« Do you know that life is the nightmare of those who dream it? » Apocalypse Now
Day 17:
I am Anna. We left Santa Anna to arrive in Bangs this morning. Currently, we're camping in an abandoned house. Yesterday, a tragic event occurred: we lost Lona and Tommy. At first, we drove slowly due to the creatures on the roads and in every town, slowing our progress. Tommy was getting sicker at the moment. The first car stopped in the middle of nowhere, and Tommy rushed out to vomit. The second car, the one I was in, also stopped behind. Jaime knelt beside him to comfort him. We had just stepped out of the vehicle when Tommy got up, grabbed the gun from Jaime's belt, and put it to his temple. We screamed, begged him not to do it! But he looked at us, tears in his eyes, and said, “I don't want to harm you, I don't want to end up like that!” and he pulled the trigger… Tommy made the decision not to harm us. We left him by the side of the road and covered him with a piece of clothing. Then, we drove on in silence and sadness, uncertain of what would happen next.
I am Max. Anna just told the story of what happened to Tommy, and it's a sad situation, but it was the best decision he could make to ensure the group's safety. As she mentioned earlier, we lost Tommy and Lona… Lona's death was even more tragic. We managed to get through Santa Anna, but our vehicles were running out of fuel, so we stopped at a gas station outside the city. While Jaime and Lucy were refueling, Lona, Anna, Kaany, and Alendra went inside to look for food and drinks. We don't know exactly what happened. According to Alendra, the girls split up… Anna was with Lona, and she told us that a “zoner” attacked them. None of them thought to check their surroundings. From outside, all we could hear were screams, and we rushed in, but the screams suddenly stopped. Lona had been caught, and the “zoner” started to devour her… She was holding Anna's wrist tightly, and Anna took her weapon to kill the “zoner” to prevent being bitten. Once freed from Lona's grip, Anna looked at her, knelt down, and put an end to her suffering. Two deaths in one day, it was an extremely tough day for us…
I am Jaime. We finally found an abandoned house at the entrance to Bangs. Shortly after our settlement, we encountered another group of survivors following us in a truck. They seemed delighted to see other people. They consisted of five members, two women and three older men than us, named Lester, Jana, Byron, Khan, and Tyrius. We exchanged a few words, indicating that we were heading to Brownwood, while they were going to Stanks. We shared stories of loss and survival. They noticed a covered body by the side of the road, and we told them it was one of our friends… They seemed deeply sorry for us and told us they had lost some of their own. We exchanged medicine and food. They informed us that in Stanks, there might be a camp of survivors! We bid farewell, hoping to perhaps meet them in Stanks one day…
We haven't moved all day as we were completely shattered by the recent events.
Day 19:
I am Alendra. The day before yesterday, we left Bangs behind, escaping from a horde of “zoners.” We weren't entirely sure what we were supposed to find in Brownwood, but Jaime had a hunch from the beginning that drew us in that direction. And once again, he was right…
To start with, we drove through Bangs in our cars but had to make a stop, primarily to find water, which was becoming increasingly scarce. It was late afternoon, the day before yesterday, when we arrived in Brownwood, and unfortunately, what we found there didn't differ much from what we had encountered in Coleman, Santa Anna, and Bangs: a ruined city, infested with “zoners,” and craters caused by bombs. We eventually took refuge in a shopping mall. Our traumatic experience at the gas station reminded us to be more vigilant, and we carefully inspected the surroundings. My thoughts returned to Eden and the other missing individuals, and the question of their fate still lingered…
After some time, Chris, who hadn't uttered a word since losing his parents, suggested turning on the radio. The radio! We had completely forgotten about it; it had remained in our belongings since the beginning! Up to that point, our attempts to catch a signal had failed; it seemed like the world had stopped broadcasting… After an hour of effort, we finally managed to pick up a message, apparently prerecorded. Here it is:
“To all survivors who come across this message, know that you are not alone; you are more numerous than you think! The world has stopped broadcasting, and this will be the last message you'll receive. The Apocalypse has finally taken place; the authorities report that thousands and thousands of bombs were launched worldwide, carrying a toxin that kills and turns the dead into monsters. If you haven't encountered these creatures yet, let me offer you this advice: aim for the head to take them down. Survivors have already witnessed what the dead have become. Fight, stay alive, and support each other. The truth lies elsewhere, but today, it doesn't matter anymore; your survival is all that counts. You are not alone!”
The true cause of humanity's collapse will forever remain a mystery, which is far from reassuring. Come evening, Jaime and Chris took the first watch.
I am Chris. It's been a long time since I last wrote because I didn't feel capable of doing so. Yesterday, under Jaime's orders, we embarked on silent rounds in the city. Jaime was convinced that we would eventually find something useful. We split into three groups: Jaime and Alendra; Anna and Lucy; Maxence, Kaany, and myself. We weren't entirely sure what we were looking for, whether it was food, water, or medicine. In reality, a safe place was our ultimate quest. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything like that, but what we stumbled upon left us perplexed… and elated! We found Eden and Gianelly!
They appeared exhausted but were alive. Our encounter with them had been purely by chance. They were hiding deep inside an old house, and their initial state of shock had led to a violent reaction from them, I admit. We eventually calmed them down and brought them back to the shopping mall. We took care of them, and for now, they are sleeping. We eagerly await them to share their story and answer our questions.
Unbelievable… It's me, Eden. About two hours ago, I woke up on a blue sofa in the couch section of a shopping mall in Brownwood. We never expected the group to find us. When they discovered us, Gianelly and I didn't recognize them, which provoked a violent reaction from us, I admit…
It's now the evening of the 19th day, it seems, and we had to tell them our story. I'll reiterate it here. We're saddened to see that so few of them survived, but I'm delighted to see that they continued to maintain this journal. Let me explain what happened since our disappearance. It was on the night of the 2nd to the 3rd day. Luc and I were searching for the missing. As we were returning, we saw a light in the distance, a flashlight. Armed figures were present. We fled as fast as we could, but they caught up with us. After that, total darkness.
I woke up in some sort of cave. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious, maybe a day. My surroundings were entirely unfamiliar. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized I was locked in some kind of cage. When I got up, I noticed other cages. I yelled to see if anyone was there, and it was Aline and Luc who responded. For nearly four days, we saw no one (I was still wearing Chris's watch). After those four days, someone entered, but we couldn't see their face. They put someone in Aline's cage. She told us it was Al, who seemed to be ill. Two days later, Al died… and then he got up. Aline panicked and screamed, as Al was devouring her. Men arrived and saw the scene, but they did nothing and just left while laughing.
We remained in our cages for two more days. On the sixth day of our captivity, the men returned with two “zoners.” They opened Luc's cage and pushed one of the monsters inside before closing it again. Luc tried to resist, but he, too, was devoured. When they arrived at our cage, I grabbed onto an iron bar above the entrance. When they opened the cage, I pushed the “zoner” and the two men. They got devoured. Gianelly and I took advantage of the chaos to escape.
As I write these lines, the group is deliberating on our future. They've mentioned the possibility of heading to Stanks.
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