What I’ll need for the Apocalypse

As paranormal writers, we cannot help but think about some rather crazy things, including an impending apocalypse (zombie, solar flare, EMP, whatever flavor you like). Believe it or not, this topic is quite common among Fantasy writers, partly for inspiration, partly for research for a book idea and partly for fun (yeah, fun, we’re weird like that). But once you start talking about something regularly you can’t help but think, “Well, what if it DID happen?” Going along with that train of thought I started to think about what survival things I would want to have if worst came to worst.

The Top Five Things I Want To Have In Case of An Apocalypse

1. Self-Cocking Crossbow Pistol – I’m not big on guns (I can shoot ’em, I just don’t dig ’em) but you have to have something to protect yourself from a distance and this really fits the bill. I know most people would think about a full-sized crossbow, and that’s a good thing to have, but I like the idea of having something compact yet effective and even the ammo for this would take less room as you go.

2. A Machete – Now, my husband is a personal trainer and a self-defense instructor and a life-time martial artist so believe me, we have A LOT of weapons in our house. And I’m not even joking when I tell you we have six different machetes. But these are incredibly versital weapons. They’re longer than your average knife so you dont have to let someone get as close to you as a you would with a pocket knife to defend yourself. You can use it to clear a path in overgrowth and to fell material to build shelters. And it’s handy for decapitating zombies.

3. Water Purifying Tablets – we’re gonna run out of fresh water, it’s a fact, so you’re gonna want to have something to help with that.

4. An RV Van – yep, the bug-out-mobile. If you have to leave home you’ll want to have shelter and protection, and tents are gonna get old. Obviously you’re only going to be able to drive for so long and only so far, so the goal would be to get to somewhere safe that offers a food source, like a lake. But the beauty of an RV van is that it offers the shelter and protection (when you finally run out of any and all gas, wherever you end up, your shelter is already built! Voila!) but it’s also smaller than your average RV camper so it’s easier to maneuver and faster! Look at those interiors!

5. A Guide to Edible and Medicinal Plants – pills expire but injuries and sickness will continue on so you’ll need something to help guide you in treating these things.