A Guide to Survival

A prologue type introduction to set the scene in this apocalyptic waste land - London. This is What must be followed to give you the best chances of survival.

When the outbreak ascended everything went to hell. Even with the occasional crimes being committed - theft, violence, rape, murder; the world before seemed to be a paradise compared to how it is now. On weekday mornings people would rise at the crack of dawn so they could get to work on time. They’d be thinking to themselves “here’s another boring day at the office!”

The roads would be filled with cars, which would sometimes pile up, forming hour long traffic jams. As commuters waited at train stations or bus stops, they would complain about how crowded it was. On weekends there were those health conscious individuals, who would go on morning jogs through the local parks and complain that dog owners failed to pick up their dogs’ litter. In the summer people would complain that it was too hot or in the winter it was too cold. In the spring they would complain about the rain, and how it would relentlessly shower them. These minor issues were the things that created a bad day. These were the things that people complained about. Now none of them would bother anyone, on the contrary, everyone would take those same crammed trains or busses, those boiling summers or freezing winters and think of it as a blessing.

 

There would be plants in gardens, where people put time and effort into watering and nourishing them - roses, tulips and daffodils. They would form a beautiful segment of land that were people’s pride and joy, lighting up the streets like a spotlight was being shone over it. Neighbours would walk past each other and exchange a few brief words just to be friendly. Those were the days that life was carefree and peaceful. The only concerns on people’s minds were getting good educations, good jobs and finding a soul mate.

Now, things have taken a huge turn for the worst. There are carcasses lying all over the streets with chunks of flesh missing from them, limbs ripped off, trails of blood all over the roads going on for miles and car wreckages signifying havoc and destruction. Clearly the severities of every concern have multiplied by a thousand.

 

Firstly there is the matter of finding food and water to stay alive, then there is the problem of making sure that homes are stable and secure enough to resist break-ins.

Houses need to be boarded up properly so that light can’t be seen from the outside; otherwise you will be the subject to very hostile attention, and Finally, there is perhaps the most important concern of all " making sure the fear and loneliness does not overcome you and drive you to insanity.

 

Things have become so severe that no one leaves their homes. The roads are empty, the streets are deserted and all civilisations seem to have ceased to exist; but then again there might not be anyone left. The only things out there are those abominations of nature. The outbreak has spread so far that it would be a surprise if there were any survivors left at all. Not only has it gone far but it has been forty three days and things have spiralled beyond control. There’s no army, no police or even a hint of some kind of rebellion. Who would guess otherwise? The moment you open your front door, it’s life or death.

 

When food rations go low, you have to find a supermarket and collect whatever you can carry. In the aisles anything could be lurking. Any unfortunate hungry soul trying to find food could get a nasty surprise. Even in the short walk of going from the front door of your house to a car; they could be hiding behind a bush or crouched behind another car, ready to pounce out at you. Vigilance must be kept at all times.

When arriving back from an outing you need to make sure that nothing has followed you. If they have, they will know where you live and it will only be a matter of time before they get you.

With all of these risks and provisos, how could anyone expect to survive?

 

As well as mastering every risk you need to make sure you’re alert, cautious and organised. You need to make sure that there is a clean escape from your home in case of a break in and there has to be weapons in certain areas in case of an emergency.

When you leave the house you need to have everything planned out " where you’re going, what is needed, the path to take and different exit strategies. If you are to survive you need to make sure you have a weapon on your person at all times. Guns are hard to come by so preferably a blade or a bat.

On these outings it will be well advised to take a bag with you that have the basic necessities inside it. Firstly food and water - in case you get held up by an unexpected swarm of the infected. They could block all exits in the location you’re at, while you’re lucky enough to have not been detected. So trapped in the middle of all this, it could be some time before it clears, meaning snacks will be required. Secondly a torch " in case there is a dark room, (It would be very unwise to go out during dark hours so hopefully you won’t need to use a torch because its night time). Thirdly a Swiss army knife - just in case you might need a screwdriver or scissors or any other tool that is attached on it. Fourthly a small bottle of gasoline - so that any bodies lying around can be burnt, (this will make sure that the streets aren’t diseased and it won’t appear to be an area of land delivered from the devil himself); which brings us to the fifth item being a lighter - so the fire can be started. Also - a bottle of disinfectant - so that if you do need to eat then you’ll have uncontaminated hands. Finally in case an injury occurs from a wound that isn’t a bite, a first aid kit will be needed to treat it and stop blood loss or reduce the risk of infection.

 

It is impossible not to fear them, but if you fear them too much it will put you at a disadvantage. Every time they pop out of nowhere it could petrify you and turn you into a statue " paralysed with shock and freight you won’t have a chance of stopping them. You need to be on your guard and make sure that every whisper or every flicker of movement is examined thoroughly. You need to make sure that fear is kept aside and courage is put in its place, so that no encounter will result in you turning into a meal. You need to make sure that every hunch you have is taken into account; whether it’s that feeling of something’s eyes that are locked on you, or that feeling of something being around the corner that isn’t quite in sight. No second chances can be taken. Everything has to be clear and confirmed.

 

When you are confronted, make sure that there’s a realistic amount of adversaries to deal with. Two is usually the maximum, for most one would be the maximum. But with the right training, the right workout and complete concentration; the gifted few would be able to get away with fending off perhaps three. If there’s more than that then the best thing to do is run for your life and as fast as your legs can carry you.

 

That brings us to probably the most important requirement for survival " stamina. If you’re overweight, consider it a miracle you haven’t lost your life already. But you won’t last long if you don’t get into shape. Obviously it would be suicide to go for a jog outside, so the best thing to do is run up and down the stairs inside your homes. When outside, you need to make sure you can outrun or outpace whatever gets on your tail. If you can’t do this then it isn’t a good idea to leave the house and if you do then it will be very tough to bring food in. In addition to this, it will be beneficial to regularly pump weights, as well as beat a boxing bag for a certain amount of time to keep you in shape. This will be useful if for some reason your weapons have been misplaced, meaning you’re unarmed, and you may have to resort to punching your way out of trouble using brute strength.

 

Now that there are no rightful owners for vehicles or properties, it would be useful to find as many SUV type cars as possible. These would be considered the best driving option because there very secure and easy to drive (considering its size). So if you need to make a quick getaway, then you can hit as many infected obstacles as you like. Obviously the keys won’t magically appear but if you rummage around the houses near the SUV’s, then you could get lucky and find them. But once again this is a very dangerous and perilous task, so it must be carried out with caution and care.

 

Being on your own for a long time can lead to boredom. So when you go out to stock up on food or your basic household items, it won’t be such a bad idea to grab a few things that will entertain you and keep you busy while in your house. These could be things that favour your own taste; such as: DVDs, video games, paint brushes or even small aeroplane models that need building. Unfortunately if you’re a music enthusiast; it will be a bad idea to get any instruments or music CDs, Mainly because they will create a lot of noise " attracting unwanted attention.  Even if you use headphones to fix the noise problem, you won’t be aware of your surroundings and if a break in occurs you won’t be able to hear it resulting in you being the fault of your own fate " a disconcerting way to go.  The DVD’s may very well give you a good time. It relaxes you, puts you in a good mood and for a while makes it seem as if the world is how it used to be. The video games will obviously take your mind off things and provide entertainment for a certain time, but those of you who wished you could play video games all day even when the world was normal " surprisingly it’s not all that.

 

Back to more serious matters, it appears that the infected don’t seem to be intelligent or by any means at all strategic. They just roam around like ghosts, but once you’ve been sighted they get a massive rush of aggression and they just think about ripping your limbs off. They don’t notice distant movements, but any obvious noise or twitch will set them off on a blood craze. They don’t have any supernatural powers like you see in the movies, where they get a better sense of smelling or hearing or vision. They just become cannibalistic, sadistic, terrifying creatures that want to eat whatever human they can grab " Well that’s what it seems like so far.

The speed they can run at and their strength seem to be just the same as if they were human, the skinnier ones will be faster, the fatter ones slower and the muscular ones tougher.

The mystery of it all is how did the disease come about? Where did it come from? And what causes them to do what they do? These questions are unanswered and they seem far from being figured out. There’s probably no one out there that’s even near capable of discovering the answers. How could they when they need to keep all attention on survival. How could they when there’s hardly a safe place out there?  That’s the exasperating thing of it all, that’s what makes the situation so hopeless, no diagnosis " no cure.

Author's Note

Let me know what you think fellow writers :)

Reviews

[~ Kimberly ~]

Your writing is also on point! I didn't notice much flaws. Plus, this is a very interesting story. Usually I'm not in-to this type of genre but you have succeeded in changing my mind. :) Can't wait to see where it goes from here. Keep me posted.

[Hakim]

haha cheers ;)
Thanks for the kind words and i will indeed