Poll: Indefinite survival during a zombie apocalypse: Logical?

[WolfThomas]

Wouldn't they run out of food and ammunition. I mean in a zombie apocalypse, a small group can't stop and start growing crops or manufacturing ammunition.

Can't manufacture bullets but it is simple to reload them with the right equipment, plenty of families I know do that because new ammunition costs a lot more and its actually a relaxing pastime for them. Commonsense also reduces the number of bullets used, always aim for the head, if possible only fight pitched battles from safety so that you can preserve ammo and casings. Use a machete or bush hook like spear to finish any wounded zombies on your wire/perimeter (while wearing appropriate protective gear).

Depending on the time of year, plenty of crop may already be planted, you wouldn't necessarily be starting afresh, just picking up after someone.

snip

Agreed, once my compound is secure, my goal is to bring the fight to the zombies. Military doctrine says that at least 25% of any static defense's personal should be actively patrolling around the area. I know this is different with zombies, but the idea is that we slaughter them away from the compound, so we never get trapped in a long term siege.

First I clear neighboring houses, making sure they aren't hiding zombies. Then I'd start traps like you propose. Use noise from a car or something to lure them into a trap where we shoot them from safety (collecting all our casing to re-use).

 

[wulfy42]

BrynThomas,

I think there are far more bullets in pretty much every area of the U.S.A. at least then there are people, so I don't really see running out of ammunition being a big problem, at least not for zombie slaying.

Still, re-using casings is a good idea especially if you plan on hunting eventually etc.

Another interesting idea though would be to use high powered bows. They would probably do the same job as the bullets but could be re-used and even manufactured eventually much easier then bullets.

Another interesting way to deal with the zombies would be to use their non-survival instinct against them. Will a zombie avoid a long fall if they see food on the other side? Zombies could be killed like lemmings perhaps by leading them into traps involving large falls. Even your town could have a deep trench created around it which could be quickly filled with zombies who jump in trying to get to the people on the other side. Once the trench starts to fill up with too many zombies you can just burn them all up.

One really interesting weapon that could be created is a scent that could be sprayed to make zombies smell like live people. This could then be dropped on large masses of zombies from the air (zombie crop dusting) and the zombies would then tear each other apart. Very quick and effective way to quickly reduce the number of zombies.

I feel sorry for the zombies actually since they really have no chance at all against humanity. It is much more of a challenge to be a zombie king in control of all the zombies (perhaps the only one with the ability to think, plan ahead and use tools but with the ability to control the actions at least to a degree of other zombies).

A zombie king that could plan and think ahead and control the actions of zombies....now that could make things interesting especially if other zombies could be taught or commanded to use tools. In that case it would be fairly simple to surround each individual town with hordes of zombies until the people inside run out of ammunition and food Muahahaha!!

 

[Sewblon]

Does the zombie virus affect animals too or just humans?

Good question. You could just wait till the zombies are eaten by bears, wolves and so on.

I meant if animals do not contract the virus we could still eat them without fear of infection but if they do only vegans could survive.

 

[Abedeus]

It depends on one key factor. Can zombies starve to death?

I think so. I mean, their stomachs are still working, right? So even if they don't feel hunger (well... okay, they do, but for brains), they still generate stomach acids. So if they didn't eat something, their stomachs would be burned, and then the rest of their bodies.

Besides, they are rotting anyway. It's not like they can survive more than few weeks.

 

[Silver]

No. Just no. No matter how many ways I show you you're wrong, you're still sticking your fingers in your ears.
For god's sake, it's zombies. They wouldn't obey your idea of "realism" because they're ZOMBIES. And another thing, when the hell did anyone say they could bend physics? I said that 50,000 of them could push your apparently puny barricade(I can infer you wouldn't build it up, no supply runs=no building supplies) back to the point where they can just slip in.

Yes, you are saying they can bend physics. Several times actually. And so can I. I can fly and throw nukes. The zombies don't stand a chance.

They need energy to move. (Physics.) They can't get energy without an external source. (Physics.) Zombies die of starvation. (Physics.) Zombies can't sense where humans are from several miles away (well, biology probably, but still, applied physics).

And I don't need supply runs for building supplies. Wood is an excellent building material. Most farms lie close to forests. I need a car and a chainsaw, most farms have several of both.

Do you know how many zombies would already be on the farm? How many more would come each day? How many would have followed you from town? You'd be overrun in the farm house within 2 days, guaranteed. And who cares if you can outsmart them, that's not where zombies' strength comes from. It's numbers. Sheer, unrelenting numbers. Who cares if you know some crazy kung fu shit, if 100 zombies are chasing you, you're dead. You can outrun them for a while, but you get tired, they don't. That's the point of ZOMBIES.

Yeah, sure, there might be up to about 10, maybe 20 zombies on the farm. And that's if they're lucky. Seeing as how I'll probably have a vehicle, and I'm faster than, and can think, I can probably take those out alone.

No, not through kung fu, by using traps, by luring the zombies out from a distance, by using weapons, by driving them over with a car, by setting them on fire.

Yes, zombies would follow me. At walking speeds. Even if they're magical and know where I am after 20 miles, it's going to take them a lot of time, A LOT OF TIME, to get there. I can drive a car at maybe 80 miles an hour. A zombie can walk maybe 7 miles an hour (now I'm being generous). If I drive for 4 hours, it takes the zombies 2 days to catch up with me. Not that they could ever track me that far, in the real world, but let's go with that. Then I've got 2 days to gather supplies at the farm, where I killed the zombies, and I've got plenty of time to set up an escape route and barricade the place. While I wouldn't find many guns here in Sweden, I would find fuel, and I would find some really nice farm vehicles that I could run the zombies down with.

If I drive for further than that I come to the nice northern parts of the country, with lots of snow, with nice mines and nice generators that I can use for electricity. Where zombies stand no chance in hell.

Farms are not just that easy to run. You need to plant the right crops for the soil, water them regularly(the irrigation systems would probably be shot). How exactly are you going to get 10 or more people there, too? Chances are you'd lose a few on the way there, so you'd probably have maybe 6 at best. Unless they'll all survive because you say so. And just where are you planning to get all the parts to fence in a few acres of land? Got a couple transport trucks and a few tonnes of steel?

You're ignoring all the the actual practical details and just assuming your plan will work because it's so easy.

I don't need steel. I can use stone, or trees instead. Seeing as in my home town 10 000 people would survive, when we get to the farm we're going to be more than ten people left, even if most of us die on the way. Look at the first post. Those are the real survivors. Those are the people who didn't get bitten, or devoured.









I know you're never going to realise this, until the apocalypse, where you will be one of the first to go, but zombies aren't that big a threat. Really. I'm not just being naïve here. I just have a firm grip of reality.

 

[Soulreaverm]

How many places can a normal human go that a zombie would have absolutly no chance of getting to?

Well if you believe Left 4 Dead, nowhere. Except, you know, the rock.
Anyway. Zombies have great path-finding AI, everyone knows that.

By the way, the day someone figures out how to incorporate tone of voice into a forum post, I will be extremely happy.

 

[JoshasorousRex]

Stock up on ammo, and eat the zombies you kill, after cooking them as to destroy any nasty little surprises. Also being on giant island is an advantage, kill all the zombies there, rebuild society, train a powerful army. If you need more zombie jerky, get in the battleship, go to the mainland, and kill more zombies to stock your reserves of meat.

MMMMM... rotting flesh... human flesh... thats rotting... my favorite... NASTY!!

Well if I HAD to i guess I would but...

Any ways I would be screwed if they could run, break down walls... and yeah screwed... i think

 

[jibjab963]

Can you eat the bodys of the zombies for food when you run out of food? Or are they uneatable? If so yes it is possible.

 

[742]

indefinite survival WITHOUT a zombie apocalypse is difficult. but long term? it depends if zombiesm passes to animals-including fish and birds.