HOW TO SURVIVE ZOMBIEGEDDON: VOLUME 1 is a collection of each of my articles on CBM regarding the Zombie Apocalypse so far, with the exception of part 3 which was featured on the HOME page before I could copy the html codes and content. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave comments below letting me know what you’d like to see in future ZOMBIEGEDDON articles.
The above image is one of my personal drawings of a Zombie.
Throughout my research as a paranormal investigator/ researcher, I have pondered the question of what can re-animate the dead. What causes zombie-ism? Is there something out there so powerful, that it haunts our nightmares and seems to be straight out of a horror or science fiction movie? The truth is just as startling as the questions themselves.
As a paranormal investigator, I’ve found myself in situations where I’m constantly face to face with the unbelievable, the darkness that most of us choose not to accept. A realm of the dead that truly does exist. We as humans know that there is a land of the living, which we experience every day for as long as our hearts continue beating and as long as our brains can fathom it. As a paranormal investigator, I know there is a realm of the dead which can sometimes coincide with the land of the living that many scientists choose not to accept. But what happens when the realm of the dead merges with the land of the living and the “dead” do begin rising from their graves?
Let’s begin by analyzing what can actually cause zombie-ism. There are a number of diseases, bacteria and disorders out there which can give some of the characteristics of zombie-ism as we’ve seen in the recent cases in Florida and other parts of the world. Mad Cow Disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) which is caused by the mutation of prions which are a form of protein found in all living things. Mad Cow Disease is contracted by eating infected food. The symptoms of MCD are as follows: rapidly progressive dementia, leading to memory loss, personality changes and hallucinations, accompanied by speech impairment, jerky movements, balance and coordination dysfunction, changes in gait, rigid posture, and seizures. The symptoms of CJD are caused by the progressive death of the brain's nerve cells, which is associated with the build-up of abnormal prion proteins forming amyloids.
Rabies is another that can give the characteristics of zombie-ism. It begins with flu like symptoms that can last between two –twelve weeks. It then moves into slight or partial paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, terror, and hallucinations, progressing to delirium. Rabies is also known as hydrophobia because victims often can’t swallow which is part of what causes them to foam at the mouth, and show extreme agitation to water.
Recently it’s become speculated that bath salts can also cause zombie like symptoms. Herbal bath salts produce hallucinogenic effects, anxiety, paranoia, delusions, insomnia, vivid nightmares, and suicidal thoughts. As well as high blood pressure, severe stomach pains, vomiting, and seizures.
So let’s do some creative thinking on this for a moment. Humor me if you will. What if an animal with rabies attacks and eats an animal with mad cow disease? The result: a single animal with both rabies and mad cow disease which could lead into a mutation and merging of both into a single threatening virus. That animal is then killed, ground up, packaged and placed into the general public’s food supply. Once the ground meat is then consumed by humans, you will have an outbreak. This outbreak would cause further mutation of the new virus such as merging with other bacteria and viruses such as ebola, HIV, etc.
As discovered by scientists, some stem cells can lay dormant in a dead person for up to 2 weeks, then be revived to divide into new functioning cells. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications according to a forum article on cosmoquest.org. Imagine if you will, this new mutated form of rabies/ mad cow disease now living dormant in every living person on the planet. It’s possible do in part to evolution when coming in contact and merging with other bacteria and viruses etc. It symbiotically bonds with the brain stem cells. Upon death, a person’s stem cells will then reignite as seen in a season 1 episode of “The Walking Dead”. This would re-animate the dead and give us a Zombie Apocalypse. No longer is the virus spread through digesting but rather by bite just like rabies. There you have the perfect scientifically based real life zombie threat. This virus could spread from person to person, city to city, state to state in a matter of hours or days. This virus would spread so fast the military wouldn’t be able to deploy quick enough to stop the threat, The CDC wouldn’t be able warn people fast enough to contain the spread of the virus and people all over the world would eventually either fall victim to or be on the road to surviving THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!
When a Zombie Apocalypse occurs, many of us want to be ready so that we can survive as long as possible. I've put together several tips to help you survive.
When the outbreak occurs, you'll want to stay calm. Don't run out and scavenge right away, wait until things have calmed down and walkers aren't flooding the streets.
Set up a base, preferably a two story building to which you can remove the stair case and use a rope ladder to go up and down on. board the windows... sure the fastest way would be to use a hammer and nails, however the safest and securest way would be to use screws and a screw driver because they're alot harder to push out. Grab branches and anything else you can use to turn into defense steaks (place them at an angle pointed out a maximum of 5 feet high. Set a perimeter using gasoline, gun powder, or anything else that's flammable and can catch fire quickly. Make sure you have an escape route from the upstairs to the outside in case the base gets taken. Strategically place molotov cocktails that you can light on your way out.
Wait a minimum of 2-3 days... scavenge for supplies... get stocked up... guns, knives, food, rope, wire, lots and lots of sharp objects, generator, welder and cutting torch, air compressor, Water clothes and Toilet paper. Now you're probably wondering How in the hell are welders, cutting torches, air compressors, and generators necessities.... well you'll need a generator for power, an air compressor to keep the tires on your veh. aired up especially in the winter since air becomes more compact in the cold, The welder and cutting torch is for making weapons and putting make shift armor on your vehs.... you may also want to find a bus, RV or semi to convert into a Zombie crushing machine... plus it would be great to get all of your group safely across Zombie Zones.
At your base, set up zip lines and a couple of look out nests. Run the zip lines which would need to be made of high strength metal wires and a metal slider to zip from nest to nest (look out posts)or from nest to base so as there's no need to endanger yourself by climbing down and heading across the ground to base or another nest.
When modifying vehicles for Zombie Warfare, weld spikes onto the hood and onto a snow plow which should be secured to the vehicle you've chosen. Place chain link fencing and bars around the windows of the vehicles and weld them to the body, that way if a group of zombies is able to break through the windows they aren't going to get to you. If you're converting a bus, cut a slide hole across both sides of the bus the length of the bus thick enough to fit a chain saw through so that you can easily cut any zombies who try to take over your bus.
First stop you should make during a Zombie Apocalypse should be either A. Walmart B. Farm & Fleet and/ or C. The Mall. each of these places will have almost everything you could possibly need to survive a long period of time.
If your base gets overtaken, blow it up and then find a new base. Places you'll want for your base depending on the size of your group... Prisons, police depts, Hospitals, The Mall, Farm, a store like Wal-mart or Farm & Fleet, Fire dept, Court House etc. each of these places have excess of everything you would need to survive and plenty of hiding places.
Remember, in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse almost anything can be used as a weapon. If you're a Landscaper like I am, everything you own can be used as a weapon. Axe, nails, sledge hammer, baseball bat, etc etc etc. if you have a grinder, you can take metal poles and pipes sharpen 1 end and there you have a hole punch for something's head. Also, look around... do you have a car that you can't fit everyone into? Take the rims off, use your cutting torch to cut it in half. use the welder to weld a cross bar to hold the two halves a nice distance apart then weld another bar to the cross bar as a handle... weld a long spike to the top... add handle grips... sharpen the edges of the rims and thus you have an awesome home made battle axe.
Remember in an age of Zombies ammo is rare and precious, so use home made weapons as much as possible, plus gun shots can attract more zombies. If using a bow and arrows, reuse your arrows don't leave any behind. As soon as you're able to after killing zombies, make sure to sterilize your weapons you wouldn't want to accidentally cut yourself or someone else with zombie blood on them. Being a former Tattooist, I know a thing or 2 about sterilization. Alcohol, bleach, boiling water, and anti bacterial soap for starters (use all of these during 1 cleaning session you can never be to safe) then stick the blade pointed end into a fire, hold there for 3 minutes. Once sterilization is complete resharpen.
Of course I've probably left out a few things, but those can wait til next time anyway... these are the most important.
If you follow these instructions, then congratulations you will be one of the few survivors of the Zombie Apocalypse. And remember don't get drunk or stoned, you'll want to keep your head clear. Good Luck! And remember the worse thing you can do is PANIC!
While Trying to survive in post Zombie break out apocalyptic world, it’s just as important to choose the right clothing as it is weaponry. To survive as long as you possibly can, you’ll need protection. Protection from Zombies, weather, and insects that can carry the virus. The best way to dress for protection is to look at what bikers wear. Leather and jean material is the key. I would suggest Black leather water proof work/ tactical boots with steel toes, a leather jacket with ventilation , tank top or t-shirt , leather cloves, jean pants or tactile military issue pants, with or without leather chaps. The leather will make it extremely difficult for a walker to bite or scratch you, I mean have you ever tried to bite through leather? It’s also incredibly easy to clean and get any infected blood off of. Leather and jean material are also great for keeping you warm when it’s cold and concealing your body odor. At night it will make you virtually impossible to see. I suggest layers, that way if you get to hot you can always remove layers down to maybe a tank top and blue jeans.
Survival is key during an apocalyptic scenario. Don’t attempt to migrate south during the cold months, that’s what other humans and the undead will attempt, which will increase your chances of infection. Instead stay put or move north. By moving or staying in colder climates you’ll increase your chances of survival because you’ll decrease your chances of being killed by other humans for your supplies as well as decrease the likeliness of running into anymore walkers. Why, you may ask. Simply put, The undead will begin moving south as the climate begins to shift as part of their brain’s programming to survive. If there are any Zombies left as things start to freeze, they too will begin to freeze. Their blood and flesh will stiffen and before long they’ll be incapable of moving. Their brains will eventually freeze shutting down any and all electrical impulses which keep them animated. By this time they become target practice until Spring. It’s unknown if their brains will reboot once the temperature warms, which is why it’s much more important to destroy as many zombies as you can during the cold months. Also during the cold months, it frees up many much needed supplies for you to scavenge, because there will be little to no one left to scavenge against you. Just remember, if this is the rout you choose, try to stay warm. Collect as much wood as you can for fires but don’t let your base get to warm otherwise any walker in the area will try to move toward the heat like flies to a light.
Set traps and try to lead walkers away from your base. Anytime you come across an individual zombie, don’t kill it. Instead, try to rig something up to wear you can control it’s body like an animal catcher, take it somewhere away from your base and tie it up by way of noose around the neck and raise it off the ground. When other walkers come by they’ll feed off it and so on following a trail of individual zombies you’ve left hanging away from your base. Using Duct tape, you can set up a web around your base. This may not stop a large number of walkers, but it will stop a couple at a time and slow the rest down. You can do the same thing with netting or wires. If you can dig a ditch around your base and let it fill with water. Once it fills with water, hook up a power source such as power lines etc. and drop them in there. This will electrify the water and hopefully once the undead walk through there, it will short circuit any brain power they still have. String up a make shift trap which is made up of spikes or any sharp object (ie forks, knives, etc.) and raise it high enough off the ground, once this is accomplished set it up to where you can either release the trap from inside the base/ nest or a herd of walkers can set it off themselves. Other traps you can set up are pits, trip chords tied to spear guns, or my favorite which would require chains strong enough to hold a car above the main entrance to your base to where you can either release it from inside or set it to where a herd of walkers can release it dropping the car on top of them. You can also flood the downstairs of the base to the edge of the second floor so that if enough walkers are trying to get into your base, the moment they break even the smallest hole into the base all of the water will explode from the base and with a few well placed vehicles, it could crush them under it’s weight. Now keep in mind these are extravagant traps that would require a large group of people to pull off. There are much similar traps you can use to protect your base, but these are probably my favorite.
When scavenging for supplies, get as much as you can in a short amount of time. The first thing you will need is food and water. Try to get food that has a long shelf life ie. Chips, crackers, canned food, cereal etc. Second, you’re going to need pharmaceuticals. You’ll need pain killers, inhalers, antacid, insulin, pepto, cough medicine, aspirin, gauze, antiseptics, antibiotics, tweezers and blood pressure medicine. Third, you’ll need flash lights and batteries along with candles, matches, lighters, etc. Fourth, Weapons. Remember almost anything can be used as a weapon in your fight against zombies. If it’s metal, plastic or wood it can be weaponized. Try thinking outside of the box… see those bungee chords they could be used to make sling shots or trip chords. See those canes, the can be sharpened to a point or put nails through the end of them. See those plastic action figures… you can melt those down and make blades or arrow heads out of them. See that roll of duct tape… yeah you’ll need it. Rope, belts, knives, guns, bullets, scissors, gas cans, oil, tools, anything and everything you or your vehicle can carry.
Remember guys and girls… As the Mythbusters have proven… Duct tape is your best friend any situation… grab as much as you can!
Urban Warfare during Zombiegeddon would be a must, however incredibly difficult to undertake. These aren’t just ordinary enemies that you can shoot or bomb and they stay down. These are grotesque, smelly, rotten corpses that you have to hit just right in the brain to drop. This isn’t the showdown at the OK Coral, where you just walk in there guns a blazing and hope that you don’t become some meat sacks appetizer. It requires strategy, preparedness, skill, surprise and testicular fortitude.
Most people would go with their instincts and run trying to stay one step ahead of walkers in order to survive, not taking any more risks than what’s necessary and staying as close to camp as possible. This is what separates the survivors from the dinner menu. The key thing you have to remember is to stay focus and calm. The moment you begin to freak out, is just the moment the undead need to make you apart of their horde and their nourishment.
The one thing about zombies you need to remember to give you the advantage is that they’re dead. What is one thing that all dead things do? Think about it, if you’re in a room that a person has passed away in, and you’re waiting for the paramedics to get there to take the body away, what’s the one thing that stands out? The smell. When a person dies, they release anything and everything they may have consumed within a few hours before death. Zombies are gonna smell like death covered in sewage. Think about it, you’re heading into a zombie infested area but you don’t see them just yet. Follow your nose, when the air starts to reek, you’re getting close. If you’re by yourself or with a small group of people, trying to scavenge for supplies and food but you have to know where the walkers are at all times so they can’t sneak up on you, rely on your sense of smell. Dead bodies smell anyway, it’s a fact, combined that with flesh and muscle tissue that’s been cooking and rotting out in the sun, that’s been rained on, and has fecal matter and urine in their pants that’s also been cooking and rubbing against that filthy body, you’re going to be able to know they’re coming long before they know where you are. When you multiply that stench by dozens, hundreds or even thousands it’s going to be easy to stay one step ahead of them. However, the thing about your sense of smell is that it can become increasingly overwhelmed and will make you high if not knock you out.
When going into a zombie infested zone to play offense, there’s certain things you’ll want to take with you. 1) something to saturate the smell that’s going to go into your nostrils. This could be vicks vapo rub applied directly in your nostrils, however this will also deplete your sense of smell so you won’t be able to know they’re coming until they’re right behind you. So you can also use a handkerchief to cover your mouth and nose with. 2) You’ll need guns which are only to be used if you get swarmed. Never waste your bullets on a single walker. 3) Bladed weapons are essential. Sure you can only use them at close range, but they’re silent and won’t attract other walkers, plus you can use them as often as you need. 4) Wear LEATHER. The best protection you can utilize to protect yourself from zombie bites is leather. As I mentioned in my first article, leather is extremely difficult to bite or scratch through. It’s easy to clean and can keep you warm and dry. 5) You need a plan. First an entry plan and then an escape plan. Make sure everyone in your group knows the plans for entry and escape. Make sure someone’s covering your back at all times.
If you plan on setting up camp in an urban area, make sure you set up a nest. A NEST is a lookout point, that’s high enough off the ground to be able to see in every direction and keeps the person looking out safe. A nest is also essential to make sure your back is covered at all times. While you’re on the ground fighting off walkers, someone can be in the nest picking off the horde around you to lower their ranks.
You’ll need to know every aspect of your surroundings. Know where the unlocked doors are, the fire escapes, the fenced in areas that can give you time to catch your breath, the semis you can climb on top of, anything and everything that can give you an advantage and an escape. When running from walkers, never jump into an abandoned car to escape zombies, They’ll swarm the vehicle and break through the windows just to get to your flesh, you’ll be a sitting duck. Also, crawling underneath a vehicle may seem like a good idea at the time when you’re running from walkers, but they can smell you they’ll swarm any vehicle that has the sent of the living, where will you go when you’re flooded on every side by arms reaching for you and smaller zombies able to crawl under there with you.
Make sure your socks are dry. Wet feet can cause them to cramp up and not move as quickly and become easily injured making you the main course. Always keep an extra pair of socks on you at all times, just in case. Socks are far more important than almost anything else as any drill sergeant or commanding officer will tell you when you’re out on the battle field. Clean socks can protect your feet, tie off blood flow from wounds, be used as wash cloths, and given enough of them can help make a make shift gurney for wounded friends or family.
The most important thing you can have in the field is trust, Respect and Loyalty. Pick your battles with others in your community, because you rely on each other. If you’re back at camp/ base and trying to rest or sleep while you can, if there’s anyone in your community that you’ve screwed over, you might wanna sleep with one eye open because they could easily kill you in your sleep or leave you for dead on the battle field.
It always helps to have a well armed well protected vehicle that can hold everyone in your group. Vehicles such as busses or semis can easily be modified to act as Urban Assault vehicles. The roof is high enough to have a nest placed on the roof, and they’re long enough to fit everyone in your group safely in. Modifications that can be made to these types of vehicles are as follows: weld bars or chain link fencing around all the windows, cut a long slide gap the length of the vehicle to be able to run a chainsaw through any swarming zombies as seen in “Dawn of the Dead”, weld plates around the wheels so that your tires are protected, cut a hole in the roof with a hatch and a hole with a hatch in the floor for escape if need be, put flood lights on the vehicle so that you can see and it will draw the attention of the zombies, weld spikes onto a snow plow or train scoop and attach it to the front of the vehicle, weld or attach blades to the wheel covers so that you can cut through any zombies that are close. Be on the lookout for fuel tankers. You can weld a plate onto the front of both sides of your vehicle so that if you come across a fuel tanker, someone can move between vehicles and drive the tanker away without the risk of being a Zombie Sacrifice. You can make other modifications that you may feel would benefit your war on zombies.
Keep a spare weapon on you at all times. You never know when the time may come where you’re surrounded by zombies and you run out of bullets or you break you blade, you don’t want to be left to defend yourself with only your fists, because you aren’t going to last very long. Make sure your spare weapon is easily accessible so that you can grab it as you’re dropping the other one.
In a Zombiegeddon war zone, you not only have to watch out for walkers but also other humans who may try to kill you just to take your supplies or wound you to make you bait so they can escape. It’s situations like this that make it imperative that you always have someone in a nest covering you and that you have the loyalty of your group to help you if that time comes. Always be leery of strangers in a situation like this, you never know when or if they might turn on you for their own benefit.
In a situation in which a zombie like epidemic were to arise be prepared to not survive. The US government has plans for defense against such epidemics. If a city were to become infected by an uncontrollable epidemic, the military and CDC would be immediately deployed to make certain the threat didn’t spread, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”. First, military and CDC would be mobilized to contain the threat. Second, the military would receive orders to eradicate anything and everything within the quarantined area. Third, if the military fails in their mission the area would be cleansed by nuclear force. These are the measures out government must take to ensure the safety of the rest of the nation and to maintain order throughout the country.
I’m sorry, but unless you have a nuclear fallout shelter and enough supplies and food to last for years upon years, you will be a victim of Zombiegeddon. However, if the epidemic spreads worldwide before any safeguards can be taken, you may stand a chance.
Coming up in Volume 2 of my Zombiegeddon article series; I will be going over anti-zombie gear (what to wear in a zombie apocalypse), How to eliminate zombie threats, blue prints for camp sites and bases that offer the best protection, military response (in depth detail of how the military will handle battling the undead hordes), and The safest places in the United States during a Zombie Apocalypse. Volume 2 will be available on CBM in the editorial section in 2 weeks. For updates and tips, join me on facebook @ www.facebook.com/LanternStorm1369