... That has left everyone but you dead. I wrote this for my little brother last night, he was given the task for basically writing an 'I am Legend' survival guide, I think I did a good job. Without much more from me, here it is.
How I survivedFirst of all one must question ‘Why write such a guide?’ No one is alive but me, at least as far as I know. Probability tells me, if there is one survivor there will be others – what can I do though? Search far and wide for another lost soul? Hoping I come across another who will be happy to see me, who will have enough resources so that I won’t be a drain on his/her supplies, that we can mate and continue human existence on this god forsaken rock? That’s a lot to base on a chance encounter – My heart tells me if I leave the life I have built myself I will not come back; Run out of fuel on the search, run out of food or water who knows what problems I will encounter on my journey.
I’m scared to as well, I’ve become acclimatized to my life here. I’ve been so long without human contact I don’t think I could manage to go back. I feel my fear drives my pessimism, maybe if I left I would find out there are survivors outside the radius I scouted. I’ve seen enough death to last me a life time though, the prospect of a bustling city isn’t worth inflicting that on myself again.
You might be starting to think, ‘What does all this have to do with a short survival guide?’
Everything, humans in essence are a two state being – we can be separated up into two fundamental components: 1) The body, mortal flesh and blood 2) The mind, Immortal spirit and soul.
They go hand in hand together as I have discovered, you need food and water to keep your body alive but if you mind is destroyed what was it for? That is one of the reasons I am writing this - to keep my mind active. I don’t think my writings will ever be discovered but I think it is human nature to do so, I have a story to tell and I shall tell it. Like the ancient Egyptian’s, recording history in hieroglyphics on the walls of tombs I shall record my history. If my body is ever discovered, a story can be put to my bones. You shall know of what I went through, that I am not just another to die from the virus. You shall know how I survived.
To write this guide I will separate the vague term of survival up into separate sections to cover the basics of what to do after finding yourself in my situation.
Part 1 – WaterWater is the essential building block of life, some ‘scientists’ will tell you we are carbon based life forms, but water is the essential component for human life. You need to get water reserves prepared so you have enough to travel to your optimum living location i will talk about optimum living location more in the self sufficiency section. As i said earlier water is the essential component for life, therefore it is the essential component for survival. You have to have a supply of water now and a future supply. Tap water is not suitable as no one is manning the water control and cleaning.
Sourcing: This is vital for survival, you need to find a suitable water supply that will not dry up during summer and is as clean as possible. Look for a reservoir, lake or river. Fast flowing water will be free of parasites; water filtered through mud and earth is good for removing parasites and getting clean water.
Of course, water should always be personally purified to prevent catching waterborne disease or parasites – scavenging for purification systems and tablets is a lot easier than having to find drugs to cure disease, infection or rid you of parasites. Most hardware, outdoor, supermarkets will have some form of water purification tools - Tablets, chemicals or contraptions.
It’s up to you how you supply your water to your home e.g. make siphon based pipe system, use a powered pump system, carry it or make a well – Do what will make living easiest and will work with your chosen purification system.
Part 2 - FoodYour water situation is sorted, but of course you need to eat. Humans are said to be hunter scavenger animals. That is a hard life; if you’re not hunting or scavenging you have no food apart from stored reserves it is also a lot of work with small yield.
What is the solution then?
Farm - as a species we have developed a lot of knowledge through trial and error on farming food – Grain, fruit, vegetables and livestock.
Animals seem to be unaffected mainly from the virus that has destroyed our species; hunting is a fun activity that is good for mind and body. Scavenging guns and ammunition is vital for survival, setting snares for small animals is also good for catching food, remembering where you places your snares can be hard though and they need to be checked daily.
Farming vegetables such as potato is a very stable and bountiful form of food. Staggering your planting will result in harvests throughout the year ensuring a steady supply of food providing they don’t suffer disease.
Livestock - your livestock will need to be kept away from your plants. Making a wooden fence is a few days work but well worth it and requiring not much else apart from wood, a sledge hammer, nails and a claw hammer. To keep small game out such as rabbits which are a pest affix wire mesh to the bottom part of the fence, make sure there are no gaps a rabbit can get underneath – it is good to check your fence to check for breaches, if you find one – place a snare to catch the rabbit when it goes through again. Of course with a gun you can keep the population under control and have fun doing so.
Livestock can be enclosed or free to roam, large livestock such as sheep or cattle can be taken from farms by using transport vehicles – it can be a lot of work but the end justifies the means.
Have enough livestock to meet your own means and then some, there is benefit to keeping 50 cattle if 10 is enough.
Have a clear idea of your plan of action regarding the animals, are you keeping them for their produce: eggs, milk, wool. Or are you raising to kill for meat?
To conclude this section make sure you have scavenged reserves from supermarkets – sealed food that will last years. Make sure you stock up on items such as salt, herbs, spices, honey and vinegar. Basically anything that will come in useful and make life easier, stock up.
Part 3 – ShelterShelter is the third essential component for survival. You can’t expect the weather to be good every day, bad days will come and you will need to be suitably sheltered from it. Without shelter at best you will be cold and uncomfortable at worst you will die from exposure.
You will need to be sheltered from wind, rain and cold.
There are a few ways to do this the easiest way would be scavenging a mobile home and moving it to location. Check yellow pages for businesses selling construct on site log cabins, caravans, campervans etc.
These are instant shelters of course you could use this as temporary shelter while you build our own, scavenging wood and resources from timber sites, construction shops etc. Building your own home is a good activity and very rewarding. It takes time and involves using your mind and body.
Part 4 – Self SufficiencySelf sufficiency is very important if you are to survive, food from supermarkets will only last x number of years before becoming unsuitable.
Use this food as emergency and luxury; do not depend on it once you have established yourself in your new life. Once you are farming and hunting you should leave store food for emergencies or luxury. Learning to farm and hunt efficiently is essential – when the shops run out of food you will be forced to farm regardless of your knowledge and experience.
Make sure all your needs are being met by yourself and you are in control.
Part 5 – MoralThe shock and despair of my situation almost destroyed me. After seeing, my family... everyone, dead - I almost gave up, curled up and waited for deaths arms to embrace me. I fought it though, I decided not to quit, not to give up – I decided to live. Death seemed the nice, easier option but I decided to take control of my own fate.
That was the most important component to survival, I choose to live.
You have to keep your moral positive, give yourself small daily tasks and duties with no real repercussions should you fail. When you give up in your heart you have failed.
Part 6 - MindBeing alone has survival challenges of it’s own. Talk and sing – keep your voice active and your language in your mind, years of silence will take it’s toll.
Keeping your brain active will save you, you have to engage yourself in thought - do puzzles, work on projects, read and write, sing etc
Music is a good way to engage your brain in creative activity, find an instrument that takes your fancy and learn to play, play and write songs.
Don’t let your brain die, this goes hand in hand with moral.
Part 7 – Energy needsElectricity changed the way we as a race lived there are ways to easily supply yourself with electricity to give yourself lighting, heating and luxuries.
Solar – Solar panels are not efficient but if you are in an area of high sunlight then they will be useful.
Wind turbine – as long as you are in a reasonably windy/breezy area this is your best bet.
Combining the two is optional, the more you set up, the more energy you generate either to use directly or to store in batteries.
Fuel generators are reliable and supply steady electricity but you will have to use valuable fuel to power them, scavenging fuel is essential especially early on before you settle in. Fuel transport tankers contain a lot of fuel which should support all needs you will encounter.
Essential reasons for generating electricity: Light, heating, freezing, refrigerating, entertainment, radio and electronic use, aid for loneliness (videos or music)
Part 8 – livingSurviving is one thing but living is a different matter, you must build your life to be as comfortable and as enjoyable as possible. Keep your mind and body active. Engage yourself in hobbies and activities and make the most of them, record what you have done and found out in a diary or log book. For activities and hobbies raiding shops is the best way to go about it – take a collection of books from libraries and book shops on topics that interest you. Take all the supplies you will need for projects e.g. electronic components, pens/pencils, paper, binoculars, telescopes, music, guns, ammo, clothing, material etc
You have established life in a location that is suitable to see your life out in – make it easy for yourself, a lot of work early on will pay off in later years.
Part 9 – What now?Live, you have chosen to live instead of give up.
The main addition is to build a radio transmitter and transmit a signal – broadcast a message stating: you are alive; you know of no other survivors, tell them where to meet you.
Do not give your exact location; give them a location that keeps your home a secret. Use a telescope instead of having to travel long distances.
Keep yourself active and positive.
If anyone finds this you will know how I survived as I based this on myself. I scavenged, hunted and farmed. If you find this alongside my remains I’ll tell you a little about myself – I am the lone survivor of a biological/chemical/viral attack. I don’t know why I survived or as I said at the start if I am actually the only survivor that fact I’m writing this is proof I don’t think I am. I was a city liver, I wake one day to find my family, friends and everyone in the 10 closest cities dead. After I overcame my initial despair I set out to check the scale of the situation and look for survivors. I found a minibus, loaded it up with food and fuel got a map and set out my route. I decided to check the closest cities – I found non alive.
I moved to the countryside, 30 miles away from the nearest city fertile land with a good water supply, woodland and sheltered. Here I remain after 5 years – no sign of life, everyday I scan radio channels and here nothing but white noise.
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