Before this day, the world hadn't seen the worst. We’d assumed that the fall of the economy and the stock market, possibly leading to something resembling a depression, would be the worst of it. People pulled their money, not trusting the banks who were going bankrupt themselves; the Government promised this and promised that and although we knew it would take time, we, as humans are naturally impatient. So, for a while, we took things into our own hands. We fought against those who were trying to help us into a better world and fought even harder against those who chose to disagree. We were falling apart.
Then, suddenly, things began to get better. People could afford to keep their houses, afford to feed their families again. Jobs were no longer laying off the middle-class, but instead, they were hiring double time. Money was once more worth something. We, as humans, had something to live for and yes, we took the credit for such an amazing turn around, claiming that it was our fight that led us to this miraculous point in our lives, but we all knew it wasn't just us. We had a part in it, yes, but the government had actually come through for us. We were starting to believe in country again; to believe in the laws written and we began to listen. As a whole, we had gotten better.
Little did we know that while we, as a people, were celebrating with complete and utter happiness, that the world was seriously going to shit. Behind the scenes, there were tests being ran, illegal cloning and so on and so forth. We turned a blind eye, we trusted the people who constantly fed us promises of a new world, of a better tomorrow. We trusted them so much that we let our guards down and now, here we were.
In complete annihilation.
Cities no longer resembled cities, water was rarely ever uncontaminated and the people, the people were no longer people. They were no longer caring human beings. They no longer loved or felt compassion. No one cried. It was an emotionless world. Why you ask?
Because in the grand scheme of things, somewhere between our oblivion and our trust, something had gone terribly wrong and now, the same people who trusted and lived by the words of the government were soullessly walking the earth.
The Undead.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, something went freakishly fucking wrong and we are now trying to save our own asses, trying to stay alive long enough to find help or some sort of shelter that would suffice long enough for us to even breathe, if only for a moment.
The undead walked the streets, or what used to resemble them, soulless and uncaring with only one thought in mind. Well, if that’s what you can actually call it. Do they think? Do they have coherent thoughts? Because all they want is to fucking tear your body to shreds and eat you alive.... would that be considered thinking?
Who the fuck knows. All I know is that I have to survive; I have to live another day and another one after that. I don’t know what I’m living for exactly, but I do know that the people with me...they need me. They may not admit it, but I know they do. And I know this because, truthfully, I need them. I love them. And I will do whatever I have to do to protect them as well as protect myself.
I used to think the world was full of rainbows and unicorns. I used to reside in a state of happiness, no matter what. I would look the other way when people spat harsh things in my direction, turning the other cheek. I would smile kindly at people and I always wanted them to feel welcomed, to feel loved. Now? I want the same, but I don’t see rainbows and unicorns anymore. I see death. The death of my friends, of my family and of their families. I see pain, turmoil, and fucking destruction.
That’s what this world has turned into. And for a while, it was hard for me to even grasp. I sat in the background, allowing these people to protect me. Whether they did it out of pure love or because they believed that I was incapable of doing so myself, they protected me. But one day, I woke up. One day, I woke up a completely different person. I am no longer the star. I am a piranha in a sea full of tiny fish, so to speak. I’m a lion in a standoff with a gazelle. I’m a bear in a forest full of tiny animals. I will protect them because I love them and because, for so long, they protected me. I owe them my life and in return, I will protect theirs with everything I have.
I was never into death and gore. I didn't really like the sight of blood; rarely ever watched horror movies, but I’m living a horror movie now. There’s no escaping this and honestly, I get a kick out of a head-shot, or watching thick gray matter splatter against a wall, or a tree, or whatever the backdrop happens to be at the moment.
I’m a changed person; a warrior. A new me has been born.
“Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.” - Euripides