Basic Zombie Survival Guide Step one, know Your Zombies.
ZOMBIE: (Zom’be) n. also ZOM-BIES pl. 1. An animated corpse that feeds on living flesh. 2. A voodoo spell that raises the dead. 3. Voodoo snake god 4. One who moves or acts in a daze “like a zombie” [a word of West African origin] The idea of the zombie derives from Voodoo lore. Voodoo (or voudou or vodun) is a much maligned and misunderstood religion; the popular idea of it in the United States and Europe is about as close to the reality as Satanism is to the Catholic Church. Anyone using voodoo for evil (a bokor) is the equivalent of the guys who carry out ceremonies in deserted churches with pentagrams and goat's blood. In any case, zombies do not feature in the original West African voodoo (though it is known that the word originated in that area); the idea of a person drained of their soul and forced to obey a master only appeared in the Americas. These we could class as Natural Zombies. If you believe anthropologist Wade Davis, these are created by poisoning the victim with 'zombie powder' which includes puffer fish venom (tetrodotoxin). Supposedly this causes a death-like coma and brain damage which turns the victim into pliable slaves. These zombies are harmless; you don’t need to shoot them, but watch out for the bokor who controls them. Then there are Supernatural Zombies, corpses possessed by spirits or demonic powers. If they are animated by angelic spirits (as in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner), then they are here to help. If they are animated by something demonic (as in The Evil Dead), then firearms may be of limited use as they are beyond the laws of nature. Consult your priest, Rabbi, guru or shaman for further advice. However, mostly you're likely to encounter the type of Alien Zombie favored by Georgeo Romero. These are reanimated by an extra-terrestrial force; this is an infectious form of zombiedom that seems to be spread via biting. They are oblivious to most injuries but can reliably be taken out by destroying their brain. When battling this type of zombie, you are basically trying to stay alive and get to a place of safety, as there are likely to be far too many for you to defeat them. Five Ways to make a Zombie
It's quite possible. Here's five ways it could happen, according to science.
Brain Parasites
Parasites that turn victims into mindless, zombie-like slaves are fairly common in nature. There's one called toxoplasmosa gondii that seems to devote its entire existence to being terrifying. This bug infects rats, but can only breed inside the intestines of a cat. The parasite knows it needs to get the rat inside the cat, so the parasite takes over the rat's freaking brain, and intentionally makes it scurry toward where the cats hang out. The rat is being programmed to get itself eaten, and it doesn't even know. How it can result in zombies: Hey, did we mention that half the human population on Earth is infected with toxoplasmosa, and don't know it? Oh, also, they've done studies and shown that the infected see a change in their personality and have a higher chance of going insane. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Humans and rats aren't all that different; that’s why they use them to test our drugs. All it takes is a more evolved version of toxoplasmosa, one that could to do us what it does to the rats. So, imagine if half the world suddenly had no instinct for self-preservation or rational thought.(If you're comforting yourself with the thought that it may take forever for such a parasite to evolve, you're forgetting about all the biological weapons programs around the world, intentionally weaponizing such bugs. You've got to wonder if the lab workers don't carry out their work under the unwitting command of the toxoplasmosa gondii already in their brains. If you don't want to sleep at night, that is. You may be protesting that technically these people have never been dead and thus don't fit the dictionary definition of "zombies," but we can assure you that the distinction won't matter a whole lot once these groaning hordes are clawing their way through your windows.)
Neurotoxins There are certain kinds of poisons that slow your bodily functions to the point that you'll be considered dead, even to a doctor. The poison from fugu (Japanese blowfish) can do this. The victims can then be brought back under the effects of a drug like datura stramonium (or other chemicals called alkaloids) that leave them in a trance-like state with no memory, but still able to perform simple tasks like eating, sleeping, moaning and shambling around with their arms outstretched. How it can result in zombies: "Can?" How about "does." This has happened in Haiti. There are books about it, the most famous ones by Dr. Wade Davis (Passage of Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow). What is definitely true is the story of Clairvius Narcisse. He was a Haitian who was declared dead by two doctors and buried in 1962. They found him wandering around the village 18 years later. It turned out the local voodoo priests had been using naturally occurring chemicals to basically zombify people and putting them to work on the sugar plantations (no, really). So, the next time you're pouring a little packet of sugar into your coffee, remember that it may have been handled by a zombie at some point. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Even if some evil genius intentionally distributed alkaloid toxins to a population to turn them into a shambling, mindless horde, there is no way to make these zombies aggressive or cannibalistic.
The Real Rage Virus In the movie, it was a virus that turned human beings into mindless killing machines. In real life, we have a series of brain disorders that do the same thing. They were never contagious, of course. Then, Mad Cow Disease came along. It attacks the cow's spinal cord and brain, turning it into a stumbling, mindless attack cow. And, when humans eat the meat ... How it can result in zombies: When Mad Cow gets in humans, they call it Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The symptoms include: Changes in gait (walking) Hallucinations Lack of coordination (for example, stumbling and falling) Muscle twitching Myoclonic jerks or seizures Rapidly developing delirium or dementia Sure, the disease is rare (though maybe not as rare as we think) and the afflicted aren't known to chase after people in murderous mobs. Yet. But, it proves widespread brain infections of the Rage variety are just a matter of waiting for the right disease to come along. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: If the whole sudden, mindless violence idea seems far-fetched, remember that you are just one brain chemical (serotonin) away from turning into a mindless killing machine (they've tested it by putting rats in Death match-style cages and watching them turn on each other). All it would take is a disease that destroys the brain's ability to absorb that one chemical and suddenly it's a real-world 28 Days Later. (Note: Solanum this is a documented necrotizing virus said to create zombies, this is discussed in “The Zombie Survival Guide (Complete Protection from the Living Dead)” By: Max Brooks)*PLEASE SEE RESOURCES*
Brain Parasites
Parasites that turn victims into mindless, zombie-like slaves are fairly common in nature. There's one called toxoplasmosa gondii that seems to devote its entire existence to being terrifying. This bug infects rats, but can only breed inside the intestines of a cat. The parasite knows it needs to get the rat inside the cat, so the parasite takes over the rat's freaking brain, and intentionally makes it scurry toward where the cats hang out. The rat is being programmed to get itself eaten, and it doesn't even know. How it can result in zombies: Hey, did we mention that half the human population on Earth is infected with toxoplasmosa, and don't know it? Oh, also, they've done studies and shown that the infected see a change in their personality and have a higher chance of going insane. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Humans and rats aren't all that different; that’s why they use them to test our drugs. All it takes is a more evolved version of toxoplasmosa, one that could to do us what it does to the rats. So, imagine if half the world suddenly had no instinct for self-preservation or rational thought.(If you're comforting yourself with the thought that it may take forever for such a parasite to evolve, you're forgetting about all the biological weapons programs around the world, intentionally weaponizing such bugs. You've got to wonder if the lab workers don't carry out their work under the unwitting command of the toxoplasmosa gondii already in their brains. If you don't want to sleep at night, that is. You may be protesting that technically these people have never been dead and thus don't fit the dictionary definition of "zombies," but we can assure you that the distinction won't matter a whole lot once these groaning hordes are clawing their way through your windows.)
Neurotoxins There are certain kinds of poisons that slow your bodily functions to the point that you'll be considered dead, even to a doctor. The poison from fugu (Japanese blowfish) can do this. The victims can then be brought back under the effects of a drug like datura stramonium (or other chemicals called alkaloids) that leave them in a trance-like state with no memory, but still able to perform simple tasks like eating, sleeping, moaning and shambling around with their arms outstretched. How it can result in zombies: "Can?" How about "does." This has happened in Haiti. There are books about it, the most famous ones by Dr. Wade Davis (Passage of Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow). What is definitely true is the story of Clairvius Narcisse. He was a Haitian who was declared dead by two doctors and buried in 1962. They found him wandering around the village 18 years later. It turned out the local voodoo priests had been using naturally occurring chemicals to basically zombify people and putting them to work on the sugar plantations (no, really). So, the next time you're pouring a little packet of sugar into your coffee, remember that it may have been handled by a zombie at some point. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Even if some evil genius intentionally distributed alkaloid toxins to a population to turn them into a shambling, mindless horde, there is no way to make these zombies aggressive or cannibalistic.
The Real Rage Virus In the movie, it was a virus that turned human beings into mindless killing machines. In real life, we have a series of brain disorders that do the same thing. They were never contagious, of course. Then, Mad Cow Disease came along. It attacks the cow's spinal cord and brain, turning it into a stumbling, mindless attack cow. And, when humans eat the meat ... How it can result in zombies: When Mad Cow gets in humans, they call it Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The symptoms include: Changes in gait (walking) Hallucinations Lack of coordination (for example, stumbling and falling) Muscle twitching Myoclonic jerks or seizures Rapidly developing delirium or dementia Sure, the disease is rare (though maybe not as rare as we think) and the afflicted aren't known to chase after people in murderous mobs. Yet. But, it proves widespread brain infections of the Rage variety are just a matter of waiting for the right disease to come along. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: If the whole sudden, mindless violence idea seems far-fetched, remember that you are just one brain chemical (serotonin) away from turning into a mindless killing machine (they've tested it by putting rats in Death match-style cages and watching them turn on each other). All it would take is a disease that destroys the brain's ability to absorb that one chemical and suddenly it's a real-world 28 Days Later. (Note: Solanum this is a documented necrotizing virus said to create zombies, this is discussed in “The Zombie Survival Guide (Complete Protection from the Living Dead)” By: Max Brooks)*PLEASE SEE RESOURCES*
Neurogenesis
You know all that controversy out there about stem cell research? Well, the whole thing with stem cells is that they can basically be used to re-generate dead cells. Particularly of interest, the method by which they can re-grow dead brain tissue.
How it can result in zombies:
Science can pretty much save you from anything but brain death; they can swap out organs but when the brain turns to mush, you're gone. Well, not for long. They're already able to re-grow the brains of comatose head trauma patients until they wake up and walk around again. Couple that with the new ability to keep a dead body in a state of suspended animation so that it can be brought back to life later, and soon we'll be able to bring back the dead, as long as we get to them quickly enough. Well, this lab dedicated to "reanimation research" explains how the process of "reanimating" a person creates a problem. It causes the brain to die off from the outside in. The outside being the cortex, the part of you that makes humans human. (Emotions etc.) That just leaves the part that controls basic motor function and primitive instincts behind. Reanimation research (artist's rendering) you don't need the cortex to survive; all you need is the stem and you'll still be able to mindlessly walk and eat. This is how chickens can keep walking around after they've been beheaded (including one case where the chicken lived for 18 months without a head). So, you take a brain dead patient, use these techniques to re-grow the brain stem, and you now have a mindless body shambling around, no thoughts and no personality, nothing but a cloud of base instincts and impulses. (Note: Aggression is a human being’s most primal behavior)
Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse:
Think about it. Under every legal system in the world, all rights and responsibilities are terminated at death. All it takes is someone with resources and a need for a mindless workforce of totally obedient slave labor.
Nanobots Nanobots are a technology that science apparently engineered to make you terrified of the future. We're talking about microscopic, self-replicating robots that can invisibly build--or destroy--anything. How it can result in zombies: Scientists have already created a nano-cyborg, by fusing a tiny silicone chip to a virus. The first thing they found out is these cyborgs can still operate for up to a month after the death of the host. According to studies, within a decade they'll have nanobots that can crawl inside your brain and set up neural connections to replace damaged ones. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Nanobots will be programmed to keep functioning after you die. They can form their own neural pathways, meaning they can use your brain to keep operating your limbs after you've deceased and, presumably, right up until you rot to pieces in mid-stride. The nanobots will be programmed to self-replicate, and the death of the host will mean the end of the nanobots. To preserve themselves, they'd need to transfer to a new host. Therefore, the last act of the nanobot zombie would be to bite a hole in a healthy victim, letting the nanobots steam in and set up camp in the new host. Once in, they can shut down the part of the brain that resists (the cortex) and leave the brain stem intact.
Nanobots Nanobots are a technology that science apparently engineered to make you terrified of the future. We're talking about microscopic, self-replicating robots that can invisibly build--or destroy--anything. How it can result in zombies: Scientists have already created a nano-cyborg, by fusing a tiny silicone chip to a virus. The first thing they found out is these cyborgs can still operate for up to a month after the death of the host. According to studies, within a decade they'll have nanobots that can crawl inside your brain and set up neural connections to replace damaged ones. Chances this could cause a zombie apocalypse: Nanobots will be programmed to keep functioning after you die. They can form their own neural pathways, meaning they can use your brain to keep operating your limbs after you've deceased and, presumably, right up until you rot to pieces in mid-stride. The nanobots will be programmed to self-replicate, and the death of the host will mean the end of the nanobots. To preserve themselves, they'd need to transfer to a new host. Therefore, the last act of the nanobot zombie would be to bite a hole in a healthy victim, letting the nanobots steam in and set up camp in the new host. Once in, they can shut down the part of the brain that resists (the cortex) and leave the brain stem intact.
Types in Basic Detail
Slows: These are the most common type of zombie they are slow moving, lacking coordination and have no increased abilities, it is hard to say how they hunt, but it is apparent that sound and scent influence them highly, making them sound and scent hunters (though their eyesight may be as good as a human’s depending on the amount of damage to the eye.) It is said that these basic zombies possess only the abilities of the human they used to be. This type seems to have no awareness of its surroundings, and it lacks the cognitive ability to maneuver around obstacles. The most you would hear out of these creatures is a low moan and shuffling. One shot to the head, or crushing the skull is all you need to stop this type. Biting and clawing for this type is the most common way they spread infection. (Featured Movies: Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of The Dead etc)
Rage/ “Runners”: These are rare but deadly! They have coordination and full control of their limbs. They are called “runners” because most if not all movement of this type is done while running. This type appears to be more aware of its surroundings and can avoid obstacles quickly in order to reach their target. (retaining a mild intelligence of some form.) It is highly aggressive and has the ability to growl as well as moan. This type is known for improved eyesight and impeccable hearing. Making this type sight and sound hunters (this type is known for having bloody noses, many disagree as to why this is. These constant bloody noses hamper the use of the scent hunting.) One shot to the head or crushing the skull is all you need to stop this type. Biting and clawing for this type is the most common way they spread the infection. (Featured Movies: 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later)
Brutes: Even rarer than the “runners” Brutes are known to be the creations of genetic experimentations. (More like a Frankenstein monster, rather than a zombie) These are usually slow moving, incredibly strong creatures, though there is the rare occasion that you find a fast moving brute. Some can, and some cannot maneuver around obstacles, (it mostly depends on the manufacturer of the creature, and what features they wanted “installed”.) Brutes are usually blind, and track mostly by scent or sound. Making them scent and sound hunters. Known for being highly aggressive and has been known to growl, hiss, and moan. It may take more than one shot to the head or crushing the skull completely (if you can get to it!) too stop this type. This type is known for spreading infection by biting, clawing, and spitting. (Featured Movies: Resident Evil)
Rots: This is the rarest type of zombie. They are usually completely blind, have virtually no sense of smell (though this is still being debated), but can hear a target up to 100 feet away, and are able to locate the target with little or no interruptions or distractions. Making this type, sound hunters. This type is highly aggressive, and is understood to be more terrifying than any other type. Rots are typically more decayed than other types and show (physically) absolutely no connection to their human past. This type is identified by its scream or intensely low growl. One bullet to the brain; or brain damage will not stop this type. Full dismemberment is needed to stop it! It has been noted that this type is known to walk even after decapitation! This type is known for spreading infection by biting, clawing, and spitting. (Featured Movies: Quarantine) (Note: Like all zombies, when clean up is being preformed all bodies of the undead must be burned.)
Preparation:
Survival of the Fittest! Use the Buddy System: Don't be a dummy. If your buddy is bitten by a zombie, shoot him in the head and get it over with. Otherwise, gather the refugees, and lead them to safety. People will follow anyone who acts like they know what they're doing, and you need the manpower. Since the average Wal-Mart (for example.) has enough food to keep a few thousand people fed for a week or more, you should have enough staples to get by for a few months if you limit your group to around 10-30 or so. There's a trade-off here between having enough people to defend your fort, and enough food to keep them fed. The basic idea to get from this section is, have enough people to root out the zombies and block the entrances, but not so many people that you have to ration the food heavily. Food and Ammunition and Safety: Run or Hide? First, get to know the guy in town who bought a pallet of Spam to survive Y2K (amusing). Take note of the local grocery stores and food packing plants. Begin to stock food for yourself; make sure that you can carry your provisions, as you may have to relocate. Scout out all the big box retailers that carry ammo, and other supplies. (It is only recommended that one person should carry no more than 100 lbs. in their pack.)Someplace like Wal-Mart or Cabelas is ideal, especially with the Garden Center for seed and stuff for long-term survival. A big bonus would be a nearby Home Depot or some such place so you can get plenty of lumber and quick-mix concrete for fortification. This is a no-brainer. You got to hold up somewhere eventually, but pick carefully. Let's say that the outbreak is localized to your city, but you know that the neighboring town is zombie-free. Flee to the neighboring town. I know this sounds obvious, but don't sit around waiting for grandma to bite you. Get to the safe town, find a gun store, and join the Minuteman Militia. But, that isn't much fun, so let's think about what you'd do if the whole country is overrun. Make a B' line for the Wal-Mart you picked out earlier. Hot Tip: Pick a new Wal-Mart if you can. Pick a new general merchandise or grocery big box store. You get lots of canned food to eat, and only one or two large entrances to guard. While you're preparing, always keep in mind locations where people congregate - you're likely to find lots of zombies there’s when things turn ugly. Highways, malls, and schools are especially bad. Zombies tend try to do the things they were doing when they were alive (plus find a high concentration of a food source (humans/ animals), so they're going to head to the mall, or Wal-Mart, or school... you get the idea. And since we're on the subject, malls are a bad place to hole up in. Too many entrances and not enough goods for long term survival. Zen and the Art of Fortification You and a few buddies are holed up in a mall, with who knows how many entrances, and instead of bricking up the glass you eat hot dogs on the fine china Macy's? (Don't do this!) If you chose wisely, you have a store with some kind of concrete mix in it, or a home building center nearby. As soon as you've cleared the store of zombies, and maybe even before, you need to brick up the glass entrances. You can worry about the others later; they're smaller and harder to open from the outside anyway. Be generous and thorough with your fortification. A few pieces of lumber nailed up is OK for an emergency start, but don't forget to make it permanent. You might consider some kind of brick work. Finally, don't make the mistake of assuming your fortifications will hold. Check them every day, measuring the wall to make sure it hasn't moved. You also might consider building a second wall in case the first gets broken through. Long Term Survival Lets recap: you've survived the initial zombie invasion, banded together a few dozen survivors, and fortified a big box retail store with plenty of food and goods. So what's your long term prognosis? Not good. You'll eventually run out of water, canned food, and fuel for the generator. In fact, you'll be in the dark in a day or two, and the water will be gone shortly after that. Unless, of course, you don't panic, and plan ahead. Make sure that morale is kept high, and that the members of your party are well rested. Make sure you educate your party members while holed up. Make them specialists in certain tactics. Think ahead! If you took a Wal-Mart, you don't need to worry too much about lighting. The skylights do a fair job of illumination during the day, and battery powered flashlights will be OK at night time. But if you're brave, you can venture outside to get fuel from filling station. And if you're lucky, you'll find a tanker truck to drive back to home base. It might be a good idea to keep a CB radio in your car for just this type of event, and try to get a trucker to bring the tanker to your fort when Z-Day arrives. For water and food, the first thing to do after securing your fort is fill every container in the store with tap water. You might have a few days of water available, but I wouldn't count on it. Electricity, water, and sewage will disappear soon, so you want all the drinking water you can get. Become a farmer. Lucky for you, the Garden Center has lots of seeds and soil, and the store has a big roof for planting. This is a good time to learn the art of composting and water filtration. (Research this!) So now you are set. You've bricked the walls to protect against the press of the zombies, you have a few dozen armed followers, and enough veggies to keep everyone fed. You can hold out here for years. Hot Tip: I would avoid being out in the open surrounded by zombies, but, sometimes this is unavoidable. Step one, smell like a zombie. To do this, make sure you have some blood on you (Make sure that when you stand in the blood spray that your eyes, nose and ears are covered. This also applies to any open wound). The goal is to smell like death or rot. Step two, if at all possible, mimic their gait and vocalizations. Zombies can only determine the living from other zombies is through movement and scent. When they see you (If they can) they cannot decipher whether or not you are one of the living or dead. DO NOT PANIC, SCREAM, or RUN, this will draw attention to you. Basic Attack Idea's, (Weapons and Armor) After your initial panic, it's important to remember that a significant component of your survival is the demise of the ghouls trying to get your tasty brains and organs. Despite some reports to the contrary, the only way to permanently un-animate a zombie is to destroy its brain. This isn't rocket science (although that would be a cool way to do it). A gunshot to the head is the most direct way to disable a zombie, but not the only way. Decapitation also works, although the head will probably still function so don't let it bite you! One tempting option is to go out there with a flamethrower. However, if you check the specifications it has some serious drawbacks. The U.S. Army's M2-2 flamethrower weighed about seventy pounds, and is effective out to around fifty yards, but the big limitation is ammunition: a fuel tank holding 18 liters of gasoline, enough for approximately five bursts of two seconds each. So you're probably better off with a conventional firearm. At least this is one area where we are spared the interminable debate of 9mm v .45 handguns and 5.56mm v 7.62mm. Unlike living humans, stopping power counts for nothing as far as zombies go; it's all about shot placement. (And reliability - take at least one back-up gun in case you get a jam or run out of ammo at a bad time.) Anything larger than a .22 will do the job, so long as you're capable of putting a round squarely though the head. And this is very much harder than you think. In a firing range, anyone can reliably hit a man-size target. In real combat, you will probably miss most of the time. This is borne out by an analysis of armed encounters involving police officers: The police officer's potential for hitting his adversary during armed confrontation has increased over the years and stands at slightly over 25% of the rounds fired. An assailant's skill was 11% in 1979... In 1992 the overall police hit potential was 17%. Where distances could be determined, the hit percentages at distances less than 15 yards were: Less than 3 yards..... 28% 3 yards to 7 yards.... 11% 7 yards to 15 yards. 4.2% it has been assumed that if a man can hit a target at 50 yards he can certainly do the same at three feet. That assumption is not borne out by the reports. An attempt was made to relate an officer's ability to strike a target in a combat situation to his range qualification scores. After making over 200 such comparisons, no firm conclusion was reached. The situation is much worse with zombies. The target - the brain - is very much smaller than with humans, and if you are a trained marksman you will reflexively aim at the body. Police officers are professionals who spend long hours training for close-quarter encounters; you probably don't. And while the adrenaline factor may be high when you're facing an armed suspect, a horde of shambling undead takes the terror to a different level. You are liable to waste a lot of ammunition, so bring plenty. Some favor extended magazines, like the 90-round clip for AR-15/M-16 rifles or 33-round magazines for your Glock handgun. These are fine, so long as they are reliable and you have the discipline not to just keep firing until you run out. (However, this type of weapon is not recommended, any semi automatic or fully automatic weapon is considered “a waste of ammo” and shouldn’t be used as a primary weapon.) Human factors are probably much more important than hardware. Zombies are liable to come from all directions at the same time; you don’t get bonus points for killing more of them, so just do what you have to in order to get to safety. And watch out for the ones that are just playing dead. (Actually, they really are dead...but you know what I mean.) Make sure you carry something like a sword, machete, or blunt object (crow bar) for close encounters. If you survive long enough, and society collapses along with any hope of rescue, you'll need to develop some means of skull penetration that doesn't involve guns - a professional bow hunting setup works if you can get it. . T-Shirts aren't Bite Proof! Zombification occurs shortly after being bitten by a zombie. Thick leather will work in the short term. Later on, get some aluminum siding or something else metallic and affix it to your clothes. Chainmail would be your best option (despite the fact it is known to limit speed and agility, it does protect from bites!). Even zombies can't bite through that stuff. Important areas to protect include the forearms, neck, and legs. Just make sure it's flexible enough to give you some freedom of movement. Helmets are a good idea too. Hot Tip: Motocross gear is highly recommended because of its strength, flexibility and inability to impede speed and agility. It is made to withstand heavy blows and protects skin from damage! After thoughts What happens next depends on a lot of variables. Are there any other survivors? How long will zombies "live"? This has never been addressed, to my knowledge. Even though they're dead, they still maintain some kind of metabolism and thought process. Eventually they'll cease activity and it will be safe enough to venture out. In any case, I hope this helped you in formulating your own zombie survival plan.
Resources: Collected data acquired through www.google.com search “Zombie Survival guide” “Five Ways to make a Zombie” found on various searches. “Basic Types in Detail” (names and descriptions) provided By: A.E. Crawford (Certified Zombie Survival Specialist) Data edited and compiled by: A.E. Crawford (Certified Zombie Survival Specialist) for contact information please look for “facebook.com link” @ http://somethingevil7.blogspot.com or email @helterskelter1939@yahoo.com For more tips and pointers check out: “The Zombie Survival Guide (Complete Protection from the Living Dead)” By: Max Brooks. (Note: The book only provides survival information to protect yourself a
Preparation:
Survival of the Fittest! Use the Buddy System: Don't be a dummy. If your buddy is bitten by a zombie, shoot him in the head and get it over with. Otherwise, gather the refugees, and lead them to safety. People will follow anyone who acts like they know what they're doing, and you need the manpower. Since the average Wal-Mart (for example.) has enough food to keep a few thousand people fed for a week or more, you should have enough staples to get by for a few months if you limit your group to around 10-30 or so. There's a trade-off here between having enough people to defend your fort, and enough food to keep them fed. The basic idea to get from this section is, have enough people to root out the zombies and block the entrances, but not so many people that you have to ration the food heavily. Food and Ammunition and Safety: Run or Hide? First, get to know the guy in town who bought a pallet of Spam to survive Y2K (amusing). Take note of the local grocery stores and food packing plants. Begin to stock food for yourself; make sure that you can carry your provisions, as you may have to relocate. Scout out all the big box retailers that carry ammo, and other supplies. (It is only recommended that one person should carry no more than 100 lbs. in their pack.)Someplace like Wal-Mart or Cabelas is ideal, especially with the Garden Center for seed and stuff for long-term survival. A big bonus would be a nearby Home Depot or some such place so you can get plenty of lumber and quick-mix concrete for fortification. This is a no-brainer. You got to hold up somewhere eventually, but pick carefully. Let's say that the outbreak is localized to your city, but you know that the neighboring town is zombie-free. Flee to the neighboring town. I know this sounds obvious, but don't sit around waiting for grandma to bite you. Get to the safe town, find a gun store, and join the Minuteman Militia. But, that isn't much fun, so let's think about what you'd do if the whole country is overrun. Make a B' line for the Wal-Mart you picked out earlier. Hot Tip: Pick a new Wal-Mart if you can. Pick a new general merchandise or grocery big box store. You get lots of canned food to eat, and only one or two large entrances to guard. While you're preparing, always keep in mind locations where people congregate - you're likely to find lots of zombies there’s when things turn ugly. Highways, malls, and schools are especially bad. Zombies tend try to do the things they were doing when they were alive (plus find a high concentration of a food source (humans/ animals), so they're going to head to the mall, or Wal-Mart, or school... you get the idea. And since we're on the subject, malls are a bad place to hole up in. Too many entrances and not enough goods for long term survival. Zen and the Art of Fortification You and a few buddies are holed up in a mall, with who knows how many entrances, and instead of bricking up the glass you eat hot dogs on the fine china Macy's? (Don't do this!) If you chose wisely, you have a store with some kind of concrete mix in it, or a home building center nearby. As soon as you've cleared the store of zombies, and maybe even before, you need to brick up the glass entrances. You can worry about the others later; they're smaller and harder to open from the outside anyway. Be generous and thorough with your fortification. A few pieces of lumber nailed up is OK for an emergency start, but don't forget to make it permanent. You might consider some kind of brick work. Finally, don't make the mistake of assuming your fortifications will hold. Check them every day, measuring the wall to make sure it hasn't moved. You also might consider building a second wall in case the first gets broken through. Long Term Survival Lets recap: you've survived the initial zombie invasion, banded together a few dozen survivors, and fortified a big box retail store with plenty of food and goods. So what's your long term prognosis? Not good. You'll eventually run out of water, canned food, and fuel for the generator. In fact, you'll be in the dark in a day or two, and the water will be gone shortly after that. Unless, of course, you don't panic, and plan ahead. Make sure that morale is kept high, and that the members of your party are well rested. Make sure you educate your party members while holed up. Make them specialists in certain tactics. Think ahead! If you took a Wal-Mart, you don't need to worry too much about lighting. The skylights do a fair job of illumination during the day, and battery powered flashlights will be OK at night time. But if you're brave, you can venture outside to get fuel from filling station. And if you're lucky, you'll find a tanker truck to drive back to home base. It might be a good idea to keep a CB radio in your car for just this type of event, and try to get a trucker to bring the tanker to your fort when Z-Day arrives. For water and food, the first thing to do after securing your fort is fill every container in the store with tap water. You might have a few days of water available, but I wouldn't count on it. Electricity, water, and sewage will disappear soon, so you want all the drinking water you can get. Become a farmer. Lucky for you, the Garden Center has lots of seeds and soil, and the store has a big roof for planting. This is a good time to learn the art of composting and water filtration. (Research this!) So now you are set. You've bricked the walls to protect against the press of the zombies, you have a few dozen armed followers, and enough veggies to keep everyone fed. You can hold out here for years. Hot Tip: I would avoid being out in the open surrounded by zombies, but, sometimes this is unavoidable. Step one, smell like a zombie. To do this, make sure you have some blood on you (Make sure that when you stand in the blood spray that your eyes, nose and ears are covered. This also applies to any open wound). The goal is to smell like death or rot. Step two, if at all possible, mimic their gait and vocalizations. Zombies can only determine the living from other zombies is through movement and scent. When they see you (If they can) they cannot decipher whether or not you are one of the living or dead. DO NOT PANIC, SCREAM, or RUN, this will draw attention to you. Basic Attack Idea's, (Weapons and Armor) After your initial panic, it's important to remember that a significant component of your survival is the demise of the ghouls trying to get your tasty brains and organs. Despite some reports to the contrary, the only way to permanently un-animate a zombie is to destroy its brain. This isn't rocket science (although that would be a cool way to do it). A gunshot to the head is the most direct way to disable a zombie, but not the only way. Decapitation also works, although the head will probably still function so don't let it bite you! One tempting option is to go out there with a flamethrower. However, if you check the specifications it has some serious drawbacks. The U.S. Army's M2-2 flamethrower weighed about seventy pounds, and is effective out to around fifty yards, but the big limitation is ammunition: a fuel tank holding 18 liters of gasoline, enough for approximately five bursts of two seconds each. So you're probably better off with a conventional firearm. At least this is one area where we are spared the interminable debate of 9mm v .45 handguns and 5.56mm v 7.62mm. Unlike living humans, stopping power counts for nothing as far as zombies go; it's all about shot placement. (And reliability - take at least one back-up gun in case you get a jam or run out of ammo at a bad time.) Anything larger than a .22 will do the job, so long as you're capable of putting a round squarely though the head. And this is very much harder than you think. In a firing range, anyone can reliably hit a man-size target. In real combat, you will probably miss most of the time. This is borne out by an analysis of armed encounters involving police officers: The police officer's potential for hitting his adversary during armed confrontation has increased over the years and stands at slightly over 25% of the rounds fired. An assailant's skill was 11% in 1979... In 1992 the overall police hit potential was 17%. Where distances could be determined, the hit percentages at distances less than 15 yards were: Less than 3 yards..... 28% 3 yards to 7 yards.... 11% 7 yards to 15 yards. 4.2% it has been assumed that if a man can hit a target at 50 yards he can certainly do the same at three feet. That assumption is not borne out by the reports. An attempt was made to relate an officer's ability to strike a target in a combat situation to his range qualification scores. After making over 200 such comparisons, no firm conclusion was reached. The situation is much worse with zombies. The target - the brain - is very much smaller than with humans, and if you are a trained marksman you will reflexively aim at the body. Police officers are professionals who spend long hours training for close-quarter encounters; you probably don't. And while the adrenaline factor may be high when you're facing an armed suspect, a horde of shambling undead takes the terror to a different level. You are liable to waste a lot of ammunition, so bring plenty. Some favor extended magazines, like the 90-round clip for AR-15/M-16 rifles or 33-round magazines for your Glock handgun. These are fine, so long as they are reliable and you have the discipline not to just keep firing until you run out. (However, this type of weapon is not recommended, any semi automatic or fully automatic weapon is considered “a waste of ammo” and shouldn’t be used as a primary weapon.) Human factors are probably much more important than hardware. Zombies are liable to come from all directions at the same time; you don’t get bonus points for killing more of them, so just do what you have to in order to get to safety. And watch out for the ones that are just playing dead. (Actually, they really are dead...but you know what I mean.) Make sure you carry something like a sword, machete, or blunt object (crow bar) for close encounters. If you survive long enough, and society collapses along with any hope of rescue, you'll need to develop some means of skull penetration that doesn't involve guns - a professional bow hunting setup works if you can get it. . T-Shirts aren't Bite Proof! Zombification occurs shortly after being bitten by a zombie. Thick leather will work in the short term. Later on, get some aluminum siding or something else metallic and affix it to your clothes. Chainmail would be your best option (despite the fact it is known to limit speed and agility, it does protect from bites!). Even zombies can't bite through that stuff. Important areas to protect include the forearms, neck, and legs. Just make sure it's flexible enough to give you some freedom of movement. Helmets are a good idea too. Hot Tip: Motocross gear is highly recommended because of its strength, flexibility and inability to impede speed and agility. It is made to withstand heavy blows and protects skin from damage! After thoughts What happens next depends on a lot of variables. Are there any other survivors? How long will zombies "live"? This has never been addressed, to my knowledge. Even though they're dead, they still maintain some kind of metabolism and thought process. Eventually they'll cease activity and it will be safe enough to venture out. In any case, I hope this helped you in formulating your own zombie survival plan.
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