In the previous chapters I discussed the implications of the beginning of an apocalyptic zombie event. I concluded that in order to ensure the largest number of survivors possible people should remain at their jobs, especially if their work is crucial for society’s basic functions. But what if people do not adhere to those ideas? Although the suggestions came from me, I am certain that strict (or any) adherence to them is fantasy. So what happens when things start to get really bad?

Let us now say that the zombie event has reached its inevitable stage in which the dead have tipped the scales, now seeming to outnumber the living. People did not stay at their places of work as would be logical. They went home to check on their families, to develop a strategy, or even just because they did not know what they were supposed to do. At any rate, they did not go by the plan. By now many of them have been killed, only to return from the dead as shuffling, moaning corpses. The roads are packed with abandoned (or so it may seem) cars. There is extensive damage throughout the city caused by looting and the chaos that ensued during the initial stages of the event, making travel more difficult. However, there is still some food on store shelves, for now…

In this section I will talk about the tools necessary for survival in what would now be the most hostile situation a person can find themselves in. Let me begin by talking just a little bit about the nature of a zombie. The sole purpose of a zombie is to feed, to sustain itself. All its remaining brain activity is devoted to this goal, and bizarrely the condition leaves the walking corpse starving for the flesh of any living thing. It has become animalistic, almost like a shark that can walk on the land.

To survive in life-threatening conditions with creatures like these one has to be prepared to defend themselves. I will now discuss what sorts of implements a person should use for successful accomplishment of this task.

Close-combat small: Knives, Screwdrivers, hammers…etc…

Let’s say the zombies are right on top of you, and you need to defend yourself. Small close-combat weapons will surely be the things that save your life. Knives are good. But make sure they’re sharp. You don’t want to go into battle with butter knives, or you will likely (and quite literally) be eaten alive. The way in which one kills a zombie is by damaging the brain. You want to make sure the blade of the knife isn’t flimsy, because you’re either going to have to jam it into one of the zombie’s existing head holes, or create a new one. You also want to make sure it goes in deep enough to effectively kill. The brain in a human is located right behind the eyes, so 3 to 5 inch blades should be decent enough to penetrate the brain via the eye socket. Keep in mind that you also do not want the blade to get stuck in the skull of your festering attacker. The width of the blade should be as such that it allows for a quick jab and withdrawal, leaving your attacker to collapse upon itself. A screwdriver also would accomplish this well. Phillips head or flat head makes no difference. Both will have considerable thrusting power, and the ability to be withdrawn easily through the eye sockets. A small hammer is also good, because there is no direct penetration required. Just smash your attacker’s skull, and the concussion will damage the brain. Keep in mind the undead have been rotting, so all of these methods will be quite messy. Something with a bit more reach would really be ideal for keeping your clothes clean, don’t ya think?

Close-combat large: Baseball bats, swords, shovels, golf clubs, etc…

If you have a bit more reach, you are in a much better position. You can take on more attackers at once successfully, and perhaps more importantly you can do so with confidence. Baseball bats are ideally suited for obliterating zombie skulls. Some type of sword would be helpful too. But keep in mind that some swords are not actually suited for combat. Fencing swords will not be much help. They are too flimsy. Decorative piece of shit swords they sell at the mall won’t help either, because much of the time they do not have an edge on them. If you can get your hands on one, the Japanese katana is the ideal sword to have. You have probably seen such a sword used with great effect on “The Walking Dead”. It can be wielded with either one or two hands, and if it is the real deal it should be extremely sharp, almost like a giant razor blade. A small shovel like ones issued in the military to dig foxholes can be useful too. One can use the blade to smash zombie skulls, or to hack off limbs from their attackers. Golf clubs would also be useful because they are long, and they can have a lot of force focused on a small point. Not unlike the hammer, the golf club can be used to smash zombie brains to devastating effect, so long as the neck of the club does not become bent in the process. The problem with these weapons though is that they rely upon the user having excellent stamina. A person may become overwhelmed by an enormous herd of zombies, and what then? What happens when hand-to-hand combat is not really an option due to the magnitude of the threat?

Ranged weapons: Crossbows, handguns, rifles, shotguns etc…

If you should find yourself in a position where you have enough space between you and your attackers, it would be excellent if you had something to shoot them with. A crossbow is ideally suited for the zombie apocalypse because it is a ranged weapon that makes almost no noise. Also, the user can retrieve their ammunition to reuse it again and again. The downside is it is non-repeating, requiring the user to reload by hand, possibly using valuable time that may or may not be available. Handguns provide a bit of a solution to this problem. But they also make noise that would attract more zombies to the fight. A rifle has more range than both the crossbow and the handgun, so the user can hit more targets from farther away. However, it also creates a lot of noise. On the plus side, rifles (particularly assault rifles) tend to have a larger capacity for ammunition than a handgun does. Therefore more zombies can be put down in the same period of time that a handgun would need to be reloaded. Shotguns usually have roughly the same capacity as a pistol or a little more. They too create a lot of noise. But they are very effective at removing body parts from the undead, and can be reloaded quickly with practice. An advantage to using a ranged weapon is that they require less stamina than close combat weapons, keeping the user in the fight longer. But a disadvantage is that a ranged weapon is only good as long as you have ammunition for it. Therefore of all of these the crossbow is the best choice. But none of the weapons mentioned above are the most important one you will need… Not really…

The most important weapon a person can have in the zombie apocalypse is their will to survive. Without that it does not matter what other weapons they possess. The urge to fight to stay alive for oneself or one’s family is crucial. Without that, a person might as well act as bait to lure the undead away from those who actually do have the will to survive.

In the next chapter I will discuss the materials a person needs to sustain themselves.