How do zombies decide whether to kill or turn their victims?

[ImPaul]

I think the answer is simple. Once a person it bitten, he/she will turn unless consumed first.
All of the instances in which a person has turned, it has been when the bitting zombie was killed before finishing the job:
Tommy, Fernando, Red Shirt guy on helocopter (in Red Winter).

Again, if they are bit and not consumed...they will turn. So, the zombies don't deliberately decide to turn a person.

[peterw]

Tommy didn't get bit though, he got blood on him and into a cut on his neck I think. So that's another way, blood getting on you. I think rielly said that happened at the start in chapter 1

[LiamKerrington]

Hi there,

I guess there are the two components: a) the victim must be alive to be turned; b) the victim needs to receive whatever type of body-fluid from a zomb (especially saliva, blood, or lymph) in a way that it gets into the body - either through bites, into open wounds, injection, or whatever comparable thing.

As long as the zombo-fluid only touches the skin without penetrating it by whatever means the victim won't turn - unless Kc or Ink comes up with a new fiendish or devilish method ... ;)

Best wishes!
Liam

[Cabbage Patch]

Here's an alternate theory. A large portion of the population is naturally immune to the zombie virus. The zombies, who we already know have an acute sense of smell, can tell the immunes from the vulnerables. At the start of the outbreak they turned the vulnerables, killed and ate the immunes. Now that the human population has pretty much been wiped out, the immunes they find get taken to Ink for experiments and games. Thus Datu, Samantha, Kalani and Tanya were all immunes.

[LiamKerrington]

Here's an alternate theory. A large portion of the population is naturally immune to the zombie virus. The zombies, who we already know have an acute sense of smell, can tell the immunes from the vulnerables. At the start of the outbreak they turned the vulnerables, killed and ate the immunes. Now that the human population has pretty much been wiped out, the immunes they find get taken to Ink for experiments and games. Thus Datu, Samantha, Kalani and Tanya were all immunes.

*evil*

[Witch_Doctor]

Or, if the victim isn't killed and eaten fast enough then s/he turns and is able to fight back. Kind of like the big cats immobilizing their prey by going for the jugular vein to kill it before eating it. Skittle says that they will eat each other. (But then again, he says they'll do it if they have too. AND they separated dead zombies and dead normals into two piles at the arena. DARN YOU KC AND YOUR EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE!!! :mad: )

[Witch_Doctor]

Red Shirt guy on helocopter (in Red Winter).

Again, if they are bit and not consumed...they will turn. So, the zombies don't deliberately decide to turn a person.

I think you're right about the regular zombies, but Inkling #2 seemed to just want to spread her zombie cooties. She could have easily eaten any or part of the others. Capt. Long was partially eaten but it seems like the two soldiers first shot by Robins were eating her.