In this section we will look at the initial events of the zombie uprising, and how we can prepare.
What it Is
This stage is when the first zombies appear, the public notice, and the chaos begins. Stage one can last anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks, but will more than likely be a few hours or days of frantic activity, followed by a slow decent into stage 2.
Basically, the zombies arise and infect their first victims (Kids daring each other into the graveyard, couples parked on exposed bluffs, security guards investigating the shuffling…). Their numbers grow rapidly as there is no containment system in place, and many of the initial victims will be clueless as to how to stop the zombies. The media begins coverage, people start to flee large population density areas, and the government tries to initiate emergency protocols to contain the zombies, but will fail miserably as mass panic, looting and families who insist on evacuating their bitten relatives take hold.
How to Survive It
Survival here is difficult and intensive. Your enemy will not be the zombie horde, but rather time, and your fellow man. Your response time is vital, seconds matter. You must have your survival strategy fro stage one clear, you must have run through drills as best you can, and everyone needs to know what to do. But what is it you need to do?
You plan. Before we discuss how to build your plan, you must first know the elements of survival in stage one:
The first thing is don't panic. Unlike the screaming masses, you knew this was going to happen and are prepared. Your second goal is to obtain some hefty transport (assuming you have none of your own). You will need something like a transit van or a pick up truck. Something that can carry a lot of cargo. Transit vans are perfect for this, as during stage one, people will happily loot your property. An open backed pickup is an easy target. On the other hand, transits are not built to go off road. You may be better off with a land rover or other rough terrain vehicle if you intend to go off road (which you may need to).
Next you need to gather your group, and your supplies. Your group should be people who spend their time near each other, so as they can be called together quickly when the undead arise (gathering the group should take no more than 30 minutes), and they should all have useful skills. There is no room for dead weight, and no- meat shield is not a useful skill. Remember, you will have to feed these people. You can't afford to be carrying a zombie snack.
Useful skills include:
- Cooking,
- Gun skills (cleaning and using)
- Knowledge of wilderness survival
- Ability to build things from simple parts
- Sharp senses
- Good driving skills
- Engineering knowledge
- Medical training
This list is far from exhaustive, but you get the idea. Sit down and think what people can bring to your team, not only in stage one, but the other stages too.
As for supplies, you need a number of important things:
- Food and water
- Weapons
- Petrol
- Survival equipment (tents, gas fires e.t.c)
Carry no more than you need. Ensure everyone has a weapon, everyone has space in a tent (not a tent each, that's wasteful), everyone has access to a cooker and water. The rest of the space n your van should be filled with food and petrol.
Petrol
Your van is the most important piece of equipment your crew now posses. It will keep you mobile, it will keep you sheltered, and it will allow you to carry a lot more supplies than you would be able to otherwise. Likewise, petrol is vital. Never miss an opportunity to acquire more petrol, and the only thing more important than that is food.
Food
If the choice is petrol or food, then unless you're already got a good couple of weeks of food supplies (or you're almost running on fumes), go for the munchies. Juggling your ban's fuel needs and your own will be hard, but you must do it. Without the van you are vulnerable and cannot carry supplies (all that food will NOT fit in your back pack), but likewise if you don't have food, you'll be zombie food in no time at all.
If food supplies are plentiful (which they will be if you plan carefully and act fast), be picky. Only choose the most nutritious foods, and only pick things that have a long life (tinned foods are great for this). If food is not plentiful, then you will eat that pot noodle and to hell with how awful it tastes. Any food, even junk food is better than none at all. Keep a record of your food stuffs, especially their use by dates so that you can minimize waste due to food going off. Having a large number of tinned foods in your house before the uprising wouldn't hurt either. If you can, have a forager and a cook in your team. Nothing helps alleviate food problems like being able to find it as you go.
Weapons
Everyone should have the following:
- A side arm (pistol)
- A solid melee weapon (machete, base ball bat, anything with good reach and good impact)
- Ammo
The melee weapon is of course a weapon of last resort in most cases. But if you stumble across a lone zombie, why waste a precious bullet? Never fire your weapon without being CERTAIN you can hit. Ammo is rare, especially if your country has very tight firearms laws. Long arms (rifles, shotguns e.t.c) should only be issued to people who know how to use them, and are good with them.
Weapons should not be used at all in stage one of the zombie uprising. Firing on people will provoke police or the military to fire on you. And that would be bad.
Survival Equipment
This stuff can usually be found in the same place as you got your weapons. Grab tents, petrol stoves, rucksacks, sleeping bags, knives, maps and compasses (assuming you don't have them already, which you should), and finally some fire starting equipment. Lighters need to be refilled, matches run out, so if you can get an alternative such as fire steel. Axes and saws wouldn't go amiss either, especially if you're in a wilderness area.
The Plan
You must plan carefully. Do live drills if you can. First of all, acquire your van. If you don't already have one, steal one. Everyone else will be looting so now is no time to get moral scruples. Your survival depends on it. Next gather your team. Then gather supplies. You can mix these two together if need be. Try to have at least some supplies on hand in your home.
How you get supplies is one of the things you need plan. Know the location of your nearest gun shops, outdoor shops and supermarkets. Try to have some of these supplies already on standby: the preparation will pay off.
Once you have your vehicle, your team and your supplies, you have completed stage one. Next you will need to move on to stage two.
Main article here.
Stage two is currently being written. It will be uploaded within the next two days. A link will be provided here for your convenience.
