[Class Title]
Introduction
A zombie is a corpse that feeds on living flesh. Primarily, the phenomenon is brought about by a viral infection of unknown origin wherein no cure has yet been discovered. An outbreak of such an infection would certainly become a major health and security concern not only of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or of equal infectious agency of any country, but also of the government and international bodies as a whole. Assuming that an outbreak occurs, one of the firsts step to be taken is to contain the infection in whatever cost. Even so, in a worst case scenario, the infection can become severe that it would cause an apocalyptic scenario. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide on how to survive a zombie apocalypse assuming that all institutions and agencies have already collapsed. This paper would serve as the last resort of preserving human life in case such disaster should happen.
Survival Strategies
The survival strategies discussed in this paper is based on the assumption that the zombie infection is not rapid enough to make preparations impossible. It is assumed that the remaining population have been made aware of the zombification as to make these preparation discussed in this paper doable. Arguably, a zombie apocalypse does not happen without warning. According to a disaster preparedness site, several characteristics of an impending zombie outbreak are determined if any of these scenarios are present: a) Disappearance of a number of citizens, b) increasing numbers of gruesome unexplained deaths, c) emergence of mindless, flesh-eating corpses, d) significant increase in the numbers of the flesh-eating predators, e) the increased presence of military interventions such as mass isolation and mass quarantine and finally, f) the breakdown of government functions especially of health and medical services. When such scenarios occur, several strategies can be done in order to survive a zombie apocalypse and these are:
- Seeking a strong and safe shelter. Zombies are resilient creatures that are sensitive to even the slightest sign of human life. They get attracted to sounds and other activities. Because of this sensitivity, there is a huge possibility that anyone who is hiding from zombie attack would eventually get detected. For this reason, it is necessary that one finds a sturdy shelter, which could not be breached by huge waves of zombies. A concrete or steel structure that is well-ventilated is preferred. Zombies can be very persistent that any light building material is at risk of damage and collapse. It is also expected that under these circumstances, electrical and gas services are non-existent. Subsequently, the lack of electrical and gas services means that survivors would be spending their days in extremely cold temperatures especially during winter. For the same reason, it is recommended that one should include winter clothing as part of their preparations. If possible, shelters should not only be breached proof but also sound proof to avoid attracting zombie attention.
- Sufficient Supply of Food, Water and Medicine. Even if one finds a safe shelter, a person can only go about several days without food and water. For the same reason, before a zombie scenario gets worse, one should consider stacking enormous amounts of food and water in their chosen shelter. As a viral infection, there is a big possibility that tap water can become contaminated and so bottled water is preferred. Canned foods is also the most logical option for storage purposes since its shelf life is considerably longer than fresh foods. Medicine is also an important supply during this time of disaster. Medicine kits should include the basic drugs needed to cure simple illnesses such as antibiotics and antipyretics. As much as possible, survivors should keep themselves healthy in order to ward off possible infection of other nature from the rotting corpses of the zombies. Unless they have sufficient provisions, they might die of other causes rather than being eaten by zombies and becoming a zombie themselves.
- Weapons. Obviously, during a zombie disaster, possession of weapons is a must. Zombies are not easily subdued unless their head is severed or their brain severely damaged. In order to inflict such damage, weapons that can easily penetrate the skull should be used. It is, therefore, advisable to use firearms, especially high-powered ones, if available. Also, it is imperative that preparations should include huge supplies of ammunitions. Weapons would also come in handy when food and other supplies are depleted. Survivors can use their weapons to protect themselves while they look for provisions since it is anticipated that at such a short amount of time for preparations, supplies may not be enough to last the disaster.
Conclusion
The main purpose of these survival strategies is for remaining uninfected humans to outlive the zombie scourge. For the same reason, the amount of food, water and medicine should be sufficient enough to sustain human life until all the zombies are rotten and subdued due to natural causes. Being a corpse, zombies are subject to decomposition through natural processes. Most likely, their bodies would eventually decompose to a point wherein the remaining synapses of their brains would not be able to maintain. As that point, surviving humans would be able to come out of their shelters to live their life anew and preserve the survival of the human species.
Works Cited
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