In this fictitious scenario, zombies are real and can run for the first couple of months until their ligaments and muscles lose much of their function through necrosis. There is something about the undead virus that preserves tissue in a form of suspended animation, but only for a certain amount of time before only about 10 to 20% of the remaining tissue is available for use indefinitely. Theoretically, the bodies will not truly decay and have will retain basic functionality until they are put to permanent rest. Destruction of the brain is the only way to stop them permanently. For the purpose of this article, you are alone in this hypothetical fantasy world. Working in a group is ideal for security and lowering the individual workload, but it does come with its own issues. I personally feel that a true test of a survivor is how well they can survive alone. After that, their unique and tested qualities can be an asset in a group setting. You are simply dead weight (no pun intended) if you lack the ability to survive alone. The very existence of humanity depends on your ability to survive. SITUATION In this scenario, it has been several months since society collapsed under the weight of the undead. Survivors are scattered, hoards of undead are everywhere (some numbering in the thousands), and you are on your own. In order to survive, you will need to have a set of personal qualities that facilitate your ability to interact with your specific environment and endure hardship. PHYSICAL QUALITIES Physically, you are in shape for the situation. That means that you are capable of performing the tasks required to stay alive in this scenario. You are robust and capable of quickly recovering from a variety of tasks such as sprinting and long distance running with gear on, pushing and pulling heavy objects, holding back a lot of weight (such as holding a door shut while 20 zombies try to push through), etc. These are high demand tasks that you will find yourself having to bounce between while precisely swinging or firing a weapon in between. You are able to get started at full speed in no time and then keep going like the Energizer Bunny until you are no longer in danger. Endurance is key in the long run, but power on demand is equally important. There are several ways to train your body to be robust in terms of moving objects or yourself under load, but another physical quality you have is environmental tolerance. This is specifically important in environments where hot and cold dip into the extremes. Places like the desert and the arctic (where I reside) are home to many people that have adjusted to mitigating environmental risks through shelter and power/gas-based units such as air conditioning and heaters. You have an adaptive body that is able to work in almost any environment with limited protection from clothing or shelter. This is truly important if you should find yourself with only a roof to save yourself from the snapping jaws of the undead for a few days. This is a quality that is not only useful in a pinch, but it also benefits your overall health. A valuable quality to have in this scenario is agility. Being able to change positions and direction on a dime is important when you are fleeing, in a fight, or just moving through obstacles. Agility is a good quality to have, but it must be understood that I am speaking of agility whilst under a fighting load. In this case, you will have to have refined coordination and a bit of finesse throughout your movements if you are well trained in your gear. MENTAL QUALITIES In my opinion, the mental qualities you must possess are just as important as the physical qualities. For instance, you have a clear presence of mind to know when to stand and fight versus run away. While being robust physically is good for tackling the zombie situation (no pun intended), you must be pretty well set mentally in order to handle the situations you face. For one thing, you will be an independent person who is content with absolute silence and a lack of human presence. Being alone during this situation may very well mean that you were surrounded by less than adequate people, or you got separated. Regardless of why, the point is that you are fine being alone, for the most part. You aren’t heartless, but you are capable of just letting people go if they are a risk to your survival. If you watch a friend/loved one get munched on by the undead, you don’t really dwell on regret to the point of future paralysis. On the other hand, you will likely suffer from insomnia due to the nature of this type of survival scenario. You will have a buildup of combat stress that will wear out your body almost weekly and require at least 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep in order to achieve a quality mental recovery. Despite the stress, you are the kind of person who accepts the reality of the situation and stays present in the moment. You don’t spend time dwelling on failure, but rather how you can prevent that failure in the future, which is a large part of your stress. Survivors are learners, not just brutes who know how to run away, tie knots, and sleep under a rock in a loin cloth. Combat stress is normal for those who have narrowly escaped death and know it. It is how the brain processes and learns from near-death experiences. If you are to survive against the living and the undead, you will also be tactically minded and be observant of your surroundings. You will note how you could possibly maneuver through certain terrain to stay less visible and be a hard target for any possible sharpshooter or spotter looking to make prey of the living. This is the unfortunate circumstance you live in and must be mindful of, on top of all the other stuff. Surviving in a world of the undead can be made somewhat simpler if you approach it as a warrior approaches the battlefield. Have a plan, and be ready to act on it. You are constantly mindful of the future and constantly preparing your next moves. This keeps you in tune with your situation and ready to act without hesitation. Being mindful of the future includes anticipating possible problems and either solutions or methods to mitigate them. This is absolutely essential when moving around in areas that are particularly hostile. You are observant, analytical, and pick up on patterns quickly, which allows you to effectively set up a P.A.C.E. (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) plan. This is important whether you are conducting a resupply or simply moving to a new location. The last mental quality I will list is resilience. You are able to quickly overcome hardship in your mind through various means. You are able to maintain alertness and drive for living, despite being physically exhausted and aching. As a lot of special forces personnel will say…You are never out of the fight. Without the desire and drive to live, you will certainly fail at the rest, leading to an inevitable death. WRAPUP This article could be an incredibly long one, but I doubt you readers need me to dissect this subject on an atomic level. This is the first article of many talking about this scenario. It is fun to think about what we might do in this situation when watching hit shows and movies like The Walking Dead. We put our own skills up against the undead and brainstorm how well we would perform in certain presented scenarios shown in these shows. We would do this, go here, ditch that, and generally behave in a way that we feel is more likely to secure our survival. This article, and the ones that follow are meant to be fun to fantasize about, but are not meant to endorse a specific behavior or piece of gear. Just read what I have to say and tell me your ideas if they differ.
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