THE NUCLEAR OPTION
Not every apocalypse is a nuclear one, but for those that are, you'll need to know what happens when you drop a nuke on a city or other area: the fireball radius, the air blast radius, the thermal radiation radius, and estimated number of fatalities. Wouldn't be nice if there was an app for that? One you could customize not only by location, but by how many bombs hit, and even what type they were?
While researching this book I just happened to find such an app, and it's fantastic!
http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
In seconds, it lets you detonate every type of nuclear weapon from around the world, from the tiniest 20-ton “Davy Crockett” to the largest 100-megaton “Tsar Bomba.”
If you're going nuclear, take a look at The Day After (TV, 1983), Testament (1983), Miracle Mile (1988), and Jericho (TV, 2006-2008). Also consider a nuclear power reactor meltdown like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima.
What about weird fallout from a bioweapon strike or testing accident? In the novel, One Rainy Night (1991), author Richard Laymon imagines a weird black rain falling over a town. Whoever gets soaked by it becomes a homicidal maniac until the “rain” is washed off.
Meanwhile, in the real world, clear blobs of toxic “star jelly” fell from the sky over Oakville, Washington in 1994, sickening and killing locals. The still unexplained incident was profiled on Unsolved Mysteries (TV, 1987-2002).
Or, instead of nukes, what about war? You could set your story during the invasion of a hostile foreign power: Red Dawn meets Dawn of the Dead.
OTHER WAYS TO MAKE IT WORSE
If you want to make things even crazier for your story, have the apocalypse strike during a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, as Joe McKinney did in his novel, Dead City (2006).
What about during a massive earthquake? Watch Earthquake (1974) and read Quake (1974) by Rudolph Wurlitzer or Quake (1995) by Richard Laymon for non-zombie earthquake apocalypse novels.
Other disaster options would be to have characters trapped in a burning skyscraper like The Towering Inferno (1974) or a mountain resort like Avalanche (1978).
The Road (2009) doesn't explain its apocalypse, leaving viewers to guess at what the cold, ashen landscape means: nuclear winter, asteroid impact, climate change? Who knows? Like not explaining how zombies exist, not explaining your apocalypse has a certain elegance. It also means never having to apologize for getting the science wrong.
If you want to go more sci-fi, what about an extinction level event, such as a meteor or asteroid strike? In Where Have All the People Gone (TV, 1974), a solar flare turns people to dust. Radiation from a passing comet does the same in Night of the Comet (1984), with the added benefit of turning some survivors into zombies.
If you're not into natural disasters, what about setting your apocalypse during a blackout, either localized or nationwide, such as from an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP)? To see what happens in an urban environment, research the 1977 New York City blackout and watch Blackout (1978). For a rural setting, try The Trigger Effect (1996).
Best selling author James Herbert imagined several apocalypse scenarios in his novels. In The Fog (1975), a toxic cloud from the center of the earth turns everyone who breathes it into homicidal maniacs. In The Dark (1980), a demonic cloud of living darkness does pretty much the same thing. In Domain (1984), mutant rats attack survivors of a nuclear war; and in '48 (1996), at the end of World War II, the defeated Nazis unleash a bioweapon that kills most of humanity.
Unusual shelter locations can provide great atmosphere for your story. The most famous example is the shopping mall in Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004 remake), but there are all kinds of locations more exotic than that. In Day of the Dead (1985), a civilian science team and its military escort hunker down in a former mine shaft converted into an underground storage facility. Thomas Koloniar has a Green Beret team embed themselves in a missile silo in his novel, Cannibal Reign (2012).
Wherever your survivors are going to ride out the apocalypse, make sure it has advantages and disadvantages, including one major flaw through which your villains and monsters invade. At the right time, of course.
The apocalypse is all about timing.
✓ POST-APOCALYPSE CONDITIONS
Now we arrive at the end, which is really the beginning: the new, nightmare world where only the strong survive. But for how long?
This is The Road Warrior world where anything goes and might makes right. Your chance of running into zombies is extremely high, especially the closer you get to cities. Almost the same as your odds of encountering armed looters, rogue military, biker gangs, petty tyrants, cults, crazies, infected, and other desperate scum who want to deprive you of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are still good people out there, but unless they have banded together and armed themselves, they exist only as victims or potential victims.
Goods and services are now on a strictly barter basis, although to those who still find value in them, precious metals, gems, and jewelry may be traded in lieu of anything else.
Power and running water may be available, but not in all areas. A last few media and internet holdouts may be broadcasting information, but are unlikely to last long. One by one, these voices will fade until only static remains.
Survivors must go through a grieving process where they mourn their old life and not all will find the will to go on in this mad world. There were a lot of suicides during the apocalypse, but there will be many more now, once people realize the old world is never coming back and this nightmare is all there is. Depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) from the horrors these people have gone through will take their toll.
Others may see a a chance to prove themselves and find the strength not just to get by day to day, but to thrive. These individuals provide a slim beacon of hope, though they'll need more than optimism to survive. They'll need a plan. And likely another plan, and another, as they find their hopes dashed one by one―by the living or the dead.
Survivors will naturally divide into loners, small bands, or large groups. The best of these will have a few jack of all trades but also contain skilled specialists: leader/diplomat, medic, mechanic, scout, and soldier. If you're familiar with games like Dungeons & Dragons, this is similar to putting together a balanced adventuring party with a cleric, fighter, thief, and wizard. Some groups may have an oddball who isn't necessary for survival, but adds enough value to keep around (a gourmet chef, for example).
Tiny pockets of civilization remain, but won't last long unless they are militarized with strong defenses. With militarization comes confidence, a cause to believe in, but that can quickly turn to arrogance and a desire to apply a military solution to problems better solved through diplomacy. Rushing to war will destroy some of these communities and send survivors into the wild to start over.
Eventually, given strong walls and capable leaders, some of the more level-headed outposts will band together in a loose association for commerce and defense, perhaps aligning into a federation strong enough to exterminate or drive off the human predators lurking outside their walls. Within these communities, jobs exist, but not the old jobs. These are jobs that make sense in this new world. Everyone must contribute. Those who cannot or will not are banished or killed. This is the new reality: Be useful or be dead.
THE POST-APOCALYPSE JOB MARKET
Assuming your story takes place in a post-apocalypse world years after societal collapse, and assuming some semblance of civilization has returned, then certain skills are going to be in demand. Here's a list of hot jobs in alphabetical order:
Architect/Construction/Engineer/Welder
Agriculture/Farming
Appliance/Electronics Repair
Blacksmith/Bladesmith
Doctor/Nurse/Pharmacist/Veterinarian
Firearm Manufacture and Repair
HAM Radio Expert
Hunter/Scout
Irrigation/Well Construction
Lea
therworker
Mechanic
Midwife
Prostitute
Security Services/Self-Defense Training
Sewing/Tailoring/Textile Manufacture
Soap/Candle Manufacturer
Teacher
Notice banker, bureaucrat, CEO, lawyer, politician, and Wall Street crook did not make the list. Unfortunately for me, neither did author.
MOST VALUABLE TRADE GOODS
With the death of Wall Street and the banks comes the end of currency as we know it. The world returns to the barter system. Goods and services are the new wealth, but such wealth is limited to what you can keep or carry. Walled communities will be able to hoard more of this “wealth,” making them attractive places to visit, but also to attack.
Although some survivalists scoff at hoarding gold and silver because “you can't eat it,” that doesn't change the fact that people have always loved the stuff and have used it as currency through one societal collapse after another.
Here's a list of the most valuable trade goods in alphabetical order:
Animals, Guard and Hunting
Animals, Livestock
Backpacks/Personal Storage
Body Armor
Books (“how to” manuals)
Bow/Crossbow and Ammunition
Camping/Hiking Gear
Cloth and Clothing (durable, warm, and waterproof)
Crowbar
Firearms and Ammunition (common calibers)
Firewood
Food, Fresh
Food, Preserved
Fuel (Gasoline, Oil, etc.)
Maps
Medicine
Luxury Goods (alcohol, cigarettes, etc.)
Personal Defense (tasers, pepper spray, etc.)
Pesticide
Precious Gems, Jewelry, and Metals
Seeds (non-GMO)
Sewing Kits and Supplies
Solar Power
Specialty Items *
Spices
Toiletries/Personal Hygiene Products
Tools
Vehicles
Vitamins
Water
Water Filtration
Weapons, Modern (explosives, firearms, etc.)
Weapons, Primitive (axes, bows, knives, spears, swords, etc.)
* Specialty Items cover anything of high value to a specific profession or group that most people have little to no use for. Stockpiling them is a risk few survivors will undertake unless they can reasonably expect to unload the goods sooner rather than later.
For example, biohazard and radiation specialty items would include disinfectants, Geiger counters, hazmat suits, medical grade particulate masks, and potassium iodide pills. If your world was nuked or exposed to a bio-weapon, some or all of these items might switch from specialty items to being in high demand for almost everyone. Otherwise, they have limited use, like if you were going to try and restart a nuclear power plant or to look for a zombie vaccine in a biological research facility.
2
SURVIVING THE END
MANY PEOPLE FIND SURVIVING a normal day in our modern world challenging; now throw societal collapse and a horde of zombies, cannibals, or mutants into the mix and see what happens! Some people are going to kill themselves, some are going to experience temporary or permanent mental illness, and others are going to find a way to fight through the horror.
SEVEN STEPS TO SURVIVE
There's a short list of actions all survivors need to take right off the bat: just seven steps. The exact order they should be followed in change based on the circumstances your character finds himself in at the beginning of the apocalypse. If he already has a viable shelter with food, water, heat, electricity, and warm clothes, then collecting weapons and fortifying his shelter come first. Once he's done that, he can begin to worry about how he's going to solve the rest.
Find food and water.
Get weapons (ranged and melee).
Protect yourself from the elements.
Find shelter.
Fortify your area or use natural barriers.
Plan your long-term strategy.
Find a group to help you survive.
✓ Step 1: Find Food and Water
You need to stay hydrated. Who knows when the water might be shut off or contaminated?
Fill up every container you can.
Fill all sinks and bathtubs.
Set out containers to collect rainwater.
Food is energy. You need energy to defend yourself. That means your food supply is critical. You need to:
Ration the food you have.
Freeze food that might go bad (if possible).
Any food that is perishable and can't be frozen should be eaten first.
Create farming opportunities.
Urban farming opportunities could be a rooftop or fenced garden to provide fresh spices and veggies. Rural farming opportunities include the possibility of not only a larger and more diverse crop of veggies, but harvesting meat and dairy from livestock.
If you have to venture out to get food and water, make sure to take a weapon and plan several alternate routes to and from your destination since roads could be blocked, bad guys running wild, etc.
Once you locate a grocery store:
Get as much water as you can.
Get as many non-perishable food items as you can.
Get any medicines you think you'll need.
Get at least one first aid kit.
Get toiletries/personal hygiene products.
Get a map of the state and your area.
Get any other supplies you think you'll need.
Get some portable entertainment items (books, etc.).
✓ Step 2: Get weapons (Ranged and Melee)
Every home has some kind of weapon: a kitchen knife, knitting needle, baseball bat, golf club, etc. A broken table or chair leg works as a club. You could even use a broken bottle, or if you're truly desperate, a shard of glass (preferably wrapped around the bottom to create a safe handle).
Most people can quickly lay hands on one of these basic melee weapons for close-combat. While clubs are a good choice (particularly against zombies), knives offer the most versatility. They're also lighter and easier to conceal.
One myth I'd like to bust is that you should “never bring a knife to a gunfight.” That's only true if the enemy has his gun drawn, aimed, and is far enough away to use it before you can get to him. If his weapon is holstered or slung over the shoulder, and he's within seven yards, he may not have time to draw it, let alone aim it before the enemy runs up and stabs him. Even an untrained enemy with a knife is an absolute and immediate danger, both to firearms experts and martial arts masters alike.
In his controversial book, Put 'Em Down, Take 'Em Out: Knife Fighting from Folsom Prison, Don Pentacost detailed how a “prison yard rush” by an attacker with a knife will kill better-armed or skilled opponents almost every time, or at least result in multiple stab wounds before the attacker is stopped.
The other big myth is in thinking of an attack as a knife “fight.” It's not a fight, it's attempted murder. Unless the attacker is a complete fool or trying to ward you off, you are not going to see the knife coming. He will not show it to you and invite you to a duel. The last thing he wants is a fair fight! If he can get behind you, he'll grab your head, tilt it back, then slit your throat. If he thinks you won't expect it, he'll casually walk by, stick the blade in you, and keep on going. You'll be dying before you even realize what happened. Or, he'll just rush up and stab the shit out of you as fast as he can.
Ranged weapon choices include firearms, air pistols, bows or crossbows, molotov cocktails, slingshots, rocks, etc. A homemade short-range flamethrower can be improvised with a lighter and bottle of hairspray. A pot of boiling water or coffee could burn or blind an attacker. Not to mention insect poison spray or bathroom cleaner squirt bottles; those are great for blinding enemies and they're easy to use without injuring yourself―plus, you get multiple shots.
>
With firearms, untrained users are unlikely to be accurate, but that doesn't mean they still can't hit a man-sized target. Just probably not wherever they were aiming for. It will take time for new users to adjust to the unexpected kick of their weapon when it fires; this also affects accuracy.
One more thing: It's vital to point out that being familiar with one type of gun or knife does not make you an expert with all of them. Each model is different.
✓ Step 3: Protect yourself from the elements
Most modern clothing sucks. It's cheap and not meant to last long. To survive the post-apocalyptic world, you need durable, warm, and waterproof clothes like Gortex, leather jackets, denim, etc. These materials are relatively zombie-proof, as well. Helmets, scarves, gloves, and boots protect from bites and scratches on areas that are weak points for many survivors.
Writing Apocalypse and Survival Page 2