U.S. Zombie Tactical Squad

When an outbreak occurs it is our recommendation that you get away from civilization and the populous in general.  Unfortunately this is not going to be an option for some people, especially those on the East Coast of the North American continent.  So what should those survivors do when the undead rise and begin eating the living?

The best choice you can make at the beginning is to go up, not down.  Never move down to the street level or below.  Always get above the crowd and destroy or block any paths that would allow anyone to follow you.

Most people will be fleeing the cities during an outbreak, so most high rises and apartment buildings will be vacated.  Head to the tallest one in your area, or start moving up the floors of the one you’re in.  We recommend you choose an apartment building over a commercial high rise.  Apartments are more likely to have things you will be able to use, like clothing, foodstuffs, and weapons.  Commercial buildings will have few if any of these.

Once you’ve chosen your building and scaled to one of the higher floors, then start destroying ways to reach you.  Kill the power to any elevators, and cut the cables if you have the tools to do so.  Destroy all but one staircase as well.  In most buildings you’re going to need some heavy tools to do so.  Drills, sledge hammers, hacksaws, etc. will be needed.

If you have it available, dynamite will work, but be careful you don’t damage the structure to the point it’s unlivable.  Only use dynamite or explosives if you are absolutely sure you know what you’re doing.  In fact, don’t use dynamite unless you’re an engineer, on the bomb squad, or have access to an explosives expert.

Once you’ve destroyed all but one staircase, then put your efforts into barricading that route as fully as you can.  If you’ve ever watched the film “28 Days Later” then you have an idea of what you need to do.  Use whatever materials available and make sure the path up the stairs is only large enough for a thin person to barely fit through.  This will allow you to keep any zombies that find their way up in a line and easier to take out.

Now you’re as protected as you can be.  While always having one of your group or team on watch at the stairwell, start taking stock of what is in the rooms and apartments of the building you have taken over.  Be very careful during your initial sweep as there may be some zombies in unopened rooms.  Make sure you use the buddy system and clear each room carefully.  Check under the beds, in all closets and in each and every bathroom.

After you’ve made sure to dispose of any undead in your building (and at this point it is your building) take stock of all the food you have available to you.  If the power is still on take out any meats stored in any refrigerators or freezers.  Start cooking it as quickly as possible as it will be the first to go bad.  You can also make homemade jerky by cooking at low temperatures over a long period of time.

You will want to use any food that may go bad first, so make sure you keep any bagged or canned foods back and eat everything else.  Another thing you’re going to want to plan for immediately is long term survival, and that means producing your own food over time.  If you live in a city like Chicago where there are a lot of green roof systems you’re in luck.  If not, there are easy ways to create your own that can be found online.

So if all goes well, you’re holed up in your building, you have access to get out if you need to, and you’re on your way to producing your own food.  Now start making your new home a livable space.  Go through the rooms you have and collect anything you might want to make use of for entertainment.  One of the biggest battles you’ll have other than the zombie hordes is the battle against boredom.

Make a ping pong table out of desks.  Get all the markers, pens, paper, etc. together and start teaching yourselves to draw, or write your memoirs, or learn to paint using the walls.  Find all the reading material you can.  The power won’t stay on forever, so make use of any televisions, internet access, etc. while you can.

Eventually you’re going to have to plan for getting out of there, but for the time being, while you’re safe, make your new home as comfortable as possible.  Get to work on the roof garden, and don’t forget the greens.

Photo Credits:  victoriapeckham, swisscan

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