In my first part of this guide I wrote about the backpack necessities, in the second I dealt with what weapon you should choose for effective zombie-fighting.
Now the time has come for the third and final installment of this series where we will talk strategy.

Anyway, say we got our backpack, we got our weapon- where do we go now and what do we do? Here are some strategies to consider:

1. The Urban Survivor. You barricade yourself somewhere, maybe on a roof, that has a way down (see, we’re already getting use out of that rope) but not really a way up for unwanted visitors.
You wait out the worst with your food reserves and can possibly still access water from a tap, or hope for rain to gather.
Once the threat to you is not imminent, you scavenge nearby building and  stores. Depending on the intensity of the zombie outbreak, you will most likely still need to fight from time to time.

This strategy is best suited to individuals in good physical shape (due to the risk of getting into combat and the possibility of a LOT of running) and who have the mental fortitude to outwit both zombies and humans gone lawless.
The main appeal of this strategy is the continued, if limited, access to houses and buildings as shelters and the (finite) wealth of human products and food.

2. The Woodsman. You, being alert and having read way too much apocalypse fiction, pick up the early signals of something not being right. Weird sicknesses, animals disappearing, governments claiming everything is fine and dandy etc etc.
You grab your backpack and get out of the cities, into the wild. Where instead of more than the occasional zombie and lawless humans, you will face cold nights and lack of food and shelter. If you carefully pick a location, where there are streams and lakes, you can hopefully get nature to provide you with water. Using that fishing line to create nets and snares you can get food. Once you’ve built a basic shelter and water proofed your sleeping area with those plastic bags, you could actually get through the ordeal in relative comfort and safety.

This strategy probably best suits people who feel comfortable surrounded by wilderness and are bodily able and healthy. And the main appeal would be not having to deal with the actual zombies. Because, as we have already established, they are goddamn scary.

3. The Fighter. Similar to The Urban Survivor, the Fighter stays where the action is. But instead of sneaking, planning and bunkering, you fight. Maybe alone but most effectively in a group of people. This strength in numbers-attitude allows for more leeway with the preparations because you actually stand a chance of getting to what you need later, despite zombies and whatnot.

This strategy seems to me most suited to headstrong people who want the security and possibilities that fellow people creates, and feel they wont be taken advantage of. The main appeal? That you can rely on others and don’t have to go through it alone and also feel that you are fighting back.

What strategy suits you, one of these three or something else entirely? I for one would definitely go for The Woodsman. I have read dark enough zombie books to think that what’s left of mankind would probably be as dangerous for a girl of my size and poor karate skills as the zombies. So the woods it is.

I would preferably bring my near and dear with me, so I should probably pick a location in advance and inform them. Need to make them read this guide beforehand as well so they know what to bring…

Or remember this is fictional and just “for fun”. Cough.

Thanks for sticking with me through this guide and I sincerely hope that it will never come in handy! Cheers : D