Love at a God-Forsaken Place and Time
Log - Day 21, 10:00 am: Zombie County
"All I see are dead people. There may be a few who are moving and even eating but they're all dead alright. They are all ghoulishly dead."
"My name is Eric and I think I might be the only person here who isn't like them--the living dead."
Do you wanna know how it all came to this? I have time, I'll tell you.
Sit down, relax, this will take awhile.
Day One: T minus 144 hours
I still remember the exact day when Elmer, my childhood and closest friend told me that a giant killer asteroid will hit planet earth in 2011. He has always been a serious guy, but I have never seen him that dismally gloomy.
Elmer went to the University of California in Berkeley. And I am pretty sure he was close with a handful of people in the Samuel Silver Space Sciences Laboratory right above their UC Campus. As a young boy he has always been unpopular for his unquenchable passion for SETI. In school, I was probably the only reason why he wasn't beaten up on a daily basis for being that kind of weird.
Who would have known that same imagination would lead him to be a successful scientist today. In fact, he is very much in style now. I believe in everything he has to say, especially if it is about space and alien stuff. What do I know? I'm just a SoCal beach bum.
About a month after that, news articles declared that astronomers were ruling out the probability of such an impact. But that they are actually tracking a possible catastrophic cosmic collision way into our future, on February of 2060.
That was ten years ago, today.
Yesterday, I received a post-marked letter from my best friend which read:
"Do not believe the news reports, X44 is not the killer, Six Flags is. You know what to do. Mark this date..."
The day written was a date which will take place in six days.
Day Two: T minus 120 hours
In the next 24 hours all I did was hide out in the dark, inside my one bedroom flat. I know this would happen, but I just totally refused to believe it. Half of that time I spent rehashing what I had do, the other half I was paralyzed, unable to move, everything around me blurred, muffled, in slow-motion even.
Thirsty, hungry and tired, I finally stood up and ate something. I took a shower and set my alarm for 5 a.m.
Day Three: T minus 96 hours
As it turned out, I had no need for a wake-up call. I figured I slept for ten hours straight. The clock by my bedside read 3:13 a.m. I was already wide awake. And it was time to get moving.
"You know what to do... "
I went to the post-office and dropped off all the letters which I have written the day Elmer first told me about the Earth-killing Asteroid. I sat down that day and wrote letter after letter and addressed them to all the people who I love, those who love me back and even those who for one reason or another wanted me dead.
Next stop, the gas station, I told the attendant slash mechanic to put air in the tires, look under the hood, check the spare and to fill up all the vehicle fluids. I got cash from the ATM. Then I bought food, water and other supplies for my 2,000 mile trip inland, as far away from the sea as possible.
Day Four: T minus 72 hours
A blood-curling howl woke me up as the dreadful jolt literally made me jumped up off my car seat. Immediately I felt pain on the back of my neck and lower back. I looked left and right as I tried to figure out where I was. All I remembered was being so tired of looking at nothing but darkness aside from two beams of light. I most probably decided to pull-over and sleep it off at the side of the road.
I figured it was some wild animal out there, where ever I was. But I didn't want to stay long enough to find out what it was. So I took off, gunned the gas pedal and I was on the road again.
It was 5:22 a.m. when I saw the first open store. I stopped to grab a large cup of strong coffee and half a dozen sugar donuts. I didn't said a word to anybody. And I was off again.
I knew I forgot something when all I have been listening to are station after station of music which I have never heard before. So sometimes the occasional static was a welcome break. I missed my music, my CDs, my iPod and the sound of the waves.
That night, I pulled over at the first diner I saw with a lighted sign that said 'Open 24 Hours'. Slowly I eased my car at a slot at the far-end corner of the parking lot. I ate as fast as I can. And I went out to sleep in the car.
Day Five: T minus 48 hours
6:15 a.m. I was awakened by the jarring sound made by somebody tapping metal handcuffs on my car window. I forgot to set my alarm clock. Because I forgot to bring that, along with a few other things.
A man with a huge face and wearing a police officer uniform was yelling at me to open up. And he looked like he wasn't in a good mood.
Seeing him, I nearly peed on myself. But that's why we had planned to wear dark brown water-repellent wrinkle-free pants. Yes, I remember. I know what to do. Now I just have to play it cool. I would soon find out that this was better said than done.
I opened my window and said, "What can I do for you officer?" And right after I blurted those words out, I wanted to put the hand-cuffs on me myself.
His nameplate said Cash. He cleared his throat and said in a low and deliberate voice: "Driver's license and registration please."
I quickly handed him the required customary documents with what would appear like a dopey grin on my face. I was biting my tongue to avoid spitting out something stupid again.
Hesitatingly he said, "Are you a...ware Mis...ter .... Ro...derick...... "
Obviously he was trying to pronounce my last name. And I'm glad he did as it gave me time to regain my composure. These guys are police officers not college professors. I am also doubly glad that he eventually quit trying to say my tongue-twister of a name.
"Are you aware, sir, that sleeping inside a car is a misdemeanor?"
"I am sorry Officer Cash."
I was hoping that was his name and that he wasn't just looking for some, although I have that just in case I needed to bribe myself out of something.
"I ate too much last night. I went inside my car. Locked the door. And now here you are."
He barked: "California plates, California license, California tan, California attitude, what else is not Californian about you?"
I didn't respond to that.
I saw that his eyes once more rapidly scanned the litter-filled disheveled interior of my beat-up Mazda; which of course should match the outside of my once green now half tan color sedan. No well-trained cop would miss that I have been driving on dirt road-like conditions for days. And the five-day old facial hair is a dead give-away. To him, I probably looked like a fugitive on the run.
He then asked me, "Mister... sir have you been drinking and driving?"
I conveniently forgot to say that I did order two bottles of light beer last night. And then regretted doing that. It was definitely not in the plan.
I bit on my tongue once more as I found it best not to respond to that question as well.
He told me to come out of my car, which I did. And as I stepped down, I saw my reflection on my side-door window. I then realized how bad I must have appeared to him. I can smell myself too. And I stink, I smell like dried-fish. I could taste how bad my breath was too. I pressed my lips tighter together.
He said not to worry about my car as he gingerly but painfully placed the cuffs on me. I don't remember if he Mirandarized me or not. I stopped listening after I heard what I needed to hear: "Somebody will tow it to the impound lot down the road. We need to bring you to the station now. But don't worry if you have no outstanding warrants you'll be out before the day is gone."
I still kept my mouth shut and didn't say a word after that. I know I have the right not to make a greater fool of myself as I already am. But I was fully aware that I only have less than 48 hours before D-day. I just hope I didn't have a no-bail warrant on me. Otherwise, I'm dead.
After mechanically going through all the booking procedures, I was placed in a frigid 10 feet by 10 feet holding cell. I fell asleep sitting down on the cold hard metal bench I was handcuffed to.
Sometime that night I was awakened by the jailer who told me I was free to go. I know I had unpaid parking tickets but they didn't say anything about that. It's a good thing not to volunteer information like that. But as I have said, I have enough cash on me anyway, so I know that wouldn't have been a problem I couldn't take care of.
Day Six: T minus 24 hours
The burly front-desk officer did say that the impound lot will open to the public at seven o'clock the next day. And so I stayed inside the police station to wait til dawn. In the meantime, I drank more coffee and ate more donuts, talking to no one.
But yes I told myself, the donut-eating police stereotype is indeed true.
Aside from stuffing their faces with donuts, the police personnel working the night shift were all busy talking amongst themselves. A few of them didn't even seem to notice I was there. Some were talking about lootings, assaults and other similar crimes happening in many places. Most of the chatter I am sure I shouldn't have overheard.
At 10 p.m., the local night news broadcast came up on the mounted television set. Somewhere in the southeastern tip of Australia, the sky was brighter than normal. And there was definitely something bright up there and it wasn't the sun. They have news choppers up in the air. They were interviewing astronomers and people who were panicking. But no one is still talking about what was going to happen.
"No one knows. Not yet anyway." I told myself.
At six o'clock they had a shift-change and incoming officers started leaving the station to patrol the streets. I asked a group of them if anyone can give me a ride to the impound lot so I can get my car and be on my merry way. And a slick long-haired brushed-back officer with the name of Cyrus and smarting the widest grin I have ever seen said, "That would be Dan's Tow Yard, Francis will be working there today, you can call him Cis. I'll be heading that way, you can do a ride-along with me."
So for the second time and for the second consecutive day, I was in the back of a sour-smelling black and white. Well, I still wasn't smelling so good myself. But I was awake. I was fully awake and I know exactly what was happening.
He took me about four blocks to see Cis and asked me why I was in town. I told him some story about a wedding I was going to go to, an old classmate of mine we call Chie. And he started to talk about his own wedding and how it was both the best and worst day of his life. Finally, we were there and I asked him, "Who do I have to thank for, for the kindness afforded me? And what can I do to repay it?"
Somebody up there might still like me as the tow yard could have easily been at the other side of town and I would still have to listen to his story for another hour or so.
But finally he said, "The name's Elvis. Elvis Presley. People call me Smiley. I was named after the King of course and my dad. My dad was named after his. And yes, I smile a lot. But don't you worry, a thank you would be just fine." He was smiling the entire time he was saying that.
I slowly said "Okay, thank you... Officer... Elvis Presley Smiley Cyrus". It sounded weird so I left it at that.
I needed to fork out a few twenties and sign a few forms in triplicate to take my car out. Cis signed me out and then I drove and I drove and I drove. And I didn't stop until I reached the designated meeting place, Elmer and I have set up ten years ago.
Elmer tidied up the place the previous week, he charged all the batteries, filled up all the fuel containers, checked the oxygen tanks, re-stacked the supplies, threw away all the expired and non-essential items and did many other things he was good at.
On D-day, he was supposed to come with her long time friend Elizabeth and I was supposed to bring my girlfriend, Vilma.
She was my girlfriend at the time Elmer first told me about the asteroid racing towards earth. But like any young bloodied male. I told myself, "What the heck, everything's going to end anyway. I should have fun while it lasted."
One thing lead to another and Vi left me one month after that.
I couldn't forget Vilma, and even though nobody else could get her name right for some reason, some would call her Wilma with a W and the rest would call her Velma with an E, to me she was Sweetheart or Tart. And I love her. She was the only woman that I have ever loved and the only one who ever loved me. And I let her go.
D Day: Day of the Living-Dead
5:05 a.m. and I was in the Heartland of America. I forgot the exact name of the town or the county. But I am at the exact street and house.
I found it odd that Elmer wasn't here yet.
"You know what to do ..."
I went to the back, opened the locked door with a kind of key most people haven't seen before. And I went straight into the entryway leading to the basement. There was another lock, I opened it and I descended a stairway, There was one more door, I went through it and I locked it from the inside. I then sat down and waited.
7:00 a.m., local time was the time of impact of the first of the six massive asteroids racing towards earth arriving roughly about one hour apart. The smallest one was almost a mile in diameter. The biggest was the sixth one, it was close to three miles across. Elmer nicknamed it the "Earth-ender".
6:08 a.m., I heard somebody trying to open the door. We were trained that if it was locked, then one of us was already inside.
Then I heard the designated knock. And that was the only way to go in. I opened the door and saw Beth. She hugged me, closed the door behind her and she quickly looked around to see if everything was in order. It was. Elmer made sure of that.
Beth said, "Mer had to make a quick stop. He vowed to be here before impact time." I smiled, I have never been so happy since reading his letter. But then a half a second later, I was sad again as I know this is really happening.
She turned on the crank-type transistor radio and we listened to the news. From what we heard, the Pacific and the Far East were in total chaos.
7:17 a.m., the first of the cosmic billiard balls would have impacted our own blue-colored earth-ball somewhere in the Pacific but Elmer was still not here. We both know that giant tsunamis of unheard of heights will be all over the planet in no time. Who knows what weird animal life forms and unknown bacteria from the deepest parts of the ocean would that bring to the shores.
I saw the look of concern in Beth's face, I asked her "What could be so important that he had to deviate from the plan?"
She slapped me in the face, lowered her head, shuddered and then she cried softly. I stood still for a minute, my cheek numbed, flushed and feeling kind of stupid.
8:21 a.m., the second asteroid arrived and the entire Asian continent was forever changed.
9:11 a.m., the third asteroid came and Europe and Africa were on fire, as Asia was plunging in total darkness.
10:10 and 10:55 a.m., the fourth and the fifth asteroids, the two smallest ones impacted the Atlantic, generating more tsunamis.
12 noon, the sixth and biggest asteroid was only moments away from impact somewhere on the American continent.
We braced ourselves and then we heard the distinctive knock on the door.
Beth gasped and we knew it could only be him. I ran to open the door but Beth stopped me. She held my right hand tight, looked me straight in the eye for a few seconds.
She gently shook her head left and right and she turned away so that I wouldn't see her cry.
We both knew. It was too late.
By then, everybody outside that door would have been exposed to everything from alien-bacteria to nuclear-fallout to everything else which are now all over the planet. Anybody coming in now would surely contaminate us. And anybody out there unfortunately still alive would by now be essentially the living dead, zombies.
The knocking stopped. I hugged her. We sat down quietly where we were standing and we both broke down.
Day 8: D Day After - Start of Zombie County, USA
There was no more radio broadcasts. According to the plan, all we needed to do was to wait it out for the next two weeks inside our wonderfully-made underground bunker. That was the plan.
12 noon, we heard the knock again, this time it was fainter, slower and it was not completed. And we looked at each other.
I yelled "Elmer, why do you have to be so G- damn late? You have never been late to anything in your G- forsaken life!"
Beth yanked on my left arm, placed her face next to mine and she shouted, "Do you really want to know why Mer was late? Do you?
I pulled back as I didn't know how to respond to her outburst. Beth has always been the strong one.
She softly said. "He was beside himself when you lost Vi. And he has blamed himself ever since, some days crying himself to sleep."
I was at a lost, stuttering I blurted, "What?"
She said, "He then vowed to never stop looking for her. And a week ago he finally did. They have spoken with each other, explained everything to her and he told me that he was going to pick her up in San Diego. He told me to go ahead without him if he wasn't there on time."
"He promised to himself that he was going to bring her here whatever happens so that we should all be together."
I rushed to the door and opened the lock. Beth pushed me away and firmly said, "No!"
She then muttered slowly "That was the plan, Eric. That was the plan."
She turned to face the door. For some reason I thought she was going to lock it.
Instead she opened it, stepped out and closed the door behind her.
"No!"
This is a fictional short story written to celebrate Zombie Research Society's Zombie Awareness Month and to support the CDC's Preparedness Program For All Hazards.
Originally published @ Yahoo! Voices, May 25, 2011
In fulfillment of an Assignment to write a Zombie Story for Zombie Awareness MonthPhoto Credit: NASA, Wikimedia Commons
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