Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
People:
Me plus 5 mates plus anyone else at the Uni who wants to join,then any survivors we pick up
Of those 5
3 Of us Civil Engineering Students
1 Electrical Engineering Student
1 Medical Student
1 Maths Student
All of us are Outdoor types who enjoy walking, camping etc
All of us have very practical mind sets and a range of useful skills
Weapons:
As this is the UK none of us have access to firearms
One of the group used to help out at game shoots so knows how to handle a shotgun
Whilest at the Hall of Residence and Heading to City weapons will be whatever blunt instruments we can get hold of, most ;likely steel desk legs, sections of water-pipe sports bats etc.
When we reach the Engineering Department Crossbows will be manufactured from spring steel, office guillotine blades removed for use as machetes, Swords made from high grade structural steel, Adapted nail guns.
On route to BOL try to get hold of shotguns and ammo from (abandoned) farms.
Part 1: Bugging In Location 1 (first week to two weeks)
I am in a flat in a five storey high hall of residence.
(on being told by the university to evacuate) move to the top floor, with friends, break into as many flats as possible to obtain food and anything that might make a weapon. Remove the steel plate bathroom doors from every room and screw them over the ground and first floor windows (maybe use radiators as well). When the services fail, break into the basement, redirect the uninteruptable server power supply to fridges etc. Use water from the many toilet cisterns/drain the heating system. (when the infected are sighted/heard) Remove the four staircases using sledgehammers angle grinders from nearby construction works. Access to upper floors now via escape ladder in lift shaft. Wait until the panic phase is over the majority of people will now have fled the city or be Zeds.
Part 2: Bugging In Location 2
Head down into the city on foot or preferably on mountain bike, maintian a low profile making as little noise as posible. The target is the University's Engineering Department. This building is already fairly Zed proof, majority of windows outside the central area are almost 6feet off the ground, Main doors have wrought iron gates in-front of them all other doors are solid timber, the front of the building is separated from the street by a deep well-type basement, Central area of the building is separated from the street by high steel gates with spikes and barbed wire. The interior of the building is complex and maze like floor area is divided up by heavy timber doors many are solid and others have small panes of laminated, wire glass all are lockable either by extisting locks or chain and padlock. In the central area of the building there are very large double-high loading doors into the structures labs these would allow vehicles to be driven in and armoured in the labs. Within the building have all the tools and much of the material that would be required for this. Additionally there are too very large 1000gallon+ water tanks in the "water engineering" lab that could supply ample drinking water, food would be raided from nearby shops/cafes/resturants. We would only stay at this building for as long as it takes to armour and modify the vehicles. Sleeping acomodation would be the libary (this room has two enterances armoured, one-way glass windows and heavy doors with multiple locks and deadbolts. Modify/armor/weaponise the vehicles as best we can vehicles to be obtained from the nearby area preferance as follows 1:Bulldozer 2:lorry cab units 3:LandRovers 4:other4x4's. It is unlikely we will be able to get hold of a bulldozer but if we can it will proove very useful. All vehicles will have windows fully plated over and vision to outside via CCTV camera's (from shops etc) all will have bumbers replaced with steel I-beam to allow for ramming. At least one of the vehicles either a bulldozer or a lorry power cab will be fully armored with thick steel manhole covers. Once vehicles are ready raid any remaining food from the nearby supermarket and shops. Raid any nessesary books from the university libary.
Part 2:3: Bugging Out
Drive out of Sheffield with heavily armoured vehicle at the front to smash through any road blocks hoards of Zeds abandoned vehicles etc. Use a pump removed from the engineering department to drain the diesel tanks at petrol stations/bus garages/farms (there should still be fuel left as when the electricity failed the pumps at the petrol stations would have stopped). Use mainly back roads, service roads and country lanes; to lessen risk of blockages of abandoned vehicles, hoards of Zeds, raiding parties etc. Raid abandoned houses, shops, farms etc for food and water. Pick up our families if they have survived and if we can find them.
Part 3:4: Digging In
Location to aim for is Waddesdon Manor a country house now owned by the National Trust (so unoccupied). The reason for choosing this particular country house is due to its security features, as the house contains very rare antiques it was fortified against burglary including ram-raiding so should be pretty much Zed proof. All windows are fitted with armoured glass, some also with pull down security shutters (so no need for boarding up) main doors are 2inch thick solid timber with locks, draw-beams etc. House is situated on top of a hill in the middle of nowhere unfortunately hill is partially covered by trees these would be removed to give clear visibility. Electricity supply used to be via its own small hydroelectric plant (still in place so not to hard to reinstate). Water supply pumped from well/borehole. The whole estate (many square miles) is surrounded by high masonry wall with easily defensible gate houses. Over time the wall would be reinforced by building an earth bank against its inner side. Moats and additional earthworks could be added if deemed necessary. A CCTV system would be set up on the perimeter to allow a small team to monitor the whole area from the comfort of the house and take appropriate action to deal with Zeds, other survivors, raiders etc.
Part 4:5: Living
To begin with, using OS maps, we would locate all nearby Supermarkets, regional distributions centres, grain warehouses, sources of useful materials and supplies. A raiding party would be sent out in a heavily armoured truck to bit-by-bit clear out these places and stock pile food and other resources within the estate. This stock pile would be kept stored in lorry trailers all with power-cabs attached ready to leave quickly if necessary.
Farms would be raided (if empty) and whole herds of animals (pigs, sheep, cows, goats) brought onto the estate in thier transporter wagons, if farmers are present invite them to bring thier knowledge and expertise to the community, they bring there animals, machinery etc to us in return they get the protection offered by a large secure community. Disassemble milking machinery, etc and rebuild on the estate. Just because it a post apocalyptic world doesn't mean we have to go back to primitive methods, milking machinery power by electricity from hydro electric plant to be supplemented be solar and wind power as soon as equipment is obtained.
Within the first year head out and using armoured harvesting machinery harvest the edible crops that are already planted in the surrounding area (many people have forgoten in thier survival plans that thier are a years worth of crops always planted in the fields). Add those to the stockpile. Harvest rape seed oil to make bio-diesel for tractors etc.
Raid libraries to obtain any additional books to learn necessary skills. Make use of electric cars on the estate charged using the electric supply.
This should give us a year maybe two years to bring the estate to full farming productivity, deep plough majority of grassland, harrow, plant crops using seed drills, fertilise if supply is available. If not fertilise using manure. Harvest
Set up a workshop/machine shop to allow skills to passed on and repairs to machinery to be made.
Tractors and harvesters will eventually be converted to electricity using high toque motors from electric freight trains power to be via raided batteries: suitable would be car batteries, railway coach lighting bateries, fire alarm/security system/server backup batteries.