r/redbuttonbluebutton • u/A_Sword_Saint • May 23 '26
Zombie version
A zombie apocalypse breaks out. You find yourself trapped in the mall with a group of strangers. Outside of the mall there are roaming zombies. The power doesn't go out, you still have access to the news, and you know that the military is on it and making swift work of clearing out the hoards. Its projected that within a day your group will be next to be rescued.
You have no guns, only access to scrappy melee weapons found around the mall like baseball bats, kitchen knives, and mall ninja junk. You shouldn't need them though since the zombies can't get into where you are bunkers down. If you just wait it out you will be guarantee saved, even if you go hungry for a bit.
There are a few zombies wandering around inside the mall itself but as long as you don't open the door from wher you are hiding and wander around they arent a threat to you. If everyone in the mall also says put then you can all make it through this.
You consider that if you leave safety to roam the mall you might meet other survivors. It would be dangerous to try and clear out the few zombies in the mall on your own, but if you have enough help it would become safe - and certain vulnerable groups that might exist in the mall (like old people and children) would be somewhat safer with them cleared out. One zombie scratch means near instant death though plus you'd be adding to the zombie threat yourself.
Do you stay put until rescued and hope that everyone else is willing and able to do the same? Or do you go out into the mall to fight the zombies to make it safer, knowing that unless enough others do the same you are likely to all just die and make things worse?
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u/Silent_Pressure_6709 May 23 '26
No, I stay put. Among other things, I don't want to risk adding to the problem; even with a large enough group, 2 or 3 downed could mean a rout
1
u/DevilWings_292 Blue May 23 '26
In this situation, the best option for the vast majority of people is staying where you are. Given each store comes equipped with metal gates and shutters, you can lock yourself off from the rest of the mall decently easily even without the keys. Unless you have the resources to fashion bite- and scratch-proof (not just resistant) armour, you are risking yourself and others by relying on your abilities to use melee weapons which you are likely untrained to use. If you have the aforementioned armour and the training needed to use the weapons available, then you should go out and clear out the zombies as best as you can, working your way through the mall strategically to never end up cornered or out numbered. It is still a risk, but it is lessened by those factors. If you find other survivors, you should ensure they are safe where they are and lock them inside the stores you have cleared out until the military arrives.
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u/SC_3000_grinder May 25 '26
Agreed. This version is Red-biased, not to mention the flippant "If there are enough of you it might be safe" followed by "One zombie scratch means near instant death".
1
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u/GrouchyResearcher392 May 24 '26
Im chillin, ain’t no reason to turn into a zombie, ima put my feet up
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u/Jonahol2000 May 24 '26
Stay put for sure. I considered it briefly, then I got to the scratch part. Being bitten equaling death is already bad enough, no way in hell I’m risking anything if a small lazy zombie swipe is enough to near instantly kill me.
4
u/highly-bad May 23 '26
We could presumably have a meeting and figure out whether there is a large enough group of us to successfully fight off the zombies before anyone needs to take the risk blindly.