Introduction

It's a survival plan! Mine is both realistic and unrealistic. Realistic in that it doesn't involve a convoy or excessive use of chainsaws. Unrealistic in that I would be dead in five minutes should z-day come.

Surviving a large-scale zombie apocalypse requires preparation. Even if you survive the initial panic and zombie attack, you will probably starve to death or die of the common cold or something. Ideally, you want a group of people who are useful and trustworthy, a good bug-out location, and a stockpile of supplies.

The Zombies (aka XCVG's Zombie Theory)

Zombification is cause by a bacteria or parasite (but probably not a virus) in my theory. In a nutshell, it infects, destroys your brain, rendering you into a zombie with one drive- infect. Due to the loss of motor control they are slow, shambling zombies. They will die, fairly quickly actually, due to the lack of eating or drinking. Fairly quickly means somewhere between a few weeks and a few months. Of course, the disease could mutate, becoming stronger or (hopefully, and more likely) dying out. It has the potential for worldwide spread, or just a few towns in the middle of nowhere. It is bloodborne, not airborne in normal circumstances. The initial release would probably be a weaponized, airborne encapsulated version, or contamination of water or food supplies.

Keep in mind, pretty much all I know about infectious diseases came from Wikipedia and Executive Orders.

Stage One: Infection
-Not normally airborne; spread by bodily fluids such as blood and sperm
-A weaponized, encapsulated airborne release is possible, even likely
-Most people who are exposed will get infected (those with natural resistance may not)
-It should be obvious, but the host must be alive to be infected
-The disease may be able to infect animals similar to humans, such as monkeys and chimpanzees.
-It will probably not be able to infect pets or animals used for food, but they may be carriers (COOK YOUR MEAT!)

Stage Two: Incubation
-Those with natural resistance may never show symptoms, or may recover after getting sick
-Early symptoms include headaches and increased hunger and thirst, weight gain
-The infected will begin to have trouble concentrating, feel weak, possibly opportunistic infections
-Rage Not-Zombies: Some of those infected will become aggressive and dangerous around this stage. Whether this happens or not has no bearing on whether they die, survive, or become a zombie.
-Eventually, they will become brain-dead, only vital functions and some motor control operating
-This will take about a week, but it varies depending on the individual (if one has HIV/AIDS it may only take two days)
-Some will just die instead of becoming a zombie. As the disease burns out, the ratio will likely increase
-The corpses will probably infect more people than the zombies will

Stage Three: Zombification
-The infected will have limited motor control, and only an instinctive drive to infect
-As they are braindead, they will be unable to use weapons, and possess only rudimentary pathfinding skills
-A zombie can't open a door, but they can bash it in
-Metabolism will be reduced considerably, allowing the zombie to stay alive (undead?) longer
-They will not be super-strong. If anything, they will be weaker than most humans.
-Zombies are incapable of feeling pain. You can burn their skin all you want, it won't do anything
-However, they are no stronger than humans. Shooting one through the heart will kill it. Breaking bones will severely reduce a zombie's mobility
-A zombie can do without its digestive tract, but they do need their heart and lungs to survive
-Zombified humans don't heal properly, and will probably bleed to death eventually if you make them bleed
-A shot through the brain is actually the worst way to kill one, since there's not much there anymore. Aim for the chest or neck instead

Requirements

1. Group of 25-30 people
These need to be useful people. Carpenters, machinists, gunsmiths, mechanics, farmers, former (not current) military and law enforcement. They need to be relatively fit and good with firearms. Of course, finding people like that who will actually buy into stuff might be a bit (read: a lot) harder. But it's MY survival plan, so let's just say they magically appear out of nowhere. Ideally, they should have SUVs, but maybe that's a little too much to ask for.

2. Crazy survivalist backers with money
We'll need an uber-fort (see below), and an uber-fort costs money. Therefore, we need some survivalist crazies with money. And by crazies, I mean the ones that think you can survive a full-scale nuclear war if you pump enough money into a shelter. Therefore, our zombie uber-fort will have to at least appear to be resistant to nuclear weapons. Maybe it should be, in case of government intervention (ie a big nuke). Either way, we need some money for this, unless the group of 25-30 people want to eat only Mr. Noodles for five to ten years.

3. Super-Duper Zombie Fort
And here's the fort. Actually, it's not here, it's on a separate page. Potential designs range from a slightly converted house (least expensive) to a full-out bunker (most expensive). I like the "Habitation" design, it's a nice balance.

4. Arms Dealer
Buying illegal weapons is well, illegal, and you will get caught and sent to jail eventually. That said, in Canada you can't buy good zombie-killing guns legally. So here's a compromise solution. We'll have an arrangement with an arms dealer, or at least a friendly rapport with one. When we are bugging out during one of the windows (see plan below), we'll pick up a bunch of illegal firearms.

The "Windows"

It's not called a "Windowed" plan because I'm using a PC, folks. No, the plan basically relies on two "windows" between the initial release and the zombie apocalypse.

Window A: Rumours->Panic
This window is between the initial rumours and The Panic. Depending on the efficiency of the media versus the efficiency of the government(s), if there is someone leaking deliberately, where it happens, et cetera et cetera, this window could be less than a day long or several weeks long. Or maybe the rumours were false, and we end up feeling stupid, having a massive credit card bill, and a bunch of illegal guns to destroy. But if they weren't, we'll be laughing while everyone else is crying and dying.

Window B: Panic->Infection
This window is between The Panic and the actual arrival of the zombies. How long the window is depends on when The Panic starts, how fast the disease spread, where it started, and what flights are availible (seriously). However, it'll probably be shorter than Window A. Disadvantages include blocked roads, less supplies, and the fact that the stores will be closed and the arms dealer will be nowhere to be seen.