Forums → The Tavern → The Zombie Survival Club! (basic rules on page 144)
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So I suppose I will make a scenario/plan/whatever and wait for some of you to review it? Is that how this works?
SCENARIO
I was on a hunting trip with my father when it happened. They told everybody to remain calm. They told them not to drink the water. They told them to stay in their houses and everything would be alright. It was on the radio. We didn't understand what had happened at first. We were coming back into the city when we knew something was wrong. We were driving back into the city and it was burning. People were lying in the streets. Some dead, some... different. We were scared, they were screaming. He turned on the radio, they said something had happened to the water. Some animal had pissed in it just the wrong way and a new virus had formed. I was only half listening. He scrambled for his cellphone, dialing home. Mother didn't pick up. He stepped on the gas. We lived about 15 miles from the city limits. 15 miles that could span oceans. They were forgotten the instant they had been crossed. We drove up our street. My best friend was mauling her mother. We ran over the neighbors cat. I didn't know whether or not it had already been dead. We were home.
My father rushed to the door. He had thrown both caution and self preservation to the wind. He was oblivious to all the horror unfolding around them. I was stuck inside my mind. I thought about how the disease might spread. I wondered if it already had. I thought about what was being done to prevent it. I thought about the neighbor's cat. I looked back for its corpse, but it was no longer where my father's tire had left it. I thought about what had become of my mother, what would become of my father. I heard a scream from inside my house, and I stopped thinking.
I looked frantically inside the car, and found my father's rifle. I ran inside the house and turned left up a stairway, arriving at the entrance to my mother's room. I slid the bolt back on the rifle, and slowly padded through the entry. She was in her nightgown. Her hair was ragged and her face bloody. She was eating strips of skin she had torn from my father, slicing them with her fingernails and sucking them up. Like pasta. She hadn't noticed me. I aimed the gun at the back of her head. It was a sure shot, a mere 10 feet. I looked at my father laying on the floor, dead and soon to be otherwise. I remembered back to the first time he took me hunting. "Squeeze, don't pull. Squeeze it, like you're squeezing a pear to test for ripeness. Squeeze, don't pull..."
I squeezed.
*click*
I thought: Oops.
My mother sprang up and snarled, hovering in a crouched stance for a split second that seemed like an eternity. She charged, and I ran. I took the stairs in four bounds and ran through room after room. Rooms that would never again know love, or warmth, or family. I ended up in our kitchen. I could feel the adrenaline pumping, rushing underneath my skin. I could feel my heartbeat. My entire body was beating. I could hear it. It was the only sound in the world. I wondered if mother could hear it as well. I slid a knife out of a rack next to the sink. It was big, used for chopping onions and celery and the like. I never understood why such a big knife was needed for such small, weak things. It felt good in my grip. It felt safe. I moved closer to the doorway, taking care to remain hidden behind our refrigerator. I could smell last night's casserole through its door. Then I smelled flesh, and death.
I knew what I had to do.
It's been nearly a week now. I've set up traps around the house, and gathered all the supplies and weapons I could find. I burned and buried mother and father in the back yard. I was pleasantly surprised to find the family dog unhurt. I was less enthusiastic to find that the virus had spread despite attempted quarantines. I have had no contact with any other survivors.
I'm on my own.
EQUIPMENT
Anyway. Armaments!
As far as melee goes, the most impressive thing in my house would have to be the three piece Katana set I took bought in Japan a couple years ago. I'm not trained in the use of them, but they might prove useful. I'll take the full Katana (39 inches) for combat and the Tanto (8.5 inches) for misc use. I'll leave the Wakizashi. This should be lighter than a chainsaw, while more effective than a sledge or crowbar. It should also be durable enough to chop wood when needed.
For range, I've got a pretty decent selection. My father keeps a .45 cal Smith & Wesson Model 625 revolver in a box his closet. I could easily pick or break the lock. It holds 6 rounds. I haven't had much practice with guns, but im sure that it would prove an effective weapon at close range. It's also light. I plan on taking it fully loaded with two boxes of cartridges (50 to a box). This gives me 106 shots.
I also have a compound bow with a 40 pound draw weight. I have been bow hunting since I was a child, and I am quite skilled at it. I can hit a target with fair accuracy up to 50 yards away. Since an arrow inflicts far more pain than a bullet, and is recoverable/reusable, I found this to be a more effective range weapon than a gun. A single headshot with a broadhead should be enough to kill a zombie, or at least enough to disable it long enough to deliver a killing blow. I could carry two full hip quivers of 20 arrows each. If the situation was desperate, they could be used to perform a melee attack. If I ended up running out, It wouldn't be too hard to whittle new ones. This would also be effective for obtaining food, since I only plan on packing enough provisions to make it to an unpopulated, woodland area, and hunting my meals from then on.
I own a large bore blowgun which is effective for hunting small game (up to 5 pounds) at ranges of around 20 yards, although it would be near ineffectual to a zombie. It can double as a walking stick. It's collapsable, and extremely light. I plan to take it to use as an alternative method of hunting, as to not risk loosing arrows. It has two quivers which are affixed to the barrel, and hold 12 darts apiece.
I was debating taking my father's hunting rifle, but I decided against it, as I am not very skilled with it and do not want to risk the extra weight.
As for traps, my family owns some medium sized bear traps. These are feasible for use while traveling by vehicle, but too heavy to take while going on foot. Currently I have them set up at the entrances to my home, so that I remain somewhat protected while I pack.
That should do it for weapons.
Companions:
As I said before, The family dog remained unscathed. She's a 7 year old Border Collie, highly protective and intelligent. I'm taking her both for company and protection while I sleep, but mostly because I don't have the heart to leave her to die.
Equipment (I'll try to be a little less verbose here):
Ultralight tent, for sleeping outside, until I build my own shelter or find a better one (i.e. cabin, hunting post, etc).
Sleeping bag
Water filter
Hand-powered flashlight
As far as heating goes, I was going to do it hobo-style. A coffee can packed with cotton balls and doused with rubbing alcohol provides 8 hours of fire hot enough to cook on. It will be important to keep up this supply because I will need to continue boiling my water until I find an uncontaminated source.
Enough non-perishable food to last the duration of my travels. I raided the local shopping center two days ago and took enough energy bars, canned fruit, and cheese popcorn to last me for a good two weeks.
Dog food. Rather heavy, only traveling with one bag. It's worth keeping the company, though.
A radio. It might be helpful to learn of any evacuation efforts being organized, vaccines being distributed, etc.
Transportation:
We own a Volvo station wagon, which has a large carrying capacity, but doesn't do too well off-road. I was going to use this to carry as much gear heavy gear as possible, abandoning what I can't carry when forced to start traveling by foot.
PLAN
It's pretty straightforward. Starting from my home in Hillsboro, I will travel be car, taking back roads up into the mountains. The only major city I pass through is Banks. If I find myself low on supplies, I can attempt to restock there. After I reach the point at which my car will cease functioning, i will abandon it, setting up a cache of all the supplies I cannot take with me on foot. This would include extra food, water, gasoline, the traps, and anything else I pick up on my drive west. From this point on I will start rationing my food and begin hunting to eat. If it turns out that the animals are infected, I will be forced back to Banks, or one of the smaller towns along the way. From there I will have to start over from scratch. If not, I will procede south on foot, towards my destination. This is a densely forested area near a lake, and is located about 15 miles south of where I plan to leave my cache. The lake will provide a good source of water. It can be boiled if it is infected. If the game here is infected, I will either hike back north to my car, or east to Gaston. From there, I would have to start anew. Otherwise, I could build a shelter by the lake and remain isolated there until an evacuation effort is organized.
That's pretty much it. Am i doin it rite?