C. Apartments
Apartments and apartment buildings vary in size and layout and, therefore, in defensibility. However, from the squat two-story buildings of Los Angeles to the concrete and glass towers of New York, certain basic rules apply.
First-floor apartments present the highest risk simply because of their accessibility. Tenants living above the ground floor are almost always safer than those in any type of house. Destroying the staircase effectively isolates the rest of the building. With the elevator turned off and the fire escape too high for a zombie to reach (strict limits are imposed by law), any apartment house can become an instant haven from the walking dead.
Another advantage of the apartment complex is its large population. Whereas a private homeowner may be forced to hold the residence by himself, an apartment building can be defended by all of its tenants. This also increases the chances of having multiple skilled experts such as carpenters, electricians, paramedics, and Army reservists (not always the case, but still a possibility). Of course, with additional people comes the challenge of additional social conflicts. This potential problem, however, should never be a deterrent when choosing between a house and an apartment. Given the choice, always pick the latter.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Discount Home-Defense Manuals!
Although almost every other section in this book encourages the use of conventional texts (on weapons use, military tactics, survival skills, and so on), those written to protect a domicile are not recommended. Home-defense books are designed to counter a human adversary with human skills and human intelligence. Many of the tactics and strategies featured in these books, such as employing elaborate alarm systems, booby traps, and painful, but nonlethal devices such as Mace canisters or nail heads in the carpet, would be useless against an undead intruder.
2. Preparation Part II: Supplies
Once the private residence is secure, stockpiling for a siege must be undertaken. There is no telling how long it will take for help to arrive. There is no telling if help ever will. Always be prepared for a long siege. Never assume a quick rescue.
A. Weapons
Whereas in the field you must travel light to maintain mobility, in your home you have the luxury of storing and maintaining a plethora of weapons. This does not mean filling your home with any capricious instrument of destruction. Each home arsenal should include:
* Rifle, 500 rounds
* Shotgun, twelve-gauge, 250 shells
* Pistol, .45 caliber, 250 rounds
* Silencer (rifle)
* Silencer (pistol)
* Heavy crossbow (in lieu of silencers), 150 bolts
* Telescopic sight (rifle)
* Night-vision scope (rifle)
* Laser sight (rifle)
* Laser sight (pistol)
* Katana sword
* Wakizashi or other short-bladed sword
* Two knives with smooth, six- to eight-inch blades
* Hand hatchet
(NOTE: This list applies to a single individual. Numbers should be adjusted depending on the number of people in the group.)
B. Equipment
Now that all weapons have been chosen, consider what equipment is necessary for your maintenance and perhaps even survival. In the short run, standard disaster-survival kits will suffice. Any longer, and the material below will be necessary. Common household items such as clothing, toilet paper, etc., are assumed to be kept on hand in reasonable quantities.
* Water, three quarts per day, for cooking and washing
* Hand-pumped water filter
* Four replacement filters
* Cistern for collecting rainwater
* Iodine and/or purification tablets
* Canned food, three cans per day (preferable to dried goods in that they contain some water)
* Two portable electric stoves
* Advanced medical kit (must include field-surgery implements and antibiotics)
* Bicycle-powered electric generator
* Gasoline generator (to be used only in emergencies)
* Twenty gallons of gasoline
* Rechargeable, battery-powered shortwave radio
* Two battery-powered flashlights
* Two rechargeable, battery-powered electric lamps
* Two rechargeable, battery-powered and/or solar-powered radios
* Appropriate reinforcement materials, including lumber, bricks, mortar, etc.
* Extensive tool kit, including sledgehammer, ax, handsaw, etc.
* Lime and/or bleaching powder in sufficient supply to maintain latrine
* One high-powered telescope (80X?100X), with spare lenses and cleaning equipment
* Fifteen emergency flares
* Thirty-five chemical light sticks
* Five fire extinguishers
* Two sets of earplugs
* Spare parts for all aforementioned machinery and user?s manuals
* Extensive library of manuals, including a general disaster manual
(NOTE: As with weapons, personal items such as food, water, and medicine must be multiplied for the number of people in your group.)
3. Surviving an Attack
The siege has commenced. Zombies swarm around your home, incessantly attacking but unable to enter. At this point, your worries are far from over. Waiting out a siege does not mean sitting idle. Many tasks will have to be accomplished and repeated for survival in a confined space.
A. Designate one corner of your backyard to serve as a latrine. Most survival manuals will explain the finer points of construction and disposal.
B. If soil and rain permits, dig a vegetable garden. This ready source of food should be consumed first, saving the canned food for an emergency. Keep it as far away from the latrines as possible, to avoid infection not by waste but by the residual effects that lime or bleach will have on the soil.
C. For electricity, always resort to the manual (bicycle-powered) generator. Not only is the gasoline model loud and potentially dangerous—its fuel is finite. Use it only in extreme circumstances, such as a night attack, when manual power is unfeasible or impossible to generate.
D. Patrol the wall constantly. If you’re in a group, run patrols on a twenty-four-hour basis. Always be vigilant for an unlikely but possible infiltration. If you are alone, limit your patrols to daylight hours. At night, make sure all doors are secure (windows should already be barred). Sleep with a flashlight and weapon nearby. Sleep lightly.
E. Maintain a low profile. If you have a basement, do your cooking there, along with power generation and any equipment maintenance. When you monitor the radio, something that should be done every day, use headphones. Keep blackout curtains on all windows, especially at night.
F. Dispose of all bodies. Be it zombie or human, a corpse is still a corpse. The bacteria in rotting flesh can be a serious health hazard. All bodies within your perimeter should be burned or buried. All bodies outside of your wall should be burned. To do this, simply stand on a ladder on your side of the wall, pour gasoline on the freshly slain ghoul, light a match and let it fall. Although this may attract more undead to your dwelling, it is a necessary risk to remove an already-present hazard.
G. Exercise daily. Use of the stationary bicycle, along with basic calisthenics and dynamic tension, will keep your body fit and strong enough for any combat situation. Again, make sure your regimen is quiet. If a basement is not available, use a room in the center of the house. Basic soundproofing such as mattresses and blankets against the walls will help to muffle any sounds.
H. Remain entertained. Despite the need for vigilance, recreation is a must. Make sure a large cache of books, games, and other forms of amusement are available (electronic games are too noisy and energy-inefficient to be considered). In a long and seemingly interminable siege, boredom can lead to paranoia, delusion, and hopelessness. It is as important to keep your mind in good shape as it is your body.