Walking stuck setting information

#THE_WALKING_STUCK Setting!

The memo is set in a universe based off The Walking Dead. It is set in an entirely fictional environment - The small town of Farquay, residents numbering at around 20,000. It is situated by a river, a chunk of the town lying just within the flood plains, meaning it may be prone to flooding in times of heavy rainfall.

The town possesses the standard locations of interests expected of one of its size: a main high street with a decent number of stores selling various goods, of which a fair number remain unlooted. There are stations for all the major emergency services - Police, fire and ambulance; there is also a Hospital with a few wards, as well as two doctor's clinics in seperate areas of town. There is a swimming pool, though it is obviously no longer maintained and the water is not particularly appealing to bathe in. There are two major supermarkets, which have been looted but still contain enough goods to be worth some regular visits for a decent period of time. There are a number of public houses here and there, all rather rustic and old-fashioned, a couple seeming to have served as hotels in the past.

Two locations of particular note are:
-The council office building, which lies a few blocks off the high street, near the river. It is a relatively large building compared to the others in town, with a large number of office areas (Many of which have been cleared in order to make space). This, along with the rather large house next to it, serves as the main base for the survivors arriving in town, giving them living space, some beds, a couple of kitchens and overall a not-sucky place to stay. Its suitability as a permanent place of residence is, however, questionable.

-The church, a grand building despite its moderate size. It rests on a slight hill next to a bend in the river, making it prominent from most parts of town. The main section is rectangular in shape, with graceful stained-glass windows along each side. On the far end from the Altar is a small courtyard, which once was home to many beautiful and well-kept trees and flowers, all of which are now wilted and dead. At the other end is the bell tower, standing tall, square in shape. It has a number of bells of different tones, which now sit collecting dust. Located next to the church, just down the hill, is the cemetery, filled with graves and memorials and several small mausoleums.
==WARNING! THE CHURCH AND CEMETERY ARE AREAS OF HIGH WALKER CONCENTRATION. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!==
A road leads up the hill from town, to the church entrance.

--ZOMBIES (aka "Walkers") IN THE WALKING DEAD SETTING--
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS!

In The Walking Dead, walkers (as they are called) do not abide by many of the zombie characteristics you may be familiar with. It is imperative that you understand how they function, for the sake of the roleplay.

#1 - WALKERS ARE DEAD.
They are not living people changed into walkers. They are quite literally the walking dead. They are no more, they have ceased to be.

#2 - THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE.
It is likely to remain this way. Once a walker is a walker, it's a walker for life (...Poor choice of words). There's nothing you can do - You may be a doctor, but you're not a miracle worker!

#3 - WALKERS ARE SIMPLE CREATURES.
They react mostly by reflex. They are incapable of thinking. They respond to basic stimuli - Sight, smell, sound, taste. They are also capable only of shambling, not running - When alerted, they may move slightly quicker than normal, but still no faster than a normal human's walking pace.
If a walker sees, smells or hears something loud and out of the ordinary, it will move towards it, though it is capable of navigating streets and minor obstacles. Where a barrier is reached, it will attempt to break through and will likely not give up for a long time unless it is distracted.
Walkers will gorge themselves on corpses when one is found and are less likely to be alerted, though they will still chase new prey if it spots some.

#4 - WALKERS ARE AGGRESSIVE
As just stated, if it sees anything that is not a walker, it will pursue it and attempt to kill it until its interest is lost, due to its prey escaping or it spotting more fresh meat.

#5 - WALKERS GATHER IN PACKS
Individual walkers will be found here and there, but they tend to gather together in large groups, especially in areas of previously high human activity. Generally, the closer you are to the town centre, the more walkers you'll encounter, in large clumps.

#6 - WALKERS CAN IDENTIFY THEIR OWN
Walkers have a distinct smell to them that is revolting to non-walkers, but is recognised by walkers as being from their own. If it can detect that stench, it will not attack whoever it belongs to.
(Imagine the smell of a rotting corpse... A severely rotting corpse. That is the kind of awful, rancid stench that we're talking about. It's enough to make most people throw up)

#7 - THE ONLY WAY TO KILL A WALKER IS TO DESTROY THE BRAIN
Forget removing the head - The brain MUST be destroyed. Even if you decapitate it, the head will continue snapping and snarling at you (Well, maybe less of the snarling since it now lacks vocal chords...). You need to slice the brain in half, put a bullet in it, or an arrow; something, anything to put that grey matter out of business for good.


WALKER MECHANICS - BECOMING A WALKER

#8 - WALKERS ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED
By this I mean EVERYONE who dies becomes a walker. No exceptions. This goes for ANY death, whatever the cause (Unless the brain was destroyed in the process)

#9 - TURNING HAPPENS MINUTES AFTER DEATH
It's pretty damn fast. When someone dies, you've only got a few minutes from the moment their heart stops beating until they're trying to gnaw on your neck. Use them wisely.

#10 - WALKER BITES ARE FATAL
No exceptions. If you're bitten, you're going to die.
Dying this way takes much more time; exact symptoms displayed will be left to your discretion. You will gradually weaken and become incapable of less and less. It is not uncommon for bitten individuals to experience:
-Crippling pain in the location of the bite
-Periodic loss of motor function
-Migraines
-Hallucinations
-Temporary loss of sight
-Blackouts
Affected individuals' skin will gradually turn a pasty grey in colour and their eyes will yellow. This is most prominent in the latter stages of affliction; a warning sign that their time is coming. At this point they will struggle to perform basic tasks such as moving or talking.
In the end, they will succumb to the bite, simply passing away, only to reanimate minutes later as a walker.

With this in mind, you should be able to roleplay around walkers appropriately, as well as reacting accurately in the event of a walker bite (God help you). Remember that we don't know everything about Walkers - most people have no idea where they even came from. It's a mystery!

In any case, we wish you the best of luck. Only the fittest survive. The best advice to be given is to stay cautious, be careful and don't get bitten.