So I've been thinking about the future and the inevitable zombie apocalypse, and trying to decide on a good plan for a place to go for best security while we wait out the worst of it. In a recently watched documentary, "Resident Evil: Afterlife", I saw how people were able to get into a prison after it was emptied (seems that the warden let everyone out when the infection started) and how that environment seemed to be well protected from the zombie horde (for a while) given that the security measures used to keep people in were equally effective at keeping zombies out. However going to a place like this would hinge on having the place emptied before I would want to setup camp - I don't think I should depend on this happening at my local prison and therefore don't think this is a good "Plan A" for a target destination when the apocalypse begins.
Similarly, in the subtitled foreign documentary, "La Horde", I saw how older apartment buildings with their cement and brick construction and primary use of steel doors can also make good "bunkers" - but again, the existing residents really need to be cleared (at least the infected ones), and there is the added "construction" required to cover/seal the typical front entry glass doors, and barricade the stairwell access - all in an environment with limited materials on hand to do this added and needed work (while "the horde" is on the other side of the glass trying to break through and eat you while you are whistling away working on your barricade).
Learning from the documentaries (after all, that is the value of documentaries, learning from the actions of others), I have come to think that a "big-box" hardware store may be the best option. These buildings typically have few ground-level windows, and few doors, and also few "residents" - even on a good normal day there may only be a few handfuls of people in the store, and those people would likely have not put the thought into this (as I have) and would likely leave the building when the outbreak started. Though the access doors for these buildings are typically large, the building is well equipped with the materials and tools required to fairly quickly secure the entrances from the zombie masses - up to and including the availability of quick-dry cement and construction adhesive. For any zombies that get in during or before the entrances are secure - the arsenal of "weapons" available in a big-box hardware store make this as good a place as any to be taking a stand.
In my town the local hardware store is right beside the grocery store. I do not recommend setting up camp in a grocery store.... in a related documentary, "The Mist", a group of people being attacked by prehistoric or other-worldly creatures sets up camp in a grocery store, and the limitations are quickly obvious - these stores usually have an entire front wall that is windows. Even if the windows are hard to break, if the zombies (or creatures) can see you, they will keep coming - solid walls are both stronger and hide you from sight, making it less likely that an ongoing prolonged attack will continue. Coming back to topic, over time you can assume that power will be lost and therefore the refrigeration will stop working - so any meat will begin to smell - which will make staying there unpleasant AND will attract both zombies and creatures. So, back to my point - in my town the hardware store is beside the grocery store, so if I setup camp in the hardware store, spend my time securing that location, then once done I can wait for lulls in the zombie activity to use roof access to break into the grocery store as required and transfer all the non-perishable food over to my hardware store strong-hold.
I also thought of warehouse locations in city industrial areas. These locations are also good for the same reasons - minimal ground-level windows and typically few solid, secure doors, so relatively easy to setup security, however your support materials once you establish your strong-hold are limited to the products or materials housed by that warehouse (picture rack upon rack of rolls of bubble-wrap....). I think a warehouse location is a good "Plan B" (plus these would likely have even fewer "residents" to deal with), but I think Plan A should be a hardware store - preferably located between a grocery store and a gas station.
"Plan C" would be to barricade my home. This is more difficult given the quantity of ground-level windows, however it has the advantages that I know who is in it right from the start, and I know what materials and supplies I have...but this means I also know that I don't have the materials on-hand to properly cover all the windows and secure the building. In my particular case I am located a bit in the country, so should have limited hording at my door step - at least when things start, so this would give me a little more time to collect the materials I need, and do the work. But longer term the reduced structural strength of the building and access points could be my downfall - and once the perimeter is breached, there isn't much I can do once the zombie are inside (as compared to a big-box store or warehouse where there is enough space and even height to support internal barricading structures and security measures - such as an elevated living space suspended from the ceiling beyond the reach of the horde).
So, I'm off to the hardware store to check it out. Might also keep my eyes open for the best travel route from here to there - both by car and on foot. Open spaces bad, narrow walk-ways good.
