The Zombie Apocalypse! Part 4: Traveling in Groups and Setting Up Camp!

In the event of a zombie outbreak, it would be wise to try to establish or join a group of fellow survivors. Not only will it greatly increase your chances of survival, but its like the old saying goes; "Two heads are better than one." Being able to collaborate with others to complete a task is of the utmost importance during times of heightened ghoul activity. Also, being in a group means that when it is time to stop and rest for the night, there are plenty of living individuals to help set up camp and fashion a security system to keep the not-so-living individuals out. Keep in mind that your group may contain children and the elderly. It is recommended that they are the number one priority when it comes to protection.


Traveling in a Group
As stated above, traveling in groups is a sure fire way of greatly increasing everyone's chances of survival. Working as one unit instead of individuals is truly the key ingredient to proper survival group dynamics. A model survival group should be run as a democracy. No one person has any bad ideas, especially when it concerns the safety of the entire party. For a group to function properly, it should contain but is not limited to:
                     
                   +Establishing a Leader: A leader is not there to shove orders in anyone's face or become a dictator. A leader should be chosen based on how well their leadership skills are and if they seem confident enough to pull the entire group through to the end. Their role is to make sure the group is together physically and mentally. 


                   +Formulate a Plan: This is one thing that may be repeated several times throughout this guide but it is VERY important that it becomes burned into your new way of thinking. This plan should contain issues such as what is the groups primary goal, where the group should travel or IF indeed the group should travel at all and establish a base camp (more on this in the next section), gathering food and water, medicinal supplies, weapons, etc.


                   +Become familiar with the A.C.I.D. plan: This plan is new for any survival guide due to the fact that it was created by me. It stands for "Assimilate Covertly Into Darkness." Do not be confused and take the word "darkness" for hiding or something more grim. The A.C.I.D. plan simply means that one, or in this case a group, should become one with their surroundings. Moving about without causing too much noise or drawing unwanted attention is what A.C.I.D. is and should be employed at all times.

Creating A Secure Perimeter Around Your Camp
Traveling in a group means that many people will become tired and want to rest. That is the same should you be traveling alone (a very foolish thing to do). Your group may have small children, infants and elderly individuals. It is important that you set aside time for rest and recuperation. This does not mean that you should let your guard down. Ghouls are just as active at night as they are during the day, if not more active!!! Setting up a security system around your locale is MANDATORY and should never be overlooked, regardless how tired you may be. Set up traps, rig together an alarm system that will alert you to any activity outside the camp perimeter, and make sure that there are sentries posted to keep watch. So everyone has a chance to get some rest, it is advised that their be a select few who rotate guard duty. Remember, being apart of a group means functioning as one unit and to keep that unit running smoothly, all of its vital parts must be in top working order. 

*If all of these steps are followed, there is no reason as to why your group won't be successful. This is only a guideline and can be used to create your own plan and forms of action. Just remember; No matter what plan you decide to use or create, it is of the utmost importance that your group RUN AS A SINGLE UNIT AT ALL TIMES!!! The undead are unforgiving and your survival is critical. Maintain a strong alliance and you WILL survive!!!

The Zombie Apocalypse! Part 3: Maintaining Your Composure and Sanity!

Being briefed on what weapons to carry or how to hack up the undead are one thing. Being able to maintain a positive attitude and a clear mind is another. Take a look at the picture to the left....."I have a 57% chance of surviving....!" Now I don't know about you but it should be re-worded to "I have a 100% chance." 

Keeping The Mind Active
It may sound like a far fetched idea to even think about taking your mind off of the mission for even a split second, but it could mean yours or your groups survival.......or demise! Let us start from where we all hope to find ourselves in the case of a zombie breakout.....in a group of survivors. Granted you have all taken the necessary precautions, stocked up on weapons and maintain a vigilant night watch routine when you stop to make camp. All of this coordinating and communication between fellow survivors can and WILL be mentally exhausting, however, during downtime such as when your party stops to make camp, you should be stimulating the brain with positive, enjoyable and somewhat educational and/or brain building stimuli. There is no right or wrong thing to use, but as stated before, it should be stimulating. Examples can include reading, word puzzles, memory building, or just simply meditation. Remember, the mind is a muscle too and needs to be conditioned regularly.

Maintaining Ones Sanity and Composure
For those traveling in numbers, keeping your composure and sanity isn't too hard considering you have external sources to converse with. Now lets just say that you have survived the outbreak.....congratulations.....however, you are alone!!! You have not found any other survivors in your immediate vicinity and due to the dangerous risk of traversing ghoul infested cities and suburbs alone, you have decided to barricade yourself in your home or another dwelling of some sort. Lets also say that you have went down the check list and stocked up on supplies; food, weapons, medical  toiletries, etc, boarded up any entrances into your hideout, and you have positive mental stimuli. Again....congratulations!!! You are ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!!! 
Days go by, then weeks, then months and still no sign of any other survivors. You only venture outdoors to scavenge for supplies and restock on basic necessities. This may seem like the model survival situation, but what is the state of your sanity in a situation such as this one must ask? Humans as a species are a social creature. We need companionship, friendship and even people to hate and argue with. Its all apart of who we are. Now take away all of that and you are left with an animal who over time will develop delirium, depression and in worst cases, go insane...and if being alone doesn't drive you insane, the moans and cries of the undead will. Sadly, there isn't much that can be done to prevent this. Having a strong will helps and believe it or not, talking to inanimate objects and pretending they have human traits is another way to combat  extended periods of solitude. The correct term for this is called Anthropomorphism. Be careful not to become too attached to this object. The purpose of this is to maintain speech and proper brain activity! Part 4 will cover traveling in groups and how to set a secure perimeter around your camp!

The Zombie Apocalypse! Part 2: Preparing for The Future

P

Preparations-cont.

Rifles 
There are a myriad of different types of rifles to choose from. The type of rifle you decide to wield will depend on the environment you are fighting in and what environment you plan on evacuating to...provided you survive! One point of advice before you begin your search for the perfect rifle; stay away from muzzle loaded guns such as a musket. Even the most experienced sharpshooters will only be able to get about 2 to 3 shots off in a minute due to the time it takes to reload. A semi-automatic or an automatic will be able to get off many more shots in a minute or less. A simple .22 caliber rifle will suffice but for heavy damage, the .30-06 Springfield is the weapon of choice. It is suitable to use in close range (i would suggest sawing off about 6 inches of the muzzle for close quarters combat) and is equally useful as a long range weapon provided you are equipped with a scope. Other rifles and ammo which may be hard to come by but will serve their purpose are:

-M1 Garand
-Mosin-Nagant M1891(excellent sniping rifle)
-SVT-40
-.50 Caliber

Shotguns
The weapon of choice for blowing away ghouls from close range. Whether you were to acquire an autoloader, pump-action, or break-action, you are sure to clear a path and extinguish a few undead lives. Be sure that you are familiar with how to fire a shotgun. If not held properly, the recoil could possibly dislocate your shoulder and that is one problem you don't need to worry about. Especially if you are on the run and the undead are biting at your ankles. For close range, I would suggest sawing off about 6 inches of the barrel to give the ammunition more room to spread out.

Crossbows and the Bow and Arrow
The crossbow and bow an arrow are excellent weapons to use if you are trying to remain hidden and don't want to attract any unwanted ghoul activity. Be that as it may, both weapon require some skill to operate and get a hit almost every time.   Most crossbows that are sold to the general public come equipped with a sight or some kind of scope. Not much skill is requires to fire one of these. The setup is similar to that of a handgun or rifle and doesn't create any recoil. The bow and arrow do however require a bit of skill and good aim to shoot. There are 3 types of bows to choose from. Longbows, Re-curve and compound bows. The first two require a bit of strength and good aim to work since the were made to load and fire quickly. A compound bow uses cams that act like a pulley system to reduce the amount of energy it takes to draw back the string. So now one could draw back a bow with 90 pounds of tension and hold it there for as long as needed till that unlucky ghoul happens to cross the path of your arrow.

Miscellaneous Weapons and Bludgeoning Tools
Other weapons and objects can be used to arm yourself as well as anyone traveling with you.


               -The Machete: Perfect for a wide array of uses such as hacking your way through the flora in temperate and tropical forests. The machete is also useful for slicing up food, cutting cloth for clothing and hacking off the head of a ghoul who strayed too close. Keep this weapon close by at all times.

               -Broomsticks: A broken broom? No problem. Everything on the broom can be utilized. If the broom itself is made of straw, it can be used to kindle a fire and is the broom is plastic, it can be used to repair a tear in clothing or melted down to hold objects in place. However, its not the broom itself that is most useful, but rather the broom handle. This can be fashioned into a spear to slay the undead knocking at your doorstep. Just be sure that the spear is jabbed directly into the eye socket, the easiest entry point to the undead gray matter.

               -Baseball bats and Golf clubs: These are pretty self explanatory. Just make sure you can escape quickly to avoid being surrounded by a group of ghouls.

**This section can go on and on for pages and pages but the truth of the matter is that anything item you find can be fashioned into a weapon. The purpose of this section was to inform and educate. When your in survival mode, you must think of the worst case scenario first and prepare for it because if your ready for the worst, everything else will seem to be easy, although one must never let their guard down. Ghouls will be lurking and could be around any corner or behind any tree. The key is to stay alert at all times!!!

The Zombie Apocalypse! Part 1: The Beginning!

Zombies!!! We love 'em, we hate 'em, we may become them. However, if the right precautions are taken, you may survive. This is what this blog is intended for. To give you, the victim, key tips on how you can save yourself and your loved ones from an onslaught of zombie hordes.

1. Educate and Arm the Brain!!!!
There is nothing worse than stepping out onto the battlefield to face your opponent when you don't know anything about them. It is advisable that as soon as you hear any news about strange things happening to people around your area that you waste no time in doing your homework. It is always better to be safe than to be sorry. For example: You begin to notice around the community that people are walking around absent minded as if they don't know where they are! That is a sign to start doing some research. Or another example: You wake up one day and notice that your neighbor Prudence is walking around moaning and groaning. But wait...something isn't right...Prudence has been dead for 5 years now!!! This should be a clear indication that it is time to educate and arm the brain for times to come!!!

2. Preparations
Now that you have become familiar with your local ghoul, it is time to prepare physically. First and foremost, exercise and a formidable diet are a necessity. Be sure to train every muscle on your body and be sure you are taking in the daily amount of vitamins and nutrients the body needs to sustain itself. It is recommended that you keep your mind and body at peak performance at all times in case you are caught unexpectedly by the undead looking for their next meal. You better hope its not you!!!! Secondly, it is crucial that you gather anything around your house that can be considered a formidable weapon and put it all together and begin weeding through it all to see what is to be utilized and what is to be disposed of. There is no sense in carrying around items of sentimental value if they pose no legitimate use to you. Such items you may want to consider keeping may include:
1. a baseball bat
2. a crowbar
3. kitchen knives
4. an axe(most valuable of all melee weapons)
I would personally suggest that if you have any firearms to hold on to them as if it were the last gun on earth. They could mean the difference between life or death when trying to escape from a horde of ghouls. If one does not own any firearms, it is highly recommended that you obtain one through a local gun distributor A.S.A.P!!! Below will be a list of the different kinds of firearms that are available to the public or in severe situations, though stealing and looting.


Automatic and Semi-automatic Handguns
These will be the most readily available gun. There are many varieties and makes. Ammo is also readily available to the public in times of zombie infestation. It would be wise to find a .45 or .50 caliber handgun as they will stop a pursuing ghoul with 2 well placed shots to the chest but must still be finished off with a fatal blow to the head(more information on killing techniques later). Stocking up on plenty of ammo is also recommended. One should be familiar with his weapon of choice so it is recommended that you do some target shooting. As with any firearm, it is advised that one use extreme caution when operating a firearm. Misuse can lead to accidental injury or even death. Remember; if anyone or anything is going to die, it is going to be the walking dead. 
   
                                  **Continue on to Part 2**