When I heard about clowns being on college campuses across the United States I instantly ran home, locked the doors, freaked out with my housemates, and wished they were zombie sighting instead of clowns.

I grew up almost expecting a zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead not helping my case. I'd like to think I could channel my inner Michonne and kick zombie ass but seeing as I am someone who becomes easily winded walking up two flights of stairs, I'd have to practice/get in shape before it happens. Maybe I should start hitting the gym soon because a zombie apocalypse could be right around the corner.... prepare yourself. Here we go.

No? Well get ready. This you yet?

Good, let's get started. Here are some reason how/why a zombie apocalypse could go down.

1. Brain Parasites

Toxoplasma gondii is a little brain parasite that primarily infects rats. Once infected, the parasite manipulates the rat's brain so that instead of being fearful of cats, the rat actively seeks out cats, being drawn in by their scent. The rat is completely unaware of the fact that it is now programmed to get itself eaten. Once eaten, the parasite moves to the cat where it can breed. This kind of sounds like the opposite of a zombie right? Well, the parasite affects more than 60 million people in the United States without them even knowing. You can get it from consuming raw food or even from your cat. Those with strong immune systems, if they have symptoms, usually feel as if they have the flu. However, those with weak immune systems can expect brain damage. And if that is what it does to rats, all it takes is a slightly more evolved parasite to take away our free will, self-preservation, and rational thought. Even though these people effected haven't died and come back to life, I am certain that distinction wouldn't matter that much when hordes of the infected start crawling their way through your windows.

2. Neurogenis

With neurogenesis, it will soon be very possible for humans to regenerate decaying organs. It will work for most organs except the brain. When we die, the brain begins decaying from the outside in. These outer parts are what make us human- our memories, emotions, and logical thinking. The inner parts are what keep us alive and functioning. Thanks to stem cell research, if someone were to be revived after death, and the outer parts of their brain have already decayed, we might have a mindless zombie on our hands. All it takes is one evil, psycho person who wants to create an army of zombies to revive the recently deceased.

3. Neurotoxins

There are poisons that slow the bodily functions down to a point where you may be considered dead. The poison from the Japanese blowfish can do this. The victims can be brought back by drugs that leave them in a trance-like state without memory. They can still preform basic tasks like sleeping, eating, and bumping around with their arms outstretched.

Ever heard of Clairvius Narcisse? Well this happened to him. In 1962, he entered a hospital in Haiti with a fever and saying that it felt as if there were bugs crawling all over him. The doctors noted physical deterioration and admitted him. Three days later he was pronounced dead (verified by his death certificate and his 24 hour stay at the morgue). He was buried in a cemetery near his village. A Haitian voodoo sorcerer dug him up and drugged him. It turned out this voodoo man was using naturally occurring chemicals to zombify people and putting them to work on a sugar plantation. Narcisse was found 18 years later wondering around his old village with a crazy story to tell.

4.) Rudy Eugene

I would say bath salts, however, there was only marijuana found in Rudy Eugene's toxicology report after his death. Eugene, also known as the "Miami Zombie", ate a homeless man's face back in 2012. The news of this spread across the world. The only way he could be stopped was to be shot by Miami police officers. The homeless man was left blind due to the fact that Eugene ate his left eye and about 80% of his face above his beard was missing. No one knows what actually cause Eugene's cannibalistic act and just adds to the freakiness of it all.

5.) The Virus

In the movie 28 Days Later, it was a virus that turned humans into mindless killing machines but in real life, we have a series of brain disorders that do precisely that. They were never contagious until Mad Cow Disease. It attacked the cow's spinal cord and brain, turning it into a mindless, stumbling cow. When we consume that cow, humans can get it. We call it Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (because that is so much easier to say than Mad Cow disease). The symptoms for this are changing in gait, hallucinations, lack of coordination, seizers, and impaired memory, judgment, thinking, and vision. This disease may be rare, but it proves that widespread brain infections of the rage variety are just around the corner. All we would really need is a disease to inhibit the brains ability to absorb serotonin-- the most important feel good neurotransmitter.

So just imagine, that such an evolved disease getting into our food supply. And if this disease spreads through blood-on-blood contact, or saliva-on-blood contact you now have a rage-type virus that can be transmitted with just one bite.

I personally don't see any of these things happening naturally within my lifetime. However, I honestly wouldn't be that surprised if I woke up to find out some madman has created a virus to control population growth but it "got out of hand" and is turning us all into zombies, only the strongest surviving. And in that case, pick your weapon carefully and good fucking luck!