Have you ever thought of creating a “My Demons Are Different” page? I love all your work with the way you think of different races such as Goblins, Orcs, and now Zombies. I am very interested in how you would explain Demons in your own way. I don’t know, I just thought it was an interesting idea for you to ponder and hopefully post.

Interesting dilemma you’ve presented here Luke. I think Everlag and Karthik have it right regarding society’s approach to this kind of plague.
I’d like to wonder what would happen if society would collapse though. Say humanity is overwhelmed by these hugging hordes, what then? Assuming it would be next to impossible to subdue a horde, do I shoot my way out? I like to say “No Sir!” but I really don’t know. They need help and there might even be a cure at some point but all things considered, if society collapses under the masses, I think the only way to avoid infection is the brutal and “bad guy” way. They may be differently aggressive and much more pity-inducing than the monstrous zombies but the result is the same; we’ll die all the same. Great, now I’m sad ;)

This actually mirrors the condition and treatment in history by society (at large) of lepers and bubonic plague victims, with solutions generally involving various degrees of ostracism and quarantine.

Best. Zombies. Ever.

Seriously, best combination of moral conundrum, fear of infection, and creepy ‘other yet same’ factor I have ever seen in a Zombie. Someone needs to make this into a (good) movie, right now!

I think at the point where you go from things that attack you physically to things that try to hug you the ability to call them zombies is lost.
I mean, the traditional zombie has always(usually at least) been this creature that shambles around and is frightening because it is a random assailant attacking in the most savage fashion while in the package of the most intelligent life form.
Contrast that description with the standard plague ridden mob of people who are infected with some terrible disease and are begging for help and you find that the zombie you describe is much more a typical disease which happens to exploit the social nature of humans very effectively.
You kind of ended up describing the black plague.

Something like this would fit very well in a story about biological weapons with nations launching something guaranteed to break a population’s morale rather than nerve gas which is much less effective or as an answer to “how could the zombies get that potent without military intervention” with the disease mutating into a typical zombie strain.

Anyway, I love the concept but the designation feels off to me.

Wow. That sounds really very terrifying. I think much more so than the current trendy zombies because it’s easy to detach yourself emotionally from some not-quite-human monster. But someone just asking for help? Scary.

Nice work!