6: Anarchy in Struggling Societies

Thomas dumped his wheel barrel full of shit into the open field and smiled over the fact he could. He felt so secure he allowed his mind to wander, something he hadn’t done for years. The best he’d accomplished was dreaming of his lost family at night, which disrupted his sleep, leaving him unprepared for the following day, so he kept a tight rein on his imagination.

He’d been a farmer when the zombie apocalypse began. While there were widespread news and power blackouts, he received updates from across the country via ham radio. He stocked up on supplies, kept his guns handy, fortified his ranch house and waited.

It took a long time, but after several weeks, he caught his first undead rambling across his property. He quickly dispersed them with his rifle and moved his livestock indoors and locked them inside. A few days later, isolated individuals began showing up seeking shelter.

“If you can work, you can stay. If you cause trouble, you’re history.”

They accepted his demands, providing protection for his farm and livestock. Because he was so out of the way, they didn’t get the number of zombies the larger communities did. They largely escaped the plague until he encountered a couple pacing around his grain silo. After watching awhile, he observed they were eating the mice and rats. Realizing his grain wouldn’t last long with the uncontrolled rodents, he allowed them to remain, intending to return to ensure they didn’t become a problem.

Returning to the farmhouse, he put his rifle away and grabbed a coffee, just as he did any other day. “You need to be extra cautious today,” he cautioned the two women in the kitchen. “I spotted two walkers by the grain silo today.”

The women glanced at each other, before one turned to him. “I don’t understand. If you took care of them, why the extra caution?”

“Simple,” he answered, sitting back and putting his feet up, “I didn’t kill them yet.”

“What?” they both exclaimed at once. “Why not?”

“Because they weren’t threatening anyone and they’re doing more good than harm. The barns secure, they aren’t likely to break in, and they’re keeping the rodent population at bay. Our biggest concern are the house cats which used to control them, but the walkers seem to be avoiding them on their own.”

“But if you leave them alone, they’ll attack us,” Wanda warned.

“When they become a problem, or at least outlive their usefulness, I’ll take care of it. But for now, they’re serving our greater good by eliminating the vermin we’ve been unable to eliminate on our own. What’s more, they seem more concerned with avoiding us than stalking us.”

“I think you’re overestimating them. They’re mindless animals! They’ll attack anything which attracts their attention. You haven’t encountered them in the numbers we have. They’ll attack at a moment’s notice with little concern for safety or rational thought.”

“And you folks have little experience with animals; otherwise you’d realize they’re rational creatures themselves. They might not apply logic to every situation, but the two I saw appeared to be behaving reasonably. Rather than attacking humans who can defend themselves, they concentrated on smaller animals which are a lesser threat while giving us a wide berth. I’m hoping that, once they’ve fed, they’ll simply move on.”

“If they do, they’ll only terrorize others! How would you feel if your neighbor let every zombie they encountered free to attack you on your farm? After all, as long as they’re attacking us, they wouldn’t be a problem to him. If we don’t all combat these vermin, then we’ll all lose. No matter what you’d prefer to believe, these are not rational creatures. They live to consume human flesh, and they won’t halt until every living thing is dead, at which point they’ll feast on each other.”

“You see, that highlights the flaws in your logic. If they weren’t rational, they’d eliminate each other. Yet they’re focused on small animals rather than the bigger ones which are harder to take down. That seems consistent with most animal behavior I’ve observed over the years. Bears and wild cats are a danger, but as long as they don’t make a nuisance of themselves, it’s best to leave them alone. Wolves, on the other hand, are likely to return to pick off the most vulnerable. I saw no evidence these zombies were inclined to stick around for long.”

“I think you’re being delusional, and it reflects your lack of direct experience with the undead.”

“Maybe, but in either case, we’ll know who’s right in a couple days,” he answered, getting up and heading for his workroom. “For now, let them do what we can’t.”

A couple hours later, Thomas’s work was disturbed by the sound of gunfire in the distance. Anticipating the worst, he grabbed his hunting rifle and rushed outside, discovering his two male houseguests taking potshots at the two zombies. Being terrible shots, they hadn’t killed either one, and didn’t appear to be serious about doing so. Thomas fired in the air, before turning his rifle on the men.

“Drop your guns, grab your supplies, and get the hell off my property I’ll return your weapons when you leave, but you’re no longer welcomed here!”

“What are you talking about? We’re doing what you refuse to do! If you’re too much of a coward to do what’s necessary, then we’ll handle it for you.”

“The hell you are! You haven’t eliminated any threat; you’re simply riling them up while destroying my supplies for the future.”

The one man turned, casually glancing at the zombies who didn’t appear to notice they’d been shot at. “What are you talking about? Those zombies will eventually kill us all. We’re not about to get close enough for them to attack.”

“You haven’t incapacitated either one. Instead you’ve damaged my grain silo, meaning the grain will spill out for years, and the vermin the zombies were eradicating for me now have easier access to it. What the hell is supposed to happen if I can’t grow new food because of the zombies? What will we live on in the coming years? You understand so little about farm life, you’ll kill us all with your recklessness.”

“Reckless? Us? You’re the one allowing zombies to roam free!”

“So far, they haven’t threatened anyone, and you were duly warned. Instead of listening, you threaten my future survival more than they have.”

“You’re insane!” the other man said. “We’re unlikely to survive the next year unless we do something substantial. Worrying about a couple grains while humanity teeters on the edge of extinction is idiotic.”

“No, abusing the trust of someone who took you in is a textbook definition of stupidity. Hit the road, before I prove how to operate a rifle at close range.”

“You can’t chase us off,” the one man protested. “You don’t know what it’s like out there.”

“You should have thought of that before taking pot shots at my food supply. Hell, I plan to remain here for some time, zombies or no zombies. Without grocery stores on every street corner, few will survive for long. You don’t belong in a rural community. Go back to the city and fight your zombies however you wish, but leave me and my property out of it!”

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed—” the one began, pointing towards the silo.

“What the hell is going on?” the two women demanded, exiting the house with their guns in their hands.

“I’ve asked these two men to leave. The two of you are free to accompany them, or remain, as you’ve proven your worth by helping out with cooking, cleaning and working with the animals. But I won’t allow the men to remain. They’ve resisted pitching in for some time. They’re more focused on the threat of zombies than on protecting our supplies before they arrive.”

“There’s a—” Wanda screamed.

“A zombie? Yes, I’m aware of it. I suggest you two men get moving, otherwise you’ll have a hard time leaving.”

“Aren’t you going to shoot it?”

“Why? They aren’t a threat. What’s more, at the moment they’re providing a service, while these two are destroying the supplies we need to survive in the future. They’re more a risk to our survival than those two undead. You men aren’t inclined to heed my advice, and now, I don’t trust you to enter my house unescorted. If you don’t mind, girls, if you could gather the men’s supplies, I’d appreciate it.”

“What makes you think they won’t shoot you instead?” one of the men asked.