We thought it might be fun to post some excerpts from our very first anthology, Undead Is Not An Option. We had a lot of fun putting this together and want to share a teaser from time to time to whet your appetite. We are proud of the number of commanders who we were able to arm wrestle into willingly contributed to the cause. The foreword was co-written by our Fearless Leader and Red Brigade commander, Juliette Terzieff, and IronE Singleton, Green Brigade commander.
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Foreword by Juliette Terzieff and IronE Singleton
We are our own worst enemy. For no logical reason we—our collective human family—continue down a long and winding road toward annihilation. Better weapons. Less trust. More fear. Panic. Selfishness. Lack of preparation. Ignorance. All of these belong buried in a landfill, but sadly remain firmly secured in our collective arsenal.
And now as wars unfold in every corner of the world, each addition to the body count increases the fear, and advances notions of the end of the world. It convinces us—even if we are too afraid to admit it in public—that we will be the source of our ultimate earthly destruction.
The fear is hardly new. In fact, it has been taking solid form for decades. Creeping like a ghoul from the grave with every advance in defense technology, with every master of hate to climb the pulpit. And now the walking dead have exploded around us—eclipsing the resurgence of romantic monsters of the past couple decades. Lestat, Edward, and their vampire brethren prowl around the edges, but the shambling hordes control the streets. They are us, and we are them. We cannot escape the truths they reveal.
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In the aftermath of World War II and throughout the Cold War years, writers and filmmakers crafted some of the most disturbing post-apocalyptic scenarios ever put to paper or film. The social commentary stung, but rang true. Was there anything beyond the bounds of human cruelty? Given the evidence of places like Dachau and Hiroshima, really, what limits could possibly remain? Through art these visionaries asked people to see beyond the face-level horror to the real monsters in their stories.
Take British author John Wyndham’s book The Chrysalids (1955) set in an über-conservative post-nuclear society where any hint of physical or mental abnormality is considered blasphemy. Those unfortunate enough to display any genetic variance are forced to undergo sterilization, banishment or are killed outright. Family members turn each other in out of fear. Fathers battle sons. Mothers are forced to give up their children.
Out of the question? Hardly.
Or the stunning black-and-white Last Man on Earth (1964) based on Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend in which an increasingly disturbed Vincent Price battles loneliness and sorrow in a Quixotic quest to maintain sanity in a world overrun by vampiric former humans infected by a plague. Desperate to protect his humanity though there is apparently none left in the world. Searching for a reason, a cure, some way to regain a measure of his former life—with no real hope that any sort of happy ending can be possible. Just driven to keep going.
Again is this scenario so far-fetched? No. Not nearly far enough.
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To read more, including the compelling words of IronE Singleton, check out Undead Is Not An Option.
The Fearless Leader of the Zombie Survival CrewTM, Juliette Terzieff has been rambling around the country for almost a year recruiting for the cause. She has been working tirelessly on not enough sleep, not enough food, and waaaaay too much caffeine to make sure she is selecting the best for the crew. There are those of us in command who feel that she has, on occasion, come perilously close to being mistaken for a shambler herself. This crossbow twirling leader of the Red Brigade is building up all the brigades with the right match of commanders to lieutenants and all this while dodging the attentions of the Unnamed Government Agency (UGA) who have kidnapped her on one occasion and have basically been a pain in our side since standing up operations. But since she just successfully completed the mission of securing both first and second lieutenants for all of the brigades, before she collapsed in a heap, she asked that I share the information with the entire crew.
Red Brigade
As is only fitting, we’ll start things off with the Red Brigade itself. Capably led by Juliette Terzieff, the coffee-mainlining former war correspondent known as the chief or the boss lady around command center, this brigade is prepped and ready for action. While most consider the crossbow, her personal weapon choice, the most formidable weapon in her arsenal, those in command know better — the most feared weapon, which is deployed on a regular basis, is the tackle hug. Get caught by one of those babies, and you’ll be thankful to take a crossbow bolt any day of the week. This is how we knew first lieutenant Neil Brown, Jr. was the right man to be her right-hand man — he is trained in martial arts and can survive the tackle hug with ease.
Neil also is known as a leader who does what is needed to keep his people safe. A very important quality for the Red Brigade. On top of that, he is charming and has ably seconded the chief’s efforts at recruitment. Currently Neil is racketing about the country on various secret missions for command, but when the chief calls, he is there ready to take on more assignments. But when the tide turns and the walkers are coming, you want to make sure you stay clear of the swing of his katana.
To round out current Red Brigade command, we have one of the newest recruits, second lieutenant Viviana Chavez. While new to the crew, her enthusiasm and loyalties are clear. And she didn’t hesitate to call for the .44 Magnum as her weapon of choice. Which shows she means business and is ready to rumble to help support and save her crew.
Your Red Brigade Command
Juliette Terzieff Commander Red Brigade
Neil Brown, Jr. First Lieutenant Red Brigade
Viviana Chavez Second Lieutenant Red Brigade
Stay tuned in the coming week for more command announcements as well as further information on who makes up the leadership of YOUR brigade.
Upon returning from Chicago, Yellow Brigade Commander Jinxie G not only got stuck in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, but it seems that the UGA may have been behind it. After dodging, ducking, and turning corners to get away from them, she’s made it back to her hometown, but not without consequences.
Here, she’s checking in to let us know she’s okay, but it’s clear that the UGA is more present now than ever.
And just like Jinxie says, that means the zombiepocalypse is ever closer.
On a recent foray into Chicago to recruit new members Zombie Survival Crew commanders encountered zombies, bore witness to the dangers of mob mentality and field-tested our general battle readiness.
Purple Brigade First Lieutenant Anthony Michael Hall demonstrated courage under fire, calmly delivering the following PSA from within the madness.
The Zombie Survival Crew celebrates the diversity of its troops, boasting members from every walk of life, of all ages, political outlooks, religions and races, in fourteen countries. We even, upon the boss lady’s insistence, have not instituted a “no zombie” policy.
We do, of course, keep a watchful eye on the walkers in our midst but this PSA from Yellow Brigade Second Lieutenant Addy Miller has Command considering letting down our collective guard…just a little.
Green Brigade Commander IronE Singleton explains the reasons for his choices of essential Go Bag items… But in order to see what the reasons are, you’ll need to login and if you are not a registered member, please take a few moments and register for the site. The links for both the login and the Member Registration can be found in the sidebar to the right.
I recently had the opportunity to conduct a joint mission with Orange Brigade First Lieutenant David Della Rocco. And while he is definitely in possession of a wicked sense of humor, it is the intensity he possesses for completing the task at hand that leaves the most lasting impression.
When the chips are down and the zombies swarming, there’s no doubt David will be found on the front line urging Zombie Survival Crew troops through battle.
As we all make our preparations for the onset of a cataclysmic event David’s left a message for the ZSC faithful.
We thought it might be fun to post some excerpts from our very first anthology, Undead Is Not An Option. We had a lot of fun putting this together and want to share a teaser from time to time to whet your appetite. We are proud of the number of commanders who 
