Z-Day

After just one post I have chosen to change the name of my blog. And in celebration of the new title, I have decided to maintain the theme of zombies, but more specifically about the event that will be known as "Z-Day."
Z-Day is the day that many conspiracy theorists, crazies, and teenage boys have dreamed about and have been waiting for for many years. It is the day that zombies will take over the world as the dominant predator on the planet. It is an event that has been struggled against by heroes in all forms of pop culture, and after hours (seriously) of thinking about this topic with friends; I have decided on a list of five weapons which are essential to acquire for Z-Day.
According to zombie "experts" George A. Romero (film director) and Max Brooks (journalist/author) it is a virus that turns you and I into terrifying creatures bent on the consumtion of all living creatures. This virus will spread quickly and efficiently. The virus itself causes you to die and then the fun part begins. Zombies infect human's through any transfer of liquids from them to a living host, who will then die and join the ranks of undead. In less than a day anyone infected with the virus will die and become a fully functioning zombie.
To really understand what weapon to take and why, we have to look at the physical capabilities of the zombie.
It is said that a zombie has a similiar sense of sight to that of a human but that it can see equally well in both daytime and during the night, this ability gives them a distinct advantage when fighting at night.
A zombies' sense of smell is far more acute than that of a human, they are able to distinguish what direction their prey is in because of this heightened ability.
The undead's hearing is thought to be of equal strength to that of a human but that it's brain isn't inclined to make one sense dominant over any other's (human's are sight oriented), which would make it react to any sound, whether made by a human or not.
A zombie is incapable of feeling in every sense of the word, but it literally does not feel anything. It feels no pain, and will not react to anything that would hurt a human.
Now, with an understanding of what a zombie is capable of, how do we kill the bastards?
Well the ONLY way to kill a zombie, it to destroy its brain. Body shots, or even decapitation will fail to destroy this hellish creature. The five weapons I have decided will best serve the dirty deed are as follows:

1. Semi-automatic hunting rifle. Any weapon of this type will become a zombie hunter's best friend. Capable of eliminating targets at distance and in close, the semi-automatic rifle is a must. My favourite is the Ruger mini-14, a modern carbine that if equiped with a scope will be your best bet at keeping the zombie hoards at bay. Also the ammunition 5.56mm is easy to aqcuire from civilian and military storages alike.

2. 12-Gauge shotgun. This weapon gives you ultimate zombie stopper. Nothing says "Hey zombie scum, go to hell!" like a Remington 870 Tactical. With this, you will be able to demolish zombies at close range and in confined spaces. No matter where you hit the zombie if you are firing within a few feet, this sucker is gonna take them down and possibly kill them depending on the pellet spread. A head-shot is a guaranteed kill and ammo will not be hard to find.

3. .45 caliber handgun. When it comes to killing zombies, firepower and high-impact energy is the name of the game. A .45 will give you the power you need to obliterate the brain of zombie's in confined and close areas. Firing a slug this large will take some practice and getting used to but the thought of a zombie's brain's exploding out the back of its head bring a wry smile to my lips. In my opinion it is the at the discretion of each individual warrior to choose either a revolver or a semi-auto handgun, although personally I favour the revolver only because it is easier to maintain and can handle more abuse which make up for its smaller round capacity.

4. E-Tool. The E-Tool or entrenching tool is essentially a folding shovel that can be used as a saw, axe, and shovel and can also become a deadly last stand weapon. Easy accesiblity, ruggedness, and versatilty are the main factors behind my taking an E-Tool instead of a knife or machete. The E-Tool has a better range than a knife and is actually a better weapon for crushing skulls and destroying brain's than a machette.

5. Hand grenades. The last weapon I will make sure I have is easily the rarest and most difficult weapon to acquire on the list. On the actual day it will likely be a rigged, crude homemade explosive until an actual military grade grenade can be found. The hand grenade will serve two purposes. First, you never know what troubling situation you may encounter and as a wise man once said, "Any problem can be solved with the proper amount of high explosives." The second use for this weapon is to take myself out of the fight if I find myself overwhelmed by zombies. I will NEVER be taken alive!...or dead?

For more on zombies see: "Dead Rising" (video game), "Left 4 Dead" (video game), any films by George A. Romero, and the books "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection From The Living Dead" (non-fiction) and "World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War" (fiction) both by Max Brooks.

'Til next time, stay alert and ever vigilant my friends.

C.Mudge