Seoul Station Safety Guide: How to Survive Zombies in the City
In Seoul Station, the animated prequel to the smash hit horror Train to Busan, a viral outbreak leads to hordes of flesh-hungry zombies running amok in the city. A group of people trapped in the station realize that to get out of the situation alive, they need to gather their wits and be ultra-resourceful.
With that in mind, here’s an eight-point survival plan offering some handy tips, should your city become overrun with hungry ghouls.
You never know — it could happen, and it’s always better to be prepared…
1) Find a safe space
First thing’s first: You need to get out of harm’s way. One tiny nibble from a zombie, and you’ll end up just like them — a drooling monster, craving human flesh.
Get into a secure room, lock all doors, and pull the curtains. Make sure you have a good supply of board games or trivia quizzes or, if you’re on your own, magazines to read — gossip mags are best, as they’ll take your mind off the soul-crushing carnage being wreaked all around the city.
2) Arm yourself
The zombies might well break in, or you will at some point have to leave your safe space to get food. There probably won’t be any weapons to hand, such as machine guns, flame-throwers, and the like, so you’ll have to improvise.
You’ll be surprised at what can be fashioned into a weapon once you have a scout about — a detached chair leg, for example, is great for braining zombies. A loose rug, given a sharp yank, can pull a zombie clean off his feet. A rare vase, worth nothing in a post-apocalyptic world, can calm a zombie right down when shattered on the top of his head.
3) Take a trip
If you’ve got a car or find one with the keys in it, get in; and drive the hell away — as far and as quickly as possible. If you stop along the way for any reason, check the roof and back bumper for any zombies that might have hitched a ride as you drove out of the city.
Don’t pick up any hitchhikers. Zombies may have secreted themselves in the bushes and will take the first opportunity for a snack should a car slow down. Even if they don’t get in the car, zombies have been known to bite tires, meaning you’ll end up going nowhere fast.
4) Don’t trust anyone
That little old lady who looks like she needs help — beware, she might be a ravenous zombie, just waiting to sink her teeth into your arm. The first rule of thumb during a zombie pandemic is to look after number one! Tell-tale signs of infection are bloodshot eyes, veins standing out all over the skin, excessive drooling, and a general lack of interpersonal skills.
5) Don’t open the door!
Zombies are lurking everywhere, so if you’re out and about looking for food, be very, very careful. That lit up restaurant might look inviting, but it could also be filled with the infected, waiting for the main course — you!
If you’re hiding in a room and there’s a knock at the door, whatever you do, don’t let anyone in — even if they swear blind they’re not a zombie. Because once you open that door, what’s to say a crowd of flesh munchers aren’t hiding round the corner ready to charge your sanctuary?!
6) Break the law
Get yourself arrested for something. Shoplifting is a good one, as you’ll be scavenging for food anyway.
While they’re arresting you, resist so the police have no choice but to throw you in a jail cell; and bingo, you’re safe and sound for the duration. No zombie horde will be able to get through those bars.
7) Stick together
There’s safety in numbers, so be sure to band together with fellow citizens. Don’t fall to petty squabbling over supplies and who gets to eat the last bag of looted Monster Munch. A word of warning, though — keep a close eye on your companions. If they start looking at you funny and licking their lips as if they’d like to sink their teeth into your skull, they might well have caught the virus so it’s time to say TTFN.
8) If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em
If all else fails and you’ve got the nerve, you can always pretend to be a zombie. After all, if you’re charging along with the crowd of undead, covered head to toe in guts and grue, how are they going to know you’re not infected (and ready to run off to safety once the opportunity arrives)?
The other option is to play dead. Just lie down, hold your breath, and pray you don’t catch any unwanted attention…
Seoul Station (rated 15) is out now in the UK on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Download from StudioCanal.
