Places You DON’T Want To Stay In A Zombie Apocalypse
By Liam O'Leary
Shelter is one of the most essential things to have in a zombie apocalypse, and The Walking Dead has shown us some of the best, but, what are THE WORST?
Last week, my colleague, Sarabeth Pollock, took to the interwebs to discuss the sorts of places most ideal to use as a shelter in a zombie apocalypse.
Frankly, I love this! Knowing what sort of places to use as a shelter once the dead rise is crucial: All it takes is one bad choice for you to end up a zombie’s supper. In fact, I find this idea so important that I myself have discussed this very thing in my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! If you plan on surviving, you must think about things like this!
Now, cards on the table: I didn’t initially know Sarabeth had written this. When I found out, my exact words were: “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stadiums? Ballparks?”
Don’t get me wrong: Stadiums and ballparks can be a good shelter. In fact…that’s part of the problem.
Because of how (generally) sturdy they are, as well as their capacity, medical and food service facilities, they make ideal shelters…something the government knows.
Why do I mention them? Well, if history has taught us anything about large-scale disasters, it’s that the government will use nearby stadiums, ballparks, or arenas as makeshift safe zones, as they did during Hurricane Katrina. Whether this will be a last resort or their first option (Depending on whether they were to try to use large cities as safe zones or not, a la The Walking Dead), is anyone’s guess.
Whatever the case may be, if the government uses your nearest stadium/ballpark/arena as a safe zone, it might not be as ideal of a safe zone as one might think…
If I haven’t said it before here (Though, I’m fairly certain I have), let me say so now: I do not believe that, in a real-world scenario, the government would really know how to properly deal with a zombie apocalypse.
I think, considering that it’s something they would likely believe impossible, the government wouldn’t recognize what they were dealing with until the number of zombies reached the tipping point.
What’s more, in failing to recognize the problem, they might not be willing to deal with those who’ve been infected, and in turn, put those they seek to protect at risk.
And here’s where we get back to arenas, stadiums, and ballparks…
If the government uses any of these as a shelter and enough of the dead get in (Or infected inside turn), its once relatively open areas suddenly…won’t feel quite so open. If enough zombies are inside, panic will almost certainly ensue, as people try desperately to stay out of reach.
People will trample each other to escape, leaving them easy prey for the dead and helping to swell their numbers. Before long, you may find yourself with more zombies than people!
If zombies start spilling into the corridors, you may find yourself stuck racing down the halls with little to no way of alluding the dead. Worse still, if the government locks most of the entrances (An otherwise logical decision), you may be forced to run the entire length of the stadium, arena, or ballpark just to get to the one exit you might be able to get out from!
However, don’t think this assessment will be entirely negative. There is some light at the end of the tunnel.
If you were to find the stadium/arena/ballpark after the worst of the outbreak occurs, you may be able to utilize these facilities after all!
Of course, you need to be sure there aren’t thousands of zombies in it first.
My suggestion, so long as there aren’t another thousand zombies immediately outside the arena, of course: Make some noise.
In the quiet of a zombie-infested world, perhaps something as simple as yelling at the stadium or ballpark will draw out any potential “guests” it may have.
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Will it get you noticed by any zombies in the area? Sure, but, at least, if it also draws the ones inside, it lets you know what will be in store for you should you try to claim it later.
Indoor arenas, however, can be a bit trickier. In Boston, for example, there is both street access to The Garden, access from the adjacent North Station terminal, and from the subway station. While being inside might make my earlier tactic moot, you would, hypothetically, have other means of dispersing the herd…if the other entrances were clear, at least.
What do you guys think? Do you think arenas, stadiums, or ballparks would make for good shelters in a zombie apocalypse? Or, do you think that they’d be giant deathtraps? Let me know in the comments!
Next: Ways to survive the zombie apocalypse
And, if you want to learn more about how to survive a zombie apocalypse (And learn more places you shouldn’t go) why not pick up a copy of my book? You can get it on Kindle here and on iTunes here!