T H E
SURVIVAL GU
THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE
The
Survival Guide
1
I Complete Protection from the Living Dead
Max Brooks
Illustrations by Max Werner
T H R E E R I V E R 1 P
R E S S ' h r v r o n n
Text copyright O 2003 by Max Brooks
Illustrations copyright O 2003 by Max
Werner
All "ghts reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and
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Published by Three Rivers Press, New
York, New York.
Member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
wwwrandomhouse.com
THREE
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are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brooks,
Maa.
The zombie survival guide : complete protection from the living dead 1 Max Brooks.
1.
Zombies-Humor I. Title.
PN6231.Z65 B76 2003
81%.M)2-dc21 ZOO2155370
ISBN 1-4000-4962-8
15 14 13 12 11
First
Edition
For Mom and Dad.
And for Michelle,
who makes life
worth fighting for
CONTENTS
Introduction
THE
UNDEAD: MYTHS AND REALITIES
Solanurn: The Vims
Source. . . Symptoms. . . Transference
. . . Cross-Species
Infection. . . Treaiment . . . Reanimating the Already Deceased
Zombie Attributes
Physical
Abilities. . . Behavioral Patterns
The Voodoo Zombie
The Hollywood Zombie
Outbreaks
Class
1 . . . Class 2 . . . Class 3 . . . Class 4
Detection
WEAPONS AND COMBAT TECHNIQUES
GENERAL RULES
Obey
the Law!. . . Train Constantly. . . Care for Your
Tools. . . Beware Display Items. . . Develop the
First Weapon
Close Combat
Bludgeons. . . Edged Weapons. . . Miscellaneous Hand
Weapons. . . Power
Tools
Slings and Arrows
The Sling. . . The Slingshot. . . The Blowgun. . .
Shuriken . . . Throwing
Knives. . . The Long or Compact
Bow. . . The Crossbow. . . The Hand Bow
xiii
viii Contents
Firearms
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41
The Heavy Machine Gun. . . The Submachine Gun. . .
The Assault Rife. . ... The Bolt-/Lever-Action
Rife . . .
The Semiautomatic Rife. . . The Shotgun. . . The Pistol. . . .
.22-Caliber Rimfire Weapons.
. . Accessories
Explosives 51
Fire 51
Molotov Cocktails . . . Dousing . . . The Blowtorch. . .
The
Flamethrower
Other Weapons 54
Acid. . . Poison. . . Biological Warfare. . .
Zoological Warfare. .
. Electrocution. . . Radiation. . .
Genetic Warfare. . . Nanotherapy
Armor 58
Plate Mail. . . Chain
Mail. . . The Shark Suit. . .
Helmets. . . Bulletproof Vests. . . Kevlar Covers. . .
light Clothes and
Short Hair
ON THE DEFENSE 64
The Private Residence (Defending Your Home) 65
Preparation Part I: The
Home. . . Preparation Part IZ:
Supplies. . . Surviving an Attack. . . Immediate Defense
Public Spaces
78
Ofice Buildings . . . Schools . . . Hospitals . . .
Police Stations. . . Retail Stores . . . Supermarkets.
. .
Shopping Malls . . . Churches. . . Warehouses . . .
Piers and Docks. . . Shipyards.
. . Banks. . . Cemeteries. . .
Capitols and City Halls
GENERALRULES 86
The Fortress 87
Military Complexes.
. . Prisons. . . Offshore Oil Rigs
ON THE RUN 94
GENERAL RULES 95
One Goal. . . Establish a
Destination. . . Gather Intelligence and
Plan Your Joumq . . . Get in Shape. . . Avoid Large Groups. .
.
Contents ix
Train Your Group. . . Remain Mobile. . .
Remain Invisible. . . Look and Listen. . . Sleep!.
. .
Refrainfrom Overt Signals. . . Avoid Urban Areas
Equipment 101
Vehicles 103
The Sedan. .
. The SUV. . . The Truck. . . The Bus. . .
The Armored Car. . . The Motorcycle. . . Additional Motor-
Vehicle
Equipment. . . Alternate Road Transportation
Terrain Types 109
Forest (Temperate/Tropical)
. . . Plains. . . Fields . . .
Hills. . . Swamp.. . Tundra. . . Desert.. . Urban
Alternate Means of Transportation
By
Air. . . By Water
GENERAL RULES 122
Know Your Waterway. . . Stay in Deep Water. . .
Don't
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Skimp on Supplies. . . Watch Your Anchor Line!
I ON THE ATTACK 124
I GENERAL RULES 125
Collective
Response . . . Keep Discipline. . . Be Alert . . .
Use Guides. . . Have a Base, Have Support.
. . Use Daylight. . .
Plan Your Escape. . . Let Them Come to You . . . Knock!. . .
Be Thorough. .
. Maintain Communication. . . Kill and Listen. . .
Dispose of All Bodies. . . Incendiary Control. . .
Never
Go OffAlone!
Weapons and Gear 130
Transportation 132
Terrain Types 132
Forest.. . Plains. .
. Fields. . . Tundra.. .Hills.. .
Desert. . . Urban. . . Jungle.. . Swamp
Strategies 138
Lure and Destroy.
. . The Barricade. . . The Tower. . .
Mobile Tower. . . The Cage. . . The Tank. . .
The Stampede.
. . Motorized Sweep. . . Airborne Sweep . . .
The Firestorm. . . Underwater Battles
x Contents
LIVING
IN AN UNDEAD WORLD
The Undead World
Starting Over
GENERAL RULES 159
Assemble a Group. . . Study,
Study, Study!. . . Wean Yourself
Off Luxury Items. . . Remain Vigilant. . . To the Ends of the
Earth!.
. . Know Your Location. . . Become an Expert. . .
Plan Your Route. . . Plan B-C-D-E! . . . List
Your Geac Be Ready
to Shop. . . Construct Defenses. . . Plan an Escape Route. . .
Be on Guard. . . Remain
Concealed. . . Remain Isolated
Terrain Types 170
Desert. . . Mountains. . . Jungle. . . Temperate
Forests.
. . Tundra. . . Polar. . . Islands. . . Living by Sea
Duration
Then What?
RECORDED ATTACKS
60,000
B.C., Katanda, Central Africa
3000 B.C., Hieraconpolis, Egypt
500 B.C., Africa
329 B.C.,
Afghanistan
212 B.C., China
121 A.D., Fanum Cocidi, Caledonia (Scotland)
140-41 A.D., Thamngadi, Numidia
(Algeria)
156 A.D., Castra Regina, Germania (Southern Germany)
177 A.D., Nameless Settlement Near
Tolosa, Aqnitania
(SW France)
700s A.D., Frisia (Northern Holland)
850 A.D., Unknown Province in Saxony
(Northern
Germany)
Contents
1073 A.D., Jerusalem
1253 A.D., Fiskurhofn, Greenland
1281 A.D.,
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China
1523 A.D., Oaxaca, Mexico
1554 A.D., South America
1579 A.D., The Central Pacific
1583 A.D.,
Siberia
1587 A.D., Roanoke Island, North Carolina
1611 A.D., Edo, Japan
1690 A.D., The Southern Atlantic
1762
A.D., Castries, St. Lucia, the Caribbean
1807 A.D., Paris, France
1824 A.D., Southern Africa
1839
A.D., East Africa
1848 A.D., Owl Creek Mountains, Wyoming
1852 A.D., Chiapas, Mexico
1867
A.D., The Indian Ocean
1882 A.D., Piedmont, Oregon
1888 A.D., Hayward, Washington
1893 A.D., Fort Louis
Philippe, French North Africa
1901 A.D., Lu Shan, Formosa
1905 A.D., Tahora, Tanganyika, German East
Africa
1911 A.D., Vitre, Louisiana
1913 A.D., Paramaribo, Surinam
1923 A.D., Colombo, Ceylon
1942
A.D., The Central Pacific
1942-45 A.D., Harbin, Japanese Puppet State of
Manchukuo (Manchuria)
xii
Contents
1943 A.D., French North Africa 222
1947 A.D., Jarvie, British Colwnbia 223
1954 A.D., Than
Hoa, French Indochina 224
1957 A.D., Mombasa, Kenya 225
1960 A.D., Byelgoransk, Soviet Union 226
1962
A.D., Unidentified Town, Nevada 228
1968 A.D., Eastern Laos 228
1971 A.D., Nong'ona Valley,
Rwanda 229
1975 A.D., Al-Marq, Egypt 230
1979 A.D., Sperry, Alabama 231
Oct. 1980 A.D., Maricela, Brazil
232
Dee. 1980 A.D., Juruti, Brazil 233
1984 A.D., Cabrio, Arizona 233
1987 A.D., Khotan, China
234
Dec. 1992 A.D., Joshua lkee National Monument, California 235
Jan. 1993 A.D., Downtown Los Angela,
California 236
Feb. 1993 A.D., East Los Angeles, California 239
Mar. 1994 A.D., San Pedro, California
240
Apr. 1994 A.D., Santa Monica Bay, California 241
1996 A.D., The Line of Control, Srinagar, India
242
1998 A.D., Zabrovst, Siberia 243
2001 A.D., Sidi-Monssa, Morocco 245
2002 A.D., St. Thomas, U.S.
Virgin Islands 246
Appendix: Outbreak Journal
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
The dead walk among
us. Zombies, ghouls-no matter what their
label-these somnambulists are the greatest threat to humanity,
other
than humanity itself. To call them predators and us prey would he inaccurate.
They a e a plague,
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and the human race their host. The lucky
victims are devoured, their bones scraped clean, their flesh
consumed.
Those not so fortunate join the ranks of their attackers, transformed
into putrid, carnivorous
monsters. Conventional warfare is useless
against these creatures, as is conventional thought.
The science of ending
life, developed and perfected since the beginuing of our existence,
cannot protect
us from an enemy that has no "life" to end. Does this
mean the living dead are invincible?
No. Can these creatures be
stopped? Yes. Ignorance is the undead's strongest ally, knowledge
their
deadliest enemy. That is why this book was written: to provide the
knowledge necessary for survival
against these subhuman beasts.
Survival is the key word to remember-not victory, not conquest,
just
survival. This hook will not teach you to become a professional
zombie hunter. Anyone wishing to devote
their life to such a profession
must seek training elsewhere. This book was not written for the
police,
military, or any government agency. These organizations, if
they choose to recognize and prepare
for the threat, will have access to
resources far beyond those of private citizens. It is for them
that this
xiv Introduction
survival guide was written-private citizens, people with limited time
and
resources who nonetheless have refused to be victimized.
Naturally, many other skills-wilderness survival,
leadership, even
basic fxst aid-will be necessary in any encounter with the living
dead. These
were not included in this work, as they can be found in
conventional texts. Common sense will dictate
what else should be
studied to complement this manual. Subsequently, all subjects not
directly related
to the living dead have been omitted.
From this book, you will learn to recognize your enemy, to choose
the
right weapons, about killing techniques, and about preparation and
improvisation when on the
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