At some point, cord is going to be essential for your survival in the zombie-infested world of tomorrow; whether you need a fishing line, a bowstring or a shoelace, you’ll be glad you had the foresight to learn how to make your own.

Finding Suitable Materials

Cord can be made from any strong, flexible plant or animal fibres depending on what is available to you.

• Bark from trees such as oak or ash can be peeled off in long strips with a knife. The inner layer of the bark, once dried, will be more flexible and less likely to break when being prepared or in use.
• Some grasses can be used to make a basic cord; choose grasses or stems which are tough without being brittle.
• Both sinew and rawhide can be made into durable cord if cleaned and treated properly before use.
• Hair from animals or even people can be used to make exceptionally strong cord and (unlike sinew or rawhide) can be regularly ‘harvested’ from the same animal.

Making Cord

If you are using plant fibres, you will need to separate out the fibres; roll the material back and forth against a flat surface until you have a ‘bunch’ of individual threads to work with.

If you are using animal sinew, you will need to cut it from the animal carefully so that none of the fibres are damaged. You should allow the sinew to dry and then beat them with a heavy object (a mallet if you have one) until the fibres separate and then put the fibres into hard water. If you chew sinew strands just before you start to make your cord, the fibres will bind together more strongly when you are finished, making the result even stronger.

When your basic fibre bunch is ready, hold one end of the bunch firmly and roll the fibres against a flat surface in one direction to create a basic cord. Then, bend the cord in the middle and wrap the two ends around each other to create a twisted rope-like effect. This rope can then be wrapped around another of a similar size to create a thicker, stronger ropes as required. Bear in mind that the more you twist your fibres, the stronger the resulting cordage will be. When you are finished, tie a simple knot in the end to keep the strands together.

Cord can either be used on it’s own or made into something else; by knotting, knitting or weaving cordage of different thicknesses, you can potentially make a huge selection of essential equipment including nets and baskets.

Keep a length of the finished cord in your pocket and when you next need a make-shift tourniquet or a zombie-slowing trip-wire you’ll be well prepared.

Provided the small game around you hasn’t been zombified, there’s a fairly high chance you’ll decide to kill and eat some of it at some point. The type of game available will depend entirely on where you are; in most rural areas, for example, there is usually an abundance of rabbits, squirrels and small birds. Urbanites will probably have more luck trapping the local rat, mouse or pigeon populations.

Most small mammals and birds you are likely to find are edible, although some species of shrew are poisonous and should not be eaten. In general it is best to avoid eating:

• Carnivorous animals or scavengers such as crows; you never know what they might have eaten.
• Any animal with signs of disease, as this could potentially be passed on to you.
• Animals which show signs of zombie infection or have been killed by a zombie; why take the risk?
• Any animal which is already dead unless you are completely sure of the cause of death; animals which have been poisoned can in turn poison you.

Finding Small Game

Whilst rats are omnipresent in most towns and cities, to find some types of small game you will have to be more vigilant. Signs that animals are living in an area might include:

• Evidence of burrowing or nesting
• Tracks or trails
• Droppings
• Evidence of feeding (for example pine cones stripped by squirrels)

In any area where you find two or more types of evidence, you will have a good chance of finding and catching some kind of prey.

Catching Small Game

[Pic Credit]

ZC's favourite trap

Once you have found some small game in your area, you need to catch it. If vehicles are still being used, you might be lucky enough to find road kill which can be collected and prepared. Alternatively, if you have a good aim, you may be able to use basic projectiles (for example rocks) to stun birds or slower-moving animals. This will have the disadvantage of scaring away animals from the area, making prey increasingly more scarce.

The best and most reliable option in most situations will be to use a basic trap. Traps need to be positioned in places where you know animals are going to go, for example on a trail or in an area with relatively fresh (still wet) droppings. You should avoid leaving signs that an area has been disturbed as this might scare away potential catches; clean away any soil you disturb as this will be immediately obvious to a small animal and use either mud or non-predatory animal urine to cover up your scent on the traps.

You will almost certainly increase the likelihood that you will catch something if you bait your trap; use a small amount of a food which is not readily available in the area.

Making simple traps

One of the and most effective traps you can make is a snare, a noose-like loop of wire which is attached to a stake and placed at the entrance to a run or den. When the animal emerges, their head goes through the loop but their body will be too large to follow. As the animal struggles, the loop will tighten and your prey is trapped.

For smaller game such as mice, a bottle trap can be used effectively. First, you need to locate a trail which is currently in use. Then, you should dig a small hole with an opening at the top which is narrower than the bottom in the ground. Prop a piece of bark over the top and leave the trap for a few days. Small animals such as mice will hide under the bark, fall into the hole and be unable to escape. These can then simply be collected from the hole.

When catching small animals to eat, it is important not to catch so many that the population in the area will be damaged; by catching only what you need to eat, you should be able to trap sustainably in the same area for quite some time.

Happy trapping survivors!

In the midst of the zombie invasion, you might imagine parasites and biting insects such as fleas, mosquitoes and ticks will be the least of your worries. Think about it though; if a flea can spread diseases and illnesses such as the bubonic plague, myxomatosis or endemic typhus, what makes you so sure they couldn’t pass on a zombie virus or infection? Do you really want to risk fighting off zombie hordes only to be infected by an insect bite? No, me neither.

Fleas

Fleas often live on soft furnishings and in carpets, hopping onto animals or humans as and when they need to eat. Flea repellent is relatively easy to make and there are many effective home-made recipes. Equal parts of vinegar or lemon juice and water sprayed onto skin or worked into an animal’s fur will both discourage fleas from biting.

The easiest way to kill fleas is to dehydrate them; sprinkle salt or borax over an infected area such as a carpet and leave for a few days and most of the fleas will be killed. Be warned, fleas will bite more when dying so it might be a good idea to be somewhere else while the treatment works.

Flying Insects

Flying insects which bite humans include mosquitoes, midges and horseflies. These will usually avoid you if you apply citrus oils (for example lemongrass or orange) to your skin. The most effective way to do this is to crush citrus leaves and rub the oil directly onto yourself (remember to patch-test for potential allergic reactions first). There is also some evidence that insects will avoid biting people with garlic in their bloodstream.

If there are large numbers of flying, biting insects in your area, it is probably a good idea to put up a net to protect you whilst you sleep. The best way to do this is to hang fine netting over your rest area so that the ends easily reach the ground. Remember to check nets regularly for rips and other damage.

Ticks

Ticks will fasten themselves to skin whilst feeding and are often difficult to remove. Their natural habitat is long grass or trees, where they will attach themselves to the legs and bodies of passing mammals. You are fairly unlikely to find large numbers of ticks in urban areas.

The easiest way to repel ticks is to rub a mixture of vegetable oil, aloe vera gel (scraped from the inside of an aloe vera leaf) and an insect repelling oil such as lavender onto your skin before going into an area where they are likely to be living.

Following these simple de-infestation tips will help you stay zombie virus free or at least stop that nagging itch when you’re aiming at a zombie’s head!