For many years I have been scaring myself senseless with zombie films and most recently, with the help of The Walking Dead, with television shows and I have been asking myself how rational is it to actually have a zombie apocalypse plan however brief (or in my case highly detailed with a number of plans for various situations) and what would make a good survival plan?
To answer this we need to actually look at the probability of a zombie apocalypse. If the various media is to go by we probably have weeks but we fortunately do not live in the world of George A. Romero…Or do we?
When I talk about zombies I do mean the ones we see in George A. Romero films and influenced films and the “walkers” we see in The Walking Dead. What i’m not talking about is “the infected” that we see in 28 Days/Weeks later. For me they are completely different for the simple fact that zombies have a period of being deceased before they reanimate and start eating people where-as the infected are infected and within a matter of seconds are killing. There is no death period for them.
There are a number of possible ways for an infection to start and the apocalypse to begin. One popular theory is brain parasites that reduce us to our very basic instincts which is to feed. These types of parasites can be seen in rats and I have read can also be found in snails which when eaten by birds can be transmitted to the birds.
Another possible way for an infection to spread is scientists in secret military bases the world over could be experimenting on a super-soldier with some sort of serum. We probably all know the story. The serum works great on monkeys, rats, cute bunny’s whatever they choose to use but when put into a human it doesn’t go too well, the infected human bites the scientist, scientist dies, reanimates, bites another scientist, and so on.
The origin of the infected in I am legend also poses an interesting and plausible way for a zombie outbreak. A new cancer, HIV, common cold whatever drug comes out and cures the disease or ailment it was made for but suddenly when coupled with a rare gene it decides to kill and then reanimate the host(s) causing them to bite, scratch and infect everything living.
I could go on and on about possible ways a zombie outbreak could occur, some are rational and could happen and some are wildly unlikely to happen but let’s get back to the question at hand, How rational is it to have a zombie apocalypse plan and what is a good plan? If we do take any zombie outbreak theories seriously then yes it is very rational to have a zombie apocalypse survival plan but what would make a good plan is one that keeps you and your group alive for the longest possible time, maybe long enough to allow you to survive it.
Most importantly you need a safe house, somewhere defensible to sleep. A house is the obvious one but this house needs to have certain safety requirements. For instance a number of exits. Even first floor “exists like a balcony onto a nice soft patch of grass in case you are trapped upstairs. You also need a nice metal fence around the outside that is at least 7 foot in height. I suggest houses of footballers and movie stars. It only takes five minutes look at estate agents website for homes that a worth half a million and more. These houses should be more than suitable. Another suitable safe house could be a warehouse of some sort or an office building or shopping centre. What needs to be made sure of is that your safe house has the minimal amount of glass and as many possible exits just in case.
Best case scenario is that your safe house has quite a bit of fertile land that you or a member of your group could farm for some nice fresh food, we all know the importance of getting our five a day. If you’re really lucky you can rustle yourselves some livestock. Sheep, cows, chickens, pigs and if recent news is anything to go by we have inadvertently got a bit of a taste for horse meat so maybe even a few of them.
Next important thing is weapons. Cricket bats, hockey sticks, spears, swords, axes anything that in close quarters can save your life. I would recommend that you befriend someone who is pretty proficient with a bow and arrow (Daryl Dixon anybody?) or getting yourself a bow and arrow and practice now. Obviously guns are going to needed so once the apocalypse hits I would stock up on those and obviously a lot of ammo.
Now we have our safe house and weapons in case of any zombie encounters we now need a vehicle. I would recommend getting a number of vehicles particularly if you have a rather large group of survivors. Now what vehicle you have and use will depend on what you need it for
For groups of 1-6
- car – A normal family car can be used for very short trips to the local supermarket for supplies
- 4×4 – For scouting out the local area or trips to the supermarket
- Camper van – If your safe house gets over run for somewhere mildly safe to live once you escape
For groups of 6 or more
- car – A normal family car can be used for very short trips to the local supermarket for supplies
- 4×4 – For scouting out the local area or following the car to the supermarket as protection
- Camper van – If your safe house gets over run for somewhere mildly safe to live
- Van – To keep things like tents, food, weapons should you need to escape as not everyone will be able to stay in the camper van
- Armored vehicle – If you really hit the jackpot you could find yourself owning your very own tank machine gun loaded jeep.
What we need next obviously is supplies. Food, drink, fuel and medical supplies are essential if you are going to survive. Obviously if you have a number of vehicles you can afford to be a few miles from a supermarket or store but if you don’t you need to make sure your safe house is close to a large store. This store must be stocked full with tins of food, water, medical supplies and if possible blankets, jackets and anything to keep you warm during the winter. If you are not too familiar with the local area I would recommend finding a few maps of the local area so you know what you are working with. For those people who have vehicles finding the local fill up points will really come in handy. Especially if you need to escape in a hurry. Being well stocked up on fuel may well save your life.
Finally finding a working radio when you can put out your own transmissions could really come in handy if there is a near-by survivor sanctuary or any other survivors who are looking for help.
Or you could just go to the Winchester and wait for it all to blow over.