Zombie Survival.

Ever thought about what you would do if there was a zombie apocalypse? 
I know I have.

It's a fun to think about when you are sitting at a bus stop or waiting in a line or anytime really. It's such a big,complex and important topic.

Where would you go? What could you grab from around your house to use as a weapon? Where would you get stores from?  Do you sit tight or keep on the move? Travel in groups or fly solo? What items would you carry with you? Would you wait for the army or military or would you start taking out as many zombies as possible? Would you ditch your friends and find people with special skills, like a doctor/nurse or someone who can handle guns or would you be loyal and see how you go? Also, do you use a gun because you can shoot them from far away or do you use something like a katana so that the noise of the gun doesn't attract the zombies? Do you head for a shopping centre so that you have access to lots of supplies or do you head somewhere that is less populated so you are less of any easy target? What would you do with your pets? Would you go inland or head toward the ocean?

Another thing you need to think about is what type of zombies the apocalypse will have; will they be fast or slow, strong or weak, smart or stupid. And also how would the virus spread. Is it through a bite,could it be triggered from contact with their blood or does it travel through the air or in the water supply? And to kill them do you just have to destroy the brain or remove the head and burn the body. There are so many representations out there that it's hard to know what could be coming.


There is so much material out there to help you think about such questions or to create your plan of action. There are movies like Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Night of the Living Dead and all the Resident Evil films. And there are a million more zombie films out there (there was no way I was going to list them all because that would be ridiculous!). And there aren't just films, there's all the computer games as well; Red Dead Redemption, Dead Rising, Doom, Left 4 Dead, and all the Resident Evil games. Again there are a heap more that I have not mentioned, including a fairly new mod that is based  on surviving in a world where there has been a zombie plague. This is not like other games; if you die, you do not respawn. If you die then that's it, you have to start all over again. When you start, you start with nothing and you have to find things to help you survive; guns, food, ammo and maps. (If you don't have a map then you can navigate using the stars.) Also you get dropped into the map at random. You could be in a town or in a forest, anywhere. If it's night where you are, then it's night in the game also and in this game, zombies aren't the only things you have to worry about as people have started to kill other people playing, just to get their stuff. None of this "let's all work together so that the human race can survive", it's all "let's kill everyone else because we want to be annoying and get lots of useful stuff". (I wonder what would happen in real life. Would people kill each other for individual survival, or would everyone work together to survive as a whole?)

And there are books as well. In recent years this book has been adapted to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It has also sporned a prequel, Dawn of the Dreadfuls and a sequel, Dreadfully Ever After. As I read somewhere, what movie/book/game/TV show wouldn't be improved by the introduction of some flesh eating zombies? (In my opinion, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies didn't have enough zombies for my liking. Too much pride and prejudice and not enough zombies) It is also supposed to be being made into a movie by 2013.

The Zombie Survival Guide (complete protection from the living dead), by Max Brooks, was published in 2003 and is a great source to have a look at if you take this problem seriously. Here is a piece of the introduction;

The dead walk among us. Zombies, ghouls - no matter what their label - these somnambulists are the greatest threat to humanity, other than humanity itself. To call them predators and us prey would be inaccurate. They are a plague, and the human race their host.

This book has everything you need and will need to know. It goes through the myths about the undead, informations about weapons and combat techniques and pointers on attack and defense methods. This information is priceless if you want to survive the battle against the living dead.

If you still think you need more help, the website Cracked.com has a very helpful write up on zombie survival as well as some interesting articles about what famous movie character could survive if their movie contained zombies. There are also many a person who has blogged about such events.

And even more recently Canada has created a website (it's still under construction) that gives you detailed information into population, geography and even the gun laws in each state in the case of a Zombie attack. It gives you maps, information on transport, weather, and even information about the economy for the whole country. It also aims to give you tips on how to survive, with places to avoid and supposed safe places as well as telling you what items you would need to have in your survival kit.

(yes, they exist)

Good on you Canada. I am glad that you thought that this was a good problem to spend your time and money on. It's a very (potentially) serious dilemma.

Here are a few short tips to help you survive in the mean time from Zombieland;

                 
                          A full list because you need to read to them if you are going to survive

                                          Cardio                                        Double tap   
                                          Beware of bathrooms                Seatbelts
                                          Cast iron skillet                         Travel light
                                          Get a kickass partner                Bowling Ball
                                          Don't be a hero                         Limber up
                                          Avoid strip clubs                       When in doubt, know your way out
                                          The buddy system                     Check the back seat
                                          Enjoy the little things              Swiss army knife
                                          Clean socks                              Hygiene
                                          Always have backup

Really our society is obsessed with zombies. We can't seem to get them out of our heads, so much so that we have a walk dedicated to their honour. Check out Brisbane's Zombie Walk for more information. You can't escape it, so plan against it.