Random thought about time

[Rathorc Lemenger]

I was just thinking of something over the last couple of hours. That being the rate/speed of infection in some Zombie movies. In the World War Z movie, namely in the first official Zombie scene of the movie where it shows the guy who had justgotten out of his car get attacked andinfected in (about) 12 Seconds andnin the Dawn of the Dead Remake where the Nurses Husband was attacked and infectedin less than about 10 Seconds or so.
Now, I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that the amount of time for the infection in those two scenes are WAY too fast to actually happen. In my opinion, and its just that: my opinion, it would take hours, if not days, to infect a portion of the human brain, let alone the WHOLE brain. An example of this is shown in the original Dawn of the Dead from 1978/79, where it took the infection a couple of days (about 2 or 3 days) to access the brain of one of the characters.
The only explanation that I can even think of for the rate of speed, that being MAYBE 12 hours at the least, and even then it'd be only accessing the Reptillian portion of the human brain. It might take alittle bit more time to access the portions of the brain to allow movement, sight and sound.
Side note: it never really specifies the amount of time in any other movie, at least not that I've seen/heard.

What's the amount of time for infection do you use?

Signed,
Rathorc Lemenger,
President of Lemenger Biologics Unlimited.

[oger333]

So the books go into it being a cure for everything as an option . so people line up with a long incubation everyone has it .
with an airborne everyone will get it . i think another question is how dose it activate upon death , some mutation in others genetic immunity.

[Pepsi Jedi]

It depends on the movie/book/game etc. Some have lightning fast infections, some take a bit longer.

Very few have 'slow burns'. But you do see them. Usually in the "Jerk was bitten and hid it" Trope and they 'turn' when no one expects it and usually gets people killed. Some (Many?) Have a set amount of time to 'save' some people. I.E. bit in the leg or the hand. "HACK HACK HACK! and you get the body part off in time, then you don't turn. You see that one quite frequently as well.

Few movies/books etc ever really 100% nail down the 'why' of the Zombie plague, so the rapid onset of turn is quasi-magical, or what have you.

In ones that do (Like 28 days later) They're not 'true' zombies and the rapid onset is part of the point. That you get 'infected' and it B-Lines for your brain like a rapid onset neurotoxin, is the point. There are some nerotoxin's out there that act faster than nerve conduction velocity. I.E. they hit you before you can actually 'feel' the poke. So some 'virus/toxin' or (Whatever) That hits and infects you in a few seconds isn't 100% out of the realm of possibility. A few minutes is surely possible.

Which is a lot of words for "Depends on what you're looking for. Go with what you need/your setting says/that is most fun/scary for you."