Why isn't "Quickly slice off the wound" in the poll?
Because let's imagine this for a moment.
You've just been attacked and bitten by a zombie. Perhaps it overwhelmed you and got close and bit.
Well, you've now got to get past the agonising pain of being bitten, as well as any side effects that may exist due to the zombie virus (If we're not basing this off of one pre-determined set of zombie characteristics, or one "race of zombies" (Such as Romero, 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, etc...) there may be a time delay to turning after infection, at which point you might just die peacefully and turn, or you might go into a fever). You've also got the zombie to deal with, which is currently ripping apart your arm (or elsewhere, which could make it even more difficult). And then there's the whole problem of are there over zombies nearby. Are they a danger to you and your friends (If you're with any), and do you have to deal with that first?
Now, let's imagine that you've been bitten, but not overwhelmed. It has snuck up on you (Just how it's guaranteed to work in almost any zombie film), and it's buried it's mouth right into your arm. You still have to deal with the pain of the bite, any fever that may be caused by it, the loss of blood depending on the size/placement of the bite (If you get bitten in the neck, and it get's one of your arteries, you'll be bleeding out in seconds, which means death for human you, and a very sharp return as zombo you), and then finally you have to deal with the zombie that bit you.
Imagine now, that the bite has happened in the best way. You and your friend(s) have barred yourself in a safe location with very little zombie activity. Unfortunately, a lone zombie was in with you, and it came from behind you and bit you in the arm. Your friends see it and instantly move to kill it. They happen to have guns, and are a good shot (Or are in some sort of hollywood film), and they kill the zombie instantaneously, releasing it from your arm. All in all, it had it's teeth wedged in your skin for only a second, at most.
Now, you don't have much else to worry about right now. You're not still being bitten, you're not in danger of other zombies (You're in a secure place and no sound alerted any), it didn't get an artery and you're not bleeding out.
But let's question the bite. It had ahold of you for a second at most, thanks to your friend's quick reaction time and sharp aim. But, how deeply did it bite you?
Did the teeth only just break the skin? Did it gum you, like a toothless baby? Or did it take a nasty chunk of your arm away with it?
Perhaps, if it didn't break the skin, you're alright. Count your blessings, but perhaps be wary in case you have been had.
If it's teeth only just pierced, is that enough for infection? Does it spread simply through the saliva into the blood? If it just slathers you in zombie dribble, will it change you if it get's into the numerous cuts and scrapes on your limbs? If it's beyond your skin at all, it is definitely now in your blood. How long does it take to spread? Is the infection like a venom, does it require a minimum amount of it to cause zombification. Perhaps you are safe, if so...
Does it stay around the wound for some time. If it was a small bite, then you're in luck.
You're not in danger, you're not suddenly suffering from zombo fever, you're not bleeding out and you're smart enough to grab your trusty knife (I hope it's clean, definitely don't use a blade you've used to kill zombies), and you start to cut away the infected area, a small patch of skin. It hurts like a bitch and you're bleeding now more than before, but you're able to cauterise the wound, pour some alcohol or something on it (Take some for yourself), bandage it up and have a fist full of drugs to keep other infection away. Hopefully, you're now fine and dandy, and the luckiest man in the zombie apocalypse.
But though, what if this thing has taken a chunk of your arm? And I'm talking a sizable chunk.
We might not be seeing bone, but we certainly know that this is going to put that arm out of action.
Same situation as before, no dangers from Z's, fever or bleeding (It was very lucky to miss the main arteries in your arm). You grab your knife, and realise, if you're going to cut this out, you're gonna need to take away so much that you'll probably have half an arm. How can you do this?
Surely you'd be too slow to stop the infection? You'd almost definitely get a non zombo-infection too, and the chances of you bleeding out are very high. (Might not have hit a main artery, but there are enough minor ones here to drain you out, and this wound certainly isn't going to clot and scab over any time soon).
So, if were going to have a chance now (And that's chance of living, and not having to have your head destroyed), then you're going to have to take the arm. LIkely at the furthest place from infection you can.
If it got you near the wrist, then perhaps we can take it from the elbow, or just above. But if it's close to the elbow or above it, then say goodbye to the entire arm. You're being taken apart at the shoulder.
Now you need to amputate.
So, you need more than you little pocket knife, unless you want to spend hours slowly cutting away your arm and grinding through bone, in agonising pain while you bleed out and slowly turn into a zombie.
You need something designed for this. Let's just say, for the most bizarre reasons, there happens to be a handsaw and an electric saw with you.
You can go with the handsaw (You'll have to have someone else do this for you), which will be exceedingly painful, butwill get the job done, or you can try the electric saw. It'll be faster, no doubt just as painful if not more, and it'll be quick enough to avoid bleeding out, and hopefully the spread of infection.
Eitherway, you've lost an arm, either from shoulder or elbow, and now you've cauterised it off, bandaged your stub, and you're now light enough to be praised by your dietition.
But of course, you're now without an arm in a zombie apocalypse. I certainly hope this wasn't your main arm. If you're right handed and you've said goodbye to that fellow, you'll have a hard time learning to defend yourself.
Perhaps you could pick it all up in time with lefty. He's not done much for his 20 years of life, so now it's his time to shine. Of course, as any one who has ever had to start using their non-primary arm knows, it makes a lot of rooster-ups when you teach it.
And in a world where a rooster-up can mean a zombie horde get's close enough to turn you into an all you can eat buffet, that's not excatly helpful.
I'm sorry to say, but cutting off the wound is going to require the absolute best conditions, in a world where only the stuff stuff seems to happen. Perhaps you can survive. You've only had small wound, you cut it off, it's healed over, you've got a nice mess of scar tissue, but your arms are usable. Or, you've lost half or a whole arm.
Maybe it wasn't your main, or maybe it was. You've been lucky enough to survive without it. You've trained your other arm enough to get used to it, you no longer feel the imbalance (although you still greatly dislike climbing ladders) and you're still able to carry on.
Let's just hope you don't get bit again. You might not be so lucky next time.
Aaaaanyway, I'd probably hope that I'm lucky enough to be able to deal with it quickly (As above, perhaps?), and I'd also hope I'm not in such a dire situation that I'm going to end up causing more damage to my companions.
I don't really want to get bitten, only to run outside to kill as many Z's as I can and take my own life, and then have the door that I just burst through be flooded into, and all my friends nicely chomped down to pieces while I try to get some sort of "beautiful death".
If I have the time, I'd say a quick goodbye, shed a tear, drop my gear, take a gun with a single round (My friends might not come to my corpse to pick up the gun, so they might as well have the ammunition), move off to a place where I'm not going to traumatise my companions (Do you really want to see the person you've been surviving with stand in front of you and blow his brains out? And then deal with his blood and brains on the walls and his body with the destroyed head on the floor?), and then I'd take myself out. Be glad to not have to live in this apocalypse anymore.
Poll