Take the kid or leave him/her behind?

Canis Lupus

I'm talking... 10 years or less. They contribute nothing, eat food/drink water and are nothing but a liability to your survival if a zombie outbreak occurs.

Do you protect them or say beat it kid?

degrassinoel

I think survival instincts only go so far when it comes to others, you'd have to be a completely ruthless bastard to abandon a child, even if you're not related.

Innocence is the first casualty of every war, but to willingly sacrifice or abandon our young or refuse to aid an uninfected kid is as bad as pulling a trigger on them yourself.

Personally speaking, feck the risk, feck the consequences, help the kid or lose your humanity. Good question though

downwithpeace

Help the kid, with everything else that's lost may as well try to save my own humanity as well as the kids life.

ladypip

I think with the risk of becoming the post apocalyptic version of the pied piper or a female Fagan, Id never leave a defenceless child behind sure you may have to feed, water and care for them now while they are young and scared, but who will maintain my fortress when I am old and grey? My army of former orphans of course!! Nobody wants to be a lonely old person in the waste lands of the post Z world.

Thrace

I dont think anyone would leave the kid but...what if you meet 100 kids, would the same apply? What would you do with your rations, try feed the kids for an hour and deplete them or draw the line and just go 'I cant help' and give them advice on where to scavenge, or even bring them all along and try to scavenge with them.

It's a dilemma faced by aid workers in famine areas every day.

Good question btw

degrassinoel

ladypip wrote: »

Fagan

was thinking exactly that! lol

Canis Lupus

As a keyboard zombie apocalypse warrior I think I'd opt to leave them behind unless directly related to me particularly if it was proper end of the world stuff. I think those who try to hold on to their humanity won't be long shuffling about looking for someones brains to eat :P

ChaseThisLight

Protect them, whether they are mine or not. Yes, there's the point of keeping your own humanity in doing so, but the practical side of it as well.

Children can contribute plenty (most anyway, I've seen some lazy kids, sure), be it chores or scavenging or scouting (they're smaller, they can get in and out of places you may not be able to get into, etc), they can learn. But also, Ladypip is right about maintaining the fortress, who will take over when you're nearing your end. Plus, think of the future, of a time when the threat may be dying down and it's time to start looking ahead and rebuilding the world.

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I think those who try to hold on to their humanity won't be long shuffling about looking for someones brains to eat :P

I believe those that manage to hold onto their humanity will be the ones who survive, who live on to rebuild and start over. They have cooler heads and more patience, two things that will be key to any situation you find yourself in in an apocalyptic world.

Tzar Chasm

on the Fagan POV a god rationalisation for the more morally squeamish would be, Kids are an ecellent moralle booser for the rest of the working suvivors, they carry an air of hope within a group and also provide a great distraction for the long months/years of Siege conditions, having some children of varying ages cando a lot to keep the population productivly occupied teaching Skills to the youth.

also

Bait

Canis Lupus

A few people seem to be skipping ahead and going directly from zombie outbreak to happily living in a functioning 'commune' with presumably clean water, sanitation, medicine, renewable food sources and security where it would be nice to have a few kids skipping about playing.

Surely after the outbreak however there will be days if not months of pure hell? What are you going to do with a baby or a toddler? I'm not familiar with theorized infection rates but if you lived in the heart of Dublin or London or any major urban centre there's gonna be a ****load of shuffling zombies, never mind the possibility of fast zombies.

How fast can a 4 year old run? How fast can you run with a 4 year old in your arms?

Tzar Chasm

How fast can a 4 year old run? How fast can you run with a 4 year old in your arms?

see point two

ScumLord

I'd hang onto the kids, they would be an invaluable resource. First of all they're smaller, faster and most importantly better equipped to learn. Children can shook up information and adapt much faster than adults.

The fact is they'd become accustomed to living in that type of world, we'd be the lazy generation that lived pampered lifes, they'd be people of the apocalypse.

Canis Lupus

ScumLord wrote: »

I'd hang onto the kids, they would be an invaluable resource. First of all they're smaller, faster and most importantly better equipped to learn. Children can shook up information and adapt much faster than adults.

The fact is they'd become accustomed to living in that type of world, we'd be the lazy generation that lived pampered lifes, they'd be people of the apocalypse.

I understand kids will be the future (although I'm pessimistic and think long term survival would be a near impossibility anyway if it was a true apocalypse ie breakdown of government and armed forces) but if you're on your own trying to make your way out of an urban area you surely have to accept that your chances of survival will take a complete nosedive if you pick up anyone under 10?

degrassinoel

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I understand kids will be the future (although I'm pessimistic and think long term survival would be a near impossibility anyway if it was a true apocalypse ie breakdown of government and armed forces) but if you're on your own trying to make your way out of an urban area you surely have to accept that your chances of survival will take a complete nosedive if you pick up anyone under 10?

Only if its Rick's kid from the walking dead!

ladypip

Canis Lupus wrote: »

How fast can a 4 year old run? How fast can you run with a 4 year old in your arms?

I bet my four year old can outrun most adults and he has more stamina than me, I have the under eye bags to prove he does not tire easily.

Canis Lupus

ladypip wrote: »

I bet my four year old can outrun most adults and he has more stamina than me, I have the under eye bags to prove he does not tire easily.

*makes mental note to take Ladypip in the event of apocalypse. She'll come in handy as zombie food once running starts*

aaronjumper

Raise the child as your own and train him or her to be a smart Zed killer, when you are old, infirm, or injured, they can look after you and get you supplies and protect you.

Also we would need to prepare the younger generations for adult life in the world, they are the future after all.

ladypip

Canis Lupus wrote: »

*makes mental note to take Ladypip in the event of apocalypse. She'll come in handy as zombie food once running starts*

Not without a fight I bite back.