ON THE RUN : GENERAL RULES

1. ONE GOAL: Too often, people who have been holed up in fortfied
dwellings are seduced by the distractions of their initial freedom.
Most of these people never make it to safety. Do not become
one of these unnecessary statistics. Your mission is to escapenothing
more, nothing less. Do not look for abandoned valuables.
Do not hunt the occasional zombie. Do not investigate any strange
noises or lights in the distance. Just get out. Every side trip, every
pause in the journey, increases the odds of being found and
devoured. If by some chance you come across humans that need
assistance, by all means stop to help. (Sometimes logic must give
way to humanity.) Otherwise, keep going!

2. ESTABLISH A DESTINATION: Where exactly are you
headed? Too often, people have abandoned their fortifications to
wander aimlessly and hopelessly across an area swarming with
ghouls. Without a fixed destination in mind, the chances of surviving
the journey are slim. Use your radio to discover the nearest
haven. If possible, try to communicate with the outside world to
confirm that this destination is indeed safe. Always have a backup
destination, in case the first is ovemn. Unless other humans are
waiting, and unless constant communication is maintained, you
may anive to find a gathering of zombies waiting hungrily at the
finish line.

3. GATHER INTELLIGENCE AND PLAN YOUR JOURNEY:
How many zombies (approximately) stand between you and your
destination? Where are the natural boundaries? Have there been
hazardous accidents such as fires or chemical spills? What are the
safest routes to take? What are the most dangerous? Which have
been blocked since the outbreak began? Will weather be a problem?
Are there any assets along the way? Are you sure they're still
there? Can you think of any information you'd like to have before
setting out? Obviously, once you are holed up in your fortress,
gathering intelligence will be difficult. It may be impossible to
know how many zombies are out there, if a bridge is down, or if
all the boats at the marina are gone. So know your terrain. At least
that factor will not change with an outbreak. Consider where you
will be at the end of each day. Make sure, at least from the map,
that it's relatively defensible, with good concealment and several
escape routes. Specific gear will also have to be considered,
depending on the chosen path. Will rope be required for climbing?
What about extra water if there's no natural source?
Once all these factors are calculated, consider the unknown varables
and formulate backup plans around them. What will you do if
a fire or chemical spill blocks your path? Where will you go if the
zombie threat turns out to be greater than anticipated? What if a
team member is injured? Consider all the possibilities, and do your
best to plan for them. If someone says to you, "Hey, let's just get
going and deal with whatever's out there," hand him a pistol with
one bullet and tell him that it's an easier way of committing suicide.

4. GET IN SHAPE: If the previous instructions have been followed
to the letter, yonr body should already be conditioned for a long
journey. If this is not the case, begin a strict cardiovascular regimen.
If there is no time, make sure the path you have chosen is
within your physical abilities.

5. AVOID LARGE GROUPS: When on the defense, the advantage
lies in numbers. But when traveling through zombie tenitory, the
opposite holds true. Large groups increase the chances of detection.
Even with strict discipline, accidents happen. Larger groups
also impede mobility, because the slowest members have to struggle
to keep pace with the fastest, and vice versa. Of course, traveling
solo has its problems as well. Security, reconnaissance, and,
naturally, sleep would all be hampered if someone tried to "go it
alone." For ideal performance, keep your team at three members.
Four to ten is still manageable. Anything above that is asking for
trouble. Three members allow mutual protection in hand-to-hand
fighting, dispersion of guard duty at night, and the ability of two
members to cany an injured third for short periods of time

6. TRAIN YOUR GROUP: Take stock of yonr team's individual
skills, and use them accordingly. Who can carry the most gear?
Who's the fastest runner? Who's the quietest in hand-to-hand combat?
Designate individual jobs in both combat and everyday survival.
When your team hits the road, everyone should know what's
expected of him or her. Working together should also be top priority.
Practice mock survival techniques as well as combat drills.
For example, time how long it will take to pack up all your gear
and move out in a sudden zombie attack. Obviously, time may be
critical in your departure. In an ideal situation, your group should
move as one, act as one, kill as one.

7. REMAIN MOBILE: Once discovered, zombies will converge on
you from every direction. Mobility, not firepower, is your best
defense. Be prepared to run at a moment's notice. Never pack
more than you can mn with. Never unpack all your gear at once.
Never remove your shoes unless immediate security is assured!
Pace yourself. Undertake high-speed dashes only when necessary,
as they squander large amounts of precious energy. Take frequent,
short breaks. Do not allow yourself to become too comfortable.
Remember to stretch during each break. Never take nmecessary
risks. Jumping, climbing, and anything that could cause injury
should be avoided if possible. In ghoul-infested temtoly, the last
thing you need is a sprained ankle.

8. REMAIN INVISIBLE: Other than speed, your next closest ally
will he stealth. Like a mouse wing to crawl through a nest of
snakes, you must do everything possible to avoid detection. Turn
off any hand-held radios or electronic equipment. If you wear a
digital watch, make sure the alarm is deactivated. Tie down all
your gear, making sure nothing clanks when you walk. If possible,
keep your canteen full (to avoid a "sloshing" sound). If in a group,
refrain from talking. Whisper or use visual signals to communicate.
Stick to areas with good cover. Travel through open areas
only when necessary. At night, refrain from using fires, flashlights,
or any other sources of light. This will restrict your mobility to
daylight hours and your diet to cold rations, but these sacrifices
must be made. Studies have shown that zombies with intact eyes
can spot a glowing cigarette ember from over half a mile away. (It
is not known whether this causes them to investigate, hut why take
the chance?)
Fight only when you have to. Delays brought on by battle will
serve only to draw more zombies. People have been known to finish
off one zombie only to find themselves surrounded by dozens
more. If combat proves inevitable, use firearms only in the most
desperate of circumstances. Firing a shot is no different than sending
up a flare. Its report may attract zombies for miles around.
Unless you have a reliable and very speedy means of escape, or
unless your firearm is silenced, use a secondary hand weapon. If
not, have an escape route planned and ready to use once your shots
are fired

9. LOOK AND LISTEN: In addition to staying hidden, you must
try to spot potential threats. Watch for any movement. Don't
ignore shadows or distant humanoid forms. During breaks and
while on the march, pause to listen to your surroundings. Do you
hear footsteps or scraping sounds? Are the undead moaning, or is
it just the wind? Of course, it is easy to become paranoid, to
believe zombies are around every comer. Is that bad? In this
instance, no. It's one thing to believe everyone's out to get you,
quite another when it's actually true.

10. SLEEP!: You or your group are all alone, trying to he silent, tqing
to be alert. Zombies could be anywhere, hiding, hunting.
Dozens could appear at any moment, and help is miles away. So
how in heaven's name are you supposed to get any sleep!?! It
sounds crazy, it sounds impossible, but it is essential if you're
going to make it through this ordeal alive. Without rest, muscles
deteriorate, senses dull, and each passing hour reduces your ahility
to operate. Many a foolhardy human, believing he could load
his body with caffeine and "power through" his trek, has realized
too late the consequences of such stupidity. One advantage of
having to travel by day is that, like it or not, you're not going anywhere
for at least several hours. Instead of cursing the darkness,
use it. Traveling in small groups, as opposed to solo, allows for
more secure sleep because individual members can take shifts
standing watch. Of course, even with someone watching over
 you, dropping off will not be easy. Resist the temptation of sleeping
pills. Their effects could leave yon unable to function if zombies
attack during the night. Other than meditation or other mental
exercises, there is no quick fix for getting to sleep in the middle
of an infestation.

11. REFRAIN FROM OVERT SIGNALS: The first sight of a plane
might cause you to try to attract the pilot's attention, fving your
weapon, sending up a flare, lighting a signal fire, or by some other
dramatic means. This could get the pilot's attention, who could
radio for a helicopter or ground rescue team to head for your position.
This act will also attract nearby zombies. Unless the helicopter
is only minutes away, the zombies will undoubtedly reach
you first. Unless the aircraft you see has the potential to land right
then and there, do not attempt to signal it with anything other than
a radio or mirror. If these are not available, keep going.

12. AVOID URBAN AREAS: No matter what your chances for survival
are during an infestation, they will undoubtedly drop by 50
if not 75 percent when traversing an urban area. The simple fact is
that a place inhabited by more living will have more dead. The
more buildings present, the more places to be ambushed. These
buildings also decrease your field of vision. Hard cement surfaces,
unlike soft ground, do nothing to muffle footsteps. Add to that the
chances of simply knocking something over, tripping over debris,
or crunching over broken glass, and you have a recipe for a very
noisy trip.
Also, as has been and will be stressed again in this chapter, the
possibility of being trapped, cornered, or otherwise surrounded in
an urban area is infinitely greater than it is in any wilderness setting.
Forget for a moment that your problem even comes from the
living dead. What about friendly fre, other humans hiding in
buildings, or armed bands of hunters that mistake you for a zombie?
What about fire, either accidental or intentionally started by
hunters? What about chemical spills, poisonous smoke, or other
hazardous by-products of urban warfare? What about disease?
Remember that bodies of both dead humans and dispatched zombies
might be left unattended for weeks. The deadly microorganisms
they cany that are spread by the wind will be as potent a
health hazard as any other found on city streets. Unless you have
some legitimate reason (a rescue attempt or impassable obstacles
on either side, not a quick chance to loot), stay away from cities at
all costs!