The time to prepare for a zombie uprising is now. You need to stockpile supplies, you need to acquire weapons, and you need to train your mind and body. This takes time, and the time is NOW.
Zombie Biology
The insatiable need to feed on human flesh comes from the brain stem in a zombie’s brain. The brain stem is located where the cerebrum meets the spinal column and is responsible for alertness, hunger, heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
The symptoms that one has been infected by the zombie virus can come on rather quickly, usually within one to two hours. The first stage of symptoms includes many flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, and chills. The next set of symptoms is a bit more drastic. The pulse slows dramatically and breathing becomes very shallow. The victim will then enter a coma-like state that lasts around four to six hours. Most of the time, infants and the elderly do not survive the zombie coma; however there have been reports of zombies as old as 90 and as young as five.
Finally there is the transformation. Most zombies remain in a semi-catatonic state once they awake from the coma. They remain unresponsive to attempts to stimulate the senses, and they shuffle and stumble about aimlessly looking for their prey. Zombies begin to hunt immediately after “waking.”
From the records that have been kept, it seems that zombie uprisings often come about in the wake of a recently past natural disaster. In fact, almost every recorded incident in the US follows a major flood, blizzard, or hurricane. There are also multiple (unofficially) documented cases of uprisings after the hurricanes in Louisiana. Eye-witness accounts place more than 200 – 300 “walkers” attacking rescuers in the midst of the rescue and clean up efforts. Most of these stories were covered up by FEMA and the FBI.
Zombie Survival
The most important thing in any attack is to know and understand your enemy. The second most important thing is to have a plan of action. Zombies are often very slow and incapable of generating rational thoughts, and because of this, they rely heavily on grouping together in mass numbers. The best plan of action, no matter what, is to act immediately. Do not hesitate. Avoid people who look disoriented or drunk, and immediately destroy any zombies you do encounter….including loved ones. Although it might be difficult, this will be better for you and more humane for them in the long run. This could be one of the hardest decisions you will ever have to make, but most likely it is what your loved one would prefer if given the option to choose.
Begin your preparations now. While you won’t be able to board up windows and hoard massive weapons without drawing attention to yourself, there are other, smarter ways to prepare for hypothetical zombiedom. The first thing you should do is buddy up with all of the local “nuts” in town. Yes, this sounds ridiculous but its not! We all know that crazy lunatic that has bought 1,000 gallons of bottled water or a whole case of canned beans. That guy probably has a stash large enough to feed a small army for months, and likely knows a ton of good hiding spots. The next thing to do is to locate all of the big box stores that carry essential goods needed for long-term survival. A Wal-Mart located in close proximity to a Lowes store is an excellent location! Food, clothing and ammo are found at Wal-Mart, while the hand tools and lumber found at Lowes would make excellent supplies for fortification.
When preparing for a zombie apocalypse you should always keep in mind places where people typically congregate. Major highways, shopping centers, and schools are especially congested areas. While you should not tell people that you are preparing for a zombie apocalypse, you might somehow mention what a great defendable hiding place you have. This will plant a seed in the backs of their minds, and in the event of a zombie takeover, they will remember this and come to help you.
Once the initial shock of the zombie uprising has subsided, the most crucial thing to remember is how to destroy your enemy. There is only one way to kill a zombie, and that is to destroy its brain. Decapitation will significantly disable your foe, but its head will still be able to function and it will likely try to bite and infect you. A direct gunshot to the head will obliterate a zombie, but you will need to find some means of zombie brain destruction that does not involve gunshots. Gunshots are known to attract more zombies. Bows and blades are other excellent types of weapons for use against the walking dead.
Now let's talk about some common no-brainer, common sense things to do. You can run and you can hide. Let's face it, you're going to have to hide somewhere sometime, but make sure you pick a good place. As we talked about before, big box retailers or department stores are good hiding places. Never choose a mall as your main base. There are just way too many entrances and exits to try and barricade, and all the wrong types of necessary supplies. Also, if you know the neighboring city is zombie free…GO THERE!! Don't just hang around trying to defend your home; you must defend your brains!!!
Now let's say the entire country is overrun with zombies. Again, the most important thing is to find or already have a stockpile. Wal-Mart's, grocery stores, hardware stores, and gun and ammo shops are excellent places to hole up. The next thing you are going to need to do is to procure some reliable transportation. Once you have determined your means of transport, you will need to fortify your vehicle. Use scrap metal to create a type of armor for your vehicle. Equip it with weapons, and always use the buddy system.
Don't be stupid. Although it may seem hard at first to terminate your friends and neighbors, if your buddy has been infected by a zombie... shoot him. Shoot him directly in the head and be done. It is better for you and more humane for him in the long run. One important thing to keep in mind with the buddy system is to keep your numbers small enough to endure, but large enough to protect each other. The average Wal-Mart will have enough supplies to provide for a group of 100 people for a few months. Depending on your bunker and/or supply level, maintain a group that is large enough to defend your base, yet small enough still feed every one. Keep in mind that frozen goods, produce, and dairy will spoil once the power is out. Canned goods are the only staples that will last. As a last resort, you can use the potting soil found in the garden center plant other types of food. But this takes a lot of time or very little rations. Point blank, you run out of food, you will have to move. NEVER... EVER eat infected zombies! Doing so will likely cause you to contract the virus.
If you are forced to leave, the best thing to do is to get out of town. Head for the hills or the mountains. Avoid water at all costs. Zombies cannot swim, but they can walk along the bottom of a body of water and emerge on the other side. Never mistake a lake or river as a means of fortification. When traveling between locations, try to only use human powered vehicles it possible. Zombies tend to flock to loud noises, so it's best to be silent anytime you can.
Now let's talk about fortification. The first day spent in your base should be spent checking for and clearing out zombies, and that hurts halls that hurts me know no sealing off all of the entrances. Use whatever supplies you have available, but boards, bricks, and concrete mix work well for blocking windows and doors. Start with the glass doors and windows as those are the easiest to break in and enter. Once you have completed sealing all of the glass entryways, then move on to all the others. Be thorough and generous with your fortification. A few boards nailed up are OK for a start but go behind that later and make it more permanent. Check your work every day, and never assume that they are holding. If you have enough supplies available, you may wish to build a second type of fortification behind the first.