I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but things have been a little hectic around command lately. What with commander RC Murphy being tracked on her recent mission to Dallas, or her recent discovery of the potential Ground Zero for the Zombiepocalypse, and the continual movement of our fearless leader, Juliette Terzieff, as she is traveling around the United States interviewing new recruits and bringing on board new commanders… not to mention her recent encounter with Texas State Law enforcement.. and those are just the tip of the ice berg. Commander Jinxie G has been on the run for months, and has only recently been able to re-establish more regular communications with command. With commanders Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, and Anthony Guajardo on special missions for the command, that has left the command center a little sparse, and hellaciously busy as we try to capture the various reports flooding into command center so we can make sense of them.
BUT we have also been working on compiling information necessary for the brigades. We are shoring up our security, tightening our defenses against attack, and want to start cluing you, the Zombie Survival Crew faithful, in on some of the more classified information. So command has made a decision to use Monday’s to provide the necessary classified information to the the crew. If you have not registered as a member of the site, you will not have access to the information, which means, come the Zombiepocalypse you will be without vital information necessary for your survival (hint hint).
Red Brigade
You can find the registration link in the sidebar toward the top. Also, if you are not logged in you will not be able to see the classified reports. The login link is also in the sidebar toward the top of the page.
We’re going to kick Members Only Monday off with information about the Red Brigade. What YOU need to know about being a member of the Red Brigade. What makes them tick, what should be in your Go Bag, essentials for survival. To check out the Red Brigade, make sure you’re registered and logged in, and then click the link. Find out why your fearless leader spends a great deal of time running in circles screaming her head off. There is actually a method to the seeming madness.
As we said in our post calling all authors and artists, we’re looking to showcase the Zombie Survival Crew members, and member, JL Coburn has answered the call.
**salutes with crossbow**
Shhhhh!!!! Don’t tell the chief I stole it for this occasion – she’ll blow like a bomb… and let me tell you, it ain’t pretty. So without any further ado, let’s get this thing started.
When things go south for the long haul, be it the zombies we plan for or some other disaster, the technological world we have come to love will fade away with it. That does not mean that when the time comes we should shun what we’ve come to depend on. Some of them could end up being just as vital as that multi tool you keep in your pocket.
There are a few factors to consider when it comes down to selecting survival electronics. Portability, power consumption, hardware hacking (sorry Apple fans), and ease of finding a replacement or parts.
Computers – There are three roads here, a portable custom built system, a laptop/netbook, or running everything from an external hard drive. Linux would be the OS of choice, as it can handle just about any file you find and deal with almost any hardware out today. For those not used to Linux, Ubuntu or a similar distribution is ideal with it’s friendly interface and huge following.
Personal Computer
The HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) or MicroATX/ITX form factor gives you a huge array of options as far as parts, builds, and hacking options. But they requires an external power source for it and a monitor, making them much less portable but much more powerful.
Laptop/Netbook
Portable, but not very hackable. With it’s own monitor and a low power consumption, these are ideal for on the go. Acer Aspire One 533 series is one of the most reliable and least power hungry of what’s out now and can handle Linux, Windows, or even OS X (though you lose trackpad function). Any number of other laptops can fit the bill too, though if you’re willing to deal with the cost, ToughBook Tablets can take more abuse than you typically dole out. Just keep in mind these aren’t they days of doing heavy graphic work from a laptop or watching Hi-def movies. Battery life and portability are the priority.
Computer Accessories
External Drive
If you need to ditch your computer of choice, losing the files as well is a hard blow. Keep them separate and keep them encrypted. And don’t forget install files for the programs you use.
Cables and Cords
Network cable, USB cords with various tips (one of each typically), power cord/brick, monitor cable.
Peripherals (Optional)
A wireless mouse, solar powered if possible. A solar powered keyboard or one of the flexible, spill proof ones. USB Camera for video logs so the future has a record. IDE/SATA hard drive to USB connection, is a far easier way to browse through a found computer.
Software
E-Reader programs are a must.
A large collection of ebook car and firearm repair manuals, survival guides, farming guides, medical books, translation dictionaries, educational text books, a road atlas and the like will be indispensable.
Music and videos for entertainment, so we keep our sanity a little bit longer.
Two Way Radios
Without cell towers, communication will be in short supply. Pocket size radios with rechargeable batteries will offer an option, albeit limited to a mile or so. More than enough for scouts and patrols. Look for ones with a battery pack, but can also run on AA or AAA batteries to take advantage of the next item.
Portable Solar Charger
Goal Zero being the most well known. Their Nomad and Guide series can keep your radios charged and offer AA battery packs for other uses. Sherpa and Extreme can power laptops, lighting, or even a small 12v refrigerator if needed.
DC to AC Converter
Maybe a bit bulky, but you are going to find a lot of abandoned cars. Most won’t be worth the time to fix up and are better for parts. All of them have 12v batteries you can easily link to one of these to power any modern appliance for a time.
Multimeter
There is no better way to test batteries than this handy device, and it has many more uses for being so cheap. Once a battery falls to 2/3s of it’s rated output (like AA being 1.5v, etc.) then it is as good as dead.
These are just some of the options that will make a life vastly different from what we know, easier. And will give those that may not have skills they need, the information to learn those skills.
As you know, our fearless leader, Juliette, has been on the move of late. She’s been trying to stay one step ahead of the UGA, so they can’t slow down the progress of the Zombie Survival CrewTM. Covering ground as she zigzags across the United States, searching for new recruits for the crew, our leader is traveling stocked with ZSC gear and that stock is depleting with each mile.
Then a curious thing happened on Twitter. We sussed out a hashtag of #RedBrigade, where loyalist @Infernal_Racket was showing her brigade pride by posting pictures of herself wearing Zombie Survival CrewTM gear. What fabulous representation of our crew!!! So, we decided we should give EVERY crew member a chance to show how they represent….
Under our newly established Brigade Central, where soon you will find brigade specific information, you’ll see a sub-menu of Brigades Represent and a section for each of the Brigades to house YOU showing your brigade pride. So get your ZSC gear, have pictures taken of you in it, and send it to command [at ] zombiesurvivalcrew ( dot ) com along with a statement that you are giving us permission to post it or post it on Twitter under the #zombiesurvivalcrew hash, and state your brigade with pride. (Oh and if you come to a convention to see us, the boss lady may just take a snap or two… #justsayin) Which brigade will be the best at showing their Zombie Survival CrewTM pride? That’s up to you!!
Special thanks to @Infernal_Racket for showing her pride and posting the pics.
Eureka! I’ve done it, I’ve figured out where Ground Zero for the Zombiepocalypse will happen… and you won’t believe it when you find out.
Mother’s Day found your fearless commander braving the hordes in Disneyland for a bit of fun, excitement, and communing with like-minded souls during the Bat’s Day in the Fun Park event. It was also a covert scouting mission. See, I hoped with the security measures Disneyland takes that it would be the perfect place to use as a Safe Haven. There’s plenty of food on-hand to keep a small group of survivors fed for a pretty long time. Bathrooms galore. Plus enough space to keep the group from feeling trapped in an impossible situation.
But as I surveyed the crowds that chill Sunday evening, my plans vanished in a cloud of smoke.
First I encountered a gentleman wearing a shirt that said, “Have you seen my zombie?” Admittedly, the shirt got a laugh. (And I made him stop so I could take a picture to add to the scouting report… okay, maybe it was for my own personal amusement.) The blatant show of support for the undead made this commander slightly uneasy. Not only that, but I’d blown my cover by snapping the picture. Thankfully I didn’t spot any UGA agents creeping around. That doesn’t mean they weren’t there, though.
As the evening progressed, I began to notice something strange about the people around me. It wasn’t that I found myself surrounded by a couple hundred Goths, oh no, not at all. The “normal” folks had taken on strange behaviors and movements. Children screamed louder than usual and rammed their tiny bodies into their parent’s legs. Adults in the park seemed listless, short-tempered, and walked in jerky steps. Everyone devoured greasy snack foods by the fist full, their appetites insatiable. Language skills seemed to be forgotten almost entirely at some point, replaced by a series of angry snarls and muttering. The happy-go-lucky patrons in the park were changing into something, something too horrific to truly comprehend. Unfortunately as a commander with the ZSC, I felt obligated to watch and document the rapid decline in human behavior.
By 9:00 pm the crowds inside Disneyland began to gather together in large packs. The largest, with approximately 1500 bodies crammed together, stood in Main Street USA staring blankly at Sleeping Beauty’s castle as the colored lights changed. They were transfixed and it reminded me of the “sky flowers” from Land of the Dead, something so simple that distracted the zombies so completely.
That’s when it dawned on me. The “magic” within the Magic Kingdom isn’t derived from fairies, happiness, and dreams brought to life. Oh no. Disneyland utilizes necromancy to turn perfectly healthy, joyful people into an army of zombies to do their bidding. I gotta give it to them, the idea is brilliant.
Brilliant and scary as all get-out.
My plans to use the park as a Safe Haven were dashed. The fences I hoped to utilize in order to ensure the survival of the human race took on a more menacing implication. Would they hold and keep the newly made zombies locked inside or would Anaheim fall victim to the first wave of attack? I can’t be certain.
After making my ghastly discovery, I used every ounce of skill in my arsenal to escape Disneyland undetected. The effects of long-term exposure to powerful magic made my thought processes slow. I staggered down the street towards the secure spot where I’d left my car. For a few tense moments it felt as though I’d fall on the next person I saw and rip their throat out. Luckily no one passed by and when I reached the car some of the more adverse effects of the magic began to fade.
Consider this your only warning, ZSC faithful. If you insist on visiting, pack accordingly. Charms to ward off evil should keep you safe. Just to be sure, bring along a vial of salt as well. One can never be too safe when it comes to dark magics.
As a safety precaution, I’d advise steering clear of any and all theme parks after the first zombie sightings have been reported. It is in my humble opinion that these places are indeed ground zero for the Zombiepocalypse. Who’d have known!?
We have a new contest for you and this one involves David Della Rocco!
“What’s the contest, Jinxie?” you may be asking. Well, let me tell you.
We want you to guess the top three (3) items in Rocco’s Go Bag. The person to guess those top three items, or the closest to them, wins Rocco-signed ZSC gear! Easy, right? Only if you know Rocco.
So, use the comment section to place your guesses (one comment entry per person, please) or email Command at command [ at] zombiesurvivalcrew (dot) com and let’s get this contest rolling, Rocco-style, baby! But let’s try to keep the language PG-13, please!
Contest begins June 5, 2011 and will run through to June 20, 2011.
Saturday morning found ZSC Command members gathered round the resort’s Starbucks in search of coffee cups big enough to hold the amount of caffeine we all needed before the Con doors flew open.
And when the doors opened – it sparked a 10-hour onslaught of zombies, demons, bloody priests and people with chainsaws where their hands should have been.
The Walking Dead and Boondock Saints casts were in front of us, Night of the Living Dead to our right, with Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi and Anthony Michael Hall behind us.
Rocco came over to work the Zombie Survival Crew table and lend some extra Command support. Rocco’s move brought Blue Brigade Commander Norman over for a bit. Norman jumped right in and completed a few ZSC Command missions, and got so enthusiastic about it we had to physically stop him at one point.
The Command support of his two Boondock Saints cohorts drew Sean’s attention as well – though it later became apparent Sean has a different take on what ZSC Command structure should ultimately look like. It’s a disconnect I thought we had settled out after the Albuquerque Comicon – but he and I are trying to work it out. Or rather, I’m running from, hoping Sean won’t go jujitsu on me!
Norman, Greg Nicotero, Jon, Steve, Anthony and the rest of The Walking Dead took off mid-afternoon for their panel which many fans later picked as one of the highlights of the weekend. Nicotero thrilled the fans with information about effects and the magic he and his team work on The Walking Dead zombies.
While the gang was gone Lisa and I took the opportunity to scarf down the chicken ZSC loyalist Leigh-Anne procured for lunch, and found ourselves embroiled in impromptu Command strategy sessions with Anthony Michael Hall, Ted Raimi and Michael Kenworthy.
Within an hour all three gentlemen convinced me they were valuable assets to ZSC Command – and I enthusiastically issued rank assignments on the spot.
As the sun began to set, the Con wound down and the after events ramped up. Leigh-Anne volunteered to act as scout and went ahead to scope the VIP party crowd for potential UGA attackers. She immediately felt the eyes of surveillance upon her, but communicated the belief it was safe for Command to enter – as long as we were careful to avoid predator drone attacks.
Norman, Sean, Rocco and Anthony held their own, and ultimately it was Leigh-Anne – our brave volunteer – who suffered the first real loss of the evening when a UGA agent managed to procure her room key. As volunteer keeper of the Communication network she would be repeatedly targeted throughout the evening. We have yet to discern the “why” behind these assaults but can only assume it is an attempt by the UGA to remove Command’s support systems.
We bobbed, weaved and shimmied – and unlike the previous night it was because of the rockin’ music at the poolside party. We even managed to eat at a relatively decent hour. I just wish I could report we actually went to bed at a decent hour. Oh, don’t worry. We all paid the price…
.
Sunday
My alarm might as well have had laryngitis for all the good its squeaking did in terms of waking up the living dead (me) that occupied my room Sunday morning. A text message on the other hand seems to have miraculous regenerative powers. Just sayin’.
The call to Anthony and Lisa – to see if they were still among the living – turned into an exchange of moans and groans any zombie would envy. Pretty sure none of us understood what any of the others were saying.
I didn’t quite realize how bad things were until I turned on the light in the bathroom. And I’ll be honest. I screamed. Puffy swollen eyes. Blotchy skin. A general green tone to the skin. For a few heart-pounding moments I feared the UGA had somehow unleashed another assault and infected me. But no. I was thinking, so I couldn’t be a zombie. I think, therefore I am, right?
Phew. Disaster avoided.
Sort of.
Sunday was a blur of monster assaults and UGA probes that seemed to be occurring within a live-action role play of a Marx Brothers routine.
As I attempted to decode an early morning email from Anthony Michael Hall, and Lisa helped Anthony try out a coffin, Leigh-Anne volunteered for a desert mission under extreme conditions. I couldn’t quite believe she still had enough left in the tank to take on a mission of mercy to resupply ZSC command – but she did, and reported back with biscuit sandwiches and coffee.
It was around this time that I ended up with Anthony Michael Hall’s bank card. The scenario that led me to be guarding the card reminded me of an old Danny Kaye movie scene from The Court Jester where he’s trying to remember this tongue-twister: The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true… What? Oh forget it, don’t ask.
On a mission to get something from the ZSC Command vehicle, I opened loading docks doors only to find myself nearly tackled by one Jon Bernthal, who had apparently managed to get stuck outside under the burning Florida sun for some time. Jon did better than Norman, Rocco and I when we all ended up in the Sahara ourselves a little while later.
When Michael Kenworthy decided to don his new ZSC Command tshirt, he changed mid-room without thinking it through – and ended up with people throwing dollars at him. To say he blushed when he realized his mistake would be the understatement of the decade.
Steve played a quick game of ball with The Walking Dead cast mates Chandler Riggs, Adrian Kali Turner and Addy Miller that involved a ninja strike from Norman before he had to take off for his next mission.
As a result of events at Spooky Empire, Zombie Survival Crew, we now have a new standard operating procedure for all future Cons. ZSC cadres are requested to check in with Command as early as possible to set parameters for Command protection and integrity for the duration of the event.
Let me tell you why….
It was apparent pretty early on that Spooky Empire May-Hem was going to live up to its name.
My eventually successful attempt to retrieve Light Blue Brigade Commander Anthony Guajardo and his mother Lisa from the airport involved about 35 minutes of driving around in circles – which, I have to say is vastly less exhausting than running around in circles, but still kind of crazy. Shortly after we got to the resort, Lisa crashed in my room. Within minutes? Anthony crashed. Shortly thereafter yours truly was dreaming about sugar plum fairies.
When we awoke – now hopelessly late for set up and early meetings – we immediately discussed the possibility that the Unnamed Government Agency had somehow infiltrated the event and put us all out for reasons we probably wouldn’t want to guess.
Set up involved a crazy mad dash into the celebrity signing room where we would spend the weekend recruiting new members as personalities from The Walking Dead, Boondock Saints, Night of the Living Dead and Evil Dead thrilled the fans.
.
ZSC loyalist @buttrscotchboom (a.k.a. Leigh-Anne) showed up shortly after the event opened and adopted a defensive position to assist Command. And she got there just in time – as I was soon to fall victim to a gruesome attack by Bill Hinzman, better known as Zombie #1 from George Romero’s masterpiece Night of the Living Dead. I did manage to escape with an assist from Leigh-Anne and Lisa only to discover that Anthony was passed out on the ZSC table. We revived him – debriefed around the assault that left him incapacitated – and proceeded to scour the room for potential UGA moles.
By the time Norman arrived on the scene we were in full defensive deployment mode. We – with our allies from the Dixon’s Vixens – informed Blue Brigade Commander of the multiple attempted attacks just as a predator drone strike took aim at Norman. He was able to escape but inadvertently left Rocco in the line of fire. We bobbed. We weaved. We even retreated at one point to try and regroup. The UGA was relentless. I left Rocco and Anthony with armed guards Leigh-Anne and Lisa and ventured – at 3 a.m. – to find us some food to keep up our strength.
The food resupply was just what we needed to help us strategize – we crafted code words, evac plans and communications to aid us in predator evasion and keeping Command intact for the weekend.
With that, we were ready to face the hordes. Or so we thought ….
As I was sitting in the Phoenix bus terminal during my trip to Dallas Comic Con, I began to realize something was… off.
My trip began right on the heels of the CDC releasing their Zombie Apocalypse survival guide on their blog. Little did I know exactly how influential this thing would be. Every single TV I passed from my home base to Dallas covered the CDC’s guide. People on the bus, once they saw my zombie-centric handbag, began grilling me about it. And after I told them about the ZSC? Forget about it. I spent nearly 2 days solid neck deep in zombie talk.
About 12 hours into the trip, I began to observe my traveling companions. It was a huge risk exposing myself as a commander with the Zombie Survival Crew in a situation where I could not escape anyone that turned on me. There were some folks that made me wish I had my sword on the bus. They shuffled around with no apparent destination. Their eyes were glassy, blank. No one home in there. And, ugh, they reeked. I’ve been lucky enough to never catch a whiff of the unholy B.O. of a walker, but I’m sure this had to be it.
So there I was, sitting in a bus terminal waiting while the bus gassed up… surrounded by potential zombies.
The thought forced me to take in our surroundings. How secure is a bus terminal? About as secure as a cereal box. There are more doors and windows in a typical station than solid walls. Survivors would eat up all their wood resources covering access points, leaving nothing to burn on cold nights or to cook with. On top of that, they layout itself is far too open. If a firefight were to break out, I’d have a deli counter or one of three concrete pillars to hide behind. Food supplies are laughable. Sure, most stations have a restaurant, but its all frozen food stuffs. Once the power goes out, that food will not last long. Nor will it tide over the size of crowd that could be trapped inside.
And gods forbid if the Zombiepocalypse should happen while we’re on the road. We’d become a veritable moveable feast! There is no storage for food. Space on a bus is non-existent, almost laughable. Sure, the bus can outrun a horde of zombies looking for a midnight snack, but eventually it’d run out of gas. A Greyhound bus isn’t exactly Dead Reckoning (Land of the Dead 2005). Once it is out of gas, the one secure element is gone and zombies have a huge can of human sardines to dig into.
Sleep deprivation is a huge problem associated with traveling by bus. At one point I was so out of it I swear I saw a demon crawl out of a box strapped on the back of a semi-truck and into the cab to attack the driver. A hallucination like that, even in someone like myself that is highly trained to handle the unknown, is really dangerous. The lack of sleep also made me really chatty.
Wait a minute…
It wasn’t until after I’d missed one night of sleep that people started to get awfully chatty with me on the bus. Some of the passengers got on at my home base. Those were the very same to begin questioning me about why I was on a mission to Dallas, TX. The connection never made sense until now. My travel itinerary was compromised, information had to of been given to our enemies.
I’m going to say it was a sixth sense that led me to break ZSC Command protocol and answer the cell phone when the “BLOCKED” call came through.
“Is this the head of the company?” a gruff voice asked.
I almost hung up. But I’m no chicken. Yeah, yeah I am the head of the “company” so gotta keep it together.
It was the Texas Policemen and Sheriff’s Association.
He instructed me to pull off the side of the road.
“But I’m in Baton Rouge traffic and it says ‘shoulder closed’,” I told him. “This is totally illegal, dude, if a Louisiana cop shows up you’d better back me.”
He laughed long and hard, and I couldn’t stop chills from racing up my back and down my arms as I pulled the truck off to the side of the road. Considering it was about 94 degrees in the shade, that was saying something… but it’s not every day I get pulled over by a law enforcement official from a state away.
The Texas sheriff assured me if one of his Louisiana counterparts showed up I was to put the two of them on the phone and he would take care of it. “We need to talk now,” he told me.
As it turns out… the Association was looking for partners, and the ZSC has been chosen. I can’t divulge any details yet for strategic reasons. We’re due to have another conversation as soon as I stop shaking long enough to hold a phone again and I hope I can fill you all in.
First impressions say a lot. And when it comes to Anthony Michael Hall, you can toss what you think you know about his geeky yet charming on screen personae in movies like 16 Candles and The Breakfast Club – the man is sharp, engaging and dwarfs a room with the kind of shoulders built to bear weight.
And I have to admit I was taken aback when he followed up a standard polite greeting with a lean-in and whisper of: “So Zombie Survival Crew…what’s your command structure?”
As Zombie Survival Crew commander-in-chief I knew instantly that Anthony is a man we want on our side to help strategize and direct covert ops, as well as assist us in preparing for the onset of a cataclysmic event. And he is doing just that…
Zombie Survival Crew, please raise your weapons and welcome our newest First Lieutenant —
Anthony is busy working with ZSC Command to develop future missions. While you await finalization of mission assignments, catch Anthony at work in Last Man Standing airing June 6 on the Lifetime channel and in multiple upcoming episodes of Warehouse 13 on SyFy.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but things have been a little hectic around command lately. What with commander RC Murphy being tracked on her recent mission to Dallas, or her recent discovery of the potential Ground Zero for the Zombiepocalypse, and the continual movement of our fearless leader, Juliette Terzieff, as she is traveling around the United States interviewing new recruits and bringing on board new commanders… not to mention her recent encounter with Texas State Law enforcement.. and those are just the tip of the ice berg. Commander Jinxie G has been on the run for months, and has only recently been able to re-establish more regular communications with command. With commanders Norman Reedus, IronE Singleton, and Anthony Guajardo on special missions for the command, that has left the command center a little sparse, and hellaciously busy as we try to capture the various reports flooding into command center so we can make sense of them. 
