Surviving the First 7 Days in Zombie Apocalypse

8 min read

It’s day one of the zombie apocalypse. The infected already have a hold on the city, and you need to move fast. The first hours are the most important. If you want to make it out of this alive, you’ll have to walk the fine line between rushing into a death trap and being left behind.

Monday

First things first. Whip out your phone. Yeah, not what you were expecting, but you may as well use it before communication is totally cut off. Check your map and put a pin on the nearest stores, gas stations, and routes that will get you out of town. Malls and department stores will be infested by now, so the best bet is to raid a local Ma-and-Pa shop. You need to stock up on supplies such as clean water, nonperishable foods, and thick clothing to protect against the weather and zombie bites. As you’re filling your backpack, you hear steps. Someone or something is in the store with you.You don’t need to stick around to see if they have a pulse or not. Just take the stairs to the store basement and rush to hide. Close the door and use that big latch lock. The door should hold for now. But there’s still a legion of zombies outside just waiting to make your insides your outsides. Oh, and you’ve got to survive a whole week. The good news is, that’s just enough time to get you out of a zombie-infested city and into a secure cabin in the mountains. It’s not gonna be easy, but we’ll take it day by day.

Tuesday

Rise and shine. You’ve got a big day ahead of you. It looks like whatever was stomping around the store last night moved on. You should follow suit. Eat a small portion of your food, wrap some magazines around your forearms to prevent bites, and get ready to face the city again. You’re gonna need a weapon to defend yourself against zombies and, let’s face it, lots of panicking humans.
The gun store is off the table. Hundreds of people fighting for weapons is an easy way to get killed. But you did see that sports store the other day. A baseball bat will do for now. At least until you can upgrade to a machete. You’ll have to make a run for it. Don’t stop moving and don’t look back. Did you find a bat? Great, time to get some hitting practice in. You can fight a zombie or two, but the city is full of them. Streets and highways are swarming with them, and it’s only Tuesday. The smartest thing is to look for shelter, somewhere where zombies will have a hard time reaching. A tall office building just five blocks away is your best bet. Again, no time to fight, just run. When you reach the building, use the stairs and go as high as possible. Find an office with a kitchen and vending machine. Barricade the door behind you.

Wednesday

The city is still collapsing. The zombies are enjoying their all-you-can-eat flesh buffet, so stay put and plan your next move. Check the map on your phone and plan a route to escape the city.
Your battery will die eventually, so grab a pen and paper from the office and draw the map. Highways are deathtraps so look for alternative routes. Remember to pinpoint gas stations or stores along the way. Search the whole office for food, clean water and a first aid kit. Also, get some magazines and tape to make yourself a couple of arm protectors. Now allow yourself to rest while the world falls apart. Now would be a good moment to watch a zombie fighting tutorial, but all networks are down, what with the end of the world and everything. Better hit that subscribe button and watch all of our survival tips before it’s too late.

Thursday

An explosion wakes you up before dawn. It was just a matter of time before unattended kitchens caught fire. It’s not safe to stay here. Time to leave your safe haven. Take one last look at the city, identify the safest street and head down the stairs. The ground level could be dangerous, so keep going down to the parking lot. There’s no point driving a car right now. They’re way too loud. But an electric scooter or a bicycle is an excellent way to move around the city without making any noise. Lucky you, this scooter has a helmet attached to it. Let’s roll. Darkness is your new best friend. You’ll be harder to spot by both zombies and humans. A fully charged electric scooter can ride for about 50 km (31 mi). Ride as fast as you can and keep your bat handy. The Sun is rising, and so are your chances of being eaten alive. Avoiding threats is becoming harder. Suddenly, a zombie tackles you to the ground. Your helmet saves your head from dragging on the pavement. You quickly turn to find the zombie charging at you. Zombies have poor balance and coordination, so you knock them over with a single-leg sweep. Then bash its head IN with your bat. Three hits are enough, don’t go into a frenzy. Catch your breath and check your surroundings. The scooter is broken and that fall left your body scraped and sore. Find a place to hide and recover. A bar will do. Always barricade the door behind you. Use some vodka to clean your wounds and have a snack.

Friday

Midnight. Happy hour is over and you’re feeling good enough to hit the road. But if you want to make it outside the city, you’re gonna need some camouflage. Move carefully in the shadows and recover that zombie you finished earlier. Drag it back to the bar, look for a knife and make yourself a zombie suit. Being covered in zombie guts will help… Oh, that smell… will help you walk around them. Now that you look and smell the part, i’s time to do your best walking dead impression and shuffle towards your destination. After walking for hours, you’re finally getting to the outskirts of the city. Here, the undead are scarce and the roads are clearer. It’s finally time to look for a car. You’ll likely find some barricades and zombies ahead so look for a big truck that can take a few hits. You found it? Great.

Saturday

As the tank is about to hit empty, you arrive at the gas station that you had marked on your hand-drawn map. There’s gas in the pumps, so maybe there’s still food and water inside. The place looks peaceful. Too peaceful. The zombie pins you against the ground, it’s stronger than you thought. You use your arm to cover your face. You feel the bite on your arm and then a loud detonation. Your ears are ringing as you slowly get up to find two people aiming at you with rifles. They ask you to show them your arm. You roll your sleeve and show your magazine cover. The bite didn’t get to your skin. They invite you inside. You know you shouldn’t trust anyone, but they have a gun so, in you go. As it turns out, they have a good amount of food and ammunition.
But if you could find this place so easily, so can anyone else. They have guns, you have a vehicle and a plan. It takes a long conversation but now they’re convinced that the only way to stay alive is to go up into the mountains. The higher the better.

Sunday

You take a road map from the gas station, fill the car with supplies and leave at midnight. Better to drive when it’s dark. New groups of armed raiders are probably patrolling the roads by now.
Use the map to avoid highways and take alternative roads to the mountains. Finally, after driving all day, you take a little dirt road. It looks like it leads to nowhere, which is exactly what you want. When you’re starting to think this was a waste of time, you take a turn and there it is. We told you we’d get you there in one week. And better yet, you are not alone. Now you can take turns hunting, cooking and standing guard. But this is far from over. You’re gonna have to return to the city for supplies eventually. It would be useful to know how to take down a zombie in one on one combat.