The zombie apoclaypse could happen, really happen, without you being part of the first-week survivor list. It's nothing to be ashamed of, normal people just aren't built to hack heavy-ass crowbars/machetes/katanas/whatever through the pure calcium deposit that makes up human skulls. If your aim is good enough to hit the skull in the first place. Being able to keep yourself safe at home for the first couple of days is already a big enough achievement in this survival horror. Making the usual week-long (or less) grocery supply in your pantry last for longer than it normally would, is an even bigger achievement.

If you're lucky, you're fit enough to actually outrun the undead once you decide to finally leave home. Or smart enough to know the right ways to avoid them. Or both. And if you find a nice and secure place to set up base? Then that's amazing, if not terribly unlikely.

For the (only slightly) lucky individuals (who live alone, because having a family to look out for makes chances of survival decrease exponentially), if they don't die outright in the initial chaos, the end of the world happens like this:

You hear weird stories about people biting each other. Could be rabies, you think to yourself. Shit happens, and sometimes it happens on a bigger scale than it normally would. Then you see it happen. On TV, on the internet. Some say the biters are actually dead p̤eople, which is too stupid to believe, but what the medical experts say sounds even dumber: an "unidentified pathogen" is the cause, they say, but you're smart enough to know that it could mean microscopic Teletubbies were the cause of the outbreak, for all the good that medical concensus was. Then someone you know is bitten, dies, and attacks you. You survive the encounter, but only just. The government tells people to stay home. Two days pass. The next day, the phone lines go dead. You can't call anyone with your cellphone, because everyone and their mother thought of doing the same thing. The government tells you to get to a big city. You try, but you're sitting in traffic when the government broadcasts stop; you see planes dropping napalm on the city ahead. You go back home. A week has gone by. You're nearly out of food, except for that one Snickers bar you've pocketed just in case.

Because all the "just in case" scenarios seem to be happening all at once.

The power gets shut off. No news of any kind is available without it. No water pressure either. For a day or two, some people pound on your door to ask for help. But you keep that door shut tight, because what if, right? You hear gunfire nearby every now and then. Eventually though, the shooting stops. You hear moans, then screaming, then more moaning. And not the fun kind, either.

You're thirsty, hungry, filthy, and you probably stink worse than days-old roadkill. But you stay at home anyway, because what else can you do? Where else can you go? The only things that seem to happen outside are violence and death, and, well, they can't get to you if you've locked up tight, right?

... Right?

You look out the window - three zombies are eating your neighbor. Some other undead see you, and holy shit, you haven't boarded up your windows, you idiot. You finally decide to bolt, hop in your car, and head for the countryside. The few radio stations that are still broadcasting are all playing a looped message telling people to lock their doors and wait for military assistance. Every town you pass through looks worse than the last - burning buildings, corpses in the streets, roads blocked by abandoned and crashed vehicles, looters, zombies, fire, blood, death - the world is falling apart before your eyes.

You reach a campsite with people who seem to be decent enough, and fight off frequent zombie attacks together. No one knows more than you do - there are different variations of the same rumors about safe places far away, but deep down, you know they are all wishful thinking - nowhere is safe anymore.

...but this story isn't about you. This is about someone who actually prepared for the end.

That kind of shit tends to make a difference.

ooOoo

EPIC-LENGTH A/N:

I'm outta my funk! ...sort of. Here it is folks, my shiny new TWD OC/self-insert fic. There are like ten million nods to the NatGeo TV show "Doomsday Preppers" because I'm a weirdo and I actually love that show. It has... something. Something that calls real hard to my closet prepper. So hard, in fact, that I think once I get my MD license, I'll cure the hell outta a lot of patients just so I can roll enough dough to have my own amazing BOB (bug-out bag) and make my own Doomsday Bunker (which is another TV show, don't ask, I'm a prepper nut and let's just leave it at that).

Seriously, daydreaming about how I'd prepare for the apocalypse is like my guilty pleasure or something. I've been called weird for being so into it, and I completely own up to any weirdness this kink of mine makes me seem to have, but I'm just wondering, are there any other preppers (open or closeted) among my readers? If so, I would love to hear from you any prepping whatevs (foraging, trapping, or just food in general, weapons, water, medicine, fortifications, anything) that you have done or want to do yourself, or want to see in this fic.

I'm open to suggestions. The next chapter is already in the works though, so I might not be able to incorporate your suggestions/tips/wishes immediately.

Also, I'll try real hard to update my other fics, but inspiration is a spotty thing, now that I'm so close to taking my licensure exam, so no promises. The most likely to be updated are The Analyst, Disasterpiece, and FVM. In no particular order.

P.S.: I'm completely aware that as a fanfic author I am super lousy (after all, who likes an author who hardly ever updates?), and I can't thank you readers enough for liking my stories anyway (especially you reviewers! ...though lurkers are cool too, I don't review every chapter of every fic I read either, so I can totes relate). You guys are amazing.

P.P.S: Three of my fics, Autumn, Maximum Impact, and NARPG, are up for adoption. Really. I haven't put it up on the blurbs yet, but they are, so there you go. No need for further permission, just grab the fics and take them where you want to. I'd love a mention in your fics though, or a PM, because I'd love to see what you make of my stories.