A Guide to Zombies
There are, broadly speaking, three types of zombie. The shambler, the runner and the rage zombie. Generally the zombie will seek to spread the catalyst for becoming a zombie on to humans around them. Most often this catalyst takes the form of a virus transmitted through bites or blood to blood contact.
Although maiming a zombie of any form will slow it down, the only way of stopping/killing a zombie is to destroy its brain. The most effective way of achieving this is a shotgun blast, but most other firearms will provide enough power to stop a zombie, as will other weapons such as chainsaws, axes and knives.
The Shambler.
Shamblers are the least scary type of zombie. As their name suggests they move at slow speeds, act with only minimal (almost sub-animal) intelligence and are easy to escape. Although they are capable of sudden lunges, if they catch you then it's probably a case of evolution (you're either too stupid or too weak/injured to survive in the wild).
Shamblers may work in weakly aligned groups, relying on weight of numbers to overrun beseiged humans.
The shambler, because it's so slow, can be dispatched either with projectiles or with melee weapons, such as axes. They're the easiest to deal with and pose minimal threat to human civilisation. The only realistic way this form of zombie would be able to spread is if the virus which causes the zombie state was air-born and infects people, causing them to rise from the dead however they might happen to die. The zombies job thefore isn't to spread the virus, but to kill people in order for them to rise from the dead and become more zombies.
Shamblers would cause a short period of panic and death before they were brought under control. Once order was again restored either a cure for the zombie virus would be found, or basic safety measures would be implemented of destroying the brain of all newly deceased individuals.
The Runner.
The runner is also of low intelligence, although slightly greater than the shambler. They are able to move at the average human running speed which makes them a much more deadly strain of zombie. Because of their swift movement they can easily overrun a position in a few moments, meaning that the best defence against this variety of zombie is to keep moving in some form of motorised transport capable of getting ahead of them and losing them.
Runners, like shamblers, are likely to start to form groups, but their ability to swarm quickly over positions means they're likely to form a much higher degree of threat to civilisation. However, because of their low intelligence and their inability to climb or to form coherent attack groups, they are unlikely to succeed in infecting every human. Once people become aware of the dangers and learn the weaknesses of the stupid runners they will have little trouble evading and destroying them.
Rage Zombies.
By far and away the most terrifying of all zombie strains. The rage zombie is marginally faster than an average human due to the virus granting them increased strength. They are able to run for longer due to their lack of concern for their own safety or wellbeing. They are also mindlessly and uncontrolably violent. Unlike the shamblers and runners, the rage zombie is able to think on a par with a young child and is therefore able to resolve simple problems, making them even more deadly. Unlike the other types of zombie, the rage zombie will also beat against any object between them and their target without any concern for the damage caused to their body, meaning they're able to break into much stronger barricades and safe houses.
The combination of ferocious rage, increased strength and speed, increased (over other zombie types) intelligence, and lack of regard for their own continued existence, the rage zombie is a much more deadly threat to civilisation.
So What?
Well, Jakob and I have argued at some length over whether zombies should run. He says that you have to go with tradition and have shamblers. Arguing that a running zombie isn't a zombie at all and is something else. I disagree because zombies should be scary, and in more ways than just the way they look and smell. There should be a chance of them catching you, which there isn't with a shambler in any non-moronic way.
I think that the movie 28 Days Later, with the rage zombies, totally ruined any movie with shamblers in it for me. The fierce and savage nature of the zombies in it really woke me up to the fact that a shambling zombie that you can jog around isn't scary. A zombie you don't break a sweat getting away from isn't scary. A zombie you can expect to easily dispatch with an axe isn't scary.
Isn't it amazing what a person can accomplish while avoiding writing their essay? ;)