Daria Morgendorffer

"So, last week, you scouted out possible places to make camp," Liliana said, once again standing in the park of the Danger Shop's mundane version of Fandom with no magical protections, futuristic technology, or various weird things that didn't fit in either of those two categories. "We had some arguments for the lighthouse, for the school, and even for Ingvar, bonus points for cleverness Illyana." It was an answer Liliana hadn't considered (she didn't, you know, Ikea), and a good idea at that, it got called out. "But that brings us to the next most important item: supplies. The general consensus is that a person needs one gallon per water per day, which increases for things like temperature, activity level, age, and pregnancy. While you can ration water if you need to, it's rarely a good idea unless you are literally on your last reserves, and even so, going down to less than a quart a day will leave you in very bad shape. A gallon per day will hopefully serve both for drinking and sanitation, but if you're rationing, stop worrying about sanitation as much as possible or look for alternatives, and conserve it all for drinking. Furthermore, if you're rationing, cut down as much as you can on strenuous physical activity, and try to remain inactive during the hottest parts of the day. If you start feeling confused or delirious, light-headed, dizzy, have heart palpitations, or are feeling faint, drink water as soon as you can; these are all signs of dangerously severe dehydration.

"Food, you do have a little more leeway. Most adults require between two thousand and twenty-five hundred calories a day to remain healthy at regular activity levels. With enough water available, that number can go down to about twelve to fifteen hundred - it's not great, but it's moderately sustainable, so long as your activity levels remain low. Much more than that, or with high activity, and you start to starve, even if you're still eating. Also, at those level, you want to be supplementing vitamins, because once you get down to about twelve hundred calories and below, your body is no longer getting enough nutrients and you'll start dealing with issues like anemia, tooth and bone loss as your body leeches calcium from those deposits, and heart problems. In addition to a loss of strength, stamina, and temperature regulation, you'll also start suffering from psychological distress in the form of fatigue, irritability, depression, and apathy, at minimum."

Think about how hangry you get when you skip lunch. Then multiply that by a million.

"After food and water comes sanitation. Dirty surroundings lead to bacteria breeding. Injuries that aren't properly cleaned can go septic. Bleach is an incredibly efficient supply, as it can disinfect surfaces and also water in a pinch. Wipes, soap, hand sanitizer, and bathroom sanitary supplies. Plastic bags are good for getting rid of garbage and refuse, as well as doubling as potential waterproofing and water collection items. A first aid kit is included in this, loaded down with antiseptics and clean bandages. We'll be talking about first aid and healthcare in a future class, but even without any training, just having the supplies on hand is safer than not. This is not, of course, everything you should think about getting on a supply run, but certainly the things to prioritize. Although, of course, there are additional factors you will need to figure out for yourselves during today's class."

What? Like Liliana was ever gonna make things easy on you!

"So, we're starting here in the center of town, where there is the greatest density of useful stores for you to peruse. You have the first five minutes to plan - unless it is a dire emergency where every second counts, you should always make time to plan. That will help you decide and remember what are the highest priorities, prevent people from wasting time duplicating efforts, and ensure that the actions you take align with the expected goals. Don't waste time getting heavy duty winter gear if the plan is to take off for the tropics. I highly suggest that in that five minutes, you decide where you're going take shelter and who all is going to be there. You don't have to all stick together - you can all plan to hide in separate places if you wish - but the number of people you're expecting to shelter with will affect what and how much you need to get."

Especially when it came to things like sanitation.

Large tarps came into existence around them, one for each student, next to a sign with their name on it. "While I did give thought to saying that you were stuck with whatever supplies you managed to get back to your chosen hideout, I decided that a closer focus on appropriate supplies is more important. So, the supplies you manage to grab and toss onto your tarp will be the supplies that you can consider to be 'safe' in your chosen hideouts. And before anyone asks, there is no stealing from other students's piles." She'd considered it, though. She'd absolutely considered it. "Unlike last week, however, there will be zombies roaming about the island. You can handle them however you wish, though remember, every minute you spend dealing with them is a minute you are not getting supplies."

So, less Supermarket Sweep, more Supermarket Sweep--with Zombies!

"All right then, class your five minute planning phase begins....now!"