Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 A Quick Introduction Most people believe that, either, zombies are impossible or that they are possible. This is, possible, the most vital question you may have to ask yourself. Do you, without influence of the outside world, believe they exist. If you are a person who thinks that "Zombies are just made up for movies and can never exist", then you may as well stop reading this topic because from here on out I will be talking about the real threat of a very possible Zombie Epidemic. Chapter 1: How? Definition of a Zombie Virus: A virus that is spread through teeth contact with blood and makes the host angered and highly aggressive. The virus may also manipulate the host into believing that it wants to bite other people. This virus would take entire control of the human body. In all movies you see the zombies have some rotting flesh, super human speed and strength, hightened sense of smell and sight, etc. but, the most disturbing thing about a zombie virus in the real world is, that most of this will be impossible. Rotting flesh is just for the movies and is impossible. Depending on what the virus actually does to the brain will depict what the zombies strength, speed and senses are but it is impossible to raise the level of these past what the human had before it was "turned". If brain damage is caused to certain centres of the brain because of the virus it can cause slow movement, bad hand-eye coordination, even possibly blinding or deafening the zombie. The scariest thing to consider is this; what if the only way you can tell a zombie apart from a human is aggressive behaviour and a bite mark. The zombie may look exactly like just another human until its too late. I believe, if this is the case, many people will become infected due to believing that the zombie heding in their direction is another survivor. A virus like this would have to stimulate the amigdula in the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system is a system of functionally related neural structures in the brain that are involved in emotional behavior. Once the amigdula is stimulated it creates the emotion anger and makes the person or host agressive. In most books and in certain games the only way to kill a zombie is to shoot it in the head. This is incorrect although it would still efficiently kill the zombie. Since all its organs would still be functioning a shot to the chest, or anywhere in particular, would kill it within minutes either due to blood loss or, although this hasn't been proven, the host may, and most probally will, still feel pain and may go into a state of shock. Most probally, the only true aspect of a real zombie and a movie zombie is its signiture howl or scream. This is a gift and a curse. Although it alerts you to its location ot also alerts nearby zombies that is has found prey. It is also believed that, if you are barricaded in a house and the zombies can't get in, the howl of hundreds of zombies will drive you insane. A zombie virus will either be created or mutated from an already-existing virus. Although I am not going to disclose the information about how it could be created or mutated, however. Chapter 2: Preparing Definition of Preparing: Gathering or collecting thoughts, objects and other things that will help be ready for the innevitable. Most people will think; "This is easy. I'll get a heap of food from the shop, get some guns and ammo, get my best friends and we'll survive; no problem". If you think like this then you may as well staple a sign to your back that says "Easy zombie food; come and get it". How would you get to the shop; on foot or by car? If by foot, what are the chances that the shop is too far away. If by car how much petrol do you have? If you need more petrol where are you going to get it? What if the shop and petrol stations have already been raided. How are you going to get the guns and ammo? What if the gun store has already been raided. How are you going to get your friends? What if they are already dead? How will you survive? How will you get food and water? What will you do when you run out of food, ammo and water? No problem, eh? The world will be a mess at the beginning. Many book, movies and certain games have titled this period as the "Great Panic". It perfectly suits the name, too. Everyone will be trying to get food, water, guns, fuel, anything to survive. Nearly everybody will be trying to flee the city at the same time, if it is by foot, car, train or plane. The only way to ensure you survive for longer than others is to prepare before it all goes down. Here is some simple things to do: ~Plan a bag-out bag; contain things that are vital to survival such as a compass, water purifier or distiller, dehydrated food, binoculars, pocket knife and everything else you think you may need. Just remember that this should be a bag that you can carry on your back without straining yourself. ~Is there a firing range near you? If so; why not apply and take a course and get a gun license? Probally start off getting a rifle license and a slug gun/air rifle. Practice and, when perfected in the art of your weapon, move up to a 22mm rimfire and then, if possible, to something like a 77mm, 30 calibre Hunting Rifle. Maybe get a pistol license, also. Probally get a rifle license first but try for something like a .357 magnum for starters or, if you are inexperienced with guns entirely, a small handgun. And, if you are over 18, you can get a shotgun license. Nothing beats the noise of the pump of a pump-action shotgun. ~Get medical supplies; pills, bandages,everything you may need and everything you can get without spending a ton of cash. Before it all goes down you can even use these when you have to. ~Have some cash for when it does go down. No doubt people will still use it. If you come across a survivor selling ammo that he doesn't need, or food and water, consider buying them off him. Remember to haggle. Also, plan what to do. Will you barricade yourself at home, keep moving from area to area or build or find a large fort to hold out in. Remember; if you live in a large city you may be bombed. If you are on the move you can't have a definately place to sleep and rest. If you build or find yourself a large fort keep it at least 20 kilometres from roads to prevent being spotted by raiders or keen zombies. Chapter 3: Your Team Definition of Team: A group of people all with a common goal to achieve. One man is not his own castle. You will need a group of people to help you survive. As you may guess, there are certain vital resources that you must have in order to survive; Weapons, Ammo, Shelter, Food, Water, and the most important; Human Life. One less human is one more zombie. Choosing your team is ideal to survival. You will need people who won't just run at first sign of a zombie and has his or her own skill such as medication or construction. You will, also, have to have the jobs of your team evenly spread out so that it doesn't cause arguments. Family members is a very difficult thing to take care of. Will they come with you or stay behind? Do you have grandparents who can slow you down? Do you have enough weapons, ammo and supplies to feed each and every family member of each member of your team? This is why family members can be a difficult decision; take them or leave them. In most cases it will be take them. This is why a small team is the best option over a large one. A team of 3-5 people with their family members can fit into 2-3 cars instead of 10-20 people with their families and 2-3 busses. Family members can also have skills that somebody in the team doesn't have such as mechanical or farming skills. So always choose your team wisely. Each member is a precious resource that cannot be lost. Chapter 4: Surviving at Home Surviving at home may be harder than it looks. Fences will do nothing unless you have a 9 foot, stone wall. Wooden fences should be taken down as soon as possible so that the wood can be used for barricading yourself inside. Its a good idea to remove the floor of a certain room, most probally in the center of the house or near a safety-glass window. By removing this floor you have soil to plant food in. Barricade windows that arn't safety glass. Safety glass is a zombies worst enemy. Zombies can't grip it and would take it years, if not a decade to destroy it. If ti is possible, go out and get some safety glass and replace windows before it goes down so you can focus on doors. Have rooms where your entire family and/or group can sleep. Place easily breakable objects at the door so if the door falls down or a zombie steps on it it will make a noise you can awake immidiently. If your house is 2 story head upstairs and destroy your staircase. Zombies can't climb if the virus makes them slow and stupid (which is the most likely zombie virus) so destroying the staircase makes it impossible for zombies to get up until there is such a sheer quantity they form a staircase of their trampled brethren. Always have earplugs for when a large quantity of zombies attack so that you don't go crazy. Have earplugs for when you sleep, too. You can either use earplugs that arn't entirely in your ear canal or listen to loud music. Never sleep without some form of dulling down the zombies howls. If your house is two story, instead of having a room to sleep in just sleep on your roof. Make a quick shelter to shelter you from rain, get a few blankets and pillows and sleep there. It would be impossible for a zombie to get up there unless there were at least 4000 converging at your house. Chapter 5: Living on the Land Living on the Land, or otherwise known as "On the Run", is in some ways better than staying in a Fort or defending your own home. Living on the Land has a nearly unlimitted supply of food and, if you have a pumpable distiller, an unlimitted supply of water. Wild berries or fruits are always a source of food but you should carry a SAS Survival Guide or other book that you can cross-reference an unknown kind of food to check if it is poisoness or not. One of the bad things is you will never have a secure place to sleep. On the ground is too dangerous. Up in a high tree is good but if hundreds swarm you, even though they cannot climb, getting down will be a problem. Never use explosives in this situation in case the tree comes down and the zombies don't. Guns might be difficult aiming through the branches. Having a large team can also be a problem. A good tree will only hold a few people and finding large, sturdy and trees that you can sleep in that are close together are usually rare to find. A plus on having team members is that while 1 or 2 sleep the other 2 can stay on guard duty. Rotate every 4 hours or so that in the case of a zombie finding you you can put it out before it can call for help. They can also spot swarms at an early notice and 4 guns are better than 1. Living on the land also automatically can tell you if there are zombies nearby or not. Animals automatically flee from zombies and therefor will be your warning system. If there is not even the chirp of a lone chricket at night then you know zombies are around. In any situation, if its a fort or home, but especially while living on the land, never take sleeping pills. After taking sleeping pills you are harder to wake up and might not hear the moan of a dozen zombies. Once you wake up you will also be sleepy for a while, too. Chapter 6: Forts In a Zombie Infection, your fort is supposed to be the place you can lay back, grab a 30 callibre, lever action hunting rifle, a few friends and family and bunk it out. The good thing about forts are that they are nearly impenatrable; like a jail or an off-shore oil rig. There are, in general, 2 types of forts; Self-Made or Already-Made. Already-Made forts are easy to defend and most should already have a heap of food and water in them if it isn't already raided or taken over. Here is a list of forts: ~Military Complexes: Military Complexes are one of the first places people would think of going; it has trained men with food, water and heaps of guns. What could be better? Most of them are located in lowly populated areas and some build specifically away from all kinds of human activity. Because they have different communication devices they will also be one of the last places to loose contact with the outside world. The only bad thing about Military Complexes is that, if you thought of going there so will other people. This will create overcrowding and will nearly undoubtedly run everyone there out of supplies quickly. ~Prisons Prisons can be a blessing and a curse. They are designed so that the prisoners cannot get out via the use of solid steel doors, additional barred doors, etc.. If you are in and activate all of these it will be a few years before the zombies can get through the first few doors. The Administrators of complexes such as these always keep a keycard that they can swipe at the doors, which will only open that door and not the others. This is good for manuevering the complex for supplies and weapons; if you can find it. Your best hope is that the Administrator has comitted suicide inside the structure and either has the keycard in their pocket or has a key strung around their neck that opens a filing cabinet of a safe with it in it. Since it is a prison it will, no doubt, have weapons and gear such as solar-cell flashlights and riot gear inside of it somewhere, along with food and water. But, there are quite a few problems with prisons; what if somebody else already had your idea and you are locked out? And another, if you make it in you will have to consider what to do with the prisoners. Would they help you or would they kill you? And another thing; what if you lock down everywhere but a zombie is in the same area you are in? There are quite a lot that can go wrong and quite a lot that can go right. ~Off-Shore Oil Rigs These are one of the best things you can come across; just getting there is a problem. Maybe take a helicopter? Anyway, once your here you are nearly automatically confirmed as "safe from the infection". As long as there are no zombies on the rig you are free as a bird. You can get an amble supply of food and water; purify the sea water and get some fish. One of the only bad things is the harsh weather; strong winds and high waves have been known to collapse Off-Shore Oil Rigs. Always have a plan of escaping if you go to an Oil Rig and make sure that you can do this plan within about 15 seconds after hearing the metal beam that supports you collapse mid-way. Self-Made Forts can sometimes be a problem. First of all; where will you get the supplies to build it? Will you raid shops or buy it before everything goes down? Where to build it can be a problem, too, you will want at least 50 kms of space between you and even the smallest of towns. Remember; towns can be bombed if they need to be. You will want to have good and firm soil, too. Without good soil you cannot grow your own food. Also, construction will be a race against time and the undead. While you build for the next month or two, possibly even more, the ever coming threat of zombies comes your way. A team of around 12 people is ideal for this; 8 people working and 4 covering North, South, East and West. Keep the guards armed, of course. Most probally start off by building a circular wall. That way everyone can then start working on the inside while the guards have a wall to stand upon. Once your fort is finished you can start surviving. Plant food, have guards on the walls at all times taking shifts, have a two-way radio so that you can hear what is happening in the world and repond to anything important. But just remember; this is your new home, now. Make good use of it. Chapter 7: Food and Water Food and Water is another essential part of survival. Without companies massing food products to stores there will be a shortage of this. Depending on what method of survival you are using, weither it is Surviving At Home, Living on the Land or Forts you will have different methods of securing clean and drinkable water. Just remember; a water purifier (preferably a hand-pumping one) will be your best friend when it comes to water. ~Surviving at Home: Surviving at Home is easy yet difficult at the same time. Although this last statement makes little sense it will make more sense as you continue reading. Depending if you like near the ocean of near a river getting water will be quite simple; Water Purifier + Water = ... Well... Drinkable Water. If you don't live near a open source of water raiding shops will be vital. Raiding shops is good because you can get food and water but the shop may be infested with zombies or already hit by raiders. There are also a lot of different ways to get water. Did you know if you tie a plastic bag around an alive tree branch you can get water from it? It takes a few hours, however. If you have an SAS Survival Guide it can tell you about what you can do to get water easily. ~Living on the Land: Living on the land is the easiest way to get food and water. Remember; with your Water Purifier you can get water from every creek, every river, every tiny crevice of rain water. Food is also easy; wild animals that arn't affected by the zombie virus (which is unlikely that the virus will affect animals, too) will just waste a single bullet. When hunting animals use silent weapons which prevents zombies and raiders hearing you and doesn't make nearby animals flee. If you have an SAS Survival Guide it can tell you every berry and other other thing in your surroundings that you can eat that won't kill you. Just remember; you will have to keep moving while Living on the Land. Otherwise wild food will run out and you will eventually starve of get caught off-guard by a zombie due to starvation. ~Forts: Forts, depending on where they are, can be good or bad. Off-Shore Oil Rigs are good because of fish but don't give any lean meat or fruit and vegetables and cannot grow them. Jails usually have a good 10 years of supplies of everything you will need but if the jail has been raided then you are dead in the... well, ground. Jails are usually places in isolated areas so that if prisoners do escape they don't have anywhere to escape too. Military Complexes won't get raided but, as mentioned before, will be crowded with survivors and refugees. Self-Made Forts can be a nightmare worse than the undead. Unless you grow your own food (which before you get food from whatever you are growing you will need a years supply of it before you can get what you have grown that year) you are dead and unless you have built it near a river you are dead, too. You won't send a squad of 5 to get water, now, will you? Unless water is within hunting rifle's scope of the Fort. Chapter 8-1: Weapons - Blade Blades should be your best friend that you sleep with under your pillow; no ammo. This is the most important thing that makes blades one of the best weapons for fighting zombies. You don't need a bullet to the head; just your blade to their necks. When choosing your blade you should always consider these; ~Has the metal been treated to prevent rusting? ~Is the blade long enough for me to attack the zombie before it is within arms reach of me? ~When forged, was it folded over continuesly for good quality and strong metal? ~What metal was used to make the blade? Is it good or bad quality? ~What kind of handle does it have? These are all important. The last thing you need is your blade to break after you lob it at a zombie. There are many different blades but I want to focus on what I really want to get; blades from Zombietools.net. I want to do this because I have fallen in love with one of their blades :D and because they offer a nice and expansive variety of blades. The blades include images and my own description for them. Each blade will be put into a spoiler and includes picture, specs and prices. The prices are expensive but they offer the best quality around. If you cannot afford one go down to your Army Surplus Store with about $50-$75. They usually have good quality, treated-metal machetes with blackened blade, leather handle and blackened sheath. The Para Bellum: Total Length: 18 inches or .46m Blade Length: 12 inches or .30m Handle Length: 6 inches or .15m Weight: 1.6lbs or .7 kilograms Price: $189.95 for single. $355.55 for Pair with Opposing Sheaths (Prices in US Dollars). Description: The newest thing Zombie Tools has to offer; the perfect dual wield, light wieght yet powerful machetes. Designed to be strapped to the thigh, it is a blade that can be worn at all times and still be comfortable.18 inches overall, 12 inches of blade length and sharp enough to shave your mom. Deadly when used in pairs or as an effective offhand blade to back up a sidearm, the Para Bellum is ideal. The Harvester: Total Length: 41 inches or 1.047m Blade Length: 31 inches or .774m Handle Length: 10 inches or .65m Weight: 4.5 lbs or 1.9 kilograms Price: Unknown; probally around $400-$450 (Prices in US Dollars). Description: For the extremely zombie consious; kill 'em before they can kill you. Here she is. 41 inches of all steel love. Weighing in at 4.5 lbs and sporting a 31 inch blade, this monster will cut through a full crop of zombies. Urban Bone Machete, Mark III: Total Length: 25 inches or .64m Blade Length: 18.5 inches or .47m Handle Length: 6.5 inches or .17m Weight: 2.5 lbs or 1.13 kilograms Price: $335.95 (Prices in US Dollars). Description: The journey to perfection for the Urban Bone Machete is one huge step closer with the addition of the Mark III. Just hold this girl and you can hear her whisper a bloody longing for carnage. The new handle design, also seen in the Zack Ax, will protect your digits if you feel the need to brutally punch a zombie's skull to a slimy pulp. A slightly longer blade combined with a curved tip make for an unprecedented level of cutting power. The Urban Bone Machete Mark III is a full-tang blade of 5160 spring steel with a hand-sculpted T6 aluminum handle. Comes with black Kydex sheath. The Zack Axe: Total Length: 14.5 inches or .36m Blade Length: 8.5 inches or .22m Handle Length: 6 inches or .15m Weight: 1.75 lbs or .79 kilograms Price: $199.95 (Prices in US Dollars). Description: A shorter version of it's Bone Machete brother. Whether in a backalley of a burnt-out burb or the backwaters of BFE, the ZT Zack Ax will be a handy little girl to have by your side. With her curved forward edge and a hefty blade, she’s perfect little hand ax for chopping wood for the fire and, of course, separating Zombie’s vertebra should you be forced into a close quarters confrontation. The curved inside edge adds a little slash to her hack, and is great for cutting wood. Our new handle design adds protection for the hand and has improved grip ergonomics. Like all our Tools, the Zack Ax is a full-tang blade of 5160 spring steel, heat treated, tempered, and sharpened. The handle is hand-sculpted from T6 aluminum. The Zack Ax comes with a black Kydex sheath. And my only blade love :D The d'Capitan: Total Length: 25 inches or .64m Blade Length: 18.5 inches or .47m Handle Length: 6.5 inches or .17m Weight: 2.25 lbs or 1 kilograms Price: $339.95 (Prices in US Dollars). Description: Leadership. It takes strength of character, courage of convictions, and a weapon more badass than all the rest of your team. For the discerning leader of a zombie-slaying squad, ZT introduces d’Capitan. Modeled after the ancient falcata, d’Capitan is designed to deliver a ferocious flesh-rending over-hand hack while still maintaining some of the speed and versatility of a sword. A totally new handle design provides good hand protection and comfort for those long days of zombie dispatching. d'Capitan is a full-tang blade of 5160 spring steel with a hand-sculpted T6 aluminum handle. Comes with black Kydex sheath. Chapter 8-2: Weapons - Guns Guns will be a necessity. You can't survive just relying on Melee Weapons, although it would be enough for a while, but eventually you will slip up and get bitten. If you trully want to survive you need a good combination of Melee Weapons and Guns. It depends on how you are going to go into survival. Fully-Automatic weapons are not usually the way to go. Fully automatic weapons are what some people call "Rock and Roll" weapons. They are called this because when you hold the trigger and just, well, rock and roll. This is a massive waste of ammo, and you are meant to be aiming for the head so 1 in every 2 or 3 shots will hit and the other 1 or 2 will miss. Single-fire weapons such as 22mm rimfire weapons are good but they are slow at reloading. You need to pull it down, put in the bullet, pop it up, release safety and fire, then repeat. In a situation where a lot of zombies are coming towards you they can be a pain. Weapons like the 77mm, 30 caliber Hunting Rifle are great because they not only have a clip but the safety resets each time you fire. That way, you aim, fire, release safety, repeat. This is until the clip runs out. Reloading clips are also very simple. Never underestimate the importance of silencers, also. It can mean the difference between life and death. As long as a zombie doesn't hear a bullet fired and see its team-mate fall to the ground it won't even attack you. As long as you have a silencer you are ready for those stealthy missions. Silencers for pistols are the most common to find, so for whatever class you want to be it is important that you have silencers for your pistols. Some more important than others, however. Like the Infiltrator or Specialist would want silencers while the Regular Survivor wouldn't need them as much. There are many options but these are some of the best: Regular Survivor: The Regular survivor is the one who can grap a big gun, a small gun and a good, long melee weapon. The big gun can range between anything from a 22mm rimfire to a M4A1 if you can get your hands on one. The smaller gun should be a pistol, such as a 9mm or maybe a .357 or .358 magnum if you can, again, get one. The melee weapon should also be about 24-28 inches, maybe a good machete or some kind of good Japenese Blade. This blade should be able to be sheathed to your waist. If you are right handed sheath the blade on your left side. This way you can pull it out and be ready to chop at a zombies neck right away. Infiltrator: An Infiltrator should be able to enter a building, loot it, kill a few zombies and leave again within a good minute or two. An infiltrator should rely on small weapons, like blades and pistols. The last thing you want to do is go around a corner with a big gun and have your gun aimed at a zombies leg or arm. That is the problem with long barreled weapons and why infiltrators should try to avoid them. Use pistol or magnum for a primary weapon and, instead of a secondary pistol, have another good blade by your side. The best combo for an Infiltrator is a long blade such as a machete and a small blade such as a dagger or something of the sort. Specialist: Specialists are the ones who can go Bam, Slash, Boom. The ones that can survive even when outnumbered 20-to-1. A specialist should have dual weapons and still have the ability to run when you need to. When dualling melee weapons the worst thing that you can do is sheath one blade on each waist. This can cause them to rattle around and can be very annoying and may cause pain if done for a long time. The best thing to do is sheath it on your thighs. Although this would be hard to reach while running flat-out, you can then put other things on your waist if you need to. The perfect size for a dual machetes to be sheathed on your thighs should be around 18 inches, like the Para Bellum. Specialists should also have dual pistols or magnums at the waist. This won't be annoying and give you the ability to grab one in either hand at will. Specialists can also wield a pistol in one hand and a blade in another, which can be an extremely deadly combo. Sharpshooter: Sharpshooters are the ones in the back of the group, the ones on top of the bus with a view of the entire road ahead of them. The sharpshooters are the ones that have the long-barreled hunting rifles with scopes. Sharpshooters can snipe a zed-head from a good 50 meters away. Sharpshooters are like regular survivors in a certain aspect, only instead of relying on a pistol they usually have a short-range melee weapon such as a dagger and a long, powerful melee weapon like the 41 inch long Harvester. Rim-Firers: To be a Rim-Firer you need strength and good aiming. Rimfire guns are all 22mm, so you can supplement bullets from the rifle to the pistol and visa-versa. Rim-Firers should also carry a trusty, 22-28 inch machete. All-Rounders: All rounders and the ones where they can just grab anything that they find and use it to the best of the weapons abilities. All-rounders can, in a way, be any of the classes above but always be able to swap. This isn't advised to be other classes as an all-rounder because you should always stick to just one. All-rounders also should be able to be perfect for 'Living on the Land', because they can adapt to any situation. Now, enough with different ways of surviving. On to the guns: Primary Guns: -77mm Hunting Rifle: The 77mm Hunting Rifle, with a good quality scope, is as good as the Military-Standard sniper rifles. These babies have around 10 bullets per clip, depending on the model, and have a semi-automatic function. This way you don't just pull the trigger and 'rock and roll'. The bullets are so fast that, like most weapons, they actually hit the target nearly half a second before you hear the bullet fire. If you aim for any part of the body, it will go through it like a hot knife through butter. -M4A1 Carbine: The Militaries best friend. The M4A1 Carbine is mostly used by all military personell. It is perfect for killing zombies. It can be set between single-fire, semi-automatic and fully automatic. Just remember not to go 'rock and roll' style with these; with 30 rounds per clip and the ability to completely waste a clip in 3 seconds this thing can be dangerous. The best thing about an M4A1 is that it can be attached with a scope, for longer distances, and a grenade launcher. The useful thing about a grenade launcher is that you can pull the pin, load it, count to 2, then fire. Then when it reaches the zombie it goes boom! The scopes can also have solar-powered laser sight, but these scopes can be very expensive. -Crossbows: Crossbows were good for killing people in the 1600's so why not now? Crossbows are illegal in some states and countries but legal in others, so getting your hands on one is about an even chance to any regular gun. If you know the right diameters and have enough spare time, a knife and a piece of wood can be your crossbow's best friend. Fletching your own bolts is simple and relitively safe, depending on if you know the size of the required bolt. Crossbows can also be equipted with scopes for added range and also is silent; if silencers arn't present than these can come in handy. Bolts are also easy to find, especially in countries where crossbows are legal. You might even find some on dead survivors or in houses. Farms, especially, as crossbows are used there much more often than anywhere else. You can also re-use bolts, as long as you wash the bolt in boiling water and not touch any of the zombies blood. Also, providing that the bolt wasn't beant or deformed by the impact, re-using your bolts is the best thing to do in this situation. -22mm Rimfire Rifles: Rimfire ammunition, first of all, is cheap, easy to make and easy to find. You could stash enough for a bullet for each zombie in your country and possibly neighbouring countries with not as much cash as other weapons. 22mm Rimfire Rifles are slightly weaker than their counterparts and go about half the speed of a 77mm Hunting Rifle. You've always been tought to aim for the head and when it comes to this weapon that is exactly what you want to do. The bullet is strong enough to enter the skull but once its initial burst of speed is gone is cannot exit. This is exactly what you want, because now it can ricochet inside the zombies skull until the brain is destroyed or it gets stuck in the skull and kills it. Rimfire rifles are annoying to reload, however. If you have ever fired an air rifle, also known as Slug Guns, before imagine the pull-back to get to where to put the bullet only 2 times harder. Even for a skilled and strong shooter it might take at least 6 seconds to reload one of these, and each 6 seconds it takes to reload is a 6 second boost the zombies get on your possition. Rimfire Rifles are light, though. This is why they are good if you don't have anything better. -Shotguns: Shotguns, as in all games, are good at short range. A burst of a round at a zeds-head and it is nearly a guarenteed kill. At long range, however, these can be a pain. Depending on what model you got, from the clay-pigeon shooting models to the full-military combat shotguns, each one has advantages and disadvantages. Reloading shotguns, if they are not clip-compatable, are also a pain. Most of the time you should reload it fully while no zombies are around and while they are just reload a single round, fire it, repeat. At long range is also sometimes good because the bullets spread out. This can be good because if you aim for the chest at long range you might get their foot or head. This might be minor damage but the more blood is looses the closer it gets to dying. Blood loss also slows the bastards down, too. -Machine Guns: Unless these things are semi-automatic or have the option never go near one. If you find a single-fire compatable version, or even a burst fire version, then keep it. Ammo for machine guns are not often found, however, as they are usually only used by military, so finding ammo might be hard to do. Don't always rely on these things, too. Even today some models are prone to jamming and breaking and unless you have been in the military you would have no idea how to take one apart, find the problem, fix it and put it back together. Pistols: -9mm Pistols: 9mm pistols are what are also called "Cop-Stoppers". 9mm pistols don't have very good accuracy and only have 6 bullet per clip. You would need to be a good marksman to be able to put a bullet into a zed-head from range. Also, 9mm Pistols don't like having scopes and the scopes can be as mad an enemy as the zombies. 9mms, however, are good for semi-close range. Nothing beats the ability to aim for the middle of the head and to get it anywhere in the head. The extra thing about this is you have to pull the trigger and release it before you can fire it again. -22mm Rimfire Pistols: Rimfire Pistols, like rimfire rifles, have a single-bullet reload but are good because of skull ricochet. These things are much easier to reload than its rifle counterparts because of their size. If you can't find a good magnum or military-class pistol than these are your best oppinion. The good thing about Rimfire weapons are that they all have 22mm ammo. This makes them able to supplement bullets from the rifle to the pistol. Also, this makes the ammunition much easier to find. -Magnum: Magnums are extremely powerful and pretty common. If you can get those Magnum-Reload rings, the ones that you can pull out and already have 6 bullets ready to put it into the magnum. If you don't have the Magnum-reload rings you can always do what you do with the shotgun, instead of reloading all the bullets at once you can put 1 bullet in, shoot 1 bullet out. Magnum ammo is also pretty common, too. Most pistols used in clubs or competitions are magnums. Just look out for the difference between .357 and .358 magnum ammo. Always check to see if it is right for your magnum. -Military-Class Pistols: Military-Class Pistols are the best you can get; great accuracy, great power, great and slim design. These things are used in wars so you know they are good. Depending on what size the bullets are, from 9mm to, possible, 14mm, you should be able to supplement bullets from wherever you find some. Just remember what size they are. Like Military Rifles, their designs are usually secrets so if yours jams or breaks then you probally won't have a good idea on how to fix it. -Machine-Pistols: Machine-Pistols are the devils version of a small, fully-automatic rifle. These things have 20 bullets in large and rare clips. Rare because they were used by the military and they don't use them very much anymore. Like Military rifles and Military-Class pistols, their designs are usually secrets so hope that they don't jam or break. Chapter 8-3: Weapons - Explosives Explosives are as essential as Blades and Guns. Explosives are ranking into three types: Distraction, Remission, Destruction. Sometimes, even, mixtures of the three. Distration Explosives are used to distract the zombies. Remission Explosives are used to slow down zombies that just won't break from chasing you. And Destruction Explosives, simply, used to kill the zombies and anything near them. Distraction Explosives can be used in many ways, from detonating cars down the street to getting all the zombies into one area then blowing them all to the moon. And nothing says 'a free trip to the moon' then a noise-bomb. These babies can be regualr bombs with a time-delayed action with something that makes a shit-load of noise, like a mobile phone. Strapping a $60 phone you raided from a store and plant the bomb, start up the ringtone and run. Set the bomb to about a minute or two and then watch as the mindless zombies flock to their doom. You can even strap an MP3 player with a loud song on it to the bomb, also. Anything that makes enough noise and so that you have enough time to get away so that the zombies dont go from bomb-to-you. Remission bombs are for the zombies that just wont stop following you. Tripmines are good example of Remission and Destruction bombs. Plant one of these and... BOOM! Remission bombs can also be a mixed of distraction bombs such as a Noise Bomb. Grenades are the perfect Remission Bombs. If it doesn't kill 'em they'll have to crawl after you. Even water bombs can be classified as Remission Bombs. The zombies are too stupid to whipe off the water and may think it is an animal, or if the water gets in their eyes. Simple, not too effective but still works in dire times. Destruction Bombs are anything that will just destroy anything, including the zombies and everything around them. Pipe bombs are a good example of this. Maybe even with a time delayed action. Set to 3 seconds, activate, and throw it at a zombies feet. Nothing says boom like a good old pipe bomb. Molotovs are the perfect example of a bomb that is a combination of Distraction, Remission and Destruction. Distraction; the burning fire of it and anything it catches alight will attract them. Remission; whilst on fire you couldn't run to fast, could you? Destruction; The zombies, and everything nearby, will be burnt to nothing but a pile of ashes. Chapter 9: Transportation Transportation is, basically, you moving. If this is on a bike, in a car or just by foot it is still classified as transportation. Each kind of transport has its pro's and con's. The biggest con is petrol. At the beginning there will be plenty, just waiting at a petrol shop to be raided. By the middle around 70% of all petrol on the entire Earth will be gone, if not more. The biggest decision with petrol is; generator or car? With generator you can power up things like batteries, lights, etc., but with a car you can drive away from where you are. Here is a list of transportations and their pros and cons: Foot Walking, running, jogging, skipping, hopping and jumping are our most ancient way of transport, even before the square-wheel. By foot the only thing you need to do to power it is some food and some sleep. This is much easier than getting a charged car-battery and petrol. Transportation on foot is also good because at any time, without hesitation, you can stop to draw a weapon, look around a corner or infiltrate a building. If you break your foot, however, then you got a problem. You can't take it to a hospital during a zombie infection. Going to a hospital is the last thing you wanna do. Bicycle Like travelling by foot, bikes don't need batteries or fuel, either. Just man-power. As long as you have two legs and can steer you can ride a bike. Bikes are small, usually pretty light-weighted and can go pretty fast without batteries or fuel. Bikes are, sadly, lightly-"armoured". If you hit a tree and brake it then your pretty screwed. Like all things, bikes can fall apart and leave you with no transportation. Having a good mountain/all-terrain bike in the back of your car boot is a good idea. No petrol = no problem. If a zombie makes a grab at you, however, your gonna come off that thing or its gonna come off you. Your Average Car Good yet bad. Cars can carry a heap of things, go pretty fast and can be used as a barricade, if needed to. Your average car, however, isn't really made to be an all-terrain vehicle and is made to be kept on roads. In a zombie infection, all roads will be blocked and full of "grabbers", the zombies that are trapped in their seat-belts and have managed to break a window and, well, grab at you. All cars need fuel and a car battery, however, so if you get a car near the middle of the zombie infection then you may as well scrap it for metals and other useful stuff. Ute Driver in the front, friends with guns in the back. The ute is the perfect 2-4 seated vehicle with semi-off-road capabilities and the ability to have people on the back along with supplies. This is like a mobile HQ as long as you got enough fuel and a car battery to power it. The back is, basically, your firepower area; put a few people with guns there and you have cover from nearly all directions. If it has 4 seats you can store either supplies or people in the back and a passenger with their pistol or machete ready just in case the zombies get too close. 4-Wheel Drive: Not only does it have 4 wheels but it can use them all at once. The 4WD is one of the closest civilian vehicles you can get to a fully-blown all-terrain killing machine. With a bull-bar, a rack to store things up top and 5-8 seats these things are your carriers. The bad thing about 4WD's are that they use a lot of petrol. More petrol use means less kilometers between you and the city that is spewing out zombies everywhere. When it runs out of fuel, though, if you scrap it for useful things you can get quite a lot from your 4WD compared to your Average Car. Bus Ah, the first thing people want to find; store everything they find and all their friends and family. It's like delivering the Zacks some good supplies that a lot of people would become infected to get and, not only that, but infect a could dozen or so people. Buses, unless you have the 4 rows or backseats piled with petrol, are drivable death-traps. If you do have enough petrol, however, these things are awesome! Enough seats to fit a heap of people and enough windows to put a gun out each and have around 34 gunners a bus can be your saviour or your death. You decide. Armored Car ... Are pretty perfect. Pack it with food, water and your guns and other weapons and you have a moving armory straight away. And when your armored car runs out of petrol just close the hatch and bunk down. As long as you don't get bombed it would take a group of zombies over a year to get into the armored car. All you need to do then is regularily open the hatch slightly, pick off a few-zed heads and then close it again. As long as you have enough food and water you could, basically, survive the whole thing inside one of these contraptions. Motor Bike: Fast, fuel effective and quite decently-armored. The Motor Bike is, during a zombie infection, is known as a "Raiders Vehicle". Easy to start, easy to drive and easy to stop and shoot without getting off. Motor bikes are good for making easy maneuvers through crowded areas that cars can't. Motor Bikes can't store too much, however, and are only mainly used for getting from one place to another, and pretty quickly. Motor Bikes are also very fuel efficient and come in many different kinds and sizes. But which is right for you? Unless you know before the zombies are eating away at your door you arn't gonna get a "good one". Horse: Horses are pretty good; instead of having 20 gallons of petrol you only need 20 kilos of feed. And horses are good at sensing danger; if there is a zack out there you will need to force it in that direction. They are also good because they are aware of their own consiousness and can decide weither to drive off a cliff or not. They are also like all-terrain vehicles. The bad thing about horses is that they need to sleep too. They can't just keep going and going. Chapter 10: Fears and Scares In a zombie apocolypse, unless you have prepared, it will be very scary. Even if you have planned it will be scary but not as scary as if you haven't. First thing that most people say they will do when zombies come is suicide. Most of these people, however, probally wouldn't have the gutts to commit suicide. Thats why there must be as many people prepared as possible. One of the main problems is the people who can't commit suicide and, so, instead they throw themselves to the zombies. Thats why in this chapter we will be focusing on the Fears and Scares of a zombie apocolypse. ADS The Apocolyptic Distress Syndrome. As described in Max Brooks 'World War Z', ADS is a syndrome where people become what they fear subconsiously. They fall to sleep themselves, but their subconsious mind takes over and they become zombies, in a way. If someone with ADS bites you, you're safe. ADS just makes people think they are zombies subconsiously, nothing too serious. If you throw water in their face they will probally snap out of it, but the main problem about ADS is that 9/10 people will think "shit, a zombie" and blow their brains out, not realising that this person had ADS. ADS is very dangerous in the beginning. There will be a lot of cases and most of these cases will be killed on sight. The biggest problem during the beginning is that, unless they are right up at your face, you won't be able to tell if they are a zombie or someone with ADS and all you have to try and look for is a bite wound. Towards the middle there will be much less cases and the ones that do have ADS won't have blood all over their bodies, but regular zombies will. This is still dangerous, however, a newly infected person might see you as their first prey and you throw a water bomb at it at close range and, before you can realise its too late, your bitten. At the end, the only people who will obtain ADS are the ones still in cities that are swarming with zombies. The ones that have retreated to deemed 'safe zones' will be free of ADS or have very, very few cases. Post-Zombie Melee Combat Trauma Your first few dozen times engaging a zombie in hand-to-hand combat, or melee combat with a blade will be the first few dozen scariest times of the entire infection. The first time is the worst; you rethink your actions, your hands shake, you freeze up and sometimes can't even swing the blade for the creatures head. This will probally get a few inexperienced and unprepared people off-guard and end up being their death. The best way to avoid this is have a friend back-up with some kind of gun just in case this happens to you. That way they can kill the zombie before it kills you. Over-confidence The most probable thing to get you killed. Unless you are in a boat with enough supplies to last until you hold out, on a space station or on an Off-Shore Oil Rig then this will get you and may cost your life. if you think that you are indestructable you are going to take bigger risks. You know how it works? Your better off jumping off a cliff while being over-confident then being cocky and rambo-styling a horde of zombies. The overall Epidemic Possibly scarier than everthing named above; this is probally gonna be the scariest thing you will ever do. You'll never know that when you come around a corner there will be a waiting zombie, or if you enter a shop to find it completely swarming with them. The next chapter is on morale. With morale you will find the whole infection a lot easier. Good luck. Chapter 11: Moral; The Will to Keep Fighting Moral is the key thing you need to keep up during a zombie infection. Without it, you don't really care much any more and are more scared than ever. If you keep it up, however, you'll find that a lot more of your gun shots hit true and that your not as likely to committ suicide, as many people would. This chapter describes how to keep you and your team's moral up. Loud Music: Ever played a game such as "Halo 3" with the song "Indestructable" or something of the sort in the background. Have you noticed that the music seems to make you a better player? Imagine this on a real-life scale. You are up in a fort, zombies are all rushing you. You click on MP3 player and turn on "Blackfire" by dragonforce. It is a good song, and the constant high-paced electric guitar gets your heart-pumping and runs up your adrenaline. This is how the pro's play. Keeping Count: Might sound childish, but keeping count of how many zed-heds you've shot between your team will boost their moral because, if you are higher than one of them, they will try to get more than you. Or visa-versa. Anyway, by the time its over you will be able to say "I picked off 24,312 zed-heads" or something like that. A Secure Location: Nothing keeps up moral more than being able to have a secure location and the ability to have a good nights sleep without the change of waking up as an infected the next day. If you build your camp/base/whatever on top of a large hill or something with steep walls that means that most infected can't get you because they can't climb. This is very good when it comes to moral. Laugh and watch the infected continuesly fall back down. Keeping up Food, Water and Ammo: The moment you start running out of these things your visions of the future becomes grim; what if we run out of water or food? What happens if we run out of bullets and have nothing to defend ourselves with? As long as you can keep up the food, water and ammo this will be fine. If you run out of ammo just resort to blades. Having livestock, such as chickens, will give you food for however long they can. A chicken can live for 10 years and starts laying eggs at 16 weeks. They can lay 1 egg per day for 5 years, then 1 egg per 2 days for another 3 years but then they stop laying. Having a rooster in a sound-proof room would help to keep up the ammount of chickens you have. Just remember; chicks are very prone to diseases. Water is easy to get; find a river or something and use a desalinisor to clean the water and be able to drink it. Or just do this with the water you have a bath with. I say bath because that won't waste too much water and showers will be impossible to have anymore. Games: Nothing says 'Up yours' while playing Uno while there is a zombie infection just outside your door. Games are good to keep your mind off the topic of zombies and can keep moral up too. Never underestimate any game. Even monopoly; its a long game but this game will keep you awake while you awake while you are on Night-Guard Duty. Any games helps, but try to stick to card games or other small-games like Mini-Monopoly (may go by a different name but is a very small version of monopoly you could nearly fit into your pocket) just incase you need to grab your bag-out-bag and, well, bag out. In other words; grab your bag of stuff and run for the hills. Chapter 12: Alternative Energy Without fuel, gas and other energies such as this you are asking for an undead kick-in-the-ass. No lights, no power, nothing to recharge any batteries with; you can basically kiss your ass good-bye. This is when Alternative Energy comes in handy. Using this you can do most things that normally required electricity, fuel or anything else that will be unavailable in a zombie infection. Alternative Energy sources were designed for this, in one way or another, so when we run out we can continue and not sit in the corner crying. Alternative Energies will always be there. The zombies can't block out the sun, drink up all the worlds oceans, kill all the livestock (they might kill all the livestock, actually) and stop the wind from blowing. Thats when we turn the tide; we got energy and they don't, even though they cannot use it. This chapter will describe alternative energies that can be used in a zombie infection. Solar Power: The most common and expected energy source to be used in a zombie infection. The sun will always shine and, as long as you got some Solar Pannels, you can always run what you need. From recharging batteries to running lights or hot water, solar power can be used for nearly everything - and quite effectively too. The only down side with Solar Power is night time. Thats when there is no sun, so if your entire team relies on Solar Power then you'd better have a shi-load of batteries charged and ready to go. Especially if you retreat to Antarctica where there is no sun for very long ammounts of time. The odd zombie that won't freeze will get you unexpected during the 8 months of no sun. Wind Power: Wind Power is good if you are bunking down on top of a mountain or on a really windy desert plain. Wind power can power quite a lot of things, but unless you already have the turbines and everything else you need you can't really expect to use this option. If you find an abandoned military base that is still intact, however, wind power and solar are usually combined in places where you cannot get electricity. Wave/Tidal Power: This is pretty much a no-go zone unless everything is already set up for you. In Antarctica, for example, they have 8 meter tall waves as an average height and some areas have this alternative energy means all ready to go. In other areas, however, this is pretty rare. Heed my warning. Livestock: Just like all the others; as long as you have everything you need this is a very good possibility. Livesotck also has 2 great advantages - if you ever get hungry you can always eat one and, number 2, they breed. The more the merrier in both situations. But with advantages come disadvantages; You need a decent ammount to power not too much, they will also be a prime target for undead, and due to natural reasons their sound, if it is a moo or a buck, may attract other zombies. Some are also slow at moving, too. This is a pretty common way of energy, however, as you may find herds of cows out in the middle of nowhere, trapped in a pattick that the zombies havn't found yet. Man-Power The most simpliest and easiest energy to get your hands on. Generators can have an attached cycle to power it and, providing you got the energy, you could power the generator for as long as you live, litterally. But, when alone, this is not advised. Due to the fact that you will have to power it without a guard to look out for zombies. And, if you power it for long enough, you will get more tired than usual and sleep for longer. Then a zombie might enter the room without you knowing and 'bite'. Chapter 13: Alternative Weaponry; Blunts Blunts, defined as any weapon that can be fatal yet, at the same time, has no sharpened edge. Usually these are found in crime shows, where the victims dead was instant due to trauma caused by a hit to the head with a blunt object. These include things like metal baseball bats, hockey sticks, anything that is quite heavy and can cause a lot of brain damage. People also like 'enhancing' their blunts in time of need like, for example, nails driven through wooden baseball bats or wrapping barb wire around the collision-point of these weaponry. The possibilities are endless, providing you have the proper equiptment. Blunts, unlike guns and blades, will not run out of ammo or, like blades, become blunt (not an intended pun). -Baseball Bats Wooden or metal, baseball bats are the first thing that come into mind when you mention Blunts. Baseball Bats are, not only one of the most powerful blunts, but are quite 'customizable', in a sense. Barb wire, nails, drill bitts, if its sharp and can really hurt someone then it'll work. The baseball bat, alike most blunts, use a swinging action to inflict damage into the infected individual. Not only can the baseball bat kill an infectted quite easily, it can also easily break bones, perfect for paralysing or slowing oncoming zombies. Baseball bats should be the first pick for a blunt weapon when the time comes to grab it and run. -Hockey Stick The Hockey Stick is quite the blunt weapon. Possibly not as good as the Baseball Bat, but is the next-best. Not as customizable as the baseball bat, either, it can inflict quite a lot of damage, too. The hockey stick is also considerably longer, in most cases, then the baseball bat and is made of a material that is much lighter but, also, slightly weaker than metal. -Sledgehammer The most painful of all blunted weapons, the sledgehammer is guarenteed a kill if struck with the proper force to the head. But this immense ammount of power comes with cost; sledgehammers are the heaviest of all blunts. Another draw back of this weapon is its size, since it will have to be carried in the place of a primary weapon, such as a rifle. Take care if you choose this as your blunt. -Crowbar The most useful of all blunts, the crowbar is not only good for killing infected due to it's design to pry open objects, but is also good for opening things such as crates and other objects you cannot open by hand. The crowbar may not be as powerful as its blunt brothers but this can be supplimented for its usefulness. -Frying Pan Possibly the smallest of all blunts, the Frying Pan is a very effective killer. Swinging the Frying Pan like a baseball bat and hitting the face of an infected individual can cause nearly-instant death. The frying pan is also lighter than some blunts but, also, is relitively heavy. Its small size is also an advantage for carrying it around. -Anything Else Although there are a nearly infinate number of blunts, far too many to name here, but, when choosing a blunt weapon, make sure it weighs 10 kilograms and is longer than the minimum blade length; 8 inches. Anything shorter or that weighs less than that won't make much of a difference out on the field when fighting zombies. Chapter 14 - The Bag-out Bag First off, just to clarrify, the Bag-out Bag is a bag where, well, you can grab it and bag-out (in other words, run for the hills, providing you have a fortress in the hills or are planning to live off the land, as described in a previous chapter, as hills are good strategic points. Wow, that was a rather long pun. Anyway...) In your Bag-out Bag, you want to contain anything you will need, depending on your area. No matter where, there are some things that should be there at all times, such as ammo, compass, water, food, etc.. Don't put EVERYTHING vital to your survival here, though, you don't want to be running away from zombies, step a corner and end up getting your bag caught by a zombie and the only way to get out of its grip is to ditch the bag. There are many more scenarios such as this, so you should always carry some ammo, food and a bottle or two of water on yourself and not in the bag-out bag. As I said before, depending on your area, you will have certain items required for your bag-out bag and not for other areas. For example, if you are carrying bricks from one place to your future fortress, you won't have much purpose for bricks when living off the land. Most things, however, fit in quite nicely in all sections. -Vital Equipment: As the name states, this will be the most vital stuff you need. These will fit nicely into any area you are going into. These items include: - Watch (with replacement batteries) - Bottled Water (cleaned) - Food (preferably canned) - First Aid Kit - Ammunition - Compass - Water Purification Tablets - Hand-pump water filter - Silencers (if not attached to weapons, and if you can get your hands on one) - Scope (again, if you can get one. A night vision scope is prefered) - Hatchet - Two Knives - Sets of Earplugs (in case of bunking down in an area, so that the constant moan of zombies won't send you crazy) - Rechargeable batteries (any quantity, any size) - Battery Recharger (for all your batteries) - Flares - Fisherman's magnet-and-copper coil torch (shake it to power it, basically) - Water-proof matches - Map - Battery-powered, hand-held radio (preferably with earpiece) - Bedroll or sleeping bag (not both) - Binoculars -Additional Equipment These are not entirely necessary, but would help a lot in the case of an infection. - Money (might still be of use, will also be able to barter for a favor from a fellow survivor) - Alcohol (good for when your feeling down, not too much though. Can also be used to barter) - Gasoline/Petrol (in case you need a car. Probally a waste on a car, use it for a generator. Would be able to trade some for a decent ammount of ammo and supplies, too) - Bleaching agent (maintaining latrines, if one available) - Chemical Light Sticks - Fire Extinguisher (if possible) - Swiss army knife (or multi-tool) - Cleaning Kit In addition, all groups should carry: - Silent weapon (preferably a silenced firearm or crossbow) - Medium-sized medical kit - Two-way radio (preferably, again, with earpieces or headphones) - Crowbar (you will thank me for all the usefulness these things have) Well, that should cover the bag-out bag. Of course, it will differ from area to area, plan to plan, etc.. Feel free to add whatever you think you would need. There is a lot more useful things, too, don't think that just because they arn't on the list you shouldn't have them. Just, try not to have a 20kg+ bag. Coming up next: Chapter 15 - Rules of Survival Comments and Critism is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to ask. 3 Kiriashi, ashtray and Cjboy reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 I personally don't think that there are any zombies in the world, and I think that we would be able to prevent an outbreak of them easily. As in, no zombies are coming. HOWEVER, I do believe that it might be possible for them to come. It could happen, but it won't. That doesn't change the awesomeness of this topic though. ^_^ Keep it up, I will be reading. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 When you consider what Bio-Warfare can do and the creation of man-made viruses such as HIV/AIDS it would be simple to modify a strand of Rabies to do this effect. Rabies already makes the host aggressive and irrational. The bacteria of the virus is all over the hosts teeth and nails so all you would need to do it make the host think that they want to bite and infect other people. Thanks for the review. Chapter 3 is out now. Enjoy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 Well I wasn't considering a man-made zombie virus.. why would someone do something like that? >,< *reads chapter 3* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashtray 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 So a zombie is (in this case) a person infected with a virus that makes him highly aggresive and he might also go around biting others? So this is not the kind of zombie that eats other humans, or human brains? If that's so im answering "yes" in your poll because I dont think it would be impossible to create such a virus. Maybe in around 50 years? i dont know? Anyways, i really liked this guide. Its written well. 1+ rep :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted October 19, 2009 @Kiriashi: I can list 3 types of people off the top of my head; Military, Terrorists, Scientists. You could have a heap of reasons for making one; a bio-weapon, trying to understand more about viruses, etc.. @Ashtray: Thanks for the rep. It wouldn't take hundreds of years. Might only take 10. Hope you enjoy the rest of the chapters. Chapter 4 will be available soon. Edit: Chapter 4 is now available. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted October 22, 2009 Chapter 5 is now available. Here is a list of what is to come: Edit: I have slightly changed the list, adding "Food and Water" to the mix. ~Chapter 6: Forts ~Chapter 7: Food and Water ~Chapter 8: Weapons ~Chapter 9: Transport ~Chapter 10: Worst-Case Scenario Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 4, 2009 Chapter 6: Forts, has been added. Also, since the Weapons section will be so big I am splitting it up into 3 sections; Blades, Guns and Explosives. Enoy. 1 Kiriashi reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 4, 2009 Chapter six is by far and away the best so far. :< ) I skipped 5, so Imma go read that now. This is good stuff Tomo! EDIT: IDEA!! What if you made edits your Hope Afloat game that show you how to use your tips? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 5, 2009 Well, Hope Afloat is more of a game with a good story line (which if you have played Amiira you see the beginning of the end :D ) and I purposely made it for fun (for me and other people to play). I think that maybe I will make a zombie survival quiz to incorperate your knoledge about survival and everyone posts their results at the end :D . Another thing; Chapter 7 will be out soon. And, if you have read chapter 4, 5 and 6; Living on the Land is possibly the best way to go. Forts can be hard, especially if it is a Self-Made one because of the lack of mobility. And just bunking it out and Surviving at Home is good but bad because the town could be bombed (which is always a possibility). Also, I guess you are back from wherever you went (if it was from the dead then I really don't want to know :D ). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 5, 2009 Nope, I'm just putting off my life so I can post here. :mellow: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 5, 2009 Kiriashi; What do you think about the Zombie Infection RMXP Quiz? Like the idea? Wanna help? If so, I'll send you a small quiz to see what you get right. Also, Chapter 7 - Food and Water is now out. EDIT: I'd like to thank everyone at Zombietools.net for creating a large variety of machetes and zombie dispatching blades for everyones viewing pleasure. This means that Chapter 8-1: Weapons - Blades is also now out. Enjoy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 14, 2009 I decided to add a small section in the "How" section. Here it is if you can't find it: A zombie virus will either be created or mutated from an already-existing virus. Although I am not going to disclose the information about how it could be created or mutated, however. Creating a Zombie Virus Creating a zombie virus would be the easiest and the least lethal kind of zombies. If it was created, with present knoledge about viruses, it would be able to control the host but not be able to do much more than make it want to feast upon humans, either by eating them or infecting them. This would be, in a way, not too scary of an apocalypse, only they would be able to run and do nearly everything that the host could do before infected. However, it would be suseptable to dying from blood-loss (in movies zombies bleed but don't die from it) and lack of food and water. They would also need to sleep (zombies are only ever seen sleeping in "I am Legend"). Mutating a Virus The most dangerous one; mutating the virus can not only do everything that creating a virus can do but much more. Depending on the virus it mutates from, if it is a common flu virus or if it is a rare disease such as Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, it may have different affects or something that the zombies do. For example, if it mutated from a common flu virus the zombie may continuesly snease. This may not seem, at first, to be a problem and only alerts you to its presence, but the flem that it may cough or snease out will contain the virus, and then you may touch it and maybe eat something or possibly whipe your eye and you may become infected. If it is mutated from the Dercum's Disease, a disease where an extremely rare disorder characterized by multiple, painful growths consisting of fatty tissue. These growths mainly occur on the trunk, the upper arms and upper legs and are found just below the skin (subcutaneously). If it mutates from this the zombies may appear to be bigger and fatter, but shooting one of these growths may cause it to burst and spray the virus inside the puss the growths release. This would make zombies far more far but also would spread the disease much more efficiently. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 Chapter 8-2: Weapons - Guns is now available. It's a long but great read. Trust me; reading is much easier than writing :D . 1 hour of work was put into this chapter. Enjoy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 I'm not done reading, but it is great! Suggestion: spread the time you write in here and the time you write event tutorials evenly. :P Please? lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 Well, since this chapter would have been one of the largest and I havn't written a chapter in quite a while so I decided to work on this a lot. Now that this chapter is out of the way I can get back to tutorials and your "Button Input Process" Tutorial. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 Yay! *giddy with joy* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 Hopefully I'll be done soon. In 6 hours I'll be back from high school and ready to finish it. A few more systems and its finished :D . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 16, 2009 :o You should be working?! BACK TO SCHOOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Lol, fine. Also, you mispelt school. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noob Saibot 38 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Your average zombie movie from old or new has evolved over the years. For example if you watch older zombie movies you will notice that the zombies move relatively slow with arms stretched mumbling the word brains. Over the years the evolution of zombie movies has become a pop culture and in it most greatest reality zombie movies are no longer part of the horror genre as they stand alone with so many. Between the time of 90s and up is when we notice that zombies in movies alter there thinking and movement of motion to the point where they can run (at human speed) and no longer want just brains, but see humans as food. The movie Land of The Dead suggested that a zombie is in short a human who only thinks of one thing and that is eating; the most basic instinct of any animal. Plus a little research and you can find diseases that actual cause necrosis (the decaying of flesh/body tissue) and most are quite deadly even with medical treatment. However some low budget movies try and do new things as is with the remake of The Day of the Dead the zombies moved with super human like speed and could even run up walls or on ceilings. In the beginning in the period of time that will call B.R. (Before Romero) the zombie as we know it did not exist. Pre-1968 zombies were something entirely different. These animated corpses were a product of voodoo and the movies portrayed them as such. In films such as White Zombie (1932) and Revenge of the Zombies(1943), lifeless bodies were removed from the grave right after burial and turned into living mindless slaves obeying the biddings of a human master. Birth of the Modern Zombie in 1968 when the idea of rotting reanimations were about to go the way of an Ed Wood film, along came a man who would revolutionize the horror genre and breath new life (or undeath) into the zombie. A small budget black and white film titled Night of the Living Dead , written and directed by George A. Romero, hit theaters and drive-ins in 1968. The effects of Romero's ground-breaking treatment of the theme are still being felt today. From the moment that we heard "They're coming to get you Barbara", the zombie became fair game again, and the gore effect became a staple of the genre. The seventies were a decade that consisted of a lot of growing pains for the Zombie genre. Filmmakers were not quite sure how to properly utilize this new tool that had been thrown into the horror toolbox. There were a couple of decent attempts such as Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972) and Garden of the Dead (1972). Though not great, they were not that bad either. The better films of the decade seemed to come from the minds of European film makers. Eurohorror produced such gems as Tombs of the Blind Dead (Tombs of the Blind Dead 1971) and Horror Rises From the Tomb (Horror Rises from the Tomb 1973). In 1978 Romero gave the genre a much needed “fatherly” shove in the right direction with Dawn of the Dead (1978). The first to gather an understanding of where the genre was going was Lucio Fulci who ended the decade with the release of Zombi 2 (1979, 1980 U.S.). The Roaring 1980s like a child with the training wheels taken off, zombie films took off in the eighties. The list of movies adding to the Zombie Movie History from the 80s is long and includes many of the classics if the genre: Dead and Buried (1981), The Evil Dead (1982), Zombie Island Massacre (1984), Day of the Dead (1985), The Return of the Living Dead (1985), Night of the Creeps (1986), Evil Dead II (1987), The Dead Next Door (1988). It was also during this time that certain rules became staples of the genre, some accepted, some rejected, and others made fun of: If you didn’t die first, you ain’t a zombie. Zombies are not cannibals. They do not feed on each other only living flesh. The only way to stop a zombie is a well placed head shot. (Hammer, ice-pick, gun, axe, etc.) Intelligence is not a their strong point. There are other rules that are deemed acceptable to bend if necessary, but these are pretty much untouchable. In the 1990's Zombie Film Makers lost their way as teenagers, you see, think they know everything and that they are bullet-proof. It is during the teen years that the most mistakes are made. That is what the nineties were to the zombie film - mistake time. Though there were a few greats, such as Braindead (1992) and Dellamorte Dellamore (Cemetery Man 1994), they were hard to spot floating around in the waste water with Dead Men Don't Die (1990), Zombie Rampage 2 (1992), Zombie Holocaust (1995) and Zombie Doom (1999). Present and the future looks bright because today, it seems as though the zombie genre is moving into responsible adulthood. There have been some good films released so far in this decade, notably Land of the Dead (2005), Dawn of the Dead 2004 (2004), and Shaun of the Dead (2004). There are a few remakes in the works that I am a little hesitant about, but I am very optimistic about what the future holds for zombie fans everywhere. So, just remember...If work is weighing you down, home life is racking your nerves, and nothing seems to be going right, there is nothing more calming than a good healthy dose of gory, human flesh eating, zombie mayhem. Whether you want to blame "the Man" for societies woes, or just like seeing rotted walking flesh rip apart their victims and eat their guts out, a zombie movie marathon will surely cure what ails you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Whoa.. block o' text alert. *reads* 8-o Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Very intesting post, Hebi. May I call you Hebi? I do enjoy myself a good zombie movie once in a while. I used to just go down to the video store, order out about 5 (Best 5 I ever picked was "28 Days Later", "28 Weeks Later", "Shaun of the Dead", "Dawn of the Dead (I think 2004)" and "I am Legend". If you watch carefully, each movie teaches you about something in life. For example, in "I am Legend", where Will Smith sacrifices himself so that the mother and son could escape with the cure, this teaches you that you must first sacrifice something before you can gain something greator. If you want to tie this in with an RMXP game, for another example, the sacrifice is time, script fixes and endless annoyancies when you cannot find out what the problem is. The gaining something greator part is when you fix all of the problems and release them to the RMXPU community. I'm quite happy at the moment because my project has had 1,300 views. Also, this is a non-fiction guide that I write. I believe in that a zombie apocalypse may come within the next, possibly, 10 to 20 years. 2012, on the other hand, I once thought could be the date of a zombie apocalypse but you must do research into the matter. It is estimated that within the next 20 years that they will have whiped out at least 2/7ths of the viruses on Earth. And how would they do this? Vaccines holding a small ammount of the virus inside of it. And when vaccines don't work? Sometimes another virus can come along, destroy another virus and become dominent. If this is the case they would be able to 'cure' this virus with antibiotics or something of the sort. I also write this guide to try to make people read think about the possibility. I have a small team that are currently preparing for it right now. They include Matthew (a.k.a. Maccas because he likes eating MacDonalds). Maccas is our Engineer, a makeshifter. Give him a hammer, access to a furnace, 30 inches of 5160 spring steel and 7-8 inches of T6 Aluminium and watch with awe at the colourful creation he makes. Each one of his machetes he calls his "babies", just for kicks. He's made a normal one, a double sided one (so there is a blade coming from both ends of the handle), a modern remake of the WW1 Trench Spike and a whole lot of others. Lee is our infilration expert. We have test runs at home about entering a house full of zombies with a gun that shoots small plastic pellets. Somebody would be the survivor and maybe 4 or 5 would be zombies. The zombies pick a location in the house and stay there. We also put things like bottles water, packets of chips and other things like that scattered around the house. We are also timing the survivor. 2 minutes max to enter, find as much food and water as possible and escape. There is only 1 catch; the zombies don't know you are there unless you come very close to them or they hear the gunshot (since the plastic pellets don't make a loud noise when they fire the person has to say "Bang" when they fire). The zombies can run, too, but only a jog. There are 3 rules for the zombies; they must not be in the same room with another and that they cannot be within 1 foot of an item of food. They must also not be at the entering doors. Creaks from the opening doors alert zombies only in the hallway or bathroom (if the bathroom isn't being blocked off as a wall). Also, you have to have food and water in pretty plain sight. The cuboards are out-of-bounds. This game is actually pretty fun. Sometimes we close doors to certain rooms to either make you have to open it (a creak would alert nearby zombies) or just say it is a door (this way it changes the buildings design of which you are in. Most of the time you, in a real zombie apocolypse, would be entering a house you know nothing about. Anyway, Lee is our infiltrations expert because of our times: (There is a total of 4 bags of chips, 5 bottles of water and 1 bar of chocolate (usually hidden quite well)). Also, you must leave the same way you entered. If you don't exit before the 2 minutes is up then you automatically loose. If you are a zombie and the survivor has alerted you, you have to make zombie-like moans or growls. A zombie can only be killed if the pellet hits their head of chest. -Maccas: 1:42; escaped with: 3 bags of chips, 5 bottles of water, 0 bars of chocolate. Killed 3/5 zombies. Comments: One of the zombies desided to be in the hallway; an easy target. But the 'bang' maccas let off attracted another zombie. Most of the time when a zombie is attracted the survivor will stay put and wait for it to come to them. It took the zombie 20 seconds to reach Maccas which really slowed him down. -Tom (Me): 1:23; escaped with: 3 bags of chips, 4 bottles of water and 1 bar of chocolate. Zombies killed: 4/5. Comments: I, basically, ran in and quickly searched every room, fired at the zombies (only ever missed 2 dire shots) and retreaved any food I could. You only get 6 bullets, though, and I had used them by the time I got to the last zombie. I used a wheelie-chair and pushed the chair into the zombie which gave me enough time to escape. I suspected that the other 2 bags of chips were on the other side of the house but with no bullets to fight off the zombie that would soon escape from the temporary blockade I had used I had to get out of there. -Lee: 0:59; escaped with: 2 bags of chips, 5 bottles of water and 1 bar of chocolate. Zombies killed: 1/5. Comments: Lee was very cleaver when it came to his turn. He tried to avoid doing anything to attract a zombie. The only one he attracted he grabbed by the neck, pushed it up against a wall and pulled the trigger into its chest (which would been silent. I know this happened because I was the zombie he alerted :D ). Lee was quick and nimble. When he entered a room he would climb to the a high-ground point and search. If nothing, he would continue on his way. He was lucky, too. Maccas desided to play a moving zombie when Lee was going to escape and Lee had to hide in the Bathroom while Maccas walked by. Thats when he found the last water bottle. He alerted the zombie but escaped with an expert time. Me, on the other hand, I an the Fortifications Expert. Give me a drill and 5, 6 foot long pieces of conduit, and I can make it so it is IMPOSSIBLE to enter through that door. If you need something barricaded then thats what I do. Anything from doors to windows to holes in the wall to pretty much anything. So, Hebi, what do you think about the possibility or a real zombie apocolypse? 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Kiriashi 117 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 I'm going to make my GF play that game with me. :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 17, 2009 Are you serious? Lol, if you are I can post up the rules and how to play in more detail if you want. Also, you might want a few more people because once the zombies dead thats it :D . Also, if you a single hit from a zombie your dead. Maybe get a few other friends to play too. The more the merrier. EDIT: Ok, here are the rules: Infiltration Infiltration's the name, Infiltrating, Escaping with Supplies and Killing Zombies is the game. People Required to Play: Infiltration is best played with between 3-8 people. If you have enough players you can even have 2 survivors at once. The rules can be slightly modified for 2 players if you don't have enough people. What is needed to play: -Either a pellet-shooting gun, a cap-gun (with or without caps, just don't fire at close range at someones eyes) or a toy gun of some sort. -A stop-watch or something else that you can keep the time with. -Supplies. Preferably 4 items of food, 5 bottles of any sort (full or not full, doesn't really matter) and a small item of desirable food (such as chocolate). Try to keep these items light. You can have them heavy for more added realism. -A backpack or bag for the survivor to store the supplies. This must be able to be kept on and maybe even run at the same time. Safe Room: First off, for added fun (if you have lots of zombies and possibly more than 1 survivor), you can have a Safe Room. This room is only safe because you use things to barricade it up. You can use a door with a chair up against the nob, or something of the sort. The Safe Room, however, is only for people who play with a lot of players. Safe Room Rules: 1) You can stay in the safe room for as long as you like but if you are still in the safe room when the timer runs out you lose. 2) The safe room can be used for stashing supplies but if the timer runs out, or if the survivors escape, food still in the safe room will not be counted to the overall score. 3) The moment you enter the safe room you attract nearby zombies. Just remember; if the zombies flood your door and you cannot escape then its, basically, game over. Safe Room Items: -Anything you can use to barricade a door or something of the sort. Rules: Preparing: 1) The survivor(s) must stay outside while the zombies hide the items of food, water and desirable around the house. 2) Zombies can close doors but must put something (like a piece of paper with the word "Wall") on the door to mean that it is a wall. 3) If a door is a wall then no items should be inside where the door blocks off unless there is another way to get to it (not including windows). 4) The items should be in plain sight. 5) Cupboards, freezers, cabinets and fridges are out of bounds. Do not put food in any places where food is already kept in the actual house. 6) Zombies must choose their location before the survivor(s) can enter. If the preparation timer runs out before they take their possitions then they must either quickly pick one of be automatically dead. 8) If you have a 2-story house just play on the bottom floor (this rule may be changed to suit your liking). 7) The zombies have 2 minutes to prepare the house. Survivor Rules: 1) You must attempt to get all the items before escaping. 2) You must escape with whatever you have before the timer runs out. You must exit the same way you entered the house. If you are still inside the house when the timer runs out its game over and nothing counts to your score. 3) You must remember that the way you entered is the way you exit. 4) If there are 2 survivors and 1 gets hit that survivor becomes a zombie. 5) If you get a single hit from a zombie you are dead. 6) When you fire your gun, you must say "Bang" loudly. 7) If you shoot a zombie in the head or chest (heart) they are dead. 8) Your gun has ammo. If you have a lot of zombies than your gun may have clips or manual reload. Your must reload your gun (providing you have enough ammo) realistically. Zombie Rules: 1) Zombies must be at least 2 foot away from any items that the survivors are collecting. 2) Zombies must be at least 5 foot away from the entry area. 3) Zombies can wonder around aimlessly, but only walk. 4) Zombies can run at survivors but only if; a) They hear a nearby "Bang" from a nearby room (not across the house). b) They see the survivor. c) The survivor makes a loud noise like tripping over or running into a nearby wall. d) A creaking door will alert zombies only in the rooms connected by the door. 5) If a zombie is shot in the head or chest they are dead for the rest of the game (you may change this rule to suit your liking). 6) Zombies cannot be in the same room as another zombie unless you are playing with more zombies than there are rooms. 7) Zombies cannot climb (this rule may be changed to suit your liking). 8) If you are playing with Safe Rooms then zombies cannot be in the safe room if it is closed to start with. They may wonder in but the survivors will probally shoot them. 9) If the survivor alerts you, you must make zombie-like moans or growls. That's about it :D . Enjoy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noob Saibot 38 Report post Posted November 18, 2009 @ Tomo2000 & Anyone who cares, My moms a big horror person so I grew up watching zombie movies, vampire, Stephen King, etc. The most recent zombie I saw was Zombieland and I actually liked it and can't wait for it to come to DVD (or even On Demand through Comcast). I find your topic interesting simply because I am a writer and after watching: I am Legend, The Day of the Dead (remake), and Life After People (History and National Geographic special) I let my imagination run and came up with my new novel I am working on: The Necrosis Chronicles: The Falling, in which we are taken 10 years into the future after a virus had savaged the world and came to be known as Necrosis Plague(NP). People infected with NP became violent, hallucinative, blind, and the outer skin would start to rot away. Then I got the idea that NP would effect people differently (after all if you and I both get the common cold it would effect us differently; you might get well first or I might) so NP reacts to people differently. Some people go blind first, some their flesh starts to rot first, they may become violent or hallucinative first, and some case people are known to start rotting from the inside out. But there are a few things that should be known about my novel and that is, is that NP is not known where it came from (government experiment, been around for years, etc) and all known stories of where NP originated from is nothing but a story. The reason behind this is simply that NP is not the focus of my story it is just what starts it. In time they find they can't find a cure, but release a vaccination... And I'm not will to go furthur in detail; after all can't have some Jone/Jane doe randomly see this topic and well... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 18, 2009 A vaccine? This is, for a zombie virus, all a vaccine would do in a zombie infection would infect the useless and stupid ones before the zombies could get to them. As for the book you are writing, I like it so far. What is your character; civilian, military or something of the sort? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noob Saibot 38 Report post Posted November 18, 2009 A vaccine? This is, for a zombie virus, all a vaccine would do in a zombie infection would infect the useless and stupid ones before the zombies could get to them. As for the book you are writing, I like it so far. What is your character; civilian, military or something of the sort? Its not a zombie virus, granite the virus gives the look but NP kills only 3,000,000 world wide as most deaths come from other humans. In a culture where zombie movies exsist would you truly ask questions first to someone who looked dead? The book does not focus on a single character each chapter will be named after a character and with in that chapter we follow the story through the eyes of many characters to tell a whole story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tomo2000 60 Report post Posted November 18, 2009 Makes a lot of sense. 1 thing that I don't like about most books and movies is that nobody seems to be prepared for what is coming when, infact, around 1 in 10 people believe in the possibility of a zombie infection and around 1 in 100 are already preparing. There are 10 billion people on earth, so 100000000 people would be, approx, prepared when it comes. Depeding on how smart they are this is quite a large number of people. So are you going to post a topic about it? I'd love to read some. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Noob Saibot 38 Report post Posted November 18, 2009 First seven pages; has not been edited or proof read so no complaining about grammar or spelling. PROLOGUE Bradley watched as the rock he kicked rolled and jumped across the ground. He grimaced when the rock did not go as far as he wanted it to. He felt his face turn red as the rock only stopped about ten feet in front of him. Bradley tried to avoid his grandpa’s look, but whether it was because the rock did not go very far or some other reason Bradley could not say. He tried to sound enthusiastic, but he knew he failed. “Pretty far, right gramps?” “Perhaps if we want everyone to know were we are,” Gramps said. ”And I have told you to call me John.” Bradley’s faced reddened even more. “Sorry John.” They walked in silence for sometime, the dead streets of Fresno, California almost seemed like a scene from a movie. Bradley seemed to be waiting for that last minute tumble weed to roll in front of him; like they always did in a show down in an old western movie. Bradley was six when he met John in Nevada. He was not sure what city as he was only six and he never bothered to ask John. As far as Bradley knew his parents were long dead; if eight years ago could be considered long dead. Bradley looked up at John with wandering eyes and his eyes came to the sword John carried. “Gram…I mean John,” Bradley said as anger filled him. He always called him gramps and now the past few weeks John has been asking him not to. “Why do you carry a sword instead of a gun?” John raised an eyebrow at him and then glanced down at his sword and put his hand on the hilt. “Guns are expensive now a days and in these times a sword or knife is cheaper to come buy. Juts like gasoline, automobiles, and just about any electronics are to expensive to buy and dangerous if you are found with them.” “Why would they be dangerous,” Bradley asked as he kicked another rock and became irritated at how far it went. “An iPod cant kill anyone.” John stopped walking and turned to face him. He rubbed his hand on Bradley’s head and messed his hair up even worse than it had been. “True, but being such a rare item anyone would kill for an iPod or even a CD player. The world has changed since The Falling Bradley and you need to understand this if you are going to survive in this world.” “What ever,” Bradley said as he ran up to a rock and kicked it and watched it fly further than any rock he had kicked before. John raised an eyebrow and when he spoke Bradley turned to face him. “What do you mean what ever. These are dangerous times and in such a time a man may find himself looking at another human he has just killed just so that he may live to breath another…” Bradley cut him off as he walked up to him. “How do you expect me to understand if you won’t even tell me about The Falling. You are always preaching to me to do the right thing and not to be selfish, but how can I do that if you are being selfish and not telling me about The Falling. I’m fourteen years old and not some child.” Johns blood boiled with anger. “Fourteen and yet you still insist on calling me gramps when I’m old enough to be your big brother…” Bradley’s face turned red with anger. “Shut up.” John’s eyes widened in surprise and Bradley seemed to be fighting off tears, but when he spoke they poured from him like a leaky faucet. “I call you gramps because it helps me believe that some part of my grandfather is alive. When I look at you I see a young version of him and with that I see my father. I may have been six when they died, but I remember their faces just as clear as you are real in front of me. I’m not a little kid anymore and I deserve to know what happened to them. And what is so wrong with me calling you gramps, what makes it so childish. Bradley stomped his foot on the ground and after words his face reddened even more and his angry look got even anger. John walked to him slowly and when he was in front of him he kneeled down and wiped the tears from his face. “I’m sorry Bradley. I had no idea that is why you called me gramps. I found you when you were six so I thought it was a child thing. I’m honored that I remind you of your grandfather he must have been a great man. And you are right you are old enough to know now what The Falling is.” John grabbed Bradley’s chin and tilted his head up to look in the boys eyes. “Sometimes even us adults need to learn that a little immaturity can lighten the mood.” Bradley’s eyes seemed to be wandering again and before John could suggest they made camp to eat the anger in Bradley’s face vanished. “Can we go in there?” John turned to see a book store, Barns-n-Nobles. “I doubt there are any books left in there, but if it makes you happy we will go and look.” John smiled a half grin and started walking toward the book store. Bradley had taken a liking to books and he only owned one. Shaman’s Crossing by Robin Hobb. John read the book and after words was disappointed that he could not find the two other books in the trilogy. The inside was dark, but amazingly the windows had not been broken. John grabbed the handle and the door opened. “Wait here.” He pulled his sword from its scabbard and vanished in the dark. Bradley became nervous, but after a time he saw lights come on in the far back and John coming toward the door. “It’s safe.” Bradley ran in and was shocked at the sight that lay inside the book store. It was full of books. “It has not been destroyed yet and after so many years.” John came in and stood by him. “Not every city, big or little was destroyed after The Falling. Most likely someone kept the place safe for sometime. And if you have to go to the bathroom stay out of the men’s it holds the smell of death in it.” Bradley left him there to no doubt look for the science fiction section and John slowly followed. When he came around a corner he saw Bradley staring at the science fiction books with interest and disappointment. He pulled books of shelves and threw them aside. ‘Perhaps he doesn’t like books that well after all’ John said to himself. John knelt and began looking at the books he had discarded like trash. He picked one up that read Dragon Weather by Lawrence Watt Evans and another called A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. From Tolkien to Robert Jordan he discarded so many like they were trash and he still did not find what he was looking for. He rummaged through the books and found more books by Martin, A Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance With Dragons. He set the books down and decided to wander around the rest of the book store. John went to the front of the store and stared out the window and before he could react or even think of reacting he felt something press against his head and the sound of what sounded like a gun being cocked. “Who are you,” a voice said behind him. He also heard Bradley scream from were he was and before he could even imagine what they might have done to him he was standing next to him. “And what are you doing in here?” John turned around and found himself staring down the barrel of a 9mm gun and the man that held it had to be just a few years older then him. “We are sorry we thought it had been abandon. My son just wanted to try and find a book to read.” A girl about Bradley’s age spoke up. “And discarded so many as if they were trash. In a time when man kind is falling we must cherish every part of our history as if it where gold itself.” John rolled his eyes. “How do you plan to do this child. By killing every john doe and jane doe who comes crawling in here or in any other store that has not been raided. You are all children and you think this is some kind of game. These may be only books but there are those out there who would kill every last one of you to get their hands on them just so that they could have money. Greed will kill us before fools like you do.” The girl gritted her teeth in anger, but John heard someone else speak. “Greed is money and money is power, but we fight to preserve not make a fortune.” He was an old man and John guessed him to be in his late sixties. “What are you another False King,” John said with distaste. The old man walked to him so fast and back handed him that John became to stunned to even breath. “False Kings, Emperors, Pharos and what ever else fools will call themselves. The government we once knew is not the same and if people are willing to follow a single man who claims he is a King then so be it. But I will not allow you to insult me and call me something I am not. I simple give advice where it needs to be and these people listen or they don‘t.” “You are all fools,” Bradley said. “You speak of kings and The Falling. You all sound like children living in a fantasy story.” Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
