I've been thinking about this forever actually.

I think what we need to figure out is what our priorities should be first and foremost. Once that's established we can figure out how to do it.

My guess would be to get to higher ground. The second floor or roof, a hill, whatever. And you have to figure that your traditional way is going to be blocked. So no using the stairs or elevator. No using public transportation. Being on the street I think is the most dangerous place to be in an outbreak. You want to be on the top floor of a building, preferably one with nearby buildings that will allow you to get down quickly without going inside them. The biggest problem is going to be arming yourself in an outbreak. Most people just don't have access to firearms (at least near me) and those that do are lucky sonsabitches. The only problem there is that noise may draw your enemy in numbers that you don't have enough ammunition to destroy. That's bad.

So, my priorities are:
1. defendable position
2. arm myself
3. food
4. recon

I don't want to stay in a city area during an outbreak. While it has plenty of access to supplies it also has thousands more zombies. Hmmm. Food for thought.

a full suit of riot gear might be the most protection someone could get versus a bitey Zombocalypse. The only real problems I see with this get-up is limited sight distances and fields of view and the fact that a zombie is going to bite even if it can't get through your layers. A crushing bite wound with or without infection still sucks. Trust me I know.

The riot shield has limited use here also. I don't require balistic cover from an army of animated corpses. It may be used to bash at them, but something tells me they would just grab it and break my arm as they wrestle it away. I'm thinking that arm would be better equipped with an ax. If I can find a suitable machine pistol that doesn't piss away ammo and has a reliable single shot mode then that's my second choice for on-hand weapon.

So, riot gear, ax and machine pistol.

Hmmm, I just thought of the fact that the full helm also makes hearing tougher. Can I rely on a team of people? I think some basic ax combat training would be so neccessary to avoid chopping each other's arms off. Well trained I think this group would be devastating. Untrained I think they would wind up accidentally killing each other long before the zombies got to them.

The problem with riot gear is that it is NOT body armor. Its just padding. It isn't meant to stop blunt trauma, just to be protection against it. Besides there is a huge difference between a hurled rock (which should be stopped by the shield not the padding) and a determined biter. While I don't think the teeth will make through the suit, those jaws are going to tear flesh or pulverize muscle, both of which are sucky wounds to suffer regarding pain, immobilization, and repair. Especially in a no doctor, no hospital situation.

Ultimately, survival depends on what you do and how prepared you are at the very beginning of the outbreak. You have to be prepared with food, weapons, and a plan long before the first zombie rears it's terrible head. And all that depends on how much space you have. And that all depends on where you plan to make your stand.

I think the problem is that you're probably not going to be able to choose where you are when that first outbreak begins. How do you prepare for an attack when you could be in the bathroom at work masturbating. I think what we need to start discussing is how do you survive an initial outbreak with what you have in your pockets. Because I know that where I live, walking around with a loaded .45 automatic is really risky business.

the high ground is a neccessity, as well as clear lines of fire. My suggestion is at least two firearms per "Escapee". Plus ammunition to cover all yer bets. If you go to an army surplus store you can find ammo belts and bandoleers for carrying magazines (that's clips for you movie-generation monkeys). They sell them as like purses and shit. Do they understand what they are doing? I doubt. Such bastardization of essential equipment only falls into our plans the more easily.

You need firearms with stopping power. This is why I recommend the .45 automatic and a shotgun. I'm sure a .306 high power will also be effective IF you have an efficient scope and the high ground. The problem with such a weapon is that it is LOUD. If there are any zombies nearby they will respond and you damn well better have enough ammo to destroy them all.

Everyone needs their own ax. A hand ax is excellent. Ample room to swing and a well-placed swipe could decapitate in one fell-swoop.

The booze and drugs I don't recommend, the last thing you want to be is high when you need to be sober enough to shoot or engage in hand to hand with the living dead. Recreation is dangerous in Zombocalyptic situations.

Personally if I were in a group with drug or alcohol abusing slackers I would kill them in their sleep in order to eliminate the risk they would pose to the others. Iron discipline is necessary for survival.

Speaking also on the subject of survival and procreation I believe anyone who doesn't look like they've been juggling wood chippers and haven't quite got the hang of that yet would be fair game. So long as it doesn't devolve into a rape orgy scenario, I'm all for the regenerating the human race. The only problem that I forsee is more mouths to feed and totally incapable humans. Infants cannot be trusted with firearms or axes. Nor can they be expected to help us in any way. If we are on the move, pregnant women slow us down. Only when we have settled into a (relatively) secure location cane we hope to procreat in any significant way.

eventually your body will demand sleep and get it. You need two people or more to make any scenario for escape and survival work. One sleeps, one watches. If you deny yourself sleep eventually you will pass out and it will never be at a time when you can afford to be asleep. Not to mention hallucinations will cause you to waste precious ammo. And you WILL go insane. Faster...than you would otherwise.

As for Molotovs you run the risk of uncontrolled fire. And with no more fire departments to put it out, you run the risk of self inflicted immolation. That sucks. Trust me. And Zombies don't necessarily perish right away from being on fire. Certainly you will want to destroy the corpses later to prevent further infection, but burning Zombies will just bring that fire EVERYWHERE. You could easily annihilate ALL of your precious resources.

Booze has its place, but not as a weapon. Besides, about 25% of the time Molotovs detonate prematurely. That means you will find yourself drenched in burning liquid. You might as well cut yourself and start yelling, "Free Meat! All Zombies I'm Right Here!"

A friend of mine also suggested Texas barriers which are huge concrete blocks used along our border with Mexico. In the event that the army is mobilized these things may become readily available. As an alternative, one could contract or construct (depending on how advanced the Zombocalypse is and the level of the person's skill) a 15' concrete high wall around wherever their fortification is.

I would also suggest a bicycle powered generator in the basement.

also, mosquitos. they are the fastest way of spreading a zombie infection.

There are lots of ways to kill or limit the number of mosquitos in a particular area. Spraying is probably the most common. 2 chemicals are actually being administered one kills live adult moquitos and the other ends up in the water which inhibits the growth of larve. Although airborne spraying or atomizing the chemicals from a truck seems like overkill you might not actually notice the difference until they stop doing it. You probably wouldnt be able to go outside after dark in some areas. You can also buy mosquito dunks to toss into free standing water around your property. Also goldfish work rather well in fresh water. One method thought to be most effective against living mosquitos is a small CO2 tank which emits a little puff every once in a while and has a collection bag the mosquitos get stuck in. The bug zapper works but not really so well against mosquitos which are attracted to heat, movment and CO2 from all of us warm blooded beings.

The other thing to think about is when do we usually get bitten by a mosquito? Your probably either sleeping or spending time outside. If people start turning into zombies i personally am not going to sleep to well nor will i be hanging out in my yard. I still say everyone start sleeping under mosquito netting in the summer.



also, Feel free to post what you think would be essential for survival in case of a Zombie plague.

Personally, I go for:
Pistol, .45
400 rounds of .45 ammunition
Shotgun, 12 gauge
250 shells for above
Axe
Jumbo pack of pens and pencils
10 college ruled marble notebooks
1000 water-proof matches
Sleeping bag
100 Iodine pills (for purifying water)
5 canteens
All-weather poncho


I'm sure I'll add to this list as I think of things.
I encourage others to be realistic about what they think they should have.

it's a serious threat. I don't want to die because people are playing around.

um, maybe not full blown zombies, but if you're infected and haven't turned yet, you're fair game and are carrying the virus in your bloodstream.

barbed wire is an interesting one, but I don't think it's effective. zombies can't feel pain, so I think they'd jsut keep mucking through it until they get past, whereas a tall wall will just keep them all stuck at the bottom. maybe barbed wire could be used to buy time for better laid plans, as it's quick to set up, but is it practical in an outbreak situation?

zombies aren't realyl smart enough to climb, as long as you don't give them stairs or something. if they DO find a way up, it's important to have an exit strategy. simply killing them as they climb is a horrible idea, as the other ones will climb over the bodies, onlyh aving an easier time. eventually you will run out of ammo or be unable to keep up and be overrun.

like i said, i put thought into this.

it all depends on the bite. the bigger eh bite, the more zombie saliva that gets in your bloodstream, the faster you turn. a bitten person could be around for HOURS, maybe even a day before turning. epecially if hte bite happens at a time of hte day when mosquitos are out, you could be bitten alot with that einfected blood before your heart stops pumping. each one of those mosquitos could then in turn bite another person.

it's important to know though, we don't know enough about the zombie virus to pinpoint specifics. it could be entirely possible that mosquito bites won't be dangerous, but it's still important ot be informed and ready in case.

remember, an outbreak hasn't happened yet, so this is all theory and speculation. I encourage you guys to challenge my plan. I don't want to die because I'm stubborn.

also, what are the possibilities of the zombie virus being sexually transmitted?

I'm not talkign giant battle axes here, just a small fireman's axe. you don't have to swing it like an axe if you're in close quarters, you can always butt them in the face with the weapon to get sme distance, elbow them, kick them, whatever. a blunt bject like a baseball bat won't decapitate on hit, which is a huge problem. remember, zombies don't feel pain, gettign smacked in the ehad with a bat wont affect one of them the same way it affects a person.

I think the trick is to stay out of arm's reach of htem anyway. a melee weapon is a last resort.