The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: Watch Your Back

A zombie apocalypse is dealt with best by groups of people. But, beware who you trust. As this week’s Walking Dead showed, it can get you into trouble.

I’m more often than not the first to say that you’re better off in a zombie apocalypse being part of a group. When you think about it, it’s only logical: With there being so many zombies, it pays to have someone watch your back.

However, despite the fact the dead are trying to eat the living, people will still be people. By that, I mean, people are flawed; They will still be greedy, jealousy, lustful, selfish, violent, predatory, and, most importantly for our purposes today, duplicitous. Bad people will always have their own agenda, and the smart ones will not be honest about it.

That said, how can you protect yourself from them?

Beware Of Mercenaries

A very easy way of getting allies in a zombie apocalypse is to essentially buy their assistance. Now, money won’t mean much when the government collapses, but, things will still have intrinsic value: Guns, bullets, batteries, gas, water, etc. You can easily bargain for other peoples’ assistance with these commodities in lieu of money.

However, there’s a very large problem with this arrangement: A person who is paid to help you is not necessarily loyal to you. A mercenary’s loyalty lasts only as long as their payment or until someone makes a better offer. If you offer someone one tank of gasoline, but, a hostile offers two without you knowing, you’ll be in for a rude awakening.

If at all possible, try to avoid getting mixed up with people whose only loyalty is to themselves or to their next paycheck; The reality is, you can’t rely on them. How can you trust these people to fight alongside you when, for all you know, they might have gotten a better offer or simply think it’d be easier to take all of your stuff after the dead eat you?!

Watch Your New “Friends”

This is tough in a zombie apocalypse, as you may not even know where other groups might be or how friendly/unfriendly they are. That aside, should you meet a new group and are considering (Or been forced to make) an arrangement with them, make the added effort to spend some time watching them or even following them.

Since you don’t really know them, who’s to say what these people might actually be like? With the internet gone, the best tool you’ll have for finding out information about another group is a pair of eyes and ears.

I can’t promise that this method will guarantee that you’ll find out every dirty little secret of every group of strangers, but, you learn nothing if you don’t watch them.

Be Wary Of People Demanding Guns

Now, I mentioned earlier that lots of things have intrinsic value in a zombie apocalypse: Batteries, gas, water, etc. I also said that you should beware of mercenaries, because they’re only as loyal as their next paycheck.

This might be one thing if what they ask for is otherwise benign supplies, like those I just listed. Sure, they’re precious, but they’re necessities: Everyone is going to need those.

On the other hand, if they’re asking for weapons? …That’s a whole new ballgame.

Unlike those other items, a gun has one purpose: It is a weapon. It can’t power appliances, you can’t drink it, and it can’t fuel anything. Guns shoot things. Nothing else.

If a group of people that you don’t know is demanding you give them weapons, you need to tread extremely carefully. Whether they’re your guns or guns you’ve found for the purpose of giving away, in either case, you’re putting weapons in the hands of people you don’t know. What’s to stop them from turning the guns on you immediately?

Nothing.

And, now, you can see my point.

The zombie apocalypse will be dangerous, and, it’s smart to have a group, people who will help you.

But, you need to be careful in whom you place your trust. Unless you really know them, putting your life in their hands is an extremely dangerous gamble.

You need to know as much as you can about any people or groups you align yourself with; If it takes days of watching them and following them, you do it. Your life and the lives of those you care about may depend on it.

You need to align yourself with people who have a stake in your survival. Joining with people who don’t care about you leaves you incredibly vulnerable, as nothing is compelling them to remain loyal.

If you’re paying for the loyalty of someone else, you’re making a mistake. A mercenary’s loyalty can be — If it hasn’t already — bought by someone else. And, if you must work with mercenaries, don’t buy their loyalty with something they can use on you. It’s a recipe for disaster.

This is why you need to watch your back. This is why you follow…The Rules.

Next: The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: Have A Code

And that’s our survival rule of the week!! Hopefully, it will help you should you ever need it and give you that mental edge that will prove so crucial once the dead start eating everyone.

If you like this and want to find out more rules to survive the zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can get it on Kindle here and on iTunes here!