*NOTE* This isn't one of your stupid "scenario" seemingly a screenplay, this is an actual P-L-A-N, remember kids, scenarios are designed for VERY specific things, this is to actually help the common folk who aren't equipped for this type of thing off the bat (tho I give it from my perspective, I try to give in the variables of the things that you may lack or alternatively have). Tho I am a Marine, I will not add in things like my personal access to base, but I will add in things like my personal and issued equipment (that I have on me or at my house) and combat experience/training into the fray- possibly the only dis-balance in this plan other than ethical disagreeing. The equipment I have off the bat are as follow (just for reference so that they don't magically appear within the plan, and yes, all of which I personally own): .12gauge shotgun, .45 1911 model pistol, x2 .30-06 rifles, x2 combat knives, x1 hiking pack, sleeping system, Louisville slugger, warming layers, fan, boots and flak jacket ( I will not even assume any of the group brought anything at all). My group (that will be discussed) consist of me, a Marine (3 years), my brother, another combat experienced Marine (4+ years) and two fellows that have our mentality, but not our experience or military background. Their skills will remain at "just want to live" instead of wishful thinking. I rather this be like a real life situation as in you don't know who knows what. Revisions will be made only if I see them fit or if someone makes a real logical point to me.

*The Starting Location I have set threw my perspective is a suburban area in North Carolina, closest large city of population over 100,000 being over 4 hours away, city population of 21,000, final destination population of 146- being located 8 hours away from the nearest high population city and only 3/4 hours away by back roads to a suburban community*

Phase one: Zombie's are being sited and noted as "wide spread rioting" in the larger cities for the misunderstood situation many miles away. So far, the government does not know how the infection is spreading so fast, but are putting in efforts to quarantine area's to cease further spread. The zombie menace has have not made it to your town as a threat just yet. What you should do is as follows:
1.) Make sure it actually isn't just rioting first hand, confirm zombie's are the cause. How you ask? I figure it like this: the TV will show you image's of what they are calling deranged citizens or w/e they will. Just observe them, watch their behavior- are they lunging for peoples throats, are they not going down in riot police's CS gas and bean-bag gun shots to the chest? Sounds like you may have zombies. And in any case, just a quick ballsy thought: if you REALLY wanna confirm their existence, go check it out in a city near you ;p You don't want to overreact if the zombie infection is not whats happening.
2.) Once confirmed, the two key's to success in surviving are this:
a.) Drop your morals, they will only slow you down. Whats right and wrong no longer matters. All that matters is that YOU stay alive and you do what you gotta do to ensure it. You already have the weight of the world on you, the weight of your mortality and physical weaknesses, no matter how strong you are, of your physiological fear and doubt, dropping the Sunday school saint mentality is what will keep your heart beating and your skin still attached to you. The "cut-throat" mentality is what you need to survive in this world, zombie or normal life. If its you or someone else, choose yourself first, sympathy will waste valuable resources every time.
b.) As hard as it may be for some people to comprehend and act on, go solo or have only the closest of friend/family that understands the situation (as much as possible) as you do and are willing to sacrifice their morals in order to survive as well(via 1-4 people tops). I say this because a lot of people don't truly understand the meaning of "trust." Trust to some people is merely getting a good vibe from someone without really knowing them. Learn to trust no one, you must learn to think on your own feet because as much as people would hate to admit it, when faced with death, a lot of people will run to save themselves in spite of whats going on with you and no matter how close they are, you really cant blame them. For those with children, elderly, annoying/controlling wives/husband, its your call if you want that weight on your shoulders, just know they will slow you down and make surviving numerously times harder. The biggest thing people underestimate here isn't the zombies, its human nature. You only have control over yourself, who is to say the person you saved or brought with you wont be the cause of your death due to their actions. As the saying goes, "Safety in numbers is ignorance in a panic" and you will soon learn the lesson of "to many chiefs and not enough Indians" when EVERYONE has a grand idea to survive a situation, but no one wants to listen to anyone. I almost forgot, for those of you who said its an awful idea to go solo, let me ask you give you this: You and your laaaarge group of people finally fortified your structure. Things are looking up. Your civilians miraculously turned Special Ops over night team is just getting back from a supply mission. You are standing there in marvel of the safety you have helped ensure upon your fellow survivors. But low and behold! You spot something at the main entrance- the door was not properly secured because one of your mid-night commando's didn't properly secure the hatch. Zombies swarm in and you all die, why? Because one person made a little mistake and everyone else pays for it. (Get realistic by the way, a lot of barricaded fantasy lands that you call safety will likely fall. Zombies are a threat for a reason and as long as you have others with you, you cannot guarantee anything) So what I'm trying to get threw to you is this: Would you rather have your fate in many others hands or control your own fate by your own individual actions. As shown in "World War Z" by Max Brooks, it is possible to survive alone. I don't have the book on hand but it makes reference to a two survivors who lived alone, one being the old Japanese man and the other guy mentioned when the military was making its push east, that he had control of an area, tho a bit physiologically unstable, he was alive and no- not a feral, just a lone survivor. No one will be the same in the long-run for those who looked down on the physiological effects of this strategy.
3.) As our last act of civil ways, we would gather all of the money that we posses and go BUY supplies while our great Capitalistic system still is in tact. To choose to loot and pillage this early in the infection would likely draw unwanted attention to you and likely end up with you being locked up or shot like an idiot- discretion of your actions and of your plan is a MUST- time is of the essence. We would invest into two 4400 watt generator (which has wheels, kinda resembles a trailer for a truck, just obviously mini) with a really good muffler to suppress the sound, a 10 hour life off of a 3.7gallon tank for a fair price of $360 a piece, go to the store and buy at least two duramax 14 gallon gas containers (which has wheels and saves an incredible amount of space) for a grand total of $210, fill up both of those and the truck (in my case) with a tank of 19 gallons for $2.43 a gallon totaling $104.49 (this part is a variable because in my case, everyone in my group has their own individual vehicle, so if you want, add on an extra $105.34 for the other vehicles in the case all are wanted/needed- but I recognize the likelihood of a lot of people not having personal transportation). (Prior to supply shopping, it is obvious to not buy what you know you already have, this is just a general list rather than what you already could possibly have on hand) Next would be actual supplies and the containers used to store them. Two would go to Lowes/Home Depot and two would go to say Wal-Mart with an agreed upon list. The two at Lowes/Home Depot or the local equivalent of a hardware store would take the truck with attached trailer (which I personally own), buy x3 hammers $20, $60 worth of long nails, a good amount of pre-cut lumber (for barricades- $320), x40 dead bolts for doors (in most cases, it is the door's hinge falling off from the undead beating on it (no homo) rather than a literal hole being torn threw a door that makes that barricade fail- $85), an axe $30, x2 saws $17, x4 screw drivers $14, x1 bottle of power steering fluid $10, x1 car jack $60, x1 wrench $6, x10 sets(6) of sheet metal $110 (pro's to sheet metal- you can drill a nail into it and is a lot more unlikely to be breached by physical wear, con's- makes a lot of noise when rattled and shiny, so in my opinion, if came upon, and if time permits, have an initial layer of sheet metal horizontally on a window and a wood piece vertically to suppress the sound of rattling if the supply permits as well of course), x1 ladder $40 and x4 pairs of wire cutters $23. Only $1950 so far. The two at Wal-Mart of the shopping center equivalent would buy x2 small fans $15, x10 flashlights $130, $300 worth of AA, AAA, C and D batteries (or whatever you know you will need more of), x3 inflatable beds $150, x5 bottles of generator/vehicle oil (if they are compatible, I don't know for sure) $40, $200 worth of raman noodles, $500 worth of canned goods and other miscellaneous non-perishables, 50 gallons of water in jug form $84 (or fill them up for free with a water hose or faucet), a boiling pot $10, spoons and forks $24, x2 can opener's $13 (without this, it can be impending doom of frustration lol), x4 good blankets $40, x6 fold-able chairs $46, $130 worth of hygiene equipment (don't forget your tampons if you are/have a lady with you), a pack of permanent markers $8, x5 cans of Black/Red/White spray paint $22, A LOT of toilet paper, a box of sugar $9, a few packs of underwear $50, a few packs of socks $43, a new pair of shoes and boots $390 *unless current are suitable*, $200 worth of candles, $50 worth of lighter fluid, x2 carpet rugs *small/medium size* $40, x3 hiking packs $303, x4 large size plastic containers for personal belongings $40, $400 worth of 12gauge 2 3/4" ammo, $600 worth of .45 ACP ammo, $680 worth of .30-06 ammo and heating layers (via thermals/heavy jackets) $77. This leaves you to a grand total of $6400 to split between the entire party (in my case 4, being $1500 a piece)(and in all reality, 4 adults splitting $6k isn't as bad as it seems, especially since the group realizes that money will soon no longer hold its current value, if any at all. If your a kid, try to get with someone who has a plan and supplies), but don't forget, as I had said, you may have a lot of this stuff already, it is just a list to give you an idea of how money could be spent, so in all reality, this could be over $2000 cheaper in a lot of cases, pending on how prepared you are or just fortunate enough to have random, useful things like the ones listed in your possession.
4.) So now the party has the needed supplies, now it moves onto logistics and location for the party to move to while traffic still isn't to bad. Now is the time where the cut-throat attitude needs to start being applied from here on out. In this instance, it is agreed that we will move to an elevated country side area near a lake/body of water (that doesn't connect to the ocean) that is not in any immediate area of larger cities, but , preferably a secluded, two story building, preferably stone or a tough looking wood, not to old, 66.5 miles to the west of our current location, being a good 2 1/3 hour drive with North Carolina speeds (maybe less in your location). This location cannot be reached by Interstate travel, only by back roads, being ideal for suppressing unwanted company. It is known that a good many country side homes are there, log cabins and other various things. The goal is to reach the area and go from there. The plan would be with everything bought and packed up in the four's vehicles to convoy to the location, maintaining a similar speed and traveling as one to the location. This part may confuse some of yall so pay close attention: Once we arrive in the part of the country side we want to be on, we scout the area for the perfect location instead of the fanciest one (tho we note down the locations of the houses/structures we find on map for future use). Once decided that the location out of the country side is the most probable and most secure-able, we will approach the house as one. We will introduce ourselves to the owners of the house (if present) and give them the ultimatum of surrender the house or die (flat out) and since so many are hard headed, it would be easier to kill the owners, being one less variable to deal with. Once the dirty deed is done, dispose of the bodies with fire and do a quick search of the house/structure and the outside area. If there are any stranglers of the owners that just so happened to be on the outside, dispose of them as well, you don't want any unwanted attention to your location, especially a cry of murder. A big variable is what the structure looks like, its not always going to be ideal and it surely isn't going to be perfect, but you must make due with what you have, its seclusion and strategical placement are superior for survival. With it being on a nice elevated area, slow zombies couldn't travel up and if they could, it would take them a significantly longer amount of time to reach. Fast zombies would have the absolute same ordeal, maybe even worse for them because while in their energetic rage, they can stumble a lot easier, taking a nasty fall, maybe taking down a few others with him if the pack is that big. This isn't a mountain, but elevated as in a significant climb. So with that said, location > structure is my opinion, still use your brain tho, you wont survive a zombie apocalypse in a shed made of straw even tho its on a great location. Common sense need apply. For the vehicles, we must hide them but let them be accessible to us in the structure (hide them because later on during the infection, when human population scurries about and maybe see's our humble abode in their journey to unknown safety, 4 vehicles in the open would be a gold mine to people's greed and would cause a great amount of danger for the group). The best bet is to use some type of tarp to cover them up in the back area of the structure, but not like a sports car would be covered up, more like a canopy/tent-like to where all you must do is jump down, enter and be able to drive off without having to lift up a tarp and drive with it still temporarily blocking your view. Clear a space on the inside for the supplies and barricade materials and get to work. If you have a two story structure, you can barricade all entry ways to the 1st floor and make access points via second floor (assuming that zombies cant climb. In the case that they can- ensure there is no way to possibly climb to the second floor and that your climbing point is retractable (like an emergency latter type deal)). If you have a single story building, barricade all windows and put temporary barricade in front of doors that you think will need accessibility and permanent on the ones that you feel wont be needed at all. In both structures, old or new, you need to check for cracks in the 1st floor walls, weak spots that could be compromised and any type of rotting around the doors and windows (if wooden). If that is the case, you can reinforce both the doors and window as well as the frames to ensure maximum security. Another thing is to do a really thorough assessment on both the inside and outside of the structure, take notes and make plans on the best places to hold if you get swarmed, places that seem could be breached, just an overall stop-think-and-secure thought/action process. Another idea that is in conjunction with another part of the plan not yet covered is distance markers. Use a bucket, permanent marker or spray paint, and a shovel (you dig a very small hole, put part of the bucket in and bury it to stop it from blowing away) with a single number indicating how many hundred of yards/meters (for instance 3=300) in the directions that you assess will be covered by rifle. Another is if there are tree's, cut some down with the axe (assuming they aren't grand huge tree's that go on forever), drag them via truck and chain, get them near the house, facing the direction of a probable direction of incoming travel. I will explain that in a short while.
5.) With a great amount of effort from 4 people, this could be done in 2 days, but seeing how a lot of people are lazy even in the face of a zombie apocalypse, we will go with 5 days total. The phase one outbreak is just spreading to phase two and you are already secure due to quick thinking that you couldn't have possibly been able to do with a large group in this time frame due to multiple perspectives, all thinking they are right and no one to be a true leader of the pack, not to mention you 1.) convince a large group to follow you this early on and 2.) would have to find a structure that could comfortably fit a large group in it. You are truly ahead of the ballgame. The country side bought you all the time you needed to reinforce your structure, get your supplies in order, assess your surroundings, bring you a strategically superior location of safety and still gives you time to think about your next step- supply runs to the surrounding communities and houses when you need them as well as defense against threats that are surely to come.

Phase Two: (2 weeks after phase one) The zombie outbreak is now spreading to a home near you. Suburban communities around major cities are being overwhelmed, it is now being under speculation that this is not just rioting but an unknown menace that they (the media and government) are reluctant to call "zombies" or the "undead." People are still resisting the thought of the walking dead, leaving a lot of people in question and chaos. People are dying left and right back in the populated area's- the government has posted the National Guard in locations around the country, giving orders to either come to the said locations or to barricade themselves in their houses and report any signs of the infected/undead (all of which can be unrealistic in a lot of cases), thus leaving a lot of people seemingly hopeless and lost or going in the same direction, crowding the major interstate highways. This is important to you for one reason only- people/zombies will be more abundant with a surge of people going in all directions in masses, thus increasing the % chance of undead finding their way to your place and worse than that, people trying to get by on what is yours. Your next course of action is this (not necessarily in this order either):
1.) Set up the long range .30-06's on the second floor, if the roof is flat and accessible by window, prompt up the rifle at the prone position and cover the most likely path of travel towards the house. If you have a single-story structure, make some type of access to the roof from the inside to snipe from. With this, you can confirm the incoming threats of your position, zombie and human alike. The best course of action for the group is to discuss what to do in the individual situations of each type of zombie attack and any type of human contact. My plan is as follows for each circumstance (tho there are hundreds of variables, this is a general plan for the things I could think of and apply to all phases of the zombie invasion):
a.) In case of zombies: (all of this is assuming they can even get up the incline) If a lone zombie is taking interest of the position, take him out (for reference: in any case, zombie or human alike, if they dont express interest in the position, leave them alone). If it is a small pack (1-6), 1st confirm that they are heading towards your position and then take steady aim and time, use the distance markers to determine how far they are to adjust your sightings and take them out. If it is a larger group (10-40), alert the group and get two on the roof with the two .30-06 and two below with the .12g shotgun and the .45 pistol on the ready with hammers and nails if the threat gets that bad. Myself will be below with the shotgun as well as one of the others with the pistol and my brother and another fellow will be on the roof (or at a window if roof isn't flat/accessible). With the elevated position, sniping will be increasingly easy as well as just holding off the undead- if you shoot one in the head and he goes down, he doesn't just go down, he rolls down hill, possibly taking down a few others with him. In the case of a small horde (70-100), alert the group, again, two on the roof/window, but this time, the other two go outside threw a second floor windows (or improvised roof access point)(hopefully retractable) access point and wait for the q that the zombies are closing in, in which case the two push the tree that you positioned earlier in the direction of the horde's movement and let the tree help with slowing them down or even killing some as it rolls downhill, taking out numerous amounts of incoming zombies. Slow and fast zombies alike will meet the same fate, but if the faster zombies really put some back into trying to devour you, just act quicker, not much else you can do. In case of larger horde's (100-1000+, aka "holy hell") repeat the plan, but be wise of all directions, a horde that big is likely to surround the entire structure and will take a long time to completely repel if they just don't flat out break in and kill you, its really wishful thinking to believe that you can repel such a massed horde with four or even four hundred people, but the variable in that is how bad you and everyone else wants to survive, people are capable of amazing things given the right situation- but to continue with large massed hordes- the strategy I would suggest is semi-comical, but I'm thinking and it really makes sense: once sniping is useless due to the massed amount of zombies at the door, treat it like Cod5: Nazi Zombies (1st map)- go where you are needed threw the structure, repel invading zombies and board up windows or whatever else needs barricading if probable and possible. If re-barricading is not in the cards, work with what you got. If overwhelmed, go to second floor (or improvised roof access) and clear a big enough of a path to the vehicles to bail out, hopefully it doesn't come to that. One severely overly looked fact is this (since on the topic of massed amounts of zombies): when zombies die, they don't just disappear, they stay there and pile up. This would apply to the incline up towards the structure, you would have a naturally built defensive wall of dead (assuming the two on the roof did a decent job). Unless they are really smart zombies (in which case we are all screwed anyways), they wouldn't be able to climb over a huge cluster of dead corpse. If it began to stink really bad, take two people down and splash a minimal amount of gas and let the fire spread. With that, you don't really need to be the best at shooting, just remaining calm and taking advice of the more experienced shooter is all you will need. Experience is surely to be gained threw this ordeal.
b.) In case of humans: It is always best to assume that every living person out there is as cut-throat as you and thus the plan: In case of a single person out there that takes interest in the position, threw rifle scope, observe what gear/supplies/weapons he has on him from a far. Alert the group of the incoming person and calculate the following: has there have been a severe increase in zombie hostilities or even human hostilities, has there been a supply shortage, is space available, is everyone on the same page, by just taking a quick look at this person threw scope- does everyone think he can conform to the ideas that the group is living by (via no morals/ruthless) and if so- would he be a threat to the group? The same person who spotted him will stay on the roof/window while the other two greet him and let him in the structure. They will ask him numerous questions such as if he is alone, a status report of whats going on around us, if he knows where other supply storage's are, where he came from and basically see if he could hold his weight with the crew. For argument sake, he is useless to the group and would slow us down significantly (and to put more emphasize on how the group should be), the member with the pistol will come behind him discreetly and execute him, the other will take what gear/supplies/weapons he had on him and take the body outside for the burn. In case of a small group of survivors (1-10), the person who sights them will 1st alert the group, confirm if they are interested in the position and if so, inspect what they have on them from a far (gear/supplies/weapons). The difference is this time the group will get up to the sniper positions to make a quick bias discussion on if it would be more valuable to keep them alive (but risking being out numbered by armed bandits up close if that is their intention)or taking them out from a ranged position to later pick up their belongings. The bias part will be judging them on their looks and their equipment to see if they could be of any value without risking close-interaction with them. If they look like a group of Nysnc guys with a another guy that looks like a career McDonald's employee, they are going down, but on the offhand, if they look like they are carrying top of the line gear or even just stuff that makes sense to have, possibly organized military or even just people that look reasonable to deal with, it may be considered to let them in to see what they have to say/offer. But for all reasons sake to express the will to survive and the minimal risk taking of the group as well as ruthless nature needed to survive, the two with the rifles will take steady aim and shoot two rounds into two people before relocating to a different spot, then take two more shots, hopefully taking down two more people, reposition again and finish up the rest of them (this is because of muzzle flash, if the incoming people see it and see their group going down, after the second pair goes down, it is probable that they will realize it is intentional hostility and shoot back and will most likely aim at the last known origin of the shooter, via, the muzzle flash. Keeping the incoming muzzle flash moving will give you a lower chance of being shot), as far as you know, their intentions may have been to execute anyone they find. Take no risk. In case of a group of survivors any size bigger than a small group (20+), it is sadly not realistic to think that you can take on such a group of armed people without expert shooters within your group and superior fire power, the variable is to high tho that they are better than you. Thus, you must welcome them, see what they want and pray they wont kill you. For such a group to randomly be roving threw the secluded country-side tho would mean possibility of rescue or organized groups of survivors much larger than the one present at a more fortified location. In this case, try to fish out their intentions, where they are coming from, where they are going, general information. If their intentions aren't to help you, don't help them- just lie and say your supplies are really low if supplies are their intentions. Don't give them any supplies at all, they will be like a stray dog if you help them once, always knowing to come back for more the next time they are around. At most, give them only a place to sleep for the night and even with that, don't let them explore the area to much, the last thing you want them to see is the vehicles. Keep your weapons off safe the entire time they are present, for all you know they could have led a horde right to you or worse, their poker face is better than yours and their intentions may suddenly come crashing down on you, especially if you have some pretty females with you. But in the really low chance of it being a rescue crew, pack up what you need and leave. If it is not, stay and refortify once they leave.
2.) Plan an escape route (which was kinda vaguely discussed already). You must always be in the mindset that your safety and security is temporary at most and can be compromised at any time by any variable (tho you may be in the interpenetrate fortress of legends, its staying alert and not being complacent that keeps you alive). At all times, the truck (the most probable escape vehicle) will contain emergency supplies. Prior to saying how to escape tho, the group will discuss the destination, for this group, we will say go west to another rural community to hopefully resettle, but as we all know, due to the roads being flooded by vehicles and zombies, any place but death will due, on open mind will need be in place for our relocation.
a.) In case of zombie horde being the reason of escape: hold the horde off for as long as possible on the inside. Make sure that if it is absolutely confirmed that the structure is lost, communicate it to everyone else that we are about to bail out, giving everyone the hint to go to the second floor (or improvised roof access). In a perfect world situation, you could hold them off long enough to board up your trail to buy some time, but in the case that they are flooding, two will hold off the ones from inside the house and two will try clearing a path to the vehicles. It is a hit or miss plan really, at least you tried something in that case. The barricade's are pretty sound and set, it isn't likely to be breached by zombies, but this is all hypothetically saying just to cover all angels. This is really hard to say because the huge variable of the structures shape, but an alternative plan to that is threw roof access, make it possible to run on the roof to get closer to the vehicles if they are farther away from the structure (if you can visualize that). Once clear, everyone jumps down and goes for the truck, whoever gets in the driver seat floors it and heads west.
b.) In case of people/bandits being the reason of escape: by the point that you realize you are about to get the structure you fortified taken from you, someone in the group will likely have been shot down by then, you may even be the only one left breathing on the inside. In any case, you go for the gas, spread as much as you can all around on the 1st floor and light that bad boy up. The flames will be an unattractive thing for a group of people to try and swarm to, thus will make them back away from the house, giving you the distance you need to make your move. At this point, you go to the closest entry to the vehicles location, give the keys to each vehicles owner (to whoever is still alive, if anyone but yourself) and high tail it to your vehicle and take off in the same direction, praying you don't all die in gun fire. Reorganize at the said location and go from there, but life will be a lot harder by then (lack of supplies and safety), so be ready for a really bumpy ride.
3.) Organize and map out a supply run to the houses/structures that were previously mapped down while looking for a position to fortify. These locations (during phase two) will be the initial places to raid for supplies, transport being one of the four vehicles. Prior to anyone leaving anywhere tho, it will be a requirement for proper, essential equipment to be worn and had on you at all times, not matter how hot or cold, P.P.E. if you will consisting of a semi-fluffy jacket with an equally fluffy hood attached to it, gloves, semi-loose pants (no skin tights at all), all of which should be maneuverable and light weight, tho maybe not comfortable. The purpose of this is to combat against undead bite and clawing attacks as well as give you more compartment space to store ammo/supply in. It is an estimated 40% increase to your personal defense- a zombie takes a bite at your arm and is met with the delicious taste of cotton instead of flesh, get my point? There are a few variables I can think of, so I will go into detail about them and the structure of the crew that will go out.
a.) The crew will be 75% of the group, in this case 3 or 4 to go out and get the supplies. I believe that it is a lot riskier to go out with a few due to the unknown status of whats going on out there, thus the larger group (then again, if you are alone, you do what you gotta do). The remaining member(s) will stay on the roof to observe the area and report anything unusual to the group leaving (assuming the radios you have can reach them, but in any case, when they get within range on their way back, you can update them or if they try to communicate with you and aren't able to (via- you got ate), they know to be aware). The supply group will take a small amount of supplies with them for a variable I will soon discuss. The group will go to the closest known location and identify themselves as humans once at the structure. If survivors answer back and let you in, you don't discuss where you came from off the bat. You automatically start inspecting them (how many there are, what weapons/gear they have on them, their possible usefulness and if their character would be of any value). Discuss with them things like if they have any known area's where they go for supplies. If the group is small enough and seems like a group of idiots, take a minute and with a sign (like a double cough or a movement of a hand that was pre-assigned as "the sign"), indicate the execution of the people inside in which case the 3 open fire on the group, leaving no one alive and hopefully due to the unexpected attack, taking no injuries. But in a variable I wanted to discuss earlier, if they are seemingly decent people who have valuable update-able information that have their heads on a swivel and aren't just living, but surviving- offer trade with the small amount of supplies you brought with you for other things that you consider valuable that they have. A group of people that have knowledge and survivability are the ones that can be of value in the future, but its wishful thinking, the world is full of useless idiots and in this world gone zombie, they will just end up wanting what you have to better themselves, cant blame em and they cant blame you for doing what you must. If in the case that survivors are in the structure but wont let you in, fall back and do a recon of the place, take a really rough estimate of how many there are inside and judging by what you saw of the house (if it had reinforced barricade's if any at all), determine if you can breach the house and take them by surprise, killing those inside, but also determining by what you heard (a lot of footsteps and shuffling and sounds of multiple weapons loading) to know when to quit. In the case that no one indicates they are there, observe the structure and see if it looks like it had been under zombie assault or even human assault. If this is the case, take extreme caution while breaching the structure (if breaching is even necessary). Once inside, stay close together, using flashlights to observe the area. Give one last opportunity for living to identify themselves with a classic "hello?" and go in with the intention to kill any thing that moves. Check the entire house room by room, making minimal noise to keep on the alert for things like foot steps or moans. If supplies are found, two people will pick them up while the other will take point (lead the group) to the truck outside the house. In the case that no one answers but fortifications are still in tact (if any), indicate that you are "coming in" and breach the door via shotgun. If you are met by a round to the head when you take that first step in the structure, you know you barked up the wrong tree, but when supplies are needed, risk need be taken.
b.) Have the group note down what is priority to take if found. Because of individual circumstance, each group can vary to what matters most. It can range from food being top of the list to gas and smokes. Everyone has to have their say on what matters most just in case they are met with a situation that they cant "take it all" due to either time or space restraint. Then again, if you find that much to have to decide what you you want to take, you hit it good no matter what.
4.) Check on the status of your groups physiological standing. Tho it is early in the infection (just a few weeks in), such a life changing event so suddenly can change a person in ways you cant imagine. If someone seems like they are on top of the world, make sure that it isn't the bottom of the universe on the inside by just asking him/her what they think of things, what they are happy about, a minimal about their personal life, just enough to know that they are OK. If they are seeming down and out, let them know you are here and that we are safe, but even with a seemingly depressed person, you must reinforce the fact that the safety is temporary and that it depends on him/her being on A game status. Just taking notice to a depressed person being depressed will help them out in more ways then you can possibly imagine possible. If someone is just acting normal, have open conversation with them, the content of the discussion should tell you where they stand mentally. If you yourself feel sad, depressed, happy, excited, nervous, scared, or whatever else, let it be known. Communication within a group will keep in effective. You must always know where the group stands to set your expectations of each individual member accordingly. If someone is unwilling to express their feelings like so, just talk with them, people's words unintentionally give away how they are doing on the inside and if even worse they are having second thoughts of how the group is acting (via the lack of morals), give him/her the ultimatum of stay and follow what keeps us alive or leave. Tho it wont make them happy, it is the reality of the situation. Even tho there isn't much you can do to comfort people's phyc, it is better than nothing. If you are a hard charging solo survivor, talk with yourself. Depression will more than likely sit in on you heavily, but talking with yourself will fend off the feeling of being alone. Trusting your instincts and that gut feeling is what will determine your actions, but find comfort in the fact that you alone hold your fate in your hands and actions, that you have control over your situation. And for your general information, as many people there are in this world, when the zombie's start to spread a lot more people will be alone then they care to admit, so keep this in mind.
5.) Have a group discussion on daily chores and scheduled roof watch. The last thing you want to do is have a group of people sitting there doing absolutely nothing, getting bored. Keeping yourself and others busy will keep people in line and sane. The task should rotate such as who gets to burn the crap in the bucket, who has to boil the water, who has to clean up the trash, just basic stuff such as that. Have a weekly status update report on all supplies, let everyone know where the group stands. I hear people suggest "entertainment" a lot, but don't forget thats a sincere luxury of a time that isn't now. Constructive task will keep everyone's mind busy and thus fighting boredom as well as do something that needs to be done. If you want entrainment, find fun in the things you are forced to deal with, like shooting a zombie, "accidentally" missing the head and take out a leg and watch it crawl or better than that take down a few others on its way down the incline (if ammo permits), I'm sure that would never get old. Everyone knows of the threat on hand and shouldn't be taking it lightly with feeble desires.
6.) Since electricity and water should still be active at this point in time, make sure to keep hygiene up (brushing teethe, taking showers ext.) as well as the TV and radio (if provided) to get updates on surrounding areas if broadcast are still on air (but in my opinion, keep them on, never know when someone will be on air and as long as the electricity doesn't cost gas, why not right). Makes sure to eat as much warm food as you can, heat up whatever you eat, enjoy the warmth of cooked food while you can do so freely. If empty buckets or jugs are available, store as much water as you can in them to have a surplus on the ready.

An overall summary of phase two for you should be summed up as minimal contact from zombies and minimal-moderate amounts from survivors. The infection isn't as big just yet to have reached your small neck of the woods to a threatening point, but it has given you the idea's and thought process of how to deal with up and coming new situations that are surely to be worse.

Phase Three- The electricity died out a month ago, forcing the group to use the two generators (when needed). T.v. news broadcast have stopped. An occasional radio message comes on at random times. It has been over 3 months since the grand epidemic was spreading like a flu, now leaving a massive trail of undead along the streets of our country in its wake. A surprisingly increase of undead are spotted almost daily. The radio broadcast indicated that government ran locations had been over-ran, giving people advice on survival and possible organization. The zombie population is weighing past that of humans heavily. Supply runs are becoming increasingly hard and locations near the structure are being drained by the weeks. What you need to do at this point in time for survival is this:
1.) Organize, map out and prepare for long-range supply runs. Most of your supply runs were only within a few miles (15 miles maximum) of your structure, not proving to be the most difficult of task to reach and were already scouted out. Your location is placed in a rural area, but it is also not a horrible distance from a suburban area. There are infinite amounts of variables to calculate in going so far out, but if your need of supplies is that sincere, you do what you must. In order to accurately plan long-range supply runs, you must take a few things into account.
a.) Population figures of the area you are looking at via map (pre-infection figures): Determining the population can be a guess in most cases, basing a lot of your speculations off of rough memory, but in the case that you have a map that has a population grid/population density (like blue is light population of x amount, red is heavy population x amount of people plus type of deal) on it, take it into account, it can explain a lot of what you need to know about the location. By knowing population, it can determine not only the probable threat assessment of the place (obviously increase those threat chance significantly due to it being so deep into the infection), but also tell you what you can expect to find in the town itself. In a lower populated area, you should go expecting locally owned stores and gas stations, nothing fancy at all, just a town with a few main roads and houses spread out across the town. In a larger populated area, you can expect to find shopping centers, Wal-Marts and other known companies scattered threw the town, but of course with a major threat of undead outnumbering you 1000's-to-1 (especially if they are fast zombies, it shouldn't even be part of your thought process to go near big cities at all if they are the case).
b.) Again, if map permits or just general knowledge, note down the suspected terrain that you will encounter at your destination and the route you will take to it. What I mean by this is is it going to be a hilly/rocky path, will it be a flat land to and from, will it be completely civilized and structured (concrete at every corner), a lush off-road woodlands access, w/e may be the case- you need to know what you are going against as much as possible to best prepare yourself. Knowing the terrain could tell you where massed zombies maybe lurking in cover or where they couldn't possibly be (like on top of a mountain for example).
c.) Make sure everyone who is going out understand the plan. In and out, tag and bag, waste no time, leave no Twinkies un-looted. Communication will save everyone's skin when the variables start occurring.
d.) Designate a back up plan. If in the case that some thing happens, via, flat tire, sickness, bad weather, massed amounts of zombies standing in the way of your destination, just whatever you can think of, try to discuss and prepare for it. More than likely, the biggest of issues will be massed zombies at some point of the trip. If you need supplies that bad, look for a way, but even then, if it is just absolutely seemingly impossible to get by, turn around, go back to the position and re plan another supply run. In risk taking, common sense and logic still exist.
2.) If animals are incapable of reanimation or carrying the infection in them (in theory, animals who bite/eat the undead die due to a reason I honestly forget), consider shooting whatever wildlife just so happens to find its way on the other side of your scope. If no one knows how to clean an animal properly, it will probably get really messy, but food is food and common sense will be your guide, especially when you are THAT hungry.
3.) Check the status of your fortifications. If you have even a sense of paranoia about a window that doesn't seem secure enough or anything else, reinforce it some more. Make sure that the weather hasn't worn on the wood to much and that the nails aren't falling out of place. Maintaining your structure is essential to surviving in the later phases of the infection. Keep thinking of ideas of how to continue bettering your structure, keep an open mind and make sure to discuss your thought with the group, even if some seem crazy, someone may be able to revise it into a workable plan.

It is undetermined how busy phase 3 will be for you, but keeping on the alert and keeping in mind the plans set for the situations that are sure to come or have already came is a good standpoint to be at.

Phase Four (the last of which I will discuss): The zombie outbreak has not only taken over your country, but the majority of the world. Several months (to a year) have passed as the once denied infection still runs rampant. People across the globe are at a standstill on what to do next. The situation is dire and a lot of people are becoming desperate. It is truly the defining point of the Zombie War: Survive and Overcome or Dwindle and Parrish. Since I don't honestly know what will happen and I surely know that the group cannot take on the entire zombie population, I can only leave you with the last of my advice on how to deal with Phase 4+(again, not necessarily in this order):
1.) Keep the group sane. Tho hope is a shadow of its former self, the idea of it can still bring light in every ones hearts, giving the morale boost that you will need to keep pushing on.
2.) If the long range supply runs are going smooth and the areas around the locations you are visiting seem lowly populated by zombies, consider plotting one of the more strategically superior positions as a possible relocation point for future planning. Even if your current structure isn't compromised, you can resettle to be closer to other supply area's to conserve gas and decrease the length of travel for supplies.
3.) Observe the undead from afar the next time you catch one or two stragglers out in the open. Compare the current zombies to that of the ones at the beginning of infection. Has their skin rotted severely, are they slower/faster, are they more frequently being spotted in packs or by themselves or any other observation where you can see a difference if any at all. Another part to that is see how the current weather is affecting them. Is the harsh cold slowing them down, is the summer heat rotting them away, is the wind making them stumble any, is the freezing snow truly freezing them in place? Take it all into account to plan for future seasons (if it/you last that long), maybe one point in time is more vulnerable than another for them.
4.) While on supply runs, look for any indications of an organized survivor force. Seek another group of survivors that you had previous contact with (if there was one worthy enough to keep their lives or just to strong and un-probable to kill) and ask about anything they may have heard of any sort of plan or mere attempts to organize, maybe even the government trying to piece itself back together. On a personal note, I could see radio broadcast going out later on, calling out to survivors to regroup and gather up at a said location if possible. Then again, that is if everyone else isn't dead and truly wishful thinking.
5.) Remember the difference between SURVIVING (my definition) and Fighting extinction. The ideal mentality to have to SURVIVE is to watch your own back, be ruthless and to never assume anything, always being precocious of things that others would usually welcome. This will work for you, no doubt, sticking in a larger group from the beginning to present time would have decreased the chance of survivability and required a lot more resources to maintain as well as a far more complicated leadership structure in order to maintain against straight anarchy. So far, you have SURVIVED to the fullest extent of the word, but now, it becomes apparent that after this long, action must be taken, thus, letting the idea of a massed group to counter the undead welcoming. Its either that, fight off millions of zombies with just four people or straight up human extinction. Discuss this revelation with the group and explain the known facts and see if it floats well with them. If the group takes a sincere interest, keep your mind open to ideas that can be stern up and if the entire group agrees more, be ready to prepare and act on them, whatever they may be. Try to keep in mind that you don't know how long the zombies will be around for, for all you know, their existence is indefinite until disposed of.

With that said, I hope I have covered enough to at least get some people to safety or at least to know what to look for and ideas on how to operate. I could almost literally go on forever with all the possibilities, but due to the fork in the road of humans either live or die, I will stop because me nor anyone else can predict what will happen next (especially if they are runners). Know this tho, the destination of the human race rest as equally in your hands as it does any other survivor. If you have lasted this long, you have proven yourself worthy of life. It is every survivors responsibility to retake what is theirs and drive the zombie menace back to its final grave.

*Please feel free to contact me whenever you like to tell me what you think of "The Ludwig Plan"*

-USMCLUDWIG - the one and only