It’s your turn to take a shot at the Zombie Survival Crew commandersTM.
Put the bolts and the blades down – some of you look far too eager with those things – it’s not that kind of shot.The Zombie Survival CrewTM commanders are giving site members an exclusive opportunity: You get to interview us.
From May 11, 2011 through May 20, 2011 you can comment on this post, leaving any question you are itching to hear an answer to. Since we are still trying to remain under the UGA’s radar, please do not ask about the location of the ZSC home base, or anything that may give away personal details about your commanders. Too many of us have felt the sting of unwanted attention from our former allies.
We encourage you to think outside of the box with your questions. Take full advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. With the UGA closing in on our whereabouts it is unclear if we will be able to provide anyone with an inside look into the inner-workings of the Command Center in the future.
After all the questions have been collected, Command will do our best to answer the most pressing matters. Keep in mind, some of the commanders may be unavailable due to ongoing assignments, abduction, and/or mysterious internet connection problems.
Without having to steal, I mean, borrow LK’s flux capacitor, I took a trip back in time to better understand the origin of the weapons we’ve been encouraging you all to use in the event of the Zombiepocalypse. It was no small feat to travel back in time, either. I had to ride for an entire hour in an air-conditioned SUV to get there. What? It was a long hour, dangit!
Much like Juliette’s trip to the Dagorhir event, I made my way to the 22nd annual Tulare County Renaissance Faire in hopes of not only finding information on weaponry, but also recruit a few folks ready and able to survive a zombie attack. And boy oh boy did I find what I was looking for. Most of them were right there fighting on the battlefield, proving they knew how to handle a weapon. It was an impressive sight. I began to mentally picture the opposing army as zombies, though. The sun may have gotten to me a bit.
Let us tackle the big boys first, the cannons. For reenactment purposes the cannons at renaissance faires are not loaded. They do, however, actually use black powder. If you haven’t smelled black powder after its been ignited, it kinda smells like Lucifer himself his walking the battlefield, very sulfurous. Cannons are not very accurate. They do work well at whittling down armies to give foot soldiers a fighting chance and would cut down, say, a horde of zombies shambling across the field. A modern counterpart to the cannon has better aim and does more overall damage. The downfall is a lack of mobility unless the device is mounted on a vehicle.
For more mobile firepower, the Italian troops on the battlefield used matchlock muskets. As far as older guns go, the matchlock musket had the best firing mechanism was used everywhere and for a pretty long time. The downfall to the matchlock musket was that they take a long time to load. Often musketeers would be put into formations, giving them two to eight lines of men. The first line fired, moved to the back, and reloaded. Each subsequent line after would do the same. It worked well enough to take out armored soldiers on the opposite side, but like cannons there was no accuracy. For our purposes the load time on the musket would label someone “lunch”. But, modern guns are far more reliable and easier to use and reload. Remember, the ZSC’s number one weapon for the Zombiepocalypse is a rifle for a dang good reason.
Nothing gets me as jazzed about a fight as hearing the ringing clang of steel against steel. So, is it really that surprising that I’d mention swords in this? The Tudor era saw a few styles of sword blade. Thinner swords, designed to slip between joints in plate armor and pierce important parts of your opponent, were very useful as soldiers began to better resemble cans of tuna. Wide-bladed broadswords, as used in the battle I witnessed, were weighted to do the most amount of bludgeoning damage as they could. Fighters knocked their opponent senseless and used the slashing edge to cut up the other man. Lack of medical attention was usually what killed their opponent in the long run unless they got a clear deathblow in. Gangrene isn’t pretty. I’d rather take a sword to the head.
Speaking of oversized cans of tuna… There are a few layers to a full set of armor. First, clothes (don’t roll your eyes, this is an educational piece). On top of the clothes sits a chain mail shirt made of rings that have been riveted together. Chain mail makes it harder to pierce between the joints of the armor, but not impossible with the proper weapon. The suit of armor came last. The various pieces of the upper body all strapped together with leather belting. Leg armor wrapped around the soldier’s leg, held in place by more leather strapping and left a huge vulnerable spot if he were attacked from the rear. While a full set of armor weights upwards of 45 pounds, soldiers remain surprisingly agile. I’ve seen some of them doing somersaults on the battlefield with no problems whatsoever. The downfall of plate armor was that it provided little protection against bullets and arrows, a problem modern armor is designed specifically to protect again. However, with the exception of the exposed sections of leg, plate armor would be more effective to keep the undead from sinking their teeth into you.
Going back in time via a renaissance faire is an excellent way to learn more about the origins of the weaponry you all will be expected to use when the dead decide they’ve got a mad case of the munchies. Study up. And if you can, visit a local faire. The men and women there can tell you a lot, not only about weapons, but about how to survive in times without cell phones and computers.
Oh thank goodness, we can finally clue you all in to one of the exciting things Command has been working on behind the scenes without fear of the boss lady duct taping one of us to the desk chair. Well, what has your commanders so thrilled?
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Drumroll please.
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The ZSC is happy to announce that we are working with Sideshow Collectibles to bring you the chance to win your very own zombie. Okay, not a REAL zombie, because that would be bad.
Starting today, 5-5-2011 and going until 5-20-2011, you all can enter to win Sideshow Collectibles original creation the Undying Carcass. He may be only 16 inches tall, but holy cow is there a lot of detail on this guy, right down to the blood splatter on his hospital gown and the bones protruding from his gnarled fingertips.
From Sideshow Collectibles: “Some call it a virus, others a genetic experiment gone awry. Whatever it is, the hospitals and triage clinics were overtaken weeks ago. Infected have escaped the makeshift quarantine barricades in droves, and survivor strongholds are beginning to falter as desperation sets in. The end is near…Be Ready.”
Scary, right?
How do you enter? Click the banner below and follow the directions on their site. A winner will be picked at random from the entries collected before May 20th. This is too cool of a prize to miss. Please pass it on so everyone has a chance to not only see how rockin’ Sideshow Collectibles work is, but gets a chance to enter to win the Undying Carcass.
Happy Monday!!! We’re excited to present the Zombie Survival CrewTM anthology: Undead Is Not An Option!!! The anthology contributors are: IronE Singleton, Juliette Terzieff, Kelene Toups, Anthony Guajardo, Jim Bronyaur, RC Murphy, Maria Kelly, Sonya May, Chris Philbrook, Neil Brown, Jr., Austin Wulf, Tasmin Bowerman, Jessica Capelle, Natalie Cutrufello, Wendy Sparrow, Andrew Jack, Gary James, EC, and LK Gardner-Griffie. Enjoy!!!!!
You’ve been a good crewmember, done all of the necessary prep work. Your go bag is packed and next to the front door. A map with various escape routes and possible safe havens is sitting nearby. Your trusty shotgun is cleaned, loaded, and standing by. Heck, you’ve even taken up jogging to make sure you can outrun the zombies when the time comes. But I fear even some of your die-hard and supremely prepared ZSC commanders have forgotten a key component to survival in the Zombiepocalypse…
Vehicles.
All the jogging in the world will not sustain you in the long run after the zombies take over. Feet can only get you so far. What if you find yourself trapped in a large city when the disease begins to spread throughout the population? Within days the undead to living ratio will be completely skewed, and not in the survivor’s favor. At that point the only option is to flee heavily populated areas for rural outposts.
Choosing a vehicle is much like choosing what items to include in your go bag or what weapon to use an extension of your arm. It is important to keep in mind personal comfort as well as utility. Obviously a family isn’t going to be able to travel and pack enough supplies into a Volkswagen Bug. Likewise, single people would make a huge target of themselves by traveling in a motor home, or something that massive in scale.
We should take a moment to note that if you do plan to relocate during the Zombiepocalypse, you need to do so within the first weeks. Gas supplies will likely run out quickly and it is doubtful that fuel tankers will be making a trip to your local station to top off the tanks while walkers are trying to gnaw on their arms. You can give yourself a buffer of sorts by storing gasoline in a safe place, but only by days, maybe. There are simply too many variables at play during times of crisis. Even the best-laid plans can go awry. Plan on traveling as early into the crisis as possible to ensure you have enough gas to get to your destination, with enough left in the tank to move in case of an emergency.
Back to vehicle choices… Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are ideal for our purposes. Generally SUVs have plenty of storage space and adequate seating for a family. A small family could even sleep inside, however we do not encourage making this arrangement permanent. There is enough sound dampening inside an SUV (or any car, really) to rob you of the ability to hear the undead closing in. Sleeping inside your vehicle should only be done in an emergency and in an area you’ve scouted and found free of zombies.
Mini vans, despite their bad rep as an ego killer, offer a little more space to sit in. They are tight on storage space, though. We do not recommend tying anything to the roof of your vehicle to make up for this lack of space. It is too easy dragged off if you find yourself surrounded by walkers. You are also left vulnerable while awkwardly balanced on the tire of your car and rooting around to get what you need. Make sure everything you plan to take fits inside with you.
Pickup trucks, while seemingly perfect for survival, are actually a huge liability. The cab space will only accommodate maybe three people comfortably and all of your supplies are out of reach. In order to get to anything you have to step outside of the safety of your vehicle. Not ideal unless you are traveling a short distance and have a safe haven to store all of your stuff in as soon as you get there. We suggest avoiding trucks if possible.
Is there a perfect vehicle for surviving the Zombiepocalypse as a nomad? You bet your Aunt Fanny! Unfortunately, it only exists on film. Dead Reckoning (as seen in Romero’s Land of the Dead) was made to barrel through zombie hoards. She’s equipped with enough guns to make even us jealous, is fully armored, and comes with a system to shoot off fireworks. Fireworks? In Romero’s films the zombies are so simple-minded that fireworks keep them completely distracted and unaware of what was driving past. A big vehicle like Dead Reckoning can sneak by without so much as a snarl. It became very useful when time came to head out to collect supplies.
Would it be great to have a vehicle like Reckoning? Totally. Reasonable? Only slightly. If there were a large city to help maintain, then the answer would easily be yes. But you become sitting ducks gathering together in one place. The sounds, smells, and lights from the people in the city would draw the attention of the undead eventually. It is better to be alone or in a small group than stuck in a large population of people who are a zombie horde waiting to happen.
So take a moment while you are planning your escape routes and decide on a vehicle that will best suit your purposes. Once you’ve decided, head over to GetFanged.com. The ZSC has started a discussion over there about which car you think would be key to surviving the Zombiepocalypse.
I know we’re talking a lot about the Zombie Survival CrewTM Anthology Undead Is Not An Option lately, but it is soooo freakin’ exciting. I’m honored to be the one to put together this post, because this time I get to do a little more than tease…well, it’ll still be a tease, but I can share a little more… like the who!! and a little of the what.
Your command has come through big time and this volume has been a joint command effort. I thought I’d have to peel Juliette off the ceiling when she told me who she got to co-write the forward with her… our own IronE Singleton and while I’m not going to share what IronE wrote, I can tell you it is thought provoking and tugs at the heartstrings. And yes, he did take the time away from his busy schedule to put his own words into this very special collection of Zombie fiction and guide information. And on top of IronE’s contribution, Anthony Guajardo came through with some photos about things he would miss in a Zombiepocalypse. We have some tips on what to stow in your Go Bag from 1st Lieutenant, Neil Brown, Jr. and let me tell you, this guy knows what he’s talking about! And we have some knowledge-building articles from our beloved RC Murphy.
So cut to the chase already? What are the stories in the book? Kelene Toups starts us off with a Classified Message warning of the deteriorating situation as well as the involvement by the Unnamed Government Agency (UGA) and their recruitment of the ZSC. This is followed by a tale by Jim Bronyaur: What would you do if you were stuck in a tree house, with a complete stranger who is somewhat annoying but a bona fide optimist, a chest full of rocks, and a horde of zombies waiting below? Find out in The Changing.
Crunch Time by Maria Kelly brings you into the world of RPG and twitter, something near and dear to the Zombie Survival Crew’s heart, and takes you through the chilling choices which have to be made during a zombie attack. And we’re especially pleased to have the talent’s of Chris Philbrook the author of webisode Adrian’s Undead Diary. Adrian Ring is our intrepid hero here, having just barely survived a world consuming apocalypse of the undead. Adrian’s Diary chronicles his battles with the zombie hordes and his ongoing struggle with survival. Bitten by Austin Wulf follows the final moments in the life of a woman, Emily, after she is bitten by a zombie. Her husband, Zach, pulls her into an alley, attempting to hide from the horde of zombies out on the street.
There’s more… and I’ll share the rest with you tomorrow. There’s so much packed into this book, I just can’t fit it into one post!!! Make sure you stop by our store and pre-order your copy of Undead Is Not An Option NOW!!
We’re really excited about the upcoming release of the Zombie Survival CrewTM Anthology: Undead Is Not An Option (which is available for pre-order from our Merchandise page – just sayin), so much so that we decided to put together a teaser for the book trailer which is currently in the works. Now the actual trailer will be coming out soon, but since we’ve revealed the cover, putting it to music seemed like a good idea, along with the command who have been working to make this a unique collection. So without any further ado:
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So hop on over to the Merchandise page and pre-order your copy now! at our special introductory price of $10.
This past week was certainly… interesting. Some of my fellow Commanders decided it was necessary to duct tape me to a chair in command to keep me from publicly releasing the contents of the Zombie Survival Crew Anthology: Undead Is Not An Option.
I was more than a little peeved. I mean, come on, I managed to keep the exciting news private for months what made them think I couldn’t keep my yap shut for a few more days?
To make it worse, while I was busy gnawing through three layers of industrial strength duct tape so I could put out this little missive, Purple Brigade Commander LK went ahead and revealed the cover art!
Well now it’s finally my turn and I am honored to announce some of the talented contributors to Undead is Not an Option.
The following authors and artists have crafted some truly haunting material examining the many terrifying facets of a zombiepocalypse and what survival will ask of all of us:
Tasmin Bowerman, Jim Bronyaur, EC, Jessica Capelle, Natalie Cutrufello, Andrew Jack, Gary James, Maria Kelly, Samantha Lahue, Sonya May, RC Murphy, Chris Philbrook, Wendy Sparrow, Kelene Toups and Austin Wulf.
We are also absolutely thrilled to announce that cast members from AMC’s hit television show The Walking Dead have graciously agreed to increase Undead Is Not An Option’s creep factor with contributions of their own!! Huge thanks to IronE Singleton, Neil Brown Jr., Anthony Guajardo, and everyone else for their participation.
Make sure you leave space for Undead Is Not An Option in your go bags – because this is one guide you won’t want to be without!
I knew the day would come. Doing what I do, there are certain risks to be expected. That’s why it didn’t strike me as too big a surprise when the letter slid through my mail slot a few days ago. The envelope had my name printed on it and a postal mark from Omaha. No other way to trace where it came from or who sent it. For the only time in my life, I feared a plain brown envelope.
Ridiculous, huh?
Not if you’re me and especially not if you’re a commander with the Zombie Survival Crew. The last four months turned our lives upside down, sideways, and threw in a few loop-dee-loops for fun. What we thought would be a great way to express our creativity and do some good for humanity became so much more than that. Of course, that’s what happens when you’re approached by a government agency that refuses to give you a name. They tend to make things really difficult. (Ever seen season four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? We’re talking Initiative-style mayhem here.)
So there I was, sitting cross-legged on the couch in my living room and staring across the burgundy cushions at an envelope that probably held horribly bad news. Or maybe even a psychotropic drug so that Mr. C, and Mr. E. could kidnap me too. They fooled us once with Juliette. Simply asking for a meeting wasn’t going to work with any of us. But drugs, no amount of street smarts or weapons could save us from that.
Okay, even I have to admit that sounds a little paranoid. But you guys haven’t seen first-hand what the UGA is capable of.
I strapped on a facemask, snapped on a pair of latex gloves, and carefully cut open the mystery letter. No white power wafted into the air. No hidden wires were exposed. All that sat in the envelope were two pieces of paper—
From the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Well… that’s new.
What I understand from all the legal mumbo-jumbo is that they are concerned about my activities on the Internet. Apparently my research materials for the ZSC have been tagged as potentially dangerous to the welfare of US citizens. For a few minutes after I finished reading, I just sat there starting at the first sheet of paper. They had to be kidding, right?
Then I looked at the second paper. Every single website I’d visited since joining the ZSC had been highlighted. It read like a serial killer’s handbook. Weapons galore. Information on how certain poisons and drugs work. Magical resources. Explosive manuals… No wonder they’d tagged me! A sane person couldn’t possibly be looking at all of that and not be planning to do some damage. The JTTF’s vigilance is reassuring, though I’m not sure how to continue my zombie-slaying research without raising their suspicions again. One thing is for sure…I’m turning this over to the Oracle so she can put it under the microscope – we need to find out as much as we can about this new group on our tail.
But on the bright side, it wasn’t the UGA trying to determine my location and abduct me.
A lot has happened since the Zombie Survival Crew opened its doors to the public. So much so that we’re having trouble figuring out who is on our side and who is out to destroy us. Are you the crew member turned spy? Have any of your fearless commanders been compromised or brainwashed? Only time will tell. Take a look at our history and see if you can figure out what’s in store for the ZSC.
Everything started out innocently enough. In a bid to be prepared should the worst happen, Juliette began to gather an elite group of persons she could trust at the end of days. We had no clue then that an Unknown Government Agency (UGA) monitored her Twitter feed. Upon releasing the blog post disclosing her plan, Juliette received an invitation from this agency. They would fund her efforts to ready mankind against a zombie invasion and aid her in recruiting efforts globally.
Now, we all know Juliette. She’s very no-nonsense and shoots from the hip (metaphorically, you can’t aim a crossbow that way). Those of us brought in as commanders knew it was only a matter of time before the UGA took exception to how she ran things. I’m mean, seriously, the woman can’t say hello anymore without someone threatening her with an axe, machete, or putting her in a choke hold. Sure enough, not a week after the ZSC began recruiting she got called in to meet with our handlers. Mr. E. and Mr. C. weren’t very forthcoming with details. They picked Juliette up and we lost contact with her for a few weeks.
With a new crew coming into Command, Anthony stepped up to brief them. Because of Juliette’s abduction, he filmed his dispatch to the troops at an undisclosed location. Despite our best efforts to keep him safe, the UGA managed to find him. In a display of bravery and dedication to the Zombie Survival CrewTM, Anthony managed to get the message off to us before someone snatched him. We could only assume our friendly neighborhood UGA handlers were to blame. If he left when they began breaking down the barricade, would he have escaped? We think so – he’s too well versed in evasion tactics to have failed.
Tension rose in the ZSC command center. How many of us would be black-bagged? We searched endlessly for something, anything that would lead us to Juliette and Anthony. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, our communication experts were able to locate the GPS tracker on Juliette’s phone. The signal didn’t last long, but we traced it to a stretch of desert outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Using her (wicked sweet) stealth skills, R.C. scouted the presumed UGA stronghold. As feared, the encampment was heavily guarded, nearly impenetrable. But we know better than to take appearances at face value. R.C. wrote up her report and handed it over to ZSC loyalists. Several plans were worked out in great detail. Wulfie, one of the best strategists we’ve come across, came up with The Plan. She had a squadron at her disposal and any supplies we could muster.
The plan still failed.
As Anthony and Juliette were exiting the underground labyrinth of the UGA stronghold, security officers overwhelmed our inside crew. Our commanders were recaptured. To this day we do not know what happened to the troops sent inside to perform the rescue mission. We received a video feed, Zulu 1032, which showed just how bad it got at the end of the mission. The losses were heartbreaking.
In the week after the failed rescue, the ZSC commanders attempted to rally the troops and keep morale up. However, there were some strange incidents noticed by SAPPED officer Wulfie that didn’t quite seem… right. First Lieutenant Sean Patrick Flanery began to speak in code and at one point left a strange message scrawled on the wall of the command center. No one saw him accomplish this feat. Rumors began to surface that he gained control of commander LK’s flux capacitor. Possibly with help from the UGA?
We can gloss over the zombie bunny infestation… What? No. We are!
More important than undead cute things, our SAPPED officers discovered devices hidden in the ZSC command center. Analysis proved they were recording phone conversations and anything said within the building. The devices were disposed of. We are unsure of how they got in. There may be a mole in our midst.
Things around Command quieted down for a while. We were struggling to get a lock on Anthony and Juliette’s new location after the UGA’s base was destroyed. Out of the blue Green Brigade commander IronE Singleton received a message from Juliette asking to meet him in Atlanta. With a squadron waiting in the wings, he went to the meeting. Sure enough, it was Juliette there in the flesh, but something seemed… off. Before IronE could secure her and bring her back to Command, Juliette took off. Her location is currently unknown. Members are encouraged to approach her with caution. We do not know what was done to her while in UGA custody.
Another problem came to attention shortly after Juliette’s strange appearance and disappearance. SAPPED officer Grae Wolffe, while attempting to provide technical aid for one of the command team, became a target of interest for the UGA. They intercepted the parcel he shipped off, took the sensitive materials within, and returned the envelope to him with obvious chew marks on one corner. No one could have known he planed to mail anything to Command—unless they’d been monitoring private communications.
The UGA has gone so far to isolate ZSC commanders that they’ve cut off internet service to commander Jinxie G’s residence. She has been forced to communicate through an unreliable cell phone signal and WiFi hotspots. Obviously she hit on something big, but without a secure line of communication we can’t be sure. We need the information in her possession. It could be exactly what we need to gain an upper hand over the UGA.
Late Breaking News: A coded message has been emailed to Command. We are working to decipher the encryption. So far all we know is it’s been sent from a newly made email address via cell phone. When we know more, you will be the first to know.
It’s your turn to take a shot at the Zombie Survival Crew commandersTM.
In the week after the failed rescue, the ZSC commanders attempted to rally the troops and keep morale up. However, there were some 
Things around Command quieted down for a while. We were struggling to get a lock on Anthony and Juliette’s new location after the UGA’s base was destroyed. Out of the blue Green Brigade commander 