ground Zero. This should be the case everywhere in the city, so for Saul and Victor to make special mention of it must mean that it's much worse here than elsewhere.

[Cabbage Patch]

This evening a Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to Chicago was met on the runway by a team from Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and the passengers were quarantined outside the terminal for three hours. Fox News ran the story as breaking news. I don't know about the rest of you, but I immediately started thinking "Zombies on the plane, zombies on the plane!"

Turns out it was a false alarm. Here's a link to the CDC press release: http://www.cdc.gov/media/haveyouheard/

1797

[GeneTwo]

Since the water has been shut off, the only way vegetation gets watered is rain. I haven't heard any rain or it hasn't been mentioned in the last couple of episodes. It could be the haze but until we get new info I'm going with no regular watering.

[Cabbage Patch]

Since the water has been shut off, the only way vegetation gets watered is rain. I haven't heard any rain or it hasn't been mentioned in the last couple of episodes. It could be the haze but until we get new info I'm going with no regular watering.

According to the timeline the electrical power grid went out on June 25, which is also the last recorded date on which there was rain (and is actually kind of late in the season for rain in LA). So let's assume that that's the last day that any trees or lawns got water. Saul and Victor made their trip to Ground Zero on August 4. So that means that the plants haven't gotten any water for 40 days during a Southern California Summer. That should be enough to kill every green lawn, and the non-native trees should be pretty sick and withered. I think the palm trees would still be okay.

[Adventureless_Hero]

According to the timeline the electrical power grid went out on June 25, which is also the last recorded date on which there was rain (and is actually kind of late in the season for rain in LA). So let's assume that that's the last day that any trees or lawns got water. Saul and Victor made their trip to Ground Zero on August 4. So that means that the plants haven't gotten any water for 40 days during a Southern California Summer. That should be enough to kill every green lawn, and the non-native trees should be pretty sick and withered. I think the palm trees would still be okay.

Very reasonable but there are a few dates since June 25th in which rain could have fallen. There are some "uneventful" days in which the Tower residents simply lived out their lives and we didn't have anything recorded in an episode. For instance, rain may have fallen between July 5th through July 23rd, or July 27th or 28th but we don't actually have any evidence that it did. Just saying it's a possibility.

I do believe that because Saul and Victor (or Sictor as I like to call them) made a special point of mentioning all the trees and plant life was dead or dying that it was in a much worse state than the vegetation they had seen around L.A. The plants of L.A. may be drying out, but the trees they saw were likely dead.

! Or what if the trees are undead? ♫Dun-dun-duuuuuun!!!♫ Carnivorous plant life baby!

[Z Sniper]

Very reasonable but there are a few dates since June 25th in which rain could have fallen. There are some "uneventful" days in which the Tower residents simply lived out their lives and we didn't have anything recorded in an episode. For instance, rain may have fallen between July 5th through July 23rd, or July 27th or 28th but we don't actually have any evidence that it did. Just saying it's a possibility.

I do believe that because Saul and Victor (or Sictor as I like to call them) made a special point of mentioning all the trees and plant life was dead or dying that it was in a much worse state than the vegetation they had seen around L.A. The plants of L.A. may be drying out, but the trees they saw were likely dead.

! Or what if the trees are undead? ♫Dun-dun-duuuuuun!!!♫ Carnivorous plant life baby!

It's VAUL.

[Pandora]

It is Saturday and I cant wait for MONDAY!!!!

[Pandora]

This evening a Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to Chicago was met on the runway by a team from Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and the passengers were quarantined outside the terminal for three hours. Fox News ran the story as breaking news. I don't know about the rest of you, but I immediately started thinking "Zombies on the plane, zombies on the plane!"

Turns out it was a false alarm. Here's a link to the CDC press release: http://www.cdc.gov/media/haveyouheard/

1797

Zombie Ants are cooler! I think we use these little guys for food color or something.

[Skeptic-all]

Methane? Could the haze be some sort of modified methane that alters the brain so that whoever breaths it will become crazy cannibals? Just that the first ones to breath it didn't breath the modified part and only the methane...and.. died? I dunno..

[Pandora]

Pegs and Victor were already exposed to it on the way to the Jolly Green Giant when Pegs took her own route...but now you have me thinking, I wonder if that will come into play. I dont really like...

[Cabbage Patch]

I'm not thrilled by the idea of paying for We're Alive, but the fact is that it would be worth it. I already pay for podcasts that I enjoy less ($2.99 a month for the Jay &amp; Jack Podcasts). I'd pay...

[Pandora]

Well...I do not expect them to come out any faster. I would like them to be longer, but would not we all? KC is set on 4 seasons and he seems pretty firm on it. I was just throwing it out there. I didnt think anybody would 'like' the idea really. I just have oodles of respect 4 them...cool peas! They probably have specific reasons for making it free...But in that I have no clue. I just love it. Chapter 28-2 seems liked a ton was crammed into one and my first thought was 'oh no...they are really getting into tying it all up' and I dont want it to end! lol...that is selfish also..poor We're Alive crew... All these crazy selfish zombie fans!

Never heard of Jay and Jack...what is it about? I am curious now.

[uuhhhuuu]

I'm not thrilled by the idea of paying for We're Alive, but the fact is that it would be worth it. I already pay for podcasts that I enjoy less ($2.99 a month for the Jay & Jack Podcasts). I'd pay for We're Alive under either of two circumstances. First, if it meant the difference between the program continuing or ending. Second, if it could help in any way in our getting the episodes faster. Sorry, both very selfish reasons, I know there's a definite fairness issue...the producers and the cast deserve to make money off of this fantastic product too.

I wouldn't mind paying if they could turn this in to a video series/anime. would be really cool and worth it.

[uuhhhuuu]

I'm not thrilled by the idea of paying for We're Alive, but the fact is that it would be worth it. I already pay for podcasts that I enjoy less ($2.99 a month for the Jay & Jack Podcasts). I'd pay for We're Alive under either of two circumstances. First, if it meant the difference between the program continuing or ending. Second, if it could help in any way in our getting the episodes faster. Sorry, both very selfish reasons, I know there's a definite fairness issue...the producers and the cast deserve to make money off of this fantastic product too.

I wouldn't mind paying if they could turn this in to a video series/anime. would be really cool and worth it.

[GeneTwo]

Live action TV series or mini series or webisodes, in that order. Walking Dead is sooooo slow, we could use another zombie show. Seriously, how much character development do you need?

[Pandora]

Soo...I dont see this going over well. i have another idea to toss out..lets say you could buy it off itunes a day early...or wait and get it free the next day off of zombiepodcast...that way..if you just cant afford it...you dont have to worry about it. I doubt WA would want to do that to use at this point in time anyway...nobody would be forced to pay for it, and they would definitely make some cash from us impatient peoples! I better just shut up b4 KC tells me to himself! I am not trying to get people to spend $ they dont have...and I am certainly NOt trying to open a discussion of demands for the We're Alive crew...My only intention is to keep it worthwhile to them and lessen some of the stress from trying to raise $.

Does anybody know what the final bid was for the part in We're Alive? (fundraiser on Ebay to help them afford to attend the Audie awards.)

[Pandora]

Well I think that is prolly why WA is free...to do it well and get ppl to love it. I believe it has to be something a movie director wants to make a film of...if they themselves went out and made it, without a movie making professional it would probably disappoint you. It costs a lot of money to make a good movie. Walking Dead is about to pick up...promise.

[Osiris]

I hope W.A. never finds commercialization in film or TV. That's not to say I wouldn't want to see the show enjoy a larger piece of the pie and broaden its fan base, it's simply that a network or studio would wrestle creative control away from the series creators--as they do with everything good--and turn it to dreck. That would be heartbreaking. Walking Dead is a prime example of butchering an art form in favour of commercial success.

[GeneTwo]

Well theirs always kickstarter.

[forgottenone]

So, I too am anxiously awaiting Chapter 29. Does anyone know what it is titled?

[Red Shirt]

I wouldn't mind paying if they could turn this in to a video series/anime. would be really cool and worth it.

Anime. Definitely anime. Vocal tracks are already recorded, now it just needs to be animated. I think that if WA were to make it into some form of video format it would be best done as an anime. In live action, FX don't make the story, but bad FX can be a deal killer. In anime, FX would be a non-issue. Not to mention that the stylization of some animes would fit in the WA world quite well.



Not necessarily. Remember that there are no animals or insects and possibly not even normal decomposition bacteria living in the area. These all play a huge part in the rotting process. So it would only be the affect of the weather. The bodies are probably more like ones that are covered and sealed in a 'normal' situation.

Learned about this fairly recently: During the American Civil war at the battle of Shiloh, there was a legend that spoke of soldiers with glowing wounds that had a better chance of surviving. Turns out that this may have been a lot more than a fairy tale:

Reference 1 (http://io9.com/5899996/the-mystery-of-the-glow+in+the+dark-civil-war-soldiers)
Reference 2 (http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/122477)
Reference 3 (http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/glowing-wounds/)
Reference 4 (http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Photorhabdus_luminescens)

The oversimplified Nut Shell version: This bacteria is actively hostile to other bacteria but harmless to humans. Thus, getting infected with it was actually beneficial.

That said, it is not that big of a stretch of the imagination to conceive of a bacteriological agent that causes zombification and is hostile to other bacteria... and all other life apparently. This is a possible explanation for the lack of/extremely slowed decomposition in the bodies.


Here is some more scary crap that is going on in the real world that lends credence to bacteriological takeover:

Ice Sheets melting due to Climate Change, releasing 750,000 year old bacteria back into the wild:
Reference 1 (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=melting-glaciers-liberate-ancient-microbes)
Reference 2 (http://intellectualyst.com/global-warming-melting-glaciers-bring-ancient-microbes-back-to-life/)
Reference 3 (http://www.climatecentral.org/news/partner-news/bugs-in-the-ice-sheets-melting-glaciers-free-old-bacteria)

Drug-Resistant Bacteria Found in 4-Million-Year-Old Cave (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120411-drug-resistance-bacteria-caves-diseases-human-health-science/)

250-million-year-old bacteria revived in lab (http://www.extremescience.com/oldest-living-thing.htm)
Ancient bacteria brought back to life (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n20_v147/ai_17128688/) These guys have have revived more than 1,000 types of bacteria and microorganisms - some dating back as far as 135 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs.

[Kram]

I saw this story (http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/19/science/la-sci-slow-life-20120519) recently and was immediately reminded of some of the speculation in this thread. With what we learned in Chapter 29 about how the zombie "hot spots" may have some connection to the Ring of Fire, I'm increasingly liking the idea of some ancient virus/bacteria being released by geologic activity. I'm even more intrigued by this theory after reading that article.

[Zombiphobe]

I'm increasingly liking the idea of some ancient virus/bacteria being released by geologic activity.

I'm not quite sold on this theory yet. My concern is that if it is some ancient virus/bacteria that was sequestered away underground until it was released by tectonic activity, then how did it become so host-specific? Humans appear to be the only ones who can be affected. We haven't seen any zombie birds/animals and are told that dogs are immune. So while this strain of virus/bacteria was isolated from human evolution, how could it have developed specific adaptions to infect humans and apparently nothing else? What use would this specificity be if the ancient virus/bacteria resurfaced and the appropriate host was not accessible? That would be evolutionary suicide.