Zombies today have been popularized through a plethora of media, from Resident Evil to
28 Days Later to Left 4 Dead to The Walking Dead. Zombie fever has certainly swept the globe,
but there’s no need to go hide in an abandoned prison. Not yet, anyways. Teens and young
adults all over the world have wondered what they would do in case of a zombie apocalypse. For
the most part, a zombie apocalypse is like many other disasters, especially epidemics. Just like
other disasters, you need to have an effective survival kit and plan. Because there are so many
different interpretations of how a zombie functions, I’m going to base my argument on the
assumption that if a zombie apocalypse were to occur, it would be similar to what happens in The
Walking Dead.
To survive an invasion of zombies, you first have to understand how they function. For
this argument, I’ll be using the “walker” from The Walking Dead as reference. This incarnation
of the zombie is created when a person dies, and then later reanimates with only the brain stem
functioning. If you are bitten or scratched by a walker, you will come down with a serious fever,
followed by fatigue, and eventually, death before reanimating. However, it has been shown to be
possible to amputate a bitten limb, such as a lower leg, if done quickly enough. Walkers that
have control of their legs shuffle to move around, whereas some walkers no longer have legs,
and crawl on the ground. Walkers can tell living people apart from other walkers by their smell,
and are attracted to the sight of living creatures, as well as sound.1
The key to making it through the zombie apocalypse is having the right equipment.
Because people will most likely not be working to provide fresh water or electricity to
everyone’s homes once the dead rise to eat the living, you’ll want to stock up on fresh water,
either in gallon jugs or 20 oz. bottles, non-perishable canned food, like corn and beans, as well as
a can opener, important documents, such as your birth certificate and driver’s license, as well as
a battery powered radio wouldn’t be bad choices if there’s still some form of government left
(Khan). You should also make sure to have a change of clothes for each person. Let’s face it:
you’ll probably be scared shitless at least once during a zombie outbreak. Medications are also a
must, especially antibiotics and painkillers. They won’t beat the zombie bug, but they’ll work
against anything else you could contract. Bandages and gauze, along with the proper ointment,
are also a must for any breaks in the skin that could become infected. For surfaces that could be
questionable, and by questionable, I mean brains and blood splattered all over them, you’ll want
cleaning supplies, especially bleach, before letting anyone you care about anywhere near them
(krazykorean). Let’s not forget the almighty power of duct tape. Duct tape can be used to fix up
just about anything, but what if it was used to soup up your clothes to protect you from bites?
According to MythBusters, a single layer of duct tape can hold up to 67.3 pounds of force
(MythBusters). It has also been researched that the second molars of a human jaw can apply a
force of up to 1,300 Newtons, which equals approximately 292 pounds of force (Yong). With
these numbers, you could potentially zombie-proof your clothes by wrapping them in duct tape
4-5 times. Sure they might not look as cool as they used to, but it’s worth zombie-proofing, and
1
These descriptions and details of walkers are from multiple episodes of AMC’s The Walking Dead.
water-proofing, your shirts and pants. To best protect yourself from zombie bites, you’ll want to
loosely wrap up at least one pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, preferably a turtleneck to
protect your neck. If you can’t get a turtleneck, then try to find a hooded sweatshirt, as the hood
will not only help defend the back and sides of your head, but it will also keep your head dry
once it’s duct taped. However, be careful not to wrap your clothes too tightly or you might not be
able to take them off. To prevent this, try wrapping them while you’re wearing them, and be sure
to not cause the fabrics of the clothes to fold. You’ll also want to have a pocket knife, as they are
compact and contain a variety of tools, from a can opener to a screwdriver. Above all, let’s not
forget something to take out any zombies that you may, and will, encounter. If available, a pistol
or shotgun would work the best for close range, but if ammo’s running short, looking around for
any blunt objects, such as a baseball bat, large knife, uprooted traffic sign, or anything that has
decent range and can easily destroy a zombie’s brain will suffice. If you can, or want to feel like
Daryl from The Walking Dead, using a hunting crossbow could also be beneficial, as it would be
able to kill zombies, without burning through ammo or causing loud noises. If you can, avoid
firing a gun as much as possible, as the noise will only attract more zombies. Surprisingly, a
defense weapon was not on any of the emergency supply lists that I found.
Let’s say you got the items necessary and are bunkered down in your own house, or, if
your house got overrun, a nearby house. You need to make sure that you, and anybody that
you’re with, identify any and all emergency routes, just in case one of those flesh-eating corpses
was to get inside. To prevent them from peering through the windows, try propping up thick
blankets when the coast is clear, or, if possible, put up some plywood. If you’re lucky enough to
find one, try using a battery-powered screwdriver to put up the plywood, as long as there aren’t
any zombies around to hear it. Be sure to let everyone in your group, especially children, know
what is going on, what you’ve done to secure your hiding spot, and what they should and should
not do. This will give them a better understanding of the situation and will help prevent them
from panicking. If you have a newborn or toddler, try your absolute best to keep it quiet. If
he/she were to cry, it would attract zombies, which could cause it to keep crying, and so on. You
also need to make sure to establish rules regarding food distribution and handling zombies.
Keeping people fed will reduce their stress and anxiety. If people in your group get too hungry,
they will get restless, and could start skirmishes with others in your group. Another thing you
need to establish is how to deal with people if they get bitten. This all depends on how the
transformation occurs. If it occurs after the victim dies, as it does in “The Walking Dead,” then
the most humane way to go about it would be to wait until after they die, and then destroy the
brain so that they don’t reanimate to attack other people in your group. If the victim is bitten on a
lower extremity, you may be able to amputate it, if done quickly enough. For this, you’ll need a
hatchet or other large blade. Just make sure that it’s sterilized with bleach before you start
chopping. Once the limb is amputated, remove it from the building, if possible, and cover the
wound to keep the bleeding down as much as possible. This is where the gauze would come in
handy, assuming you were able to find some.
If you have animals with you, you might want to reconsider them depending on the
species. Cats are mostly quiet, and as long as they stay inside and away from the doors and
windows, you should be fine. Just be sure to properly clean and cover any scratches, as they
could become infected. Birds might be a problem, as they can be quite noisy, and one thing that
attracts zombies is noise. If their wings haven’t been clipped, release them, without being seen or
making noise yourself. If they have had their wings clipped, sorry to say, you’ll probably have to
put them down in whichever manner you find best, as long as it doesn’t cause too much noise. If
your furry friend is a dog, this will be much more difficult. Dogs are naturally territorial and
protective. If dogs see or hear someone near the house, they will bark like mad, trying to deter
the threat, which would only be ringing the dinner bell during a zombie apocalypse (Pound
Ridge Veterinary Center). If you do have a dog(s), you’ll either have to muzzle them, or,
unfortunately, put them down. If you don’t have a crossbow or other weapon that won’t cause
too much noise, you might have to snap their neck, as horrible as that sounds.
If you’re lucky enough, or rather, prepared enough, you may have survived long enough
to the point where the screams and sirens have stopped. Ammo or food may be running low. If a
large group of zombies were to see you when you didn’t have a way to fight back, you and your
group could be in trouble. You’ll need a way to leave the area, and quickly. If possible, try to
find a neighbor’s car (their keys are probably inside their abandoned house). If you’re traveling
by car, make sure you have a flexible tube around 3 feet long to suck gas out of other abandoned
cars. Just try your best to keep the gas out of your mouth. Once you have a way of moving
around safely, try to join up with another group or find other people that you can trust. The more
people you have with you, the more people that can watch your back. Just make sure that the
people you choose to live with aren’t violent towards you or your group. As zombies seem to
migrate to wherever they can find their next meal, you should also keep on the move every now
and then. Staying in the same location for too long could leave you and your group at risk of
being overwhelmed by a large horde of zombies, as well as lulling into a false sense of security.
One thing to try to do while on the road is keep at least a half a tank of gas, just in case you need
to make a quick getaway (Silver). If you’re ever travelling without a car, be sure to huddle up
and have eyes on all sides, with the most able bodied members of your group on the outer edge
in case zombies try to attack you. Having everyone facing the same direction will leave your
entire group vulnerable to attacks from all other sides. If you ever come across another wellstocked house, be sure to replenish your survival and first aid kits with whatever is available.
Depending on where you are in the U.S., there are a few good spots to take shelter. If you
are close to the coast, say, one to two states over from the ocean, a coastal town might make for a
great place to hole up. As explained at several points throughout The Walking Dead, the coastal
setting provides security from one side, as “walkers” appear to be rather slow, and would most
likely not be able to move well in water (Mazzara). However, this could also lull you into a false
sense of security. In a zombie apocalypse, this could be the worst thing that you could do. If you
want to survive, you have to always have an escape plan. For a coastal community, there would
most likely be plenty of empty houses to stay in. Most of the houses are built at a higher
elevation to prevent them from being washed away during a hurricane. This elevation makes
these houses excellent lookout points. Being next to the ocean also allows you to catch fish for
food, if you’re running out of canned foods, or just want a break from beans and corn. Around
the ocean, there would likely be plenty of abandoned cars and boats for transportation, as well.
The boats, in this setting, would be critical for a last-minute escape, if an immense horde of
zombies were to pin your group against the water. For this reason, you should stay near a pier
stocked with boats full of gas and supplies. If possible, find a location several miles down the
coastline to park a few cars stocked with gas and other supplies so that your group isn’t stranded
at sea. The cars that you don’t use can be used to form a barricade around the houses that you’re
using. If you’re on the coast, you’ll need to make sure that you have a supply of freshwater.
Coastal regions tend to have more rainfall than some other regions of the States, so you’ll want
to utilize this, if possible. One handy trick is to find some large container, or even prop up a tarp,
as done in the hit TV show Lost, as a method to store rainwater.
If, however, you’re far from the ocean, the Midwest might be a better destination for you,
as there is a relatively low population with multiple farms and guns. If you’re lucky enough to
find yourself on a farm, you could grow your own food. However, you need to make sure that
you remember to prioritize safety and an escape plan above all else, unless you’re carrying your
son after he’s been shot, like from The Walking Dead. Most farms have fences around the
perimeter; however, you need to make sure that the fences are not only intact, but also added to
as much as possible, as a group of zombies could tear down a fence rather quickly. If possible,
line up abandoned cars or farm equipment along the fences to better block off zombies from
getting through.
The zombie apocalypse would be something that would be forever ongoing, until either a
cure is found or everyone on the planet is dead. For this reason, you’ll have to constantly live by
these guidelines.
Works Cited
Discovery Channel. Prod. Peter Rees. Perf. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.
Discovery Communications, 2010. Television Clip. Discovery Channel. Discovery
Communications. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Khan, Ali S. "Public Health Matters Blog." Public Health Matters Blog RSS. CDC, 16
May 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Kirkman, Robert, and Glen Mazzara. "Beside the Dying Fire." The Walking Dead. Dir.
Ernest Dickerson. AMC. 18 Mar. 2012. Television.
Krazykorean. "BuzzFeed." BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Silver, Maggie. "Public Health Matters Blog." Public Health Matters Blog RSS. CDC, 07
Feb. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.
Yong, Ed. "Who Are You Calling Weak? Human Jaws Are Surprisingly Strong and
Efficient : Not Exactly Rocket Science." Not Exactly Rocket Science. Discover Magazine, 22
June 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.