Published 2013-02-18T13:07:00Z”/>
Thomas Martinez
As “The Walking Dead” returns with a bang this spring, you might be asking yourself what you would do if a zombie plague hit Chico. Where would you go? Where would you get food? Should you gather weapons and how can you survive as the last hope for mankind?
Here are my top five ways to survive a zombie apocalypse in Butte County.
<strong>Locate high buildings</strong>
Chico has many towering structures that you could hide out in. There’s Butte and Whitney halls on campus, The Hotel Diamond and The Senator Theatre building with the penthouses located on top. These buildings are great for protection because they bring you high above the ground.
Here are some ideas on how to keep zombies from reaching you while you are hiding out:
• Block off the bottom three floors.
• Set up blockades throughout the building with sandbags, barbed wire or by stacking desks that can be found within some of the buildings.
• Get to the very top of the building for a great sniping position so you can pick off the zombies one-by-one.
<strong>Know your routes</strong>
This is key because you need to know how to get in and out of the city. Also you need to know where and how to get food for your group. There are many supermarkets fairly close to the downtown area that are easily accessible by walking routes though Bidwell Park. Remember to always check behind the vast amount of trees that Chico has — zombies could be hiding anywhere.
<strong>Have a weapon cache</strong>
Now, this does not have to include firearms. In “The Walking Dead,” Daryl runs around with a crossbow for protection. This weapon would be great for your cache because it’s silent and gets the job done. Silence is everything in the zombie world — what they can’t find, they can’t eat.
Maybe guns are your thing. If so, you should stock up because ammo will run out quickly. Remember that guns make noise and, as movies and TV shows have shown us, zombies are attracted to loud sounds.
<strong>Head for the mountains</strong>
This is a last resort. If the town gets overrun by zombies — head for the hills. There is a vast mountainous area that surrounds Chico off of Highway 99 and Highway 32 and could be fairly useful when all hope has shattered. You could also head for Upper Bidwell Park or Lake Oroville. Both places are high in altitude and have dense forest areas, great for setting up camp for you and your group.
<strong>Find a pub</strong>
To quote Simon Pegg’s character in “Shaun of the Dead,” “Lets go to the pub and ride it out.”
Chico is known for its great bars. And although they are fun to hang out at, they also have a lot of artifacts that can be used to block zombies from the entrance.
Madison Bear Garden would be a great place to hide out and ride out the zombie apocalypse. The Bear is a two-story bar that has a gate which separates the first and second floors. If this gate is closed, it would block zombies out if they ever took over Second Street. There are also bathrooms on the first and second floors, so if zombies do take the first floor you could still use the bathroom on the second floor. Having privacy access to a bathroom during a zombie apocalypse would be a great luxury.
So remember, if the zombies do attack, stay calm and use these five ways for survival in a world of zombie infestation.
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<strong>The Orion can be reached at</strong> <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>
