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Here is a little puzzle/story I wrote up that is based on another famous puzzle, but just stated in a slightly funner, more vivid fashion:
A zombie outbreak occurs. People who are infected with the zombie virus present with eyes that have veiny, green lines and will turn into full blown zombies one week after initial symptoms occur. The mechanism of infection is still unknown. Those that have already become zombies hate their own appearance and because of it, destroy/disrupt everything that is reflective. Because of this, no one knows for sure whether or not they are infected.
You wake up in a confused haze. Despite your trepidation, you stumble out doors in search of food and other uninfected humans. The city you once loved looks like a war zone: abandoned vehicles and small fires ravage the streets. Amidst the chaos, you find a locked laboratory building with a digital display in front of the door. On the display, it says, "PEARL LABORATORIES INC. In this laboratory there is a cure to the zombie virus. To gain access, you must successfully complete an extensive battery of logical tests and puzzles to demonstrate you are intelligent and deserving of vaccination. Furthermore, you will have to shoot and kill an infected person who is not yet a zombie to demonstrate your drive to survive." Although you have no idea if you are infected or not, you want access to the lab just in case. You complete the onslaught of logical exams and kill an innocent infected human you find down the street out of your own selfishness.
The lab doors open. You walk in and see five other people who apparently arrived in the lab not long before you have. All their eyes shot with muddy green veins. One is a female with blond hair that reminds you of... wait. Did I have a wife? I can't even remember. There is a red button in an opaque case in the lab. A laser pans down from the ceiling to the floor, scanning your bodies. "Infection detected" you hear a computer generated voice say. I wonder if I'm infected.... An announcement comes through some speakers. "At least one of you in the room has been infected with the zombie virus. Anyone who presses the red button will immediately be injected with anti-zombie alpha, the first of two necessary components to cure the virus. If you do not have the zombie virus, anti-zombie alpha will kill you. There is enough anti-zombie alpha for everyone, however there are less than six units of anti-zombie beta remaining. An alarm on the button with sound for a minute once per hour, signalling that it is available to be pushed. You are all being monitored. Physical violence against other potential patients will disqualify you from vaccination."
You look at the other people in the lab. You know they are infected, but you don't know if you yourself are. You know they are extremely powerful at logical deduction and selfish to have gained access to the lab as you have. Because of the limited supply of anti-zombie beta, you don't want the others to know if they are infected or not, and they will not tell you if you are infected or not.
Two minutes pass as you all intently stare and analyze one another. The button begins to flash.
What happens next?
Legal disclaimer: the contents of this story have been copyrighted for the purposes of creating a short film, starring Fallon Fox.
A zombie outbreak occurs. People who are infected with the zombie virus present with eyes that have veiny, green lines and will turn into full blown zombies one week after initial symptoms occur. The mechanism of infection is still unknown. Those that have already become zombies hate their own appearance and because of it, destroy/disrupt everything that is reflective. Because of this, no one knows for sure whether or not they are infected.
You wake up in a confused haze. Despite your trepidation, you stumble out doors in search of food and other uninfected humans. The city you once loved looks like a war zone: abandoned vehicles and small fires ravage the streets. Amidst the chaos, you find a locked laboratory building with a digital display in front of the door. On the display, it says, "PEARL LABORATORIES INC. In this laboratory there is a cure to the zombie virus. To gain access, you must successfully complete an extensive battery of logical tests and puzzles to demonstrate you are intelligent and deserving of vaccination. Furthermore, you will have to shoot and kill an infected person who is not yet a zombie to demonstrate your drive to survive." Although you have no idea if you are infected or not, you want access to the lab just in case. You complete the onslaught of logical exams and kill an innocent infected human you find down the street out of your own selfishness.
The lab doors open. You walk in and see five other people who apparently arrived in the lab not long before you have. All their eyes shot with muddy green veins. One is a female with blond hair that reminds you of... wait. Did I have a wife? I can't even remember. There is a red button in an opaque case in the lab. A laser pans down from the ceiling to the floor, scanning your bodies. "Infection detected" you hear a computer generated voice say. I wonder if I'm infected.... An announcement comes through some speakers. "At least one of you in the room has been infected with the zombie virus. Anyone who presses the red button will immediately be injected with anti-zombie alpha, the first of two necessary components to cure the virus. If you do not have the zombie virus, anti-zombie alpha will kill you. There is enough anti-zombie alpha for everyone, however there are less than six units of anti-zombie beta remaining. An alarm on the button with sound for a minute once per hour, signalling that it is available to be pushed. You are all being monitored. Physical violence against other potential patients will disqualify you from vaccination."
You look at the other people in the lab. You know they are infected, but you don't know if you yourself are. You know they are extremely powerful at logical deduction and selfish to have gained access to the lab as you have. Because of the limited supply of anti-zombie beta, you don't want the others to know if they are infected or not, and they will not tell you if you are infected or not.
Two minutes pass as you all intently stare and analyze one another. The button begins to flash.
What happens next?
Legal disclaimer: the contents of this story have been copyrighted for the purposes of creating a short film, starring Fallon Fox.
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