I am a citizen of Earth.
This rocky, gas encased fishbowl we inhabit has sustained our species for thousands of years despite our lackadaisical attitude for its well-being. It is because of our arrogance that I always liked to think something would happen to interrupt our firm grasp on this planet through every level of existence we know. Not only did I believe it would happen, I wanted it to. Humanity needed a reboot and though I never thought I would live to see it, here I am eight years later still alive after zombies effectively took over the world.
The real question I have for myself now is that with this new world in place, a world I thought would be better for anyone who could survive it, is why do I feel so restless?
Perhaps it's just an acute case of wanderlust brought on by my age. I'm pushing forty now and it's time I'm due for my mid life crisis. I still wonder though if I'm not subconsciously yearning for more meaning from this world or a deeper sense of belonging. I don't have a wife and kids, never have, and that should be a big deal to most people but I can't help but feel like there were extenuating circumstances blocking me from that goal, like walking corpses. Then again those same conditions didn't stop some people from carrying on with procreation.
Am I just simply depressed?
"Hey!"
A sharp voice suddenly brought me back to the physical plane. I was out in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania sitting around a campfire with my best friend Bill and a woman we were working for named Danielle.
"How fucking high are you right now?" Bill snapped from across the flames. To the unassuming eye Bill would have seemed angry right now but from my vantage point I could see laughter floating behind his brown eyes. Danielle had a far less convincing poker face.
"Very," Inadvertently escaped my lips. "I mean not very, I was just deep in thought."
As the two glibly consulted each other the campfire between me and them illuminated their red hair in a brilliant way. Though Bill's hair was now graying places since he was about two years older than me Danielle's was still a shade auburn only nature could reproduce. To be honest I had no idea how old Danielle was and now that I thought about it I didn't know much of anything about her. We had only met a few days before when she hired Bill and I to assist her in what she referred to as an "errand."
"You fucking stoner." Bill smirked at me as he stood up. "I'm going to walk around a bit, make sure we're all clear."
I nodded with an affirmative grunt and make the executive decision to take a one hitter when I noticed I already had a fully packed bat so I took advantage. As I breathed in the blue dream Danielle sat down next to me and nodded a greeting.
"I suppose you want to ask me some stuff." Her voice almost seemed to echo as I did flips in my head both literally and figuratively.
"How?" I muttered before coughing violently.
She calmly waited a few seconds until I regained composure. She then looked off past the fire noticeably drawing my gaze to the darkness.
"I told Bill to get lost for a bit. I've never told anyone what I'm going to tell you and I hope you understand you can't tell anyone."
Right then I felt something move inside me and I knew this was the thing I needed to give myself a sense of purpose again. This "errand" has lead me to this moment right here, the catalyst that would set me on my path in this crazy deader filled world again.
"But because of the importance of this secret." She quickly turned catching my gaze again. "I need to know one of your secrets."
Though she was normally quite unassuming I felt a bit creeped out by her smile in this moment.
"Uh. Well one time I..."
"Nope." She stopped me. "I get to choose."
"But you've only known me like a few days? How would you know..." I then stopped with dread because I knew what she was going to ask.
"Bill wouldn't tell me about it so I'm asking you. Tell me about the time you guys blew up a gas station with a grenade to stop a zombie horde."
I sighed deeply as I lit a cigarette. Of all the stupid stories people get famous for in this new fragmented society mine has to be on a day I'd rather forget.
"It's your choice." She shrugged and turned to the fire.
After a drag of my cigarette I had made my decision. "All right, I'll tell you but know it was not one of my finer days."
Her sunset hair bounced she turned to me and the fire shined off her smiling brown eyes. Who would know someone would actually want to hear about my darkest moment of the post apocalypse.
"We gotta go, NOW!" Bill gruffly whispered as emerged from the trees in a crouched position.
I instantly rose and packed away my paraphernalia in my pockets. "Living or dead?"
"Dead. Leave the fire, head south."
The three of us walked a few steps before I had to inquire further.
"Are we just getting out of their way?"
"No." Bill grunted. "They're heading for home."
"The Hub?" I scoffed referring to a bunker we had found deep in the woods that served as our primary residence.
"No, the city."
Right then I knew from the fact that Bill had gone three sentences without swearing that it had to be bad. I looked over at Danielle to make sure she knew our conversation wasn't over and she nodded. If I was right about where we were the army of dead behind us would reach the city right around morning to claim it for their ranks.
I smiled a bit as I thought to myself, not on my watch.
