Boogeymen are very thin, lightly armored zombies that very much look like corpses. They can prowl and scout ahead of the soldier patrols to gather reconnaissance and/or to hunt the living. They have been dubbed Boogeymen because this zombie is stealthy, capable of hiding and lays in ambush to pick off the living one by one. Boogeyman can Prowl and Climb very well and exhibit acrobatic skills, scaling walls and walking narrow ledges, gangways and heavy cables.
The Boogeymen’s programming has taken advantage of the fact that most humans are ground-dwellers who have a bad habit of not looking upward. As a result, Boogeymen often ambush their victims by laying in wait up in scaffolding, dark corners of the ceiling, and other locations overhead.
They also like dark places and may go low rather than high, prowling through service tunnels, air ducts, and spaces between floors, and can be found lurking in storage lockers, under stairs, in dark corners, and even under a bed.
While many other Scrap Zombies gather in large groups and shuffle along with other zombies, moaning loudly when humanoid prey is spotted and slaughtering them as they come across them, Boogeymen prefer to hunt alone, in pairs or in very small groups. And they do so in silence. Boogeymen don’t moan, they hiss; and they don’t shuffle and make noise, they prowl silently like a spider.
Unlike the hordes of Chaos and Scrap Zombies which become agitated and highly aggressive when human prey is spotted, Boogeymen are able to control their bloodlust and exhibit considerable patience and restraint in stalking prey. Most use the cover of darkness and watch their intended victim(s), waiting until their target is alone and vulnerable. Boogeymen often Prowl on all fours, like an animal, and may lurk under beds, hide in closets and storage lockers, and crawl among the dead and debris. They move slowly, deliberately and in silence when climbing, running along a rooftop, tailing or stalking prey, but can move with decent speed and surprising balance (for a zombie) when they need to. No other zombie can scale walls or walk along a ledge. If they could do it at all, they’d almost certainly make considerable noise.
The Boogeymen and the Living Dead Boy are among the few discriminating hunters among Scrap Zombies. They stalk prey and murder in a way reminiscent to a serial killer – first observing and mapping out their hunting territory, then selecting prey to target, and waiting to strike when their victim is alone and least expects it. Both may also attack and kill targets of opportunity, meaning if they come across someone who is alone, injured, and otherwise vulnerable, they may take advantage of the situation and strike. After the kill(s), the Boogeyman (and Living Dead Boys) hide and may wait minutes or even hours before striking again. In the case of the Boogeyman, such hiding spots are likely to be places where humans are not going to look, and where the zombie has the advantage over those who may, indeed, come looking for it. This is unusual behavior for zombies. Chaos Zombies and most Scrap Zombies are indiscriminate killers – mindless drones that wander over the landscape in swarms, slaying everyone they encounter.
The Boogeyman prefers to hunt alone and at night to help conceal its presence, but will also take advantage of panic situations where one or more are able to strike and disappear in the chaos. In any situation, the Boogeyman stays in the background, stepping out to strike and pick off victims one or two at a time before slinking silently back into the shadows. These tactics have a chilling psychological impact on humans – the constant threat keeps them on edge, unable to rest properly, and requires constant vigilance. When the monster strikes, it always tries to do so as quietly as possible and without witnesses (it will attempt to hunt down any witnesses before they can warn others). If a Boogeyman comes across a swarm of zombies locked in a pitched battle with humans, it first sneaks around to the rear or flanks of the enemy. There it can attack fighters who are off by themselves, separated from their teammates, injured or distracted.
When chased or outnumbered, the Boogeyman tries to run away and find a place to hide and regroup later, fighting only long enough to escape, run, and hide. Even then it tries to find a temporary place where it can set up an ambush or surprise attack, inflicting some damage and running away again. The use of shadows, elevation, and hit and run tactics is extremely effective, wearing down its pursuers whereas the zombies never tire. There is a reason for the Boogeyman to drag the chase out: The longer the pursuit goes on, the greater the odds that the humans will begin to get sloppy and make mistakes, so that the Boogeyman can eventually elude those after it or even lure them into a group of zombies. Should the monster get the upper hand, it may turn the table and start to hunt the hunters, dividing the group whenever possible and, again, picking them off one and two at a time until they are all dead or retreat. Favored places to elude attackers are those with a great many places to hide. The Resurrection has many corners, rafters, shadows and nooks and crannies to hide among, both high and low. Humans should expect the Boogeyman to Climb and Prowl along the top of pallets, machinery and the rafters of the ceilings in the storerooms and factory.
Boogeymen are animated dead, so their muscles don’t resist nor cramp up when forced and locked into an awkward position for hours at a time, nor do they feel pain or discomfort, or require breathable air. A Boogeyman can hide in places that would be too small, too tight, too hot, too cold, too toxic or completely uninhabitable for humans. Thus, the gaunt Boogeyman is able to flatten and fold its body up into tight packages to hide in small places, curling up in rafters and catwalks, squeezing into cramped spaces between or under machinery, laying flat and unmoving under floorboards, in service tunnels, lockers, closets and other cramped places.
People who have encountered one and lived to tell the tale insist the Boogeyman Scrap Zombie has an insect quality to its movements, each step and gesture eerily precise. A silent hunter, it seldom makes a sound except a hiss when it is about to attack or is cornered. When among other zombies, the Boogeyman stays along the edges or back of a Soldier patrol, vigilant of potential prey and enemies as it moves among its slower, more primitive brethren. When it is ready, it silently loses itself in the mob or around a corner, or down into a side corridor, vanishing from sight. No doubt hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike. You never know when one could pop out of a sewer grate, come down from the ceiling, or crawl out from under the rubble to drag you to a dark and violent death.
Designed to be an advanced scout as much as a killing machine, Boogeymen are able to locate weaknesses and points of entry into normally inaccessible areas. Since they look for such things, it is the Boogeyman that is likely to find a place where it can squeeze through, an unguarded hole in a wall or barricade, an accessible air duct, an open window, or an opening to get inside. And since Boogeymen watch, wait, and target their victims, it may (01-60%) recognize a pattern in which a door or bay door is left open and unsecured for just long enough for it to silently slip inside and start hunting. Intelligence gathering is likely to include things like how many soldiers are present, where are their supplies/ammo/armor kept, morale and state of mind, location of doors and sentries, and similar. The Boogeyman needs to return to the Intelligence to share this info.