Zombies

"Dead Rising 3" zombies cross over Manhattan Bridge as they head to Best Buy Theater in Times Square for the launch of Xbox One on Thursday, November 21, 2013.

(Diane Bondareff | Invision for Microsoft | AP)

What would you do if zombies attacked the United States? The Pentagon has a plan for that.

Foreign Policy magazine obtained an unclassified document called CONOP 8888, also known as "Counter-Zombie Dominance," that outlines how the U.S. military would protect Americans from a real-life version of "The Walking Dead."

Kim Kinney, of Atlanta, dressed as a zombie, walks through the floor of Walker Stalker Con, a convention based off the TV show "The Walking Dead," Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in Atlanta.

According to the New York Daily News, the plan describes how to battle different types of the living dead, including "chicken zombies" seeking revenge on farmers, "evil magic zombies" that are created by the occult and/or curses, Frankenstein-like monsters, and even vegan zombies. U.S. Strategic Command also aims to protect "non-zombie humans from threats posed by a zombie horde," and be prepared for fast-spreading viral infections like in "World War Z" and "28 Days Later."

"This plan was not actually designed as a joke," a disclaimer in the file says.

But it's not entirely serious, either. A Strategic Command spokeswoman tells The Daily Beast the document is just a training tool.

CONOP 8888 -- which sounds like the title of a video game -- was submitted April 30, 2011, by military planners in Omaha, Nebraska. According to Foreign Policy, they got creative with a scenario "that could never be mistaken for a real plan" to train for a variety of possible threats, including those from outer space.

Business Insider points out that its three main points could apply to a number of attacks in populated and non-populated areas: 1) keep a defensive perimeter to protect human lives; 2) kill and/or remove possible threats; and 3) aid civil authorities in restoring law and order.

This isn't the first time the thought of a zombie apocalypse has been used as a serious guide. The Center for Disease Control released a "Preparedness 101" zombie survival guide in 2011, though the CDC insisted it doesn't know of any "virus or condition that would reanimate the dead."

Others have taken further steps to prepare for fallout -- nuclear, undead or otherwise. A missile silo home in Saranac, N.Y. is a remodeled Cold War-era shelter that's been praised as an "impenetrable" fortress. The "Map of the Dead" uses Google Maps to show what places in Central New York would be most at risk in a zombie attack and where to find medical supplies, weapons or safe haven.

And a "Survival: Adventure to Apocalypse" store in Fayetteville sold backpacks, flashlights, MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), rope and weatherproof supplies for anyone fearing war or natural disasters. Ironically, the small business couldn't survive a major road project that hurt traffic on route 5, and closed in December.

For now, though, the only zombies coming are in movies (thanks, George A. Romero!) and TV shows. "The Walking Dead" returns for its fifth season on AMC this October.

CONPLAN 8888