World war Z: what would you do?

[Marlowe]

If a zombie is technically dead and thus not need respiratory functions, what would stop them just wandering along the sea bed and popping up on the shore?

 

I wish I could pretend this was an original thought but I'm sure there was a Stephen King short story that covered this as a basic in zombie survival. Also see Highlander: if you're already dead, you don't need to bother swimming!

[Pablo]

...er, see also World War Z, the book this thread is about, where it happens a lot.

[Chris North]

I've never read World War Z, just the Survival Guide, but I don't see how it could be a real concern when starting up. Zombies already move slowly, so how are they going to fare under water? Even if they don't float at all, they're still going to be fairly buoyant, and not get much traction when walking. They're basically going to drift where ever the ocean current takes them, so with some planning you should be able to avoid most of them, and posts should be set up to keep watch for those that do.

 

Of course, after you've retaken control of the world, drifting (as well as frozen and hiding) zombies will be able to pop up more easily, but according to the guide, this is how most small outbreaks occur anyhow.

 

 

 

And I think this is one of the few places where I would openly discuss this kind of stuff, even anonymously.

[Jagdraben]

I've never read World War Z, just the Survival Guide, but I don't see how it could be a real concern when starting up. Zombies already move slowly, so how are they going to fare under water?

 

I would imagine that they'd be eaten by sharks. Which are already zombies.

[Pablo]

Animals don't eat Zombies - at least not the ones in ZSG/WWZ (i.e. Solanum cases).

 

I find it best to suspend belief and just take the books as gospel for the purposes of these discussions - tricky to do if you haven't read them. Bringing stuff like genuine biology and physics into the equation spoils the fun

 

 

 

[aeviv]

Ever seen Sean of the dead? I think id pretty much be Ed. As much as id like to think i make a break for an army base and secure a tank, i think the brutal reality would be that myself, like the 6 to 7 million other people who live in central London and the surrounding area would be the first on the list to join the ranks of the undead. The roads would be *fruitcage*ed, think, almost a million cars, ALL take to the roads in panic, then dont move once the people driving either get out and run or die. Id try and get to the local 'fishing store' which also sells shotguns and swords, then climb the civic centre, a nearby tower block. Try and barricade the single enterance, then, depending on the number of people i could save, take advantage of the supplies in the nuclear war bunker underneath, then climb the stairs, barricading as i go, up to the top floor. The light a fire and hope for some form of help- considering that its supposed to be the evac point for government officials in the event of nuclear war.

[NeoVeNoM]

I would just try to create genetically modified zombies that needs to eat zombies to survive and doesn't like human flesh.

Kind of like a Kresnik.

Of course these zombies will be much faster than regular zombies. As well as have special powers to turn zombies against each other.

 

If that doesn't work, I'll take a SPAS 15 and a flame thrower.

and doe pretty much what any of you would do.

[transist]

All I need is a Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator and a few 3 foot diameter saw blades.

[Carter]

Raid my local sporting good store of all the knives, guns, and ammunition they have. Also might nab some propane. I don't know if it really explodes like in video games, but it's worth a try.

 

Then, once I'm properly armed, flee as fast as possible to the local Costco. That place has everything once could ever need for a prolonged stay: tons of food, a pharmacy, entertainment items, plus those huge shelving units which one could probably climb and use as a vantage point to pick off zombies should they find their way in.

[thewallhitme]

whats the plan then? we're going down the winchester.

[TheMerchantOfVenice]

Run to my garage, gather .12 gauge and .22 and BB guns. Pick off Zombies until family is gathered. Pack a bit of food plus important ###### (computer, cash, etc) and rush to Wal-Mart. Pick up muzzleloaders, all ammo. Go to Gander Mountain, get a decent array of guns. Then head to Costco.

 

[PlasticMag]

Going to CostCo or a gun store will get you killed. There's plenty of LaMOE types out there, and every moron's gonna have the same idea to go to Wally World or CostCo.

 

Stockpile a shotgun, but mostly some quality blades. Guns require ammo, which is bulky, finite, and susceptible to the elements. A shotgun will clear out the problem Gs while you build your upper arm strength for quality hand-hand work. Similarly, cash is gonna be useless, as will a computer or other electricity-dependent items.

 

I'd be more concerned with biteproof clothing underneath a layer of camo, with essential camping and weather supplies being a necessity.

[Pablo]

Ah, are you going to be on the move a fair bit then? Scavenging etc?

[TheMerchantOfVenice]

Going to CostCo or a gun store will get you killed. There's plenty of LaMOE types out there, and every moron's gonna have the same idea to go to Wally World or CostCo.

 

Stockpile a shotgun, but mostly some quality blades. Guns require ammo, which is bulky, finite, and susceptible to the elements. A shotgun will clear out the problem Gs while you build your upper arm strength for quality hand-hand work. Similarly, cash is gonna be useless, as will a computer or other electricity-dependent items.

 

I'd be more concerned with biteproof clothing underneath a layer of camo, with essential camping and weather supplies being a necessity.

Of course Wal-Mart and Costco will be packed and it's generally a dumb idea, but this is for an outbreak where there ain't much zombies around, yet.

Alternate plan:

-Grab 12 gauge, enter Hummer H2, form convoy with friends and family.

Take stores by force.

The computer and cash are for the first few weeks of the outbreak, where power will still be on and cash will still be valid.

[Gliderrider]

But if you are on the road in your hummer H2 it wont matter wether you have the main power net on or not, unless you will be laying cables every where you go so you can still play W.O.W and use arnies.

 

 

A radio(Powered off the car battery) or small portable TV (Small camping types powered from the cigar lighter in your Car/Truck) would be much better to use to keep abreast of the situation with.

 

[TheMerchantOfVenice]

But I don't play WoW.

The car has a radio.

I just like my computer.

ITT: Zombie Invasion Vehicles

[evilliboba]

Plan:

Lock n' load the Winchester 1300 Defender and M59/66 (complete with 16" blade bayonet). Issue the Kar98k, Gew88, Mosin, Steyr, .30-30, .22, and .17 HMR to friends and family. Slip the .357Mag into the belt and strap the .25ACP to the boot. Pop the Toyota into four wheel and head for the hills.

[Xaccers]

For a vehicle, you need:

 

Excellent fuel economy, no point picking something that's going to have you fighting with a petrol pump every 50 miles or taking half an hour to fill the huge tank while you're out and exposed.

Availability of fuel, where are you going to get it from? After a few days, electricity stops working (unless you live near the Hoover dam), do you know how to get the fuel out? Are you going to be syphoning from other vehicles or clearing supermarket shelves/chip shops of vegetable oil?

Availability of spare parts, is your vehicle a one of a kind, or can you nick parts from loads of other cars you're likely to pass? Tyres for instance, if you get a puncture can you easily find a similar car and swap over a good wheel rather than replacing the tyre? Can your car drive on 3 wheels without damaging itself? How quickly can you change a wheel on it? Locking wheel nuts will get you killed.

Ease of service, do you need special equipment to fix problems? Does it need a diagnostics laptop plugging in to clear ECU errors even if you've fixed the cause? Is it complicated or is it simple with few things that could go wrong?

Reliability, have you picked a car that is unlikely to breakdown, or have you gone for a Laguna 2 with it's "Micro$soft" ECU making you have to reboot the car every couple of hours (I kid you not).

Keys. Seriously, do you think you can easily hot wire a car? Even with zombies bearing down on you?

 

Weapons:

Blades, serious ones, like swords and axes, not carving knives, you've got necks to slice through and skulls to open.

Whetstone or similar to keep them sharp.

Guns, if it's been a war with the military on the street, guns should be quite easy to get hold of in the UK, it's ammo that might be a problem.

Archery, stick two fingers up at the zombies, remember you're an Englishman and pelt them with arrows. There are plenty of archery stores across the nation, or you could make yourself one, just try it before you need to use it in anger for the first time.

 

Personal hygeine:

Just because the undead have taken over doesn't mean you can forget to brush your teeth.

Your health is your most important weapon in the fight for survival.

Raid service stations for chewable toothbrushes.

Change clothes and especially underwear whenever you have the chance. Keep clothes tight so no flares or evening gowns lads.

A good medical encyclopaedia would be handy to help diagnose and treat any illnessess that you get.

 

Location:

If it's the start of the war, then businesses like supermarkets are likely to be very busy cashing in until the last minute when they'll be putting up 3 for 2 signs in the Brains aisle for the new clientel.

Do not expect them to have many essentials left. The mere whiff of fuel blockades over here clears the shelves thanks to panic buyers, so imagine what would happen if the undead were on the march.

Clothes and other non-essentials are likely to be ok, so grab a load of underwear.

When zombies are close, businesses are likely to finally shut down and lock the doors. They may have made provision for workers and their families, but managers might worry that'd get them the sack for doing that so they could kick everyone out.

How are you going to get in without leaving an opening for the zombies to enter?

If you do manage to get in, you need to ensure that the building is secure, and create yourself an inner sanctum which you certainly know is secure. You may not be aware of one particular door that you've never spotted on your rounds, but the zombies could find it. If they get in, you need somewhere safe, with an exit. Escaping to the roof of a 50foot high building is not escaping. You're trapped, exposed, and have no food.

[Pablo]

I'm considering buying a unicycle.

[thewallhitme]

what about having a little fun on the last days of earth? load up as many guns and ammo you can into a car and just go kill as many zombies as time/ammo/no. zombies allow?

[L4Isoside]

Im considering living with Xaccers 0_o

 

[Royal-Air-Force]

Zombie survival party at Xaccers place.

 

[pforcerecon]

so if zombies were real..hmmm....

 

 

i'd take everything that i've invested in..airsoft or real..go to work where it would hopefully be secured, and hunker down. then go to the armory, get whatever rifles are available, slap a nice acog on there for the surrounding area and take a sniper rifle for those out to reach distances, stand of the rooftop, and shoot the hell out of ever zombie that comes my way. and if it came down to them getting in and taking over..well i'd either A hunker down in one of the secure rooms or armored trucks, or B find the hottest woman in the station and..well you can only imagine

[expvideo]

Everyone seems to think they can procure weapons after the zombies invasion begins. It's not going to be that easy. It would be a lot easier if you already had something (read: anything) to get you to the gun store. Of course I would like enough guns to arm my party, but if I didn't have an AK already, getting to the gun store to get those weapons would be a problem.

 

As for survival, get to the mountains. If you have a very cold, high altitude mountain near you, get some cold weather gear and fortify a location on top of said mountain. The zombies might not mind the cold, but they can still freeze.

 

The difficulty is getting a secure location on a snow covered mountain, since tents are bad anti-zombie forts. It will take some time and work to build a log fortress.

 

If you can afford the time and money involved in getting one, a silenced .22 pistol or rifle is a good piece of equipment for protecting your fort. Remember that loud gunfire will only attract more zombies. It doesn't get much quieter than a silenced .22. If you live in the US, most states allow silencers, provided you pay a $200 tax to the ATF and wait 3 months for an FBI background check. If your area requires the local sheriff to sign off on it, you might not want to list "zombie uprising" as your reason for buying a silencer though. Try "pest control".

[backlash13]

well i live in england so guns are almost a no-no. The only chance would be if my dad/mum could get me to the police weapon loack-up, down side is its in the centre of the city and i am on the outskirts.

 

i personally dont have much camo so id ahve to wear my DP and urban if i go into a village( not going near towns or cities ).

 

lucky for me cus i live with my parents we can have a machete for one person and one of us could use a crowbar as its more practical.

 

car wise id either take the family car as its bigger, or id take a mountain bike if the city had gone to full infestation, personally i think it would be best to destroy the stairs and stay at home, fill all possible things with water and take as much food. thats until the threat level gets too high then bug out the city and into the country.

 

sorry its a bit lengthy