TO LIVE AND DIE…
(AND RETURN TO LIFE)… IN

F L A

From the July 9, 1984 edition of THE SOUTHERN GLOBE, one of the last newspapers ever printed (reprinted without permission of course):

THE DEAD WALK!

Biologists in Washington DC have released a report stating that the bodies of the recently-dead are returning to life, driven by an unknown force that enables the brain to continue to function. Doctors at the Center For Disease Control in Atlanta reject that theory, calling it "preposterous beyond belief". They feel the only reasonable explanation is a germ, a bacteria or virus, that has a mind-altering effect on its victims. Though how such a germ could have been delivered so quickly and over such a vast area remains a mystery. Researchers there are now working on a vaccine for this ghoulish plague. It’s being called Judgement Day by religious leaders who are asking for prayer, forgiveness, and understanding. These re-activated bodies are weak and uncoordinated, but are capable of inflicting damage on people and on property. They are to be considered extremely dangerous, especially when encountered in large numbers. These bodies can be disposed of in only one known manner. That is by incapacitating the brain. These re-activated bodies will attack warm-blooded animals of all species, including human beings, without provocation, and will devour the flesh of any prey. Dr. Matthew Logan of the neurology department at the US Army Medical Museum of Washington DC at a conference spoke about the mysterious condition. "Our research is just beginning. Earlier yesterday morning, in the cold room at the university, we had a cadaver, a cadaver from which all four limbs had been amputated. In a short time after being removed from the cold room, it opened its eyes. It was dead, but it opened its eyes and began to move. Problem now is to obtain more of such cadavers for examination and experimentation. We have to ask the military personnel and the civilian patrols that are out in the field to stop burning all of these things. We need them to be brought to us still alive so we can study them." When asked if he believed the crisis is a result of the Venus probe, he shook his head uncertain, saying "I’m not an aerospace expert. All we know right now is that there’s likely some pathological reason. If there is an unknown, extraterrestrial microbe, we would have to isolate it in a laboratory, and still go to Venus and see if it exists there. The only thing to do is to hope that it is a mutant form of virus that can not reproduce and that will die off soon."


DR. LOGAN

                                   
Recently released photo of a
reanimated corpse. This appeared
in the Sun a week ago and was of course,
dismissed. (Courtesy of US Army Medical Museum)
                                                                       

                                   
The living dead -- horror fiction no more.
These were spotted on the lawn of a funeral home late yesterday afternoon.

CIA At a Loss For Explanations
Explanations for the causes of this incredible phenomenon have not been forthcoming from the White House or from positions of authority, but speculation centers on the recent Venus probe which was unsuccessful. That experimental spacecraft started for Venus more than a week ago but never got there. Instead it returned to Earth when it was discovered it was carrying a mysterious high-level radiation with it. Could that radiation be responsible for the wholesale murder plaguing America? Speculations on the answer to that question has run rampant in Washington, while the White House has maintained a curtain of silence and has attempted to deal with this emergency by physical means. That is by organizing resistance of search and destroy missions against the aggressors. Meetings at the Pentagon and the White House have remained closed to reporters, and members of the military and civilian advisors have refused to conduct interviews. The CIA has been researching the corpses through extensive testing all through the night. Dr. Matthew Logan was contacted for his research in the field of neurosurgery although he was not able to respond to the press about any findings directly related to the nature of the reanimated corpses. There is an international investigation to be initiated into the crisis which has some politicians speculating there is possibly a Soviet strategy at play here.        

Whereabouts of President Unknown
Just a few hours after announcing a state of emergency and instituting martial law in several states along the Eastern seaboard, President Ronald W. Reagan and his wife Nancy was reported missing. This coming four days after a state of the nation address. Reagan's close advisors are also missing, along with several national security agents namely advisors Robert McFarlane and John Poindexter. This has lead some to speculate there is more to the crisis than what the media is revealing. "It is not clear if they [the Presidential Family] indeed fled the nation as some began to speculate early this morning or if there is a political factor to motivate this disappearing act," Senator Lawton Chiles reported in an interview. "All we know is that Florida as well as the rest of the nation are going to have to pull together if that is the truth." Reagan's supporters have said the disappearing act is a result of emergency surgery he was in need of for some time and that he will return.

                   
Reagans leave for an unannounced vacation.

Vice President Declares State of Emergency

VP George H. Bush declared a national emergency in all fifty states last night at 8PM. There was no explanation on the whereabouts of the President given, after his hasty announcement on television.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION 

Man Bites Man
It has been confirmed that the mass cannibalism reported through the afternoon and evening hours of July 8, 1984, are attributable to these re-activated bodies. Brutal attacks have been occurring over much of the nation yesterday and well into last night. Reports of homicide, specifically mass decapitation, have been pouring in from coast to coast. Hospitals are deluged. These events were originally believed to be random acts of violence are being committed by people in a trance-like or hypnotic state. They have lost their ability to communicate and reason. They do not respond to command or authority. The scientific community is focusing on the phenomenon, specifically on that trance-like state that seems to characterize the assailants. But what could have caused it to be so widespread is still unknown. There are several speculations; everything from the ozone layer and chemical weapons to voodoo, mysticism, and organisms from space. Anyone who dies from a wound inflicted by the "flesh-eaters" (as some call them) may himself come back to life in the same form as the aggressors themselves. The disease that these things carry is communicable through open flesh wounds or scratches, and takes effect minutes after the brain death of the wounded person. Anyone who dies during this emergency should be immediately decapitated or cremated. Survivors will find these measures difficult to undertake but they must be undertaken nonetheless or else the authorities must be alerted to undertake it for you. Dr. James Foster of the Philadelphia Medical Center warned the nation earlier today that "A dead body must be destroyed…by command of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Government."




Families are urged not to detain their dead

Food Supply Dwindles
Governor Urges Residents To Remain Calm, in Homes
Normal broadcast facilities have been temporarily discontinued. Your law enforcement agencies urge you to remain in your homes. Keep all doors and windows locked or boarded shut. Use all food, water, and medical supplies sparingly. Civil defense forces are attempting to gain control of the situation. Stay near your radios and TVs. Do not use your car. Remain in your homes. Keep all doors and windows locked. Do not attempt to reach friends or family. Do not attempt to reach any of the rescue stations identified in previous advisories. They may no longer be in operation. Civil forces and the military have been mobilized but the violence is so widespread that it is impossible for rescue services to respond with any efficiency. People left to defend themselves are caught in the grip of mounting panic and confusion. That confusion is being compounded in the cities by looting, rioting, and in rural areas by citizens who, faced with the collapse of local police and fire departments, have taken the law into their own hands. Civil and social services have been disrupted or suspended. Most communities are without telephones. Many are without power. Some are without gas and water.

National Guard Overwhelmed

Civil and military patrols are moving through the eastern and midwestern United States in a systematic search for those who might be in need of assistance. MASH units, provided by the military, are traveling with many of these patrols. The National Guard as well as municipal SWAT units have been on duty since 9:00 P.M. EST. The Emergency Broadcast Network has been broadcasting outdated safety and rescue shelter information urging citizens to not attempt to reach a permanent medical facility. Those that are operational are seriously overburdened and may not be able to offer prompt attention.




Reserves Called To Action

Vigilantes armed with weapons .

                                        
Men drag the bodies of terminated "zombies" to a bonfire.