« Do you know that life is the nightmare of those who dream it? » Apocalypse Now
Day 150:
I'm Anna. We are still on the road, we have not progressed since Tyrius' death. Khan is deeply affected, while Kaany, in a feeling of guilt, claims that it is all his fault. She is convinced that none of this would have happened if she hadn't pulled the trigger, and that we would have been able to cross Little Rock safely. Although we tried to pick up other messages, the radio remained silent, except for the message from the authorities. James Crow reiterated his call on the radio, still saying their camp is safe. We will get back on the road, that's for sure, but I don't know when. One thing is certain: we are heading towards James Crow's camp.
I'm Kaany. The weight of guilt for Tyrius' death weighs on me. Khan and the others try to convince me that it's not my fault, but this isn't the first time I've used my gun knowing that zoners are nearby. In Santa Anna, with Alendra and Jaime, I made the same mistake twice. Jaime reminded me of it in Little Rock, and that's where it led us. Anna is right, we will head back towards James Crow's camp. I sincerely hope this will be a safe place for us.
I'm Khan. This is the first time I write in this Log, and I finally dare to express a few words for my friend Tyrius. We had known each other for a very long time, we went to the same college. When the Catastrophe struck, we were together. Kaany thinks it's all his fault, but it's not. What happened to us could happen again with any of us, this is the harsh reality of our current world. I wish Tyrius could have seen James Crow's camp, but fate had it otherwise. We will reach this camp, we will do it for Tyrius and for everyone else.
Night from Day 150 to Day 151:
I'm Lester. I wanted to leave a few words in this Journal. It seems important to me that they recorded their adventures here. If, by chance, someone were to discover this Journal, they might understand what happened to us. I wish to pay tribute to our lost friends and families, so many names engraved in our memories… I sincerely hope that they are in a better place than us. Tomorrow we hit the road again towards James Crow camp.
Day 154:
I'm Jepsen. It has now been four days since we left. Spirits are still heavy from recent events. Khan is right, unfortunately, this kind of tragedy will happen again, and we will never be ready to deal with it. Byron and Jaime guide us to James Crow's camp. We followed a relatively leisurely route, simply passing through small towns to the large town of Black Lake. We won't be able to avoid it, it's on our way. We hope that this time things will be different. We are approaching the first town. The weather is deplorable, the rain has not stopped falling for two days. The road to Cravenblood will be longer than expected. Three months ? six months ? maybe one or two years… By then, the James Crow camp might no longer be operational. We need to find a way to accelerate our progress. We take turns driving the truck, we are vigilant during our stops. Nothing is certain, security remains a mirage, unless we manage to reach the camp. And we will!
Day 203:
I'm Jaime. The end of March marks the end of the harsh winter that we had to face. The Catastrophe remains etched in our memories, and we continue to exchange hypotheses. Why did the population disappear in less than an hour? where have the survivors gone? and above all, who is responsible for all this? unfortunately, we do not have concrete answers. The world stopped communicating, but we managed to come up with several plausible hypotheses. Apart from that, we were forced to abandon our truck due to running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. We resume our journey on foot with the bare necessities, but the problem is that we are now too exposed. For two days we have been wandering on this road, and according to our route, we should reach the next town this evening. Our supplies are running low, and we can't wait to get there to replenish our stocks, perhaps find vehicles and gasoline. Our life became difficult, and we encountered no survivors, only hordes of zoners.
I'm Jana. We are in a small town called Jasper. Zoners are less present there, which is a good thing. Currently, I write in the back of one of the cars. We found what we needed, at least enough to survive for a few weeks. At the next town, we will decide our next step. We've spotted a motel outside of town, and I think we'll stay there for a few days to relax. Everything seems calm for the moment, but Alendra is not reassured. She says calm never lasts. We'll see…
Day 325:
Almost a year since the Catastrophe occurred… This practice may seem strange, but we take care to count the days. Month after month, they represent our only constant. In exactly 40 days, it will be a year. A year without news from our families, our friends. A year since the authorities and the world stopped broadcasting. A year wandering from town to town looking for a chimera. Today, we are still undecided on which direction to take, between continuing the quest for James Crow's camp or settling somewhere, far from everything. Crow continues his calls every other day to prove that he is not just a recorded message. For now, we are following the road towards his camp, but the outcome remains uncertain.
I am Eden, and hope has left me.
Day 356:
I'm Max. The last message came from Eden, imbued with a feeling of despair shared by many of us. But things have changed. Today, we are determined to survive, aware that if we are still alive, others can be too. Bypassing Jasper turned out to be a bad idea, forcing us to take a significant detour. We avoided Austin and headed back towards Oklahoma. Our next objective: Black Lake, which unfortunately we will have to cross. Topeka isn't far, either. We dread crossing major cities from Little Rock, knowing the threat they represent.
I'm Alendra. My words to Jana about fleeting calm still resonate with me. Khan… Khan is right. What happened to Tyrius and the others will happen again, and I have a feeling it will happen sooner than expected. We take the road towards Black Lake, with fear in our stomachs. I am aware that our stories cannot make you feel the intensity of our experiences. You will never know the terror of seeing night fall in the middle of nowhere with only your vehicles protecting you. You will never feel that anxiety when grunts sound during a refueling. However, we do our best to portray our difficult daily life to you. If one day you read this Journal, whether it is because we have perished or disappeared, you will know what happened to us.
Day 365:
I'm Jaime. Today marks exactly one year since the Catastrophe occurred. One year… It's almost unimaginable that we've survived this long. Yet we did it. We are survivors, like so many others. For a long time, we believed we were alone, lost, and abandoned. In a way, it was true. But not anymore. We have reached James Crow's camp! It's everything we ever hoped for. We are no longer alone. We did it. Wish us luck!
I'm Jaime, live from the James Crow camp.
The end?
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