Zombies Apocalypse - What Do You Do? [Archive]

Comrade J

21st May 2011, 21:13

I have been reading a really excellent novel called The Reapers are the Angels, in which the world is populated by zombies. It's a really dark, disturbing tale and focuses more on the characters and how they cope and live, rather than on killing loads of zombies. Anyway, it got me thinking what I would do if this happened, so I thought I would pose it here. I think this is my first thread in Chit-Chat in about 3 years.

Scenario: You wake up one morning - your house, your street etc. is abandoned and everything is unusually quiet. You put the News channel on, and for about 5 minutes before the signal cuts out, you are told there is a global Zombie apocalypse and there are expected to be very few survivors. Then the guy reading the news has his head ripped off and the broadcast cuts out. You turn on the radio - only static. Your phoneline is dead and your mobile/cellphone has no signal. Internet is dead too. What's your next move?

Ele'ill

21st May 2011, 21:21

Get in my car and drive to a friends place, get them, get other friends, create a caravan going out to the country stopping for ammunition, food and water and then living in the wild.

thesadmafioso

21st May 2011, 21:22

Hypothetically, I would stock up on guns and go on a zombie killing rampage or something exciting like that.

In all likelihood though, I would probably be more prone to the breakdown option.

Blake's Baby

21st May 2011, 21:26

I'm sure we go through this about every 3 months.

As always, I'd join the zombies of course. Zombies of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains - you have some braaaaains to win! :thumbup1:

Pirate Utopian

21st May 2011, 21:41

I'd download the Zombie Survival Guide again and take it's advice.

I do remember the guide recommending that in the early stages of the outbreak not to leave because the roads will be too busy anyway. First thing to do is let the bathtub(s) and sinks fill up with water because you dont know how long you'll have running water. Than board up house. Eat perishables first.

Tablo

21st May 2011, 21:43

My friends already decided that if a zombie apocalypse starts we will raid the pharmacies, liquor stores, and gun stores. Then we will board up and if these zombie are the infected, we will wait for them to starve. After that we will form our own commune and become marijuana farmers.

Kamos

21st May 2011, 22:30

I'd probably take my laptop, blockade away my house and move to a tall building to wait out.

It would work. (http://www.cracked.com/article_18683_7-scientific-reasons-zombie-outbreak-would-fail-quickly.html)

Magón

21st May 2011, 22:31

Get in my car and drive to a friends place, get them, get other friends, create a caravan going out to the country stopping for ammunition, food and water and then living in the wild.

I knew you were a Primitivist. :p

As for me, I'd load up on food and other things, and then go to the nearby marina and steal a boat that was sea worthy. :D

Tjis

21st May 2011, 22:41

Boarding up is not a good idea. zombies are persistent and there are a lot of them. It might take days, weeks even but eventually they will get in.
Checking on family is not a good idea either. After all, if there's a major zombie apocalypse going on, the chances that of all people it is your family that is still uninfected are very slim.

The best approach I think is to do some radio broadcasting to try and contact some other survivors. It's not very difficult to build your own radio transmitter from parts that can be scavenged. Hopefully someone else will figure out how to do so, but even if not, instructions to build one can be broadcasted as well. Surviving with others is easier than surviving on your own after all, and unlike your brain craving family members, people you contact on the radio are still alive.

Sasha

21st May 2011, 23:34

Other, who do you think triggerd this zombieapoclyps in the first place?
You all better submit to the dictatorship of the zombiefeid proletariat and its glorious leader colonel Kim il psycho.

Niccolò Rossi

22nd May 2011, 00:24

I do remember the guide recommending that in the early stages of the outbreak not to leave because the roads will be too busy anyway. First thing to do is let the bathtub(s) and sinks fill up with water because you dont know how long you'll have running water. Than board up house. Eat perishables first.

God damn, I'd never think of that shit.

Although man, it's actully pretty handy, living in Australia in the event of zombie apocolypse. I mean, there's only 20 million potential zombies in a land area of seven million square kilometres.

Oh shit, just realised though, living in Aus means guns are hard to come by... Like I don't know anyone who ones a gun. And we don't have gun stores loaded with shot guns and assault rifles and shit...

Nic.

Os Cangaceiros

22nd May 2011, 00:30

A zombie apocalypse would seriously be over in about half an hour.

Even if you took the military out of it, you'd have people in my town driving down the road in pick-up trucks, blasting anything that even looked like a zombie with semi and full automatic rifles. Everyone here has guns.

Tjis

22nd May 2011, 00:35

Oh shit, just realised though, living in Aus means guns are hard to come by... Like I don't know anyone who ones a gun. And we don't have gun stores loaded with shot guns and assault rifles and shit...

Nic.
During a zombie apocalypse a machete is your best friend. It does not require reloading, it never runs out of ammo and it stops zombies better than bullets can. They can still shuffle with a few bullet holes, but not when they no longer have any limbs.
Also, homemade explosives.

Pirate Utopian

22nd May 2011, 00:36

I think running outside pretending your Ash Williams is a sure way to get killed.

Tablo

22nd May 2011, 00:41

Agent Ducky

22nd May 2011, 01:06

Tablo

22nd May 2011, 01:32

I would go to like, a walmart or a huge warehouse store, and turn it into a base, gather weapons and have people with me, etc. Using the store as the main base, try to expand area of safety ouwards around it. Or something. And then when it's all over a classless society can be born from the ashes of the old system.
Walmart would be good. Lots of guns, pharmacy, and food. No liquor though...

plus you would have to deal with all the other survivors trying to take supplies from your stockpile.

Sasha

22nd May 2011, 01:42

No! You idiots! Sheesh... haven't you seen dawn of the dead? Walmart will be the worst spot to be, huge amounts of zombies will be instinctively drawn too it. Come on dudes, this is zombie 101...

Os Cangaceiros

22nd May 2011, 01:57

Walmart ain't a shopping mall yo

Broletariat

22nd May 2011, 01:57

I'd go about my normal routine. That cracked article basically says why, plus I live in a very rural area with a town population of under 1 thousand. Everyone here basically owns a gun anyway.

Comrade J

22nd May 2011, 02:18

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reapers-are-Angels-Alden-Bell/dp/0230748643

This is such an amazing novel, people should read it. It's a lot different from your standard apocalypse book; it's very deep, thoughtful and bleak, in the sense that The Road is, or I Am Legend (I mean the Matheson book btw, not that cinematic vomit with Will Smith).

PM me if you want a .pdf or .rtf of it.

Princess Luna

22nd May 2011, 02:50

it depends on the level of outbreak
level 1 (at most a couple dozen zombies)-nothing, maybe get my gun out but thats it
level 2(100-900 zombies)-fortify my house fill up every container i can with water, including bath tub so i will have fresh water when it gets cut
level 3 (thousands of zombies, full scale battle between zombies and military)- not sure, most likely gather all the surviers i can, and find a defensive building to use as a compound, if thats not possible then i will kill myself
level 4 (zombies take over planet)- kill myself without hesitation

crazyirish93

22nd May 2011, 03:02

Try to save as many people as possible for even a loaner like me to know there are other people alive.

Rusty Shackleford

22nd May 2011, 03:28

i would go to work. why?

Guns
Ammo
Propane
Snacks
Bows
Arrows
Pellet Guns
Emergency and hiking shit
Tents
Buckets
5 or 6(possibly 15 i havent checked in a while but we have room for a ton) 10 gallon water jugs
a few empty ones
a radio

and also, since it is a store, it has pretty tight security and the only windows have a metal gate that easily goes over them. also, its not a big store. only problem is that it is in a heavily populated area. and probably 100 people at LEAST have thought of goign to my type of stores in such an event.

Jimmie Higgins

22nd May 2011, 03:39

It might not be so bad to join them...FoH5cUbrAFk

These protesters say "eat the rich" and mean it.

Vendetta

22nd May 2011, 03:59

Grab my guns, call my friends, raid a store, go on an extended camping trip.

Il Medico

22nd May 2011, 06:15

Depends on the type of zombies, slow classic zombies I'd probably go zombie hunting with a back up cyanide pill that I can bite if I'm going to be zombifed. If they are scary ass zoombies that travel the speed of sound, I'd probably just kill myself.

Tablo

22nd May 2011, 07:25

I feel like a dynamite vest would come in handy if I hunted zombies. Could totally suicide bomb them if I got caught in a situation where I was gonna die.

ColonelCossack

22nd May 2011, 11:14

STAY AWAY FROM MY VODKA!!!!!!! lol nikolai

praxis1966

22nd May 2011, 15:49

Walmart would be good. Lots of guns, pharmacy, and food. No liquor though...

plus you would have to deal with all the other survivors trying to take supplies from your stockpile.

You're forgetting about WalMart Superstore. They don't have hard liquor, but they have beer and wine.

That's not the real problem with WalMart, though. First of all, not all of them sell guns anymore and the ones that do only sell shotguns and rifles. Granted, ideally you won't be close enough to a zombie when you shoot it for a shotgun to be effective (ie you'll want a rifle anyway), but the reality is that at some point you'll have some up close encounters. For that reason, you'll want a handgun. They hold more rounds and take far less time to recycle than shotguns and they're far less unwieldy than a rifle. Not that you wouldn't want the other two, but still...

Second of all, WalMarts are fucking huge. Chances are you'll not have the manpower to secure the whole thing. Plus, there are just way too many entrances to cover.

Personally, I favor raiding the nearest sporting goods store and then holing up someplace smaller; like your nearest chain grocery store as most of them have beer, wine, hard liquor, a pharmacy, and way more food than most WalMarts anyway.

EDIT: As an aside, I like the machete idea but only as a last resort. It's true that you don't have to load it with ammo, but you'll expend a lot of energy wielding it. I'm guessing most people aren't world class athletes, so it wouldn't take long swinging one of those fuckers before you couldn't lift your arms.

Pirate Utopian

22nd May 2011, 16:15

I think it would be best to hole up in abandoned prisons.

Lyev

22nd May 2011, 16:30

During a zombie apocalypse a machete is your best friend. It does not require reloading, it never runs out of ammo and it stops zombies better than bullets can. They can still shuffle with a few bullet holes, but not when they no longer have any limbs.
Also, homemade explosives.No way on the machete. You want to stay as far away from the zombies as possible. The machete is cumbersome in that sense in that you have walk right up to the zombies to kill them. What if there was loads of them? Anyway, it would be stupid to actively go out seeking a fight with the things. Also, because of your close proximity to them, you might get the blood spattered on you (killing with a machete is probably v. messy), and if you get blood on you there is risk of infection if it enters a cut or your eye or mouth or whatever. A precise shot to the head or neck always get them. And I guess it is quite hard to chop someone's limbs off like you propose. I would probably use a gun that wouldn't jam, and one where the ammunition is easy to come by. Maybe I am thinking this over too much. (plus, never used a gun in my life)

Edit: and on WalMarts (or any big supermarket, shopping centre kind of thing), well this isn't so good an idea -- we've all seen Dawn of the Dead, I'm sure. ;)

praxis1966

22nd May 2011, 16:44

Edit: and on WalMarts (or any big supermarket, shopping centre kind of thing), well this isn't so good an idea -- we've all seen Dawn of the Dead, I'm sure. ;)

Totally agreed except for the supermarket thing. I've worked in a couple and generally, they aren't nearly as bad as the Dawn of the Dead scenario. There are usually only 4 entrances (2 in the front, 1 in the loading bay, and 1 near the dumpsters) and there's always an upstairs office with windows that give you a view of nearly every inch of the floor. Plus, there aren't anywhere near the amount of nooks and crannies that a shopping mall would have.

Tjis

22nd May 2011, 17:02

No way on the machete. You want to stay as far away from the zombies as possible. The machete is cumbersome in that sense in that you have walk right up to the zombies to kill them. What if there was loads of them? Anyway, it would be stupid to actively go out seeking a fight with the things. Also, because of your close proximity to them, you might get the blood spattered on you (killing with a machete is probably v. messy), and if you get blood on you there is risk of infection if it enters a cut or your eye or mouth or whatever. A precise shot to the head or neck always get them. And I guess it is quite hard to chop someone's limbs off like you propose. I would probably use a gun that wouldn't jam, and one where the ammunition is easy to come by. Maybe I am thinking this over too much. (plus, never used a gun in my life)

Obviously you should be using that machete only for last-resort defense, and not to go hunting for zombies. If you have to walk towards the zombie to kill it, it's much better to walk away. It is not like they can outrun you. Unless you're dealing with a running zombies apocalypse, in which case you're pretty much screwed anyway.
A gun would work as a last-resort defense as well, as long as you have a steady supply of ammo. Outside of the few countries where guns are legal that's not very likely though.

Against the horde a gun is no good. Unless you have a way to quickly headshot each and every one of them before they reach you. Better is to use homemade explosives like pipe bombs. But don't use molotovs. The only thing worse than a zombie trying to eat your brains is a zombie trying to eat your brains while on fire.

Pirate Utopian

22nd May 2011, 18:09

Running zombies ruin all the charm of zombies.

piet11111

22nd May 2011, 18:13

I would totally go mad max with my unimog it has a very heavy steel plate where a snowplow was attached to that just begs for sharp pointy objects to weld onto.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjtfnU2Kpfo/TYua717OGzI/AAAAAAAABGc/sYAVurHvrFM/s1600/U416_long9f.jpg

mine is not as pretty as the one in the pic though.

Magón

22nd May 2011, 22:42

Walmart ain't a shopping mall yo

Man, everyone knows that zombies are drawn to the places that made them happy at some point when they were alive. Says so in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, and I'm sure it says it too in the original (can't remember because I haven't seen it for awhile.)

Anyway, since the US is no longer a shopping mall nation, and has become a Walmart nation. People going to Walmart are screwed. :cool:

Sasha

22nd May 2011, 22:56

I would go to like, a walmart or a huge warehouse store, and turn it into a base, gather weapons and have people with me, etc. Using the store as the main base, try to expand area of safety ouwards around it. Or something. And then when it's all over a classless society can be born from the ashes of the old system.

been playing this game?

http://twotowersgames.com/games/rebuild-zombie/

pretty fun...

Comrade J

23rd May 2011, 01:17

Anyone know when there will be a season 2 of The Walking Dead? The first series was fairly good, although it had too many stupid characters, and no episode lived up to the pilot. I hear season 2 has a writing team though, rather than guest writers so it might be better.

Spawn of Stalin

23rd May 2011, 01:33

Fuck all you teabaggers with your guns I'd hunt zombies with my bare fists. Cowards hiding behind rifle scopes and shit. I grew up roaming the slums of Birmingham and playing Street Fighter 2 so I guess we know who will last longer. I'll even attach a webcam to myself and broadcast live on Ustream so all you defeatists who decided to fortify your homes and ride it out can watch live.

Spawn of Stalin

23rd May 2011, 01:36

Anyone know when there will be a season 2 of The Walking Dead?
I read something on the Image forums that it was going to be late September, uncomfirmed though.

The first series was fairly good, although it had too many stupid characters, and no episode lived up to the book.
Fixed that for ya pal.

Comrade J

23rd May 2011, 01:41

^ Usually I will read the book of something before I see the film, but I can't stand comics/graphic novels.

Spawn of Stalin

23rd May 2011, 01:51

Oh ok yeah fair enough. It's a great TV show I will admit, I read on a monthly basis (80+ issues so far) so I am only really watching to see how they translate certain situations, and also for the zombies because they really are some of the coolest looking zombies I've ever seen.

Pirate Utopian

23rd May 2011, 02:04

The Walking Dead is good but,

Dead Set > The Walking Dead

Comrade J

23rd May 2011, 02:23

The Walking Dead is good but,

Dead Set > The Walking Dead

Yeah it was written by Charlie Brooker, he's awesome.

praxis1966

23rd May 2011, 05:29

I read something on the Image forums that it was going to be late September, uncomfirmed though.

According to what I've read it's actually going to be more like October (I'm assuming to get the premier as close to Halloween as possible) and there's speculation that it'll be a split season with a hiatus somewhere around Christmastime. The good news (or more appropriately scuttlebutt) is that it's looking like a it'll be a full run as opposed to the skimpy 6 episode season we got last time 'round.

Spawn of Stalin

23rd May 2011, 15:20

Yeah I heard it was going to be a full length season. What concerns me is the definition of a fll length season. Seasons used to be 20-25 episodes, and you could really get into a show because you would be watching every week for like half a year. These days most seasons are only 12 episodes , and to be honest I'd rather just have 2 6 episode seasons a year to spread it out a bit, I don't want to wait 9 months to find out what happens.

praxis1966

23rd May 2011, 16:49

What concerns me is the definition of a fll length season. Seasons used to be 20-25 episodes, and you could really get into a show because you would be watching every week for like half a year. These days most seasons are only 12 episodes , and to be honest I'd rather just have 2 6 episode seasons a year to spread it out a bit, I don't want to wait 9 months to find out what happens.

Yeah, that's the HBO effect I think. It seems like a lot of networks are looking at the gaudy ratings of their Sunday night programming and are figuring that they can get away with it as well. Frankly, it's fine by me as long as they're taking the money saved from doing 25 episodes and investing it in amping up the production value of 12 - 13.

Anyway, I think you're probably right on the money as far as the season length goes. IIRC, 12 - 13 is about the length of a Mad Men run, so that seems about par for the course for AMC.

EDIT: And I agree totally about the 2x6 thing, btw...

Tjis

23rd May 2011, 16:54

Yeah, that's the HBO effect I think. It seems like a lot of networks are looking at the gaudy ratings of their Sunday night programming and are figuring that they can get away with it as well. Frankly, it's fine by me as long as they're taking the money saved from doing 25 episodes and investing it in amping up the production value of 12 - 13.
More likely that money is amping up the dividend of Time Warner shareholders.

praxis1966

23rd May 2011, 17:19

More likely that money is amping up the dividend of Time Warner shareholders.

Have you seen the series? It looks pretty fucking expensive to me. I'm not saying that they aren't saving some money, but it's certainly hugely more expensive per episode than, say, Roseanne was which only ever had like 3-4 cheap ass sets and 0 special effects. Even adjusted for inflation I'm sure it costs more per episode if for no better reason than the episodes are twice as long.

Tjis

23rd May 2011, 17:36

Have you seen the series? It looks pretty fucking expensive to me. I'm not saying that they aren't saving some money, but it's certainly hugely more expensive per episode than, say, Roseanne was which only ever had like 3-4 cheap ass sets and 0 special effects. Even adjusted for inflation I'm sure it costs more per episode if for no better reason than the episodes are twice as long.

I haven't seen it, but I'll take your word for it. They probably are able to spend more money on every single episode than with a long season.
You shouldn't compare with sitcoms though. Even today sitcoms are cheap, with few sets and no special effects. This is not because of budget issues, they're just not needed.

praxis1966

23rd May 2011, 17:53

You shouldn't compare with sitcoms though. Even today sitcoms are cheap, with few sets and no special effects. This is not because of budget issues, they're just not needed.

Fair enough. So let's get down to brass tacks. From what I've read, the high water mark for production costs for an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was roughly 1 million USD in it's opening season in 1987. Adjusted for inflation, that works out to roughly 1.89 million USD. The high water mark for The Walking Dead in its opening season was 2.5 million USD.

The primary difference between now and then, though, is that TNG was "one of a kind" in 1987 whilst today, shows like The Walking Dead are becoming more and more commonplace.

Lyev

23rd May 2011, 19:33

Totally agreed except for the supermarket thing. I've worked in a couple and generally, they aren't nearly as bad as the Dawn of the Dead scenario. There are usually only 4 entrances (2 in the front, 1 in the loading bay, and 1 near the dumpsters) and there's always an upstairs office with windows that give you a view of nearly every inch of the floor. Plus, there aren't anywhere near the amount of nooks and crannies that a shopping mall would have.Actually, yeah I guess so. Plenty of resources (tinned food, medical supplies). However, some supermarkets I have been to (I like the in the UK, not the US) have very large automatic glass doors. It would take a lot of wood and DIY skill to properly board those up. I have not worked in a supermarket so I cannot say for sure. And there is the iconic image from any zombie of them pressed against the glass, groaning and trying to get in.

kitsune

23rd May 2011, 19:38

I liked Walking Dead. I read somewhere that they contracted, I think, 13 episodes for season 2.

What would I do? First, grab supplies. Weapons, of course, but also a multitool, knife, axe and shovel, flashlight, lighters, a magnesium fire starter, first aid kit, blankets, paracord, water purifier and filters, emergency food, fishing gear, sleeping gear, all that sort of stuff. Then get far away from any population centers.

Spawn of Stalin

24th May 2011, 00:22

You're not going to last five minutes gathering all that stuff together. Better to just wrap your hands in bandage and fuck up some zombies.

kitsune

24th May 2011, 03:19

You're not going to last five minutes gathering all that stuff together. Better to just wrap your hands in bandage and fuck up some zombies.

Oh, I wouldn't go shopping or anything. I have all that stuff handy. If the situation was too desperate, I'd just flee and collect what I need as I go along.

I would avoid any kind of close contact with the zombies. No telling how easily the infection is spread. No telling how strong or hard to damage they may be. I wouldn't take anything for granted. I wouldn't count on information from zombie movies being at all reliable.