Most people assume that zombies are nothing but figment of the overactive imaginations of authors and screenwriters. But what if that vision were to become a reality? Perhaps a government-developed virus, interstellar parasite, or ancient voodoo magic will be responsible for causing the dead to rise from their graves en masse to feast upon the flesh of survivors......(figure 1)

(figure 1)

In the event of a zombie uprising, here are some steps you can take to ensure your survival:

1. Construct at 12 foot (or taller!) concrete wall around your home (or the abandoned home you claim as yours), with no openings. Make sure it has a strong foundation and will stand up to a mob of bloodthirsty zombies. Do not add a gate, but rather hang rope ladders (figure 2) at various points around the wall. The shambling dead will be unable to navigate a rope ladder.
   
   (figure 2)
2. Use the available land inside your wall to plant crops and keep a herd of small livestock (pigs, chickens, etc) (figure 3). You will need a reliable food source should it prove difficult to leave your shelter. It is ideal to have crops that grow at different times of the year.
   
   (figure 3)
3. Dig a well (figure 4). If you have no source of fresh water, you may as well walk up to the first zombie you see, smother yourself in barbecue sauce, and give it a hug. Make sure you filter any drinking or cooking water you plan to use. This can be as simple as pouring the water down a tube with pantyhose pulled tightly over the end.
   
   (figure 4)
4. Stockpile! Cut plenty of wood for building, heating, and cooking. Fill an entire room of your house with canned goods and bottled water. Stock as much as possible in order to survive during periods of little or no crop growth, as well as to minimize the amount of time you have to spend outside of your walls. Keep guns, especially shotguns (figure 5), in a central location and make sure that you have enough extra ammunition for emergencies or in the event you must ever vacate your shelter to travel. Also, be sure to have plenty of first aid supplies.
   
   (figure 5)
5. Build a watchtower on your roof or in a tree where you can look over your wall (figure 6). This will be useful for monitoring the activities of the reanimated corpses that no doubt will surround your barricade, as well as communicating with any other survivors that may be outside your property.
   
   (figure 6)
6. Determine in advance how long you will be able to sustain yourself inside of your barricade. Make plans for what you will do if you ever run dangerously low of food or supplies.