DEFENSE: Protection is indispensable during a time of crisis. Deck yourself out with wearable protection, like a gas mask, to protect from airborne contaminants or a bullet and knife proof vest to protect your vital organs.

SURVIVAL GEAR: Along with weapons and protective gear, an important part of survival is the use of commonplace tools. Toilet paper, duct tape, and flint will be vital to anyone’s chance of living.

HEALTH: While all of the defensive and offensive protection is incredible, the most important aspect of living in a zombie apocalypse is internal health. Items like a water purifier, canned food, and a first aid kit can help with the health of the individual.

THE HEAD: The most important part of killing any zombie is to destroy the brain. The brain is infected, so it must be demolished in order to kill the zombie.

THE LEGS: If unable to destroy the head, aim for the legs. This will slow down the attacking zombie, and give anyone enough time to run away. Then you can easily reach the head and destroy the brain.

WEAPONS: Arm yourself with handheld weapons for a more permanent defense. While guns are highly effective and tactical, a lack of ammunition could be deadly. Weapons like baseball bats, machetes, and crowbars can prove most useful.

Imagine a world where the zombie virus takes over the whole population. Every human being now has been contaminated with the disease and has no way of escaping it. The only way to end it’s influence is to destroy the brain. The virus manifests itself, after being dormant for your entire lifetime, after death and reanimates the corpse to zombie form. How would you fight it? What would you do to protect yourself? Would you band together with a group of the living, fight alone, or succumb to the overwhelming fear of zombification? Luckily, this situation has been represented in the extensive genre of zombie survival in the media. Undoubtedly the most famous and admired of all these interpretations is the AMC series “The Walking Dead.”

   Numerous seasons of this series have captivated and terrified audiences for nearly a decade, leaving a legacy to last for years to come. The new season aired on October 22, though many people have not seen it yet due the overwhelming anticipation for the new content. Senior Sky Fernandez expressed her hopes for this new bunch of episodes.

   “I haven’t watched the first episode yet but people tell me it’s really slow. The last season, the seventh season, was really slow, so I’m hoping they do better, I’m hoping for more action. I’m looking forward to actually having a Negan and Rick battle, I hope they kill Negan,” said Fernandez.

  Junior Emily Rosa has also been busy keeping up with the new season. She voiced her opinion on the series.

    “I’m excited to see how Negan will get killed, and also to see if the different groups of survivors will work together and get along. In my opinion, last season was not very likeable because multiple characters were killed unfairly and the story was very drawn out,” said Rosa.

  Along with hopes for the new season, many watchers remember their favorite episodes and moments fondly. Rosa and Fernandez express their opinion of the long-running show.

  “My favorite season was season one because the writers did a great job of introducing the zombie outbreak and Rick’s condition in the first few episodes. Also the setting of season one was very intriguing with all of the zombies invading the city,” said Rosa.

   “My favorite season was when, in the fourth one, Maggie and Glenn separated and eventually found each other. That was the perfect moment for me,” said Fernandez.

   “The Walking Dead” has a legacy past the bounds of what the modern world can imagine. Its reach extends to the far edges of the globe, and is the topic of millions of conversation. Although this show is arguably one of the best and most expansive representations of the zombie apocalypse, there are many others. Every part of the media has taken advantage of this pop culture phenomenon, but only some leave lasting impressions on consumers.

   “Zombieland is really funny; I love that movie. As far as series, ‘The Walking Dead’ is the best and I love it” said Fernandez.

   With diseases like Kuru, an incurable illness that stems from funerary cannibalism and causes uncontrollable actions, a zombie apocalypse may not be far out of sight. Our world as we know it hangs delicately in the balance; however, “The Walking Dead” demonstrates multiple methods of defeating this threat. There is still hope in this pre-apocalypse world.