Bath salts—zombie catalyst or fictional scapegoat?

June 29, 2012 in Apocalypse World, Urban Fantasy

Source: storiesbywilliams.files.wordpress.com

The Miami zombie attack last month incited hysteria across the nation. It was like a scene out of one of the most graphic horror films or post apocalyptic books when causeway attacker Rudy Eugene chewed the face off of a homeless man. It took the police six gunshots to kill Eugene and out an end to the gruesome18-minute attack.

The bizarre details of the ghoulish assault prompted speculation that Eugene was under the influence of “bath salts,” which have prompted other psychotic attacks and incidents nationwide. The attacker stripped off his clothes and commenced the attack in plain view on a sidewalk. When a policeman arrived and told him to stop, the unfazed attacked continued to chew chunks off the victim’s face. He was like a villain in paranormal romance books, semi-impervious to bullets and immune to rhyme or reason.

All around the country, rumors flew and the internet was abuzz with rumblings of an imminent apocalypse. Many hypothesized that bath salts, which are touted as the “new LSD,” could bring about a modern day plague, creating human zombies boasting superhuman strength. Clearly, this man-made, synthetic substance turns abusers into violent, raving maniacs with a propensity to get naked.

Yet medical examiner reports released this week indicated that Eugene had only pot in his system. Tests for a number of street drugs, including bath salts, oxycodone, cocaine, heroin, PCP and amphetamines, were conducted, but they all came up negative. Marijuana has typically been known to be a “peaceful” drug, if you can even call a plant a drug, so what could have sparked this gory assault?

The mysterious toxicology findings are increasing speculation that the zombie apocalypse is coming. The attacker possessed inhuman characteristics, branding him and others like him as dangerous as the omnipotent vampires in paranormal romance books, the evil shape shifters in werewolf movies and the zombies in post apocalyptic books and films.

If hard drugs were not the cause of this brutal assault, then what could have happened? Now that bath salts are ruled out, people can only guess what could have caused such maniacal behavior. And how could he continue the attack after being shot several times?

Eugene’s girlfriend is convinced that his actions were the result of some supernatural affliction. She said he rummaged through closets and acted odd before leaving their apartment holding his Bible. Later that day, he was reportedly seen walking down the road naked and hanging off light posts. His torn Bible pages were found strewn along the causeway. While this type of behavior may be normal in urban fantasy books or psychedelic films, it’s unacceptable and frightening in the real world.

Hopefully, there will be no more similar incidents pointing to the imminence of an apocalypse. This may have been a one-off situation to which we’ll never know the cause. At the very least, it’s opened our eyes to the possibilities we never wanted to look at, let alone face.

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