The Zombie Survival Guide: Part 3: On the Defense

The next portion of Max Brooks’s text, The Zombie Survival Guide, focuses not on combat with zombies, but instead, preparations and fortifications against an undead seige. This chapter of the guide is of particular importance because it is stepping back and taking the long term view into consideration. Familiarity with zombies and how to go about battling these monsters is of the upmost importance, but none of that knowledge will do you any good if you find yourself starving to death on a rooftop surrounded by thousands of your reanimated neighbors.

Before beginning, I’d like to pass along Mr. Brooks’s critical point that there is no perfect and absolute protection against the rising dead. There are so many variables that come into play, that one can never account and prepare for every possibility. One can only educate and prepare themselves as best as their circumstances allow. I would just encourage people to psychologically prepare themselves to take some unexpected hits, and adapt to the changes in situation.

[SHORT-TERM DEFENSE]

Now, in an ideal world, we’d all be equally aware of the threat the zombie apocalypse poses, be prepared for this eventuality, and continually watch for signs of an outbreak. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I believe it is even reasonable to claim that most people are completely ignoring this threat, and consequently, doing nothing to prepare themselves. As fool hearty as this course of action certainly is, it does not necessarily condemn all of these folks to death by undead cannibal. The recommendations offered by Mr. Brooks indicate that the average layperson has a reasonable chance of surviving a class 1 or 2 outbreak in the shelter of their own home or similar structure.

If you find yourself in these circumstances, Mr. Brooks advises that one reinforce all doors and windows as securely as possible. You should fill all available containers, sinks, and bathtubs with water, as you have no way of knowing how long the water supply will last. Quickly gather what food and other general supplies you have around the house, and retreat to a second story, attic, or even the roof, if you have no other option. Upon this retreat, Mr. Brooks then recommends that you destroy the stairs, and any other means of access that the undead could use to breach your safety.

All of this preparation should be done quietly, and with pain-staking effort to draw as little attention to your activities as possible. It only takes a single zombie noticing your noise, movement, or lights, and before you know it, the moans will have drawn every other zombie in the neighborhood to your front porch.

All of these principles also apply to individuals residing in an apartment complex or condominium. Mr. Brooks goes on to say these locations are even preferable to a standalone house. This opinions is based on the fact that once the bottom floor of an apartment complex is fortified, and the stairs barricaded, the building’s multiple families can pool their skills and resources for the greater benefit of everyone. There will undoubtedly be social conflict, and all of the hazards that come along with it, but Mr. Brooks still feels that these people will have a better chance of survival than going at it alone.

As zombie literature and film so often illustrate, many people may find themselves in the position of needing to seek shelter in locations other than a private residence (i.e., malls, pubs, military compounds, etc.). Mr. Brooks addresses this topic and comments on a number of the more commonly sought out public places of refuge. In general, the same basic principles of defensibility will apply, regardless of where you happen to find yourself, but there are a few places you’ll want to make an active effort to avoid in a time of zombie crisis.

It may or may not be obvious to people, but hospitals are at the top of the list of places to avoid like the plague. With an influx of bite victims, and dead-on-arrival casualties, hospitals will quickly turn into exceptionally perilous hot zones, populated with high concentrations of recently reanimated zombies. Hospitals should be raided for medical supplies and equipment after the initial chaos has settled down, but not a moment before.

Another place that Mr. Brooks recommends avoiding are police stations. While they will not have the same concentration of infected as a hospital, they will certainly be a dense center of chaos and confusion that will not help your odds of survival. [*UPDATE: See POLICE RESPONSE, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse post.]

And another locale advised against are shopping malls. The author suggests avoiding these structures due to the same reason one should avoid police stations. The concentration of people and ensuing chaos are likely to create an exceptionally hazardous environment. I agree with Mr. Brooks’s reasoning, but don’t believe malls should be completely ruled out. There always exists the possibility of retreating to a mall that was closed during the initial hours of the outbreak, and never let in the usual crowd of shoppers (consider Dawn of the Dead 2004). It may not offer the option of indefinite refuge, but there will certainly be an enviable quantity of resources at hand.

[LONG-TERM DEFENSE]

All of the advice up to this point is really only sufficient for temporary and small scale zombie epidemics. In the event of a class 3 or greater event, where zombies number in the thousands, and the hot zone extends for hundreds of miles or more, a private residence, apartment building, or mall complex, will not be sufficient. Cut off from resources, with limited or no communication with the outside world, anyone who plans on surviving will have to be self sustaining for months or even years. As Mr. Brooks details, survival in this scenario requires the requisition, provisioning, and maintenance of a fortress.

Some of you folks out there may have the good fortune of living near a good old fashioned castle, which if its walls have been maintained, its well still operational, and it still has some open ground for growing crops, you’re off to a good start for riding out an undead pandemic. However, most of us, especially those of us living in the United State, aren’t going to find too many castles in our neighborhood.

Mr. Brooks puts his vote behind seeking out a military base. While they still can’t be found in every town, a base can usually be found somewhere within most regions of most countries. While I think there are a number of factors to consider before fleeing to your nearest army base (consider the situation in Day of the Dead), in the event of a large scale zombie epidemic, it may be your best hope for survival.

Mr. Brooks also makes the suggestion of seeking out a prison. Given the U.S.’s frighteningly high rates of incarceration, I’d guess that there are plenty of these facilities available for consideration. It has to be said that there are definitely some serious hazards that may come along with moving into a prison, which I’ve discussed previously, but it is a facility that has the potential for long term habitability.

There are a few other possibilities suggested in the guide, but one that peaked my interest was his suggestion of inhabiting an offshore oil rig. The possibility had never occurred to me, and while they’re certainly not an option available to everyone, Mr. Brooks does make a fairly convincing case when arguing their virtues. As is abundantly clear, they’re nice and isolated, no zombie horde to break down the walls. They’re also positioned high above the surface, so there’re not too much danger of zombies floating by and grabbing at you. The author suggests that fish and kelp could be harvested from the sea for food, and that these facilities are likely to have water distilleries to satisfy the problem of dehydration. They’re also likely to be abandoned, as crews would have departed to seek out family members when news of the epidemic first reached them. There are undoubtedly many industrial hazards that could await someone, and the inhabitants’ lives would certainly be at the whim of the ocean’s waves and storms, but it is an interesting possibility to consider.

This has only been a rather quick skim of the information offered in this chapter of The Zombie Survival Guide, but I think I need to wrap this post up. I leave with the simple recommendation that you put some effort into the study of siege warfare, and how occupants learned to survive. Hopefully the undead won’t master the secrets of the catapult or siege tower, but survivors will need to learn the basics of agriculture and sanitation, engage in regular exercise, explore various forms of entertainment, maintain vigilant patrols, and keep a low profile.

More to come soon.

Read other “The Zombie Survival Guide” posts:

• Undergrad Intro to Zombies 101
  The Zombie Survival Guide: Part 1: The Undead: Myths and Realities
• This.. is my BOOM-STICK!
  The Zombie Survival Guide: Part 2: Weapons and Combat Techniques
• We’re going to the Winchester!
  The Zombie Survival Guide: Part 4: On the Run