Weapon - Molotov Cocktail

http://www.news10.net/news/article/155016/2/Stockton-home-target-of-Molotov-cocktail-bombing

Weapon

Molotov Cocktail

The Molotov Cocktail is a home-brewed weapon that some of the video game players in our community may be more familiar with due to games such as Left 4 Dead which emphasize this item as a premier zombie-killing weapon.

The concept behind a Molotov is quite simple. Utilizing either highly flammable household chemicals, agents, or alcohols, the user creates a homemade bomb by placing these agents along with some kind of a fuse into a glass bottle and lobbing it at their enemy. The glass then shatters on impact, spreading flame to whatever it touches.

The theory behind this weapon is quite sound. Fire has been shown to be effective in the complete destruction of the undead by not only burning away their bodies, reducing them to ash and thus making regeneration or resurrection impossible, but very commonly also sterilizing any viral or bacterial agent that may help to spread the undead infection. The use there-on in, however, is quite different.

The first thing to consider when using this weapon is to remember that reality is not a video game and this is not an excellent weapon to use in the blaze of battle, especially not if you are in the thick of it. Fire is unforgiving and will burn everything it touches, be it alive or undead, friend or foe. It does not choose sides, it only consumes. Secondly, is that, while in video games this end-all-be-all weapon will neutralize an enemy within seconds, burning a human body actually takes multiple hours. As zombies do not experience pain, being on fire will thus not be a deterrent from any of their regular actions, and will not stop them from attacking as they frankly could not care less. Lastly, the absolute last thing you want is a walking torch that does not care what it does or touches as this will allow the fire to spread to just about anything...trees, buildings, other zombies, you, your sanctuaries, your weapons...you name it. The last thing you want is a group of hungry fireballs banging on your door and setting your safe haven ablaze with you inside.

So, while we highly recommend the usage of fire as a means of clean-up with regards to burning bodies and getting rid of any infection, it does not make a strong with regards to combat. While we will cover it more in depth later, the usage of fire in a trap can be useful in done properly, attempting to burn a horde that is approaching you, especially with homemade explosives, is not the best idea.

For tips like this and more, we recommend referring to Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead as he also makes several relevant points with regards to the Molotov Cocktail as well as utilizing fire in general as a weapon.

Stay safe out there, Survivors.

Tactic - Aim for the Head

http://bit.ly/LXfsnj by Viktor Leonovisk

Strategies and Tactics

Aim for the Head

Probably one of the most recognized but most important tactics to dealing with all range of zombie types is to aim for the head. Now, while this rule of thumb is well known, some people are not entirely sure on the why.

As anyone with an even basic knowledge of human anatomy can tell you, the brain is the most important organ in the entire body; acting as a control center for literally everything. If the brain is damaged than the body is damaged. This same rule of thumb holds true to the undead, since they still inhabit a human-like body. The brain continues to be the most important , hell, sometimes the only important, area of the body and massive trauma or destruction will lead to the destruction of the zombie. While there are some zombies that can be killed without a clear hit to the head, namely the "Infected" type zombie, we always recommend destruction of the brain just for safe bets.

There are some things to remember. Given that our brain is the most important organ in our body, our body is naturally designed to protect it. While video games and movies try and make it look simple, showing people killing the undead with a simple swing of a pipe or a baseball bat, consider the context in reality. How often have you known someone to be killed when getting hit in the head by your average baseball bat? Sure, it may hurt like a sumbitch and it very well knock the unfortunate individual unconcious, but it won't necessarily cause major damage. Zombies don't feel pain and if the blow isn't fatal, it probably won't be enough to put it down: thus putting you in serious danger and very possibly wasting the one chance you had to get a good hit in.

Destruction of the brain requires heavy, if not penetrating hits if you will be trying to go through bone. Much easier would be to utilize, as disgusting as it may sound, the soft spots of our head including eye sockets, mouth, and the underside of the chin where a penetrating blade or tool might cause damage. With a variety of tools and weapons are your disposal, keep these recommendations in mind.

To this same point, we must reiterate a ground rule. "Never assume". If you do manage to drop a zombie with a good solid hit, never work on the assumption that it is down the count just because you have a nice golf swing. Unless you are in immediate danger from one or more other undead, give that nasty bugger a "double tap", as coined in the movie Zombieland; meaning hit it a second time to ensure that it is dead for good.

As always, we never recommend dealing with the undead at close range. Whenever possible you should always try and dispatch zombies utilizing either long range tactics and weaponry or traps. The thing to remember when using long range options such as firearms is that the head is a much smaller target than many people are used to. Even individuals trained in the military and law enforcement are most often taught to aim for the chest as this provides a much larger target and, in humans, will tend to be fatal. With this in mind, make sure that you don't simply walk into a crowded city street and expect to start dropping the undead like you're playing a video game at an arcade. If you can, always use whatever time and spare equipment you have to train repeatedly before you are ever dropped into a situation where life and death could be the difference of a single headshot.

Stay safe out there, Survivors.

Weapon / Tool - Crowbar

Weapon / Tool

Crowbar

One of the more useful items to surviving through a zombie outbreak, large or small, will be your run-of-the-mill Crowbar. Now, some of you may be asking "A crowbar? That doesn't really seem right. It has neither the long range capability of a firearm nor is it some cool or exotic melee weapon like a sword."

Actually, a crowbar can serve as a life-saving option in a variety of ways. Firstly, the crowbar is available in a few different types ranging from iron up to titanium, all of them making it a very sturdy item that will last after an extended period of use; meaning you don't have to worry about replacing it regularly or having it fail in the middle of a fight. Secondly, if you should need another one, crowbars are extremely common, being a regular household tool, and could be found in your average town or city without difficulty. Lastly, a crowbar is easy to keep on you at all times whether your supplies or as a secondary weapon so it is there when you need it without an excess amount of weight or frustration.

As a weapon, the crowbar is useful for the times when you are forced to deal with a zombie at close range. While we always recommend dispatching the undead at a distance whenever possible, the crowbar is sturdy and heavy enough that a good swing or two can shatter a Zed head; or, with a little bit of practice and aim, the end of the bar can be used to puncture a zombie's eye and scramble their brain case.

Of course, a crowbar is a tool before it is a weapon. For this same reason, the presence of a crowbar can be exceedingly helpful in the you can utilize it for its original purpose. At camp or in the field, the crowbar can pry open stubborn doors, locks, and more. Likewise, if absolutely necessary, this same bar of metal can be used to block a door that might otherwise allow a flood of undead spill out against you; giving you precious minutes to save yourself.

For tips like this and more, we recommend referring to Max Brook's The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead as he also makes several very good points about why this tool is an excellent piece to have in your supplies.

Stay safe out there, Survivors.

Supplies and Essentials

Supplies and Essentials

There is a misinformed idea out there that someone cannot only survive a massive "zombie" outbreak but flourish with little more than the clothes on their back and a Katana sword in their hands. These ideas stem from years of video games and zombie lore that focus on the "hero" being able to save the day utilizing what many fail to realize is Hollywood dramatization. In truth, survival, especially of any major event, requires careful planning, collection, rationing, and understanding of a variety of essential supplies and such as food, medicine, ammunition, etc.

Simply click on any of the links below to gain a better understanding of any given item and their necessity to your survival in an undead world.

Sanctuaries and Safe Houses

Sanctuaries and Safe Houses

A major keynote for surviving any "zombie" situation is finding a safe place. Now, this place can serve any number of purposes. It could be a shelter in the storm, a sanctuary to which you can ride out of the worst of the outbreak. It may serve as a safehouse or command center to which you or your group can re-group and refresh themselves before venturing back out into the trials of the world. It very well could be a vantage point to gain leverage before a battle. Hell, it might be as simple as a place to sleep and move on.

The point is, the human body, no matter how fit, trained, or toned, cannot be in a perpetual state of motion. At some point we must break down, at the very least to rest ourselves, lest we drop dead in our tracks and join the shambling masses; therefore a sanctuary is necessary one way or another.

Below you will find a variety of safe houses and sanctuaries that you may utilize during a zombie situation which you may run across in a range of different environmental settings. Simply click on anything you might believe is useful to identify the benefits or disadvantages of a particular location.

Zombie Index

Zombie Index

Through the years, a variety of "zombies" have been identified, documented, and dealt with with varying degrees of success. Each of these monstrous creatures have their own unique identifying characteristics that make them stand out among their peers: displaying strengths and weaknesses that make them both terrifying and deadly to the untrained individual but manageable with the proper understanding.

Simply click one of the names below to gain a better description and understanding of the "zombie" you may be dealing with and what you should look out for.

Tactics and Strategies

Tactics and Strategies

There is more to surviving the undead and any given zombie scenario than simply swinging a crowbar at any flesh muncher you might see or hiding in a tree house til the trouble blows over. Based not only on the severity of a situation, but on environmental and group dynamics such as the health, strength, number, and permanency of a solution, certain tactics and strategies may be required to survive particular scenarios.

Strategies may involve ways of find food and water, means of clearing out and area or defending one's self or one's group from the undead, locating a suitable location to survive, so on and so forth.

Simply navigate through the categories below and click on any given tactic to gain more information.

Basic Survival:

Dealing with the Living: 

Avoiding the Dead: 

Dealing with Zombies: 
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Aim for the Dead