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    Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse
    Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse
    Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse
    Ebook237 pages3 hours

    Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse

    By Michael G. Thomas

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    About this ebook

    How do you fight a zombie if you are armed with only a shovel and are being pursued down a street? How can you raise a body of like minded individuals to defend your territory or to expand during the Zompoc? What is the Zompoc and what is a zombie?

    This book was written to answer these questions and much more.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSwordworks Books
    Release dateSep 7, 2010
    ISBN9781906512347
    Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse
    Author

    Michael G. Thomas

    Michael G. Thomas, is a writer, martial artist and military historian. He has written books on European martial arts and military history as well as Zombie Survival books and fiction. He is the co-founder of the prestigious Academy of Historical Fencing that teaches traditional armed and unarmed European martial arts. His specialist subject areas are teaching the use of the medieval two handed longsword and the German long knife in both the UK and other parts of Europe.He academic background is as varied as his writing with degrees in Computing, Classical Studies and Machine Learning. In recent years he has undertaken substantial research in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence as well as Ancient Greek and Byzantine military history.Michael is currently completing his Champions of the Apocalypse Series and Star Crusades science fiction series.

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      Book preview

      Zompoc - Michael G. Thomas

      Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse

      by

      Michael G. Thomas & Nick S. Thomas

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Swordworks Books

      Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse

      Copyright © 2010 by Michael G. Thomas & Nick S. Thomas

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      * * * * *

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      CHAPTER 1: KNOW YOUR ENEMY

      CHAPTER 2: STRATEGIES

      CHAPTER 3: UNARMED COMBAT

      CHAPTER 4: HAND TO HAND WEAPONS

      CHAPTER 5: THROWN WEAPONS

      CHAPTER 6: PROJECTILE WEAPONS

      CHAPTER 7: PHYSICAL TRAINING

      CHAPTER 8: TACTICS

      CHAPTER 9: CREATING A MILITIA

      CHAPTER 10: CLOSE QUARTER COMBAT

      CHAPTER 11: FORTIFICATION & SIEGES

      * * * * *

      Zompoc: Weapons and Tactics for the Zombie Apocalypse

      chapter ONE: KNOW YOUR ENEMY

      Before you can defeat the zombie menace you must first understand your adversary. What are a zombie’s strengths and weaknesses? How can we use this to our advantage when fighting them? This book does not go into detail on potential causes for zombification or look at strategies to use for general survival. This manual is about combat and as such we will concentrate on those areas that are pertinent to the potential combat. If you would like to know more about zombie origins, anatomy and motivation then please examine other ZOMPOC publications such as ZOMPOC: How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse (HTSAZA).

      The first thing we urgently need to know is what the capabilities of zombies are. The second thing to find out is what they can do in numbers. The first question is one of those problems not easy to answer due to the nature of the creature itself. Zombies are often described by the way they look or move such as shamblers, runners, rage zombies and the like. As explained in HTSAZA there are main categories of zombie, the infected and the undead. There are of course various types that fit in somewhere in-between, but if we ensure we can combat these types then we will be pretty well prepared. The names speak for themselves and refer to the general biology of the creatures. There are many types of zombies in films; the classic slow moving zombies are simply re-animated corpses, that is, the dead brought back to life. The infected is actually just a normal, living human that has been affected in such a way that the host personality is destroyed, damaged or altered in some way to make them dangerous. The second question does have some answers based upon recent research into animal and human behaviour when operating in large groups.

      ARE ZOMBIES A THREAT?

      Though we have all probably seen plenty of zombie based films, we do need to consider if zombies are actually a threat before we head for their destruction. Take the undead for example. For some reason the recently deceased come back to ‘life’. Yes, this is creepy but they don’t need to eat and until they start attacking people are they a problem? Unlike other creatures there is no competition for resources or living space. The dead do have a few characteristic thought that are problematic. First of all there is the psychological problem of the living seeing the dead and decomposed walking the streets, even worse, seeing people you knew. The second problem is one of hygiene. Having decomposing walking corpses walking the streets smells bad and is just wrong on so many levels. Imagine a year into the future. If somehow

      the zombies are still walking their numbers will now be in the millions. The potential problems to health and contamination alone will be massive. Ultimately, even a population of passive zombies will be a problem and will have to be managed with designated ‘undead spaces’ or with culling. At this point they are a problem but not the enemy. Now assume the undead for some reason attack or attempt to devour the living. As soon as their intentions become hostile they become the arch enemy of every living human on the planet. The infected zombies are essentially the same as the rest of the living and they can present any kind of problem from a confused, fumbling, brain-damaged human through to a rabid, infectious and extremely hostile creature.

      We will assume for argument sake that both types of zombies have the killing or eating of the living as their priority. This hostility may be due to their biology, programming or the way they are controlled or motivated. Ultimately the reasons are redundant. It is fair to assume you are reading this book so that you can learn the best methods to combat this kind of enemy. If for some reason the zombies are not dangerous then this manual is somewhat redundant but still entertaining…just in case!

      ZOMBIE BIOLOGY

      The biology of zombies is quite simply how zombies function and work. This is described in substantial detail in HTSAZA and it is strongly recommended that you read this book in detail. To summarise, however, the undead zombies are normal humans that are able to move and attack even though they are still dead. This is obviously a rather unnatural affair and without precedence in complex life forms.

      Depending on how long they were dead they will have reduced or crippled senses and atrophy to the limbs. Without a working heart and blood pumping around their body they should be unable to move.

      If by some bizarre twist of fate they can move, you will be facing a creature that breaks all the rules. What controls and moves a creature with no circulatory system? The brain is the only part of the body that can control muscles so this must at the very least be the single most important

      part of the undead zombie. How likely is an undead zombie? Well, that is a good question and one that we really cannot answer.

      The infected zombie is in many ways much more terrifying that the undead as it exhibits many of the strengths of the undead along with the potential for intelligence, speed and strength. These are things we do not want in an enemy! The only difference between an infected human and a normal human is the fact that their mind has been altered, destroyed and affected in some way to turn them into a deranged monster. An infected zombie will have all the same biological strengths and weaknesses that include the requirement to breathe and for their hearts to pump blood throughout their system.

      ZOMBIE INTELLIGENCE

      How intelligent is a zombie? Can it solve simple or complex problems? Can a zombie carry and use a firearm? These are all very important questions and ones that will determine the most effective way of dealing with them. Intelligence comes from the human’s brain and it is thus reasonable to assume that the more a person’s brain is damaged the less effective they will be. Brain damage occurs after a matter of minutes in a human, so a corpse of several days would have limited past memories and abilities other than basic motor functions. A body that is brought back to ‘life’ immediately after death might retain much of its previous knowledge, though without blood to keep the brain going that information will rapidly decay until the brain can no longer function. Assuming that something else keeps the brain going the level of intelligence could vary massively. The intelligence of the infected zombie is unknown and will have to be determined by close observation. As with the undead, the more the brain is altered or damaged the less of the previous knowledge and skills the zombie will retain.

      One great fear of zombies is that they might retain the ability to use tools and possibly weapons to attack us with. Though less of a concern with the undead, this is a very real problem with the infected zombies. There is a very real chance that infected zombies could make use of basic tools and items to attack with. There is even a good chance that the infected zombies will have a basic ability to use actual weapons and firearms, though don’t expect zombie marksmen or zombie airborne infantry!

      In summary you can expect undead zombies to have limited reasoning skills, very little previous knowledge or skills and only basic motor functions. Infected zombies could be as intelligent as the living, but with limited communication skills and long term planning ability due to the damage or alterations to their brains.

      ZOMBIE DEFENCE

      The undead zombie, by nature of the fact that all or large parts of the creature remain dead, have an unnatural capacity for ‘life’ even after sustaining catastrophic damage. It is reasonable to assume the undead can continue to function even after losing a limb or any of its major organs. If for some reason the undead requires some kind of reanimated organs to live, then these will be targets that can be destroyed to cripple or ‘kill’ a zombie. Observe the zombies in question to ascertain if they breathe. If they become injured, do they bleed? Remember what Arnold Schwarzenegger said of the Predator, ‘If it bleeds we can kill it’. This is of critical importance when fighting the infected. Though the infected have by far the most frightening offensive potential they also are the most vulnerable to damage. An infected zombie needs air, blood, food and water to stay alive. Assuming they retain the ability to feed and drink that can still die from other infections, loss of blood, exposure to the cold and viral attacks. An infected zombie with a cut off arm will not just suffer reduced effectiveness in combat, it will also die from shock or loss of blood in a matter of minutes. Very useful information!

      ZOMBIE ATTACK

      There are some people that have rather odd ideas about the undead. One of the classic examples is that they will be stronger and for some bizarre reason have an extra powerful bite! This is of course rather silly and not supported by any rational argument. The very best you can expect from the undead is to perform as well as they did when alive. If their muscle bodies are somehow still pumping blood and the muscles have not decayed too much they could still strike, punch and bite. The real strength that the undead would have is the lack of care about their own welfare. This means they will push their bodies to a state that the living would fin painful. For example, an undead zombie could break its jaw when biting, whereas we might pass out with pain. Attacks from the undead then can be related to their basic condition and how they move. If the zombie is slow and confused it stands to reason that its offensive capability will also be impaired. Based on this information you can expect the undead zombie to fight but not with any great skill, strength or technical ability. This doesn’t mean you will be any better though, if you think playing Left for Dead 2™ will help you, guess again. The ability to wield a shotgun, or to that matter even have access to one, is not based upon downloading a game on Steam™!

      The infected zombie is a completely different proposition and must be handled with extreme care. These creatures can be expected to be the equal of the living in terms of offensive capability, its only real weakness being any damage to the motor function control and strategy. Expect the infected to be lacking on the technical or tactical level but potentially deadly up close. Unlike the undead the infected will not necessarily suffer adverse damage over time, other than the effects of aging that will all must face. An infect zombie could run towards you, jump, kick, punch and bite and maybe even bash you on the head with a brick. Re-read the paragraph on zombie intelligence if you need clarification on this point.

      INFECTION

      Apart from injuring or killing you in the conventional way, the real fear and danger of zombies are that they will turn you into a zombie. There are many ways this can be done, though it is usually expected that this will happen through either physical contact or from a bite from the zombie. Physical contact could be touch or breath (if they breathe!) or from blood infection from bites or wounds. Quite what happens between being bitten or infected in some way and then turning into the creature are a complete unknown. It might be instant; it might take an hour or even a week. As with all traits of the enemy, the best information you can get will be from direct observation. Be careful! There is also the possibility that zombies will be created simply after the death of a person. This is very popular in zombie fiction and is a problem as death, whether natural or not, can result in the person becoming a zombie without ever making contact with other zombies. In this case the natural order of things is for all people to eventually become zombies. This is not a nice thought and the only solution is to make sure the dead consist of nothing suitable for re-animation. This is where fire or acid destruction comes in!

      LIFESPAN

      How long does a zombie last? This is a very important question and of course based upon both the biology of the zombie and also how it was created. The undead zombie is of course already dead, so when we say its lifespan we are describing its ability to continue to move and be a threat.

      UNDEAD

      For a zombie to be classed as undead it must have died. This may sound obvious but what exactly is death? Death is the irreversible loss of the properties of living matter - that is to say, death is the cessation of life. It is when the body shuts down its machineries of life, never to start up again. Organs must stop working, the brain ceases to function and blood stops flowing. Death essentially consists of two phases; somatic death which is the cessation of all the vital physical processes and then molecular death which is the progressive disintegration of the body. Being as the zombie is decaying then its ability to function will decrease every single day. The zombie will be unable to breathe or eat and unless it was animated by supernatural means, or something like nanobots that can repair the zombie, then it will decay to the point the uselessness in a matter of days.

      DEATH

      SOMATIC DEATH

      The first stage of death occurs once somatic death has occurred.

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