From the Walking Dead, Zombie Land, World War Z, to Kingdom, and All of Us are Dead, these series, movies, and other films before them developed the craze and imagination of the people living in a post-apocalyptic world infested by flesh-eating undead. Now, these bring up the questions “How long am I going to last in a zombie apocalypse?”, “Is my house zombie-proof enough?” or even “Why did he have to leave the house if watching movies and series about the undead have taught us anything, it’s that surviving is never easy, let alone staying alive.
Now imagine that in real life. Can you confidently say that with all the things you have right now, you are now ready to face the apocalyptic doom brought by the undead? If not, below are some of the important survival tips one should know:
As the saying goes, failure to prepare is preparing for zombies to get you!
Amid an apocalyptic zombie outbreak, almost always, disaster is just around the corner. That is why having a safe place before it gets dark, a place free from worrying about zombies, and somewhere you and your comrades can make plans and regroup is critical.
You can fortify your house by installing steel or thick wooden doors. Also, make sure that your windows can withstand the banging of the undead in large densities. Above all else, install a good fence! This will not only keep your zombie neighbors in check but will also prevent other people outside your group from looting your base.
But always keep an open eye. Just because zombies are uncoordinated does not mean they can not bust your defenses open, especially in hoards.
Having enough food and clean water that will keep you from having to scout in abandoned supermarkets should always be a priority. But more than that, you should find ways to keep your food source sustainable.
In the fourth season of the series ‘The Walking Dead’, Rick Grimes and his group clears out a zombie-infested prison and made it their base. This was ideal for them as the prison facility provided them home with high security. Other than the security, this also gave them large farming land where they planted vegetables and took care of livestock to help sustain their food source for a time.
In addition to food, some of the essential must-haves are penknives, water purification tablets, a lighter, rope, flare, prescription medicine, and a first aid kit.
If by any chance the horrifying situation of you or any of your family members or group members get separated when scouting for food or a new place to live, it is important to always have a backup plan. Establish several safe and easy-to-find meet-up places near the area you are scouting. Doing so increases the chances of you finding each other, and safely going back to your base.
Knowing what you are up against could be the defining factor of your survival. In the series “The Walking Dead” and “Zombie Land”, the undead are seen as mindless creatures that lack physical strength. But zombies depicted in “World War Z”, “Train to Busan”, “All of Us are Dead”, and “Kingdom”, we can see zombies with heightened senses, physical strength, and more aggressive creatures ready to tear you to pieces. That is why it is important to know the strength and weaknesses of your foes. Having one step ahead of them always benefits you when escaping or having a close encounter with walking undead.
From the crossbows, knives, and katanas in “The walking dead” to the machine guns, flame throwers, chainsaws, and hand grenades in “World War Z”. The list goes on in the weapons you can use against zombies. What is important is that you pick a weapon that best suits you. Just remember where to aim it – the head.
Shotguns are a favorite in these films. In the Zombieland, we see Tallahassee, Columbus, Little Rock, and Wichita always running around with shotguns, clearing out a house full of zombies in Beverly Hills. Unexpectedly, Tallahassee and Wichita meet the owner of the house, Bill Murray, dressed as a zombie. As they were chatting across the hall of the theater room, Tallahassee told Bill that some of their friends were in the cinema, so Bill tried pranking them. In the end, Columbus shot Bill Murray out of panic.
That is why other than finding the right weapon, we should always know when to pull the trigger, even in the face of apocalyptic doom.
I cannot help but stress this enough. Do not get bitten! If you do, it is either a goodbye to the world or goodbye to your arm or leg. Zombie bites are the primary reason for the spread of the virus. That is why if you get a bite or even a scratch, do not keep this a secret from your group! This will only make things worse and will likely lessen your group’s chances of survival.
But it has been theorized by characters in zombie films that when a person dies from zombie bites, they will turn into one after a few hours due to the virus spreading in the brain, reanimating the body. Some even went to the extent of saying that, regardless of being bitten or not, all people are infected with the virus and they are bound to be
That ends some of the tips that might help you survive the zombie apocalypse, and may we never get to use these survival tips as the chances of finding a cure from a zombie apocalypse or let alone surviving it is as thin as a thread.
Not unless the zombies you are facing are like the ones from the movie “Warm Bodies”.
References:
- https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/how-to-survive-a-real-life-walking-dead-apocalypse/
- https://www.cracked.com/blog/7-famous-zombie-movie-weapons-that-would-get-you-killed
- https://trakke.co.uk/blogs/handbook/how-to-pack-for-a-zombie-apocalypse
- https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/zombody-save-me/survival-tips
