The Cranberries with Zombie, thought it was fitting here…
When it comes to a Zombie Apocalypse, you need to create a viable plan to survive the masses of flesh-thirsting Zombies around you. Even normal people can cause you harm, by stealing from you or using you as bait for the Zombies, so they can escape in safety. We only have to turn on the evening news to see what one human can do to another human in an otherwise peaceful environment… let alone during a stressful situation such as a Zombie Apocalypse.
After reading a lot about this topic and taking into consideration a number of ‘survival guides’ that deal with Zombies, I thought I’d share with you, what I think is the best way to survive such an event.
Assessment of the Zombie Apocalypse situation
Here is my preliminary assessment of the situation. I will make some assumptions here, and a lot of it is my opinions. I have however probably read, researched and thought about this way more than most people so I guess I am kind of qualified to my opinion here!
The Overall Zombie Situation
First, let’s look at the odds. The likelihood of a Zombie breakout near you will pretty be much the same as mine: close to zero. I live in a medium-sized city, so it isn’t likely to be targeted in an attack where Zombies or a Zombie-causing virus is used as a weapon. Perhaps it could be a virus or disease that evolved naturally, but even in this case, I think there are other bigger cities that would get hit earlier.
To increase my chances of survival I would need to avoid contact with Zombies to a high extent. I really don’t know how fast, strong or durable they are, so it is better to stay out of their way for as long as possible.
I’m online all the time, and if any zombie-related activity were to happen I’d know about it (and probably, so would you) – the news would spread via social media much faster than any virus is capable of.
Personal Situation in a Zombie Apocalypse
I’m just an average guy without any great fighting skills, and I have no idea how to use a machete or a gun. My place isn’t a castle but it has the most important stuff, plus a small place where I could store things that would help me survive for some time. Then around my neighborhood, there are small stores from which I could get food and water supplies plus fill up extra gas.
Political Situation in a Zombie Apocalyse
A Zombie Apocalypse will not be the end of the world, but will probably more likely occur in localised clusters. I think for a global event to happen the magnitude of the virus/disease has to bigger than anything the world has seen before, and I don’t think the odds are high for this. I also do not think governments of affected areas will collapse totally, and they will quickly take action to get control back and ensure the safety of the people.
My Zombie Apocalypse Survival Plan
My Location
You might think that taking your 4X4 wheeler, with your disaster prep kit to a remote place into the woods is your best option, but there are many reasons why it isn’t.
On the way, many things can happen. Roads could be impenetrable due to masses of abandoned cars or traffic, your car has a mechanical issue, or it runs out of gas. Many other people will probably also have the same idea of going into the forest, and then it becomes a great place for Zombies to find food. Lastly, the most important part of why this plan doesn’t work for me – I don’t have a 4×4 wheeler.
To have the greatest chance of survival in such an event I must do something totally against my nature and boring at the same time. That is, collect everything I need from stores local to me and barricade myself within my own home. If you’re living on the ground floor, which luckily I don’t, you will need to make additional preparations to ensure nobody can enter your home from a door or window. Then you just have to wait it out.
In summary:
- Bad = Cars
- Bad = Forests
- Good = Stay at home and lock yourself in until it all blows over
My Tribe
The above Survival Plan won’t get me a medal of honor, but it helps me stay in one piece… and my family too. I know I’m a mentally resilient guy who can deal with an event like this, who talks freely about an improbable Zombie Apocalypse, but others in my family aren’t. I don’t know how a family member would react in this situation. Anything could happen at the most unexpected moment and then I would have to deal with the consequences afterwards. That’s a great burden.
Now that we talk about family, in the event you aren’t close to your relatives, reconsider your standpoint during such an event. It’s for your own sanity. Be in a group, even if it is only two people. It doesn’t have to be a family member, any human you trust is fine. In my case, my friends are usually too far away, so I would stick with my family which is much closer.
In summary:
- Bad = Being alone
- Good = Sticking with friends or family
How to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse
You don’t need to spend a large chunk of your hard earned money to prepare for such an event. Here are some tips:
- Create a disaster preparation kit. It could be as small as a back-pack.
- Dedicate a small shelf or cupboard in your home for long-term food and water supplies.
- Have an escape plan out of your home, including transport.
- Decide on some other safe place to evacuate to, in case you need to leave home.
Follow these tips, and you are basically set not only for a Zombie Apocalypse but also for other, more probable disasters.
Top 4 Zombie Movies to Prepare You for a Zombie Apocalypse
Now that we’ve got our Zombie Apocalypse plans in order and won’t freak out even if a Zombie walks down the street, let’s pass our time enjoying some crazy good Zombie movies.
Through watching these maybe you’ll learn something new to add to your Zombie Apocalypse prep kit, or just get a thrill to distract you from the mundane reality of everyday life.
This is my preferred horror genre. The following movies are my favorites from this genre and totally worth your time if you are new to this. There is a huge number of Zombie movies out there and this list is representative of my own taste, which isn’t the disgusting bloody type of horror or those Zombie movies that take themselves too seriously.
World War Z (2013)
This movie is based on the book written by Max Brooks in which the world has to face an epidemic outbreak of a zombie plague. The same author has also written the Zombie Survival Guide if you want to go deeper into this topic. Back to the movie, Gerry (Brad Pitt) tries to find a way to stop the zombie pandemic which is spreading quickly across the world. One bite is enough and you will be converted to a Zombie. To be successful and save his family from such a fate, Gerry has to travel around the world and find Patient Zero. World War Z is probably the most educational out of the four, even though I don’t agree with all the info in the movie. It is gripping to watch.
Resident Evil (2002)
Here is a successful video game that got turned into a movie. Ever asked yourself how a Zombie epidemic could arise? This movie offers a pretty simple and good explanation. A company named the Umbrella organization conducted research in an underground facility named the Hive. They created a bio-weapon – the T-Virus – which triggered the Zombie Apocalypse. The only device containing the virus to reach the surface is the facility’s AI named the Red Queen. The lead star Alice (Milla Jovovich) and the other survivors don’t know the truth, because Red Queen used a gas which erased the memory of Alice, who tries to reach the surface. Until now, Resident Evil has had five spinoffs and it is the most successful film series based on a video game.
Zombieland (2009)
In Zombieland, there is no fight to stop the zombie epidemic from taking over. Humanity lost that fight. Now, the only thing that matters is to follow some rules to survive from the undeath. It all happened two months ago when a strain of mad cow disease mutated into a mad person disease, which turned people into zombies. In this apocalyptic horror comedy, three survivors who meet during the movie try to find a safe place, far away from zombies. This movie has been a great success in the box office and in 2019 the second part will be released, featuring all of the previous cast (Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin).
Warm Bodies (2013)
Warm Bodies is another comedy in this genre but of a more romantic nature. The movie is based on the novel by Isaac Marion, and revolves around Julie (Teressa Palmer) a human survivor of the epidemic, and R (Nicholas Hoult) a zombie, and their eventual romance throughout the movie. For the past eight years, R prefers to eat human brains because they make him feel alive and allow him to take a look at the memories of the people he eats. Both characters meet when R rescues Julie’s life and for some reason, he continues to protect her from his fellow Zombies and the Boneys which are an even worse mutation.
Conclusion
In this post I have shared with you what I would do when a Zombie Apocalypse happens outside my door. I would happily hear your thoughts about it, your own zombie apocalypse survival tips, or which movies you like in the Zombie Horror genre. In the meantime, if you feel the pressure to kill some Zombies there is always the option of a first-person shooter video game like Resident Evil that you might want to check out.