How to Survive a Zombie Epidemic.

[Thor McOdin]

[Bub]

We should team up, O So Zombie King!

I have (sadly) thought of these scenarios since I was 12, and the more I think, the more my survival will be certain.

Let us be the Zombie Killer Kings!

And let us find harlots, so we can further our human race. I get first dibs!
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Kooluk's Resident Drunkard.

[Sophita]

[Tullaryx]

One thing to remember as one try to survive through something this extreme. You will have to depend on no one but yourself for everything you need. This continues Sophita's own point about having the necessary knowledge to survive. Even if you're part of a group of survivors getting ready to go on the road for safety, or part of a group that has found a very defensible location where achieving a sustainable stay is possible, you will still need to be able to be self-sufficient.

In addition to knowing what sort of plants grown in the wild could be used for food, medicine and other basic uses, and what needs to be avoided, you will need to know how to grow them to begin with. I know that some will think that it shouldnt be too difficult to take some seeds along and then plant them in some field within the compound. It is not this easy. One just can't dig little holes, drop the seeds in each one, water them and expect vegetables, grain and other produce to grow within months. One has to know just how deep to plant the seeds, what kind of fertilizer will be needed to add nutrients to the soil and even how much watering will the plantings need everyday. One also has to know about rotating the types of crops planted in that field to make sure it remains a viable piece of farmland. Planting the same type of crops in one place over and over will strip the soil of its nutrients and ability to have crops grown in it. So, this will bring up a new set of problems. Is the compound you're in has enough room to even allow for crop rotation. If not, then you'll still end up going outside the safety of your walls and out into the zombie-infested world to forage for supplies.

Another type of knowledge that would be necessary in such a world is basic knowledge of tools and how to use them. We have become a society that's relied way too much on automation and, to a larger extent, on the lower-class specialists to do the day-to-day. In such a world where humans have been hounded to near-extinction, one won't have the luxury to just pick up the phone and get a piece of necessary equipment or gear repaired. How many here even know how to change a tire, replace liquids and do the most basic, minimum maintenance on a car? I'm going to assume not very much. It's best to start now in learning these basic maintenance skills so you can always have yourself to rely on when repairs becomes a necessity.

Then there's the knowledge of firearms. How many here even know how to fire a weapon, and not while playing games like Counter-Strike, Halo, and a host of other kinds of first-person shooters. I for one have handled firearms from pistols, rifles, shotguns, and even military-issued assault weapons (easy if you live in Las Vegas). And even with my years of experience on them it's not very easy to fire them accurately to achieve a clean headshot during the most ideal conditions as a firing range. Now, add in the heavy dose of adrenaline from fear and your life being on the line and trying to hit a moving target the size of an orange (if that head looks any bigger than they're pretty much on top of you) and 99 out of 100 everyone here will fail. Then there's the knowledge of how to clean and maintain these weapons.

Alot of things to help in one's survival will need to have been learned before such an event occurs. It is possible to learn them while on-the-run, so to speak, but that would mean quite abit of trial-and-error, and in a world where even the most sound, nigh-perfect plan for survival doesn't guarantee that you'll live through the crisis, such a luxury would get you killed faster than you can bend over and say goodbye. So, the lesson and tip here is to learn as much as you can on how to survive and live on your own using the most basic of tools and gear. It will save your life one of these days, and it doesn't have to be a zombie event that would be needed for you to start using them.
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[Masa]

The real weapon against zombies is this


Or wait. Does that make your brain even tastier to zombies?
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[Tullaryx]

I'm going to take a guess and say the latter. Only thing that game will do for you is distract you from the survival thing.

Here's a little something to see just how well people will do using a basic quiz system.

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse

Here's my results.

Probable Survivor

• You are 100% capable with weaponry
  
• You are 95% prepared
  
• You have 100% Zombie Wits
  
• 76% Practical Wits!

You're a little shy on the common sense, but you're talented and you know your enemy. Because of your zombie knowledge you will be ready for the attack and fully capable of neutralizing your enemy once that attack happens. In all likelihood you'll survive long enough for the practical survival instincts to kick in. At that point you will truly be a force to be roconed (should say reckoned) with.
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[Hawk Thanatos]

Survival Badass

• You are 100% capable with weaponry
  
• You are 85% prepared
  
• You have 100% Zombie Wits
  
• 88% Practical Wits!

Zombies would fear you if they were capable. When it comes to zombie survival, you kick ass and take names. You know your enemy and you know exactly how to deal with that enemy. In the end there is virtually no chance that you will die at the bite of a zombie.


Now that's the way it should be. I painstakingly figured out where I lost points; I lost Preparedness for only having one good melee weapon rather than a whole bunch of firearms and a melee weapon. And I lost Pratical Wits because I thought that Tight Fitting/Leather Clothing would be more useful than good personal hygiene. I mean wearing leather would make you less likely to get infected wouldn't it?

[Tullaryx]

Well, there's some truth to the wearing leather to cut down on bite infections. But it has less to do with the material and more of the tight fit. Loose clothing is something that one must avoid at all cost. Zombies (Romero kind) are slow with basic mobility and coordination, but they do tend to reach out with their hands to grab. Loose clothing and long hair are good ways for a zombie to grab on to you even if you're being quick and nimble about avoiding them. Cutting your hair short, even just bald if that's your preference, and wearing tight fitting clothes will help prolong your survival.

Those who do take the test should try doing it and posting their first result. Fixing where you went wrong with your answers should be discussed afterwards. But Hawk's corrections made sense. Personal hygiene counts for alot since it'll keep you from acquiring other diseases and ailments that has nothing with turning you into a zombie. A healthy body goes alot towards keeping your strenght, stamina and mental well-being at an optimal peak.
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[Thor McOdin]

[Tullaryx]

Islands doesn't guarantee there won't be zombies on them. Plus, there's the problem of zombies who wander off piers and docks into the water and end up being washed up onto the island's shoreline. Oil-rigs would be preferable.

How do we know it's an ankle sprain? And could you be hiding other wounds of the bite variety on your body?
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[Bub]

[Zachwie]

I have a 36% chance, which is pretty random.

Did you notice how odd the locations to flee were? Half of the places to flee via ocean I didn't even know where/what they were, heh.

[Tullaryx]

[Bub]

The moral, personal, and emotional issues that would be invovled in a zombie uprising would definately be a huge factor in who survives and who doesn't.

It would be extremely hard to take out a loved one who turned. Hell, in the beginning, it would be really hard going through with killing a zombie. They were human at one point, and all the gore and viscera that would be involved with destroying a brain through neccessary force would be appalling.

But, with everything, humans adapt and after a while, we would get used to these things. I think that in a world where the dead are rising and attacking the living, and losing people you care about on a regular basis, relationships would be completely different than they are now. Most people would take relationships as long-term "single serving friends."
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Kooluk's Resident Drunkard.

[Wataru]