I dunno, not sure that I could man up and face my responsibilities in a scenario in which it is pretty possible that none of this happening and that I'm imagining it all. If I recall that is the way that Donaldson intended the first book at least to be.
See, I long ago decided that if it appears that reality has made the impossible possible, I will just react accordingly. It's the only
rational choice if you think about it. Denying your senses is
useless, what's the possible upside?
If it appears that the dead have risen, until proven otherwise, shoot for the head. Doing otherwise ends up with your brains eaten.
If bodies pile up drained of blood, stock up on crosses and stakes, maybe go buy a crossbow prior to the rush. Again, the worst that can happen is that the purely mortal guy who tries to bite your neck gets shot AND impaled.
Absent a reason to suspect a drug reaction, it is
never a negative to just accept what your senses plainly tell you, regardless of preconceived ideas of what is "possible'.
The worst that can happen is that you
survive. You can deal with the other consequences afterwards.
Almost every story or movie I've ever read or seen where regular people are suddenly faced by the impossible (including Covenant) begins with the conceit that those people have never read or seen a sci-fi, horror or fantasy movie. So they say "Oh, I have
no idea what's going on, and it's
impossible. Deny deny deny reality..." and they die.
Every nerd and geek in America would instead say "I kinda hoped this would happen some day, I've read this book, I know exactly what to do."
I got no sympathy for Thomas Covenant, Unbelievably Whiny.
