p class="p1"span class="s1"strongWORLD WAR Z. WE ARE LEGEND./strong/span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongCronulla, New South Wales. Australia./strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong[I meet my subject sitting just outside of Dunningham park, looking out onto the North Cronulla Beach, his attention drifting towards the then newly placed bronze statue, dedicated to:span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong"To the thousands of lone survivors, here and all around the world", as the plaque says. This statue means a lot to Oliver "Ollie" Hernandez, as he was one of these lone survivors for a large half of the War between mankind and the undead.]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"It all happened really fast when I think about it. One minute, my family was there… The next, they're gone without a trace. I wouldn't call my self a LaMOE, I knew I wasn't the only one out there, or think I was like, the only one left. I'd see the occasional chopper flying over my house, hell, one time I saw around a dozen 'em flying./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongDid they see you?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Some of them had to have seen me, I mean, sometimes I was the only thing they could've seen…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"There were a crap ton at first, but as time went on, they seemed to almost stop. There were positives and negatives for me, being one of the few living things left in an entire suburb. There was the obvious negative, the fact that I was the only living thing in the sea of Zack, the only human at least, meaning most of those Z heads were after me. I got to live in any apartment or house felt like, though, I usually kept to my own house, or my "newly bought" apartment overlooking the beach… Though it was hell to walk up all those stairs. All the food and water I'd find was for me, so I didn't have to worry about feeding someone else… Yet./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong"Yet?"span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I'll get to that. It was kinda surreal, nobody to talk to and all, for a long while, I felt like I had to talk almost everyday, or else, I would eventually forget how to even speak. I mean, does that even sound right to you?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongHow did you deal with Zack?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Zack? The same way anyone else did./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He mimes swinging a weapon]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"In all seriousness, I wouldn't attack unless there was no other choice. Australia's gun laws were a bit different than you're laws. Ever since the Port Arthur Massacre, the regulations on semi automatics was so strict, it was almost impossible to get them. It was a good idea, gun related massacres in Australia dropped, and it showed that there are more important things for a politician to do, than to get reelected by your class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"So most of us, during the war, began using melee weapons, bats, wrenches, improvised spears, and even swords, like machetes and I swear, I even saw this one crazy jackass with a Katana. My weapons were basic: A cricket bat, a bowie knife, which I "borrowed" from some long dead crow food, and a small handgun from behind the desk of a police station. I borrowed other stuff from the station, like riot gear, ammo, a handheld radio, and even a bullet proof vest. The vest would do jack shit against a corpse, but against the other hostiles, the living ones like ferals, or Quislings, or the other living crazies. They say we had almost as much LaMOE's and hostile rat packs as the US, though I wouldn't say we were the highest, maybe at number 3 or 5… But still. I'd credit that to our "fuck you" mentality, Australia wasn't just a nation founded by the immigrants, it was a nation founded by the convicts, who were forced to work the land and make it their own, or at least for the Brits in charge. I don't know really… Does that make sense?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[There is a silence between us. He knows what I am going to bring up]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongThere have been reports from other survivors living near the Cronulla area, that there was a Far Right militia group, one that went missing…/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[His smile fades, as he picks up a bottle of water]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongHave you heard of… The Legion?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Heard of 'em?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He takes a huge sip of water water]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I killed most of 'em…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[There is a long pause between us]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I first encountered… No, it wasn't much of an encounter, more like, I was scavenging a liquor store for some drinks, and some jerky, when before I could leave, I heard the sound of an armoured vehicle of class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Looked out the window to see some armoured car, like the kind you'd see outside of banks when they transport the money. It had this sort of, white on red symbol on the side, looking like an axe or something…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I knew almost instantly these guys would be trouble, so I did my best to stay my distance away from them, but to keep my eye on 'em. I first got properly introduced to them, when they came knocking on my door, and by the looks of it, it was a welcoming party, like a proper, and polite invitation… One that I took, with requests./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongYou joined them?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"What? Fuck no. D'you'd think I would join these fellas who were clearly a bunch of Nazis?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He signals to himself]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Back then I looked like a young Benicio Del Toro. Plus I was… And still am Bi. I'd have stuck out like a sore thumb next to those skinheads. No, instead I made a deal with 'em, I'd trade with them the shit I found, like batteries and fuel, and they'd give me food and water. They showed me their location on a map, it seemed like they made Green Hills Cronulla and bits of the surrounding area their headquarters. They said they had stuff like a small farm, with a couple crops and around fifty people. They had fresh food and crap like that, but wanted shit like generators, batteries, and fuel for their vehicles. I on the other hand, had my hands on batteries, and a generator, and enough fuel for my generator, but would have really wanted to try some potatoes and maybe a couple ofspan class="Apple-converted-space" /spanbananas. So then started an odd relationship, which even then, I knew wasn't gonna end well./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongWhat do you mean by that?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Fuel doesn't last forever… Batteries don't last forever. And that was my plan, have them waste their share of fuel while I hide mine, have their lights and heat go out while I stay warm and cozy in front of my fire… Sounds psychotic, I know, but what did I care? I could tell these were bad people, and I knew it, from their presence and their actions. I nearly began to trust them, really, I did, I began knowing them, their names, their faces, their little quirks, even their lives before the Panic. Most were stuff like former police officers or tradies, and one of 'em, the main negotiator between us, who for a while I thought was in charge, used to own some big law class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"The "thank you" baskets they gave me were usually filled with enough food and some basic medical supplies that would last at least a week or two. Sometimes if I wasn't home, they'd drop the basket off, or if it was important, they'd wait for me… In one of the last cases, it class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I sat down on a lawn chair, waiting for them to arrive, it had been a mostly quiet day, and they promised me something special that week. Personally, I was hoping for one of those armoured cars, I knew they had at least three of them during one of my few and far between visits, so I was hoping they had one to spare…/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"They drove up to my driveway… And three people came out… The Negotiator in his grey suit, a fella who looked like the textbook example of a skinhead… And a girl… Barely looked like she was in her teens yet./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He rubs his eyes]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"The girl… Was a blonde… Bluest eyes I've seen… She was dressed like she was competing in a beauty class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I asked them "Who is this?" and The Negotiator said… "Yours". strong[He shivers in disgust]/strong/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Sick bastard… Didn't stop me from accepting the gift./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongYou accepted it?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Did I have a choice? What wold have happened if I said no? Not to me, to her, the girl. She could have easily been some feral they domesticated, after torture… To them she was cattle, no, a puppy at a pet store, that they would put down if she wasn't taken. If I didn't take her in, then what would they have done to her? Would they just regift her to someone else? Someone less human than me? That night, I made my intention clear to her, and that she was free to speak her mind about The class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"At that, she broke down into tears… And told me everything… After that… I knew I couldn't let them remain class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I knew that for them, change was near impossible, almost a fruitless effort… I knew, that they had to pay, they all had to pay. And so began my own little war… Not just against the undead, or even the legion, but against all the monsters that this world gave birth to. Not just for myself… But for Sarah, and others who were just like her…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"After that, I began to set my plans against Legion. Whatever food I gave them, was soaked in a cocktail of chemicals. Whenever a hunting trip would happen, there tires would be shredded, and the hunters numbers would begin to drop… Until eventually, I learned a neat class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Zack are attracted to loud sounds and noises, and would follow it intently. So I figured to keep this news a secret from them… Oh, and that some of the meat I gave em may have gotten Zack blood on them, so you could only imagine how surprised they were when people suddenly began turning within their fences, and that said fences were opened, and their emergency speaker system was blaring on, luring the dead towards class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I'd say most of 'em died after that… I did see a couple runners, there was a chance of survival…/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongDo you regret it?span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He is quiet for a moment]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"No… Why would I? A crap tone of people died, sure, but a whole lot more good people died long before those goose steppers reared their ugly bald heads. And besides, these fellas were all around terrible people, let me put it to you like this: Someone gets hit by a car, its unfortunate and a bit sad. Hitler, or a Klansman get hit by a car, in my eyes at least, it ain't that bad. You see? A bunch of people sure do, hell, even the group I found later on when we began to travel inland agreed with me and Sarah./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongWhat happened to Sarah?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"In comic terms, she became the Robin to my Batman, a companion who I cared for, and treated like she was a younger sibling, or a child. I taught her everything I knew, survival, hunting, scavenging, how to fight…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I gave her the childhood she never had, or had since forgotten about./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He smiles to himself, there is a sense of pride in his face]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"She's getting married in a couple weeks… I'm proud of her. More than you know. In a way… She saved me. Everything I did… The monsters I killed, both living and undead, I did it for her… And for people like her…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He looks back at the statue]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"She gave me a reason to survive, and I gave her a better world… A better, safer world… And a new life./span/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongCronulla, New South Wales. Australia./strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong[I meet my subject sitting just outside of Dunningham park, looking out onto the North Cronulla Beach, his attention drifting towards the then newly placed bronze statue, dedicated to:span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong"To the thousands of lone survivors, here and all around the world", as the plaque says. This statue means a lot to Oliver "Ollie" Hernandez, as he was one of these lone survivors for a large half of the War between mankind and the undead.]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"It all happened really fast when I think about it. One minute, my family was there… The next, they're gone without a trace. I wouldn't call my self a LaMOE, I knew I wasn't the only one out there, or think I was like, the only one left. I'd see the occasional chopper flying over my house, hell, one time I saw around a dozen 'em flying./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongDid they see you?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Some of them had to have seen me, I mean, sometimes I was the only thing they could've seen…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"There were a crap ton at first, but as time went on, they seemed to almost stop. There were positives and negatives for me, being one of the few living things left in an entire suburb. There was the obvious negative, the fact that I was the only living thing in the sea of Zack, the only human at least, meaning most of those Z heads were after me. I got to live in any apartment or house felt like, though, I usually kept to my own house, or my "newly bought" apartment overlooking the beach… Though it was hell to walk up all those stairs. All the food and water I'd find was for me, so I didn't have to worry about feeding someone else… Yet./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strong"Yet?"span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I'll get to that. It was kinda surreal, nobody to talk to and all, for a long while, I felt like I had to talk almost everyday, or else, I would eventually forget how to even speak. I mean, does that even sound right to you?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongHow did you deal with Zack?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Zack? The same way anyone else did./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He mimes swinging a weapon]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"In all seriousness, I wouldn't attack unless there was no other choice. Australia's gun laws were a bit different than you're laws. Ever since the Port Arthur Massacre, the regulations on semi automatics was so strict, it was almost impossible to get them. It was a good idea, gun related massacres in Australia dropped, and it showed that there are more important things for a politician to do, than to get reelected by your class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"So most of us, during the war, began using melee weapons, bats, wrenches, improvised spears, and even swords, like machetes and I swear, I even saw this one crazy jackass with a Katana. My weapons were basic: A cricket bat, a bowie knife, which I "borrowed" from some long dead crow food, and a small handgun from behind the desk of a police station. I borrowed other stuff from the station, like riot gear, ammo, a handheld radio, and even a bullet proof vest. The vest would do jack shit against a corpse, but against the other hostiles, the living ones like ferals, or Quislings, or the other living crazies. They say we had almost as much LaMOE's and hostile rat packs as the US, though I wouldn't say we were the highest, maybe at number 3 or 5… But still. I'd credit that to our "fuck you" mentality, Australia wasn't just a nation founded by the immigrants, it was a nation founded by the convicts, who were forced to work the land and make it their own, or at least for the Brits in charge. I don't know really… Does that make sense?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[There is a silence between us. He knows what I am going to bring up]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongThere have been reports from other survivors living near the Cronulla area, that there was a Far Right militia group, one that went missing…/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[His smile fades, as he picks up a bottle of water]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongHave you heard of… The Legion?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Heard of 'em?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He takes a huge sip of water water]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I killed most of 'em…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[There is a long pause between us]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I first encountered… No, it wasn't much of an encounter, more like, I was scavenging a liquor store for some drinks, and some jerky, when before I could leave, I heard the sound of an armoured vehicle of class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Looked out the window to see some armoured car, like the kind you'd see outside of banks when they transport the money. It had this sort of, white on red symbol on the side, looking like an axe or something…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I knew almost instantly these guys would be trouble, so I did my best to stay my distance away from them, but to keep my eye on 'em. I first got properly introduced to them, when they came knocking on my door, and by the looks of it, it was a welcoming party, like a proper, and polite invitation… One that I took, with requests./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongYou joined them?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"What? Fuck no. D'you'd think I would join these fellas who were clearly a bunch of Nazis?/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He signals to himself]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Back then I looked like a young Benicio Del Toro. Plus I was… And still am Bi. I'd have stuck out like a sore thumb next to those skinheads. No, instead I made a deal with 'em, I'd trade with them the shit I found, like batteries and fuel, and they'd give me food and water. They showed me their location on a map, it seemed like they made Green Hills Cronulla and bits of the surrounding area their headquarters. They said they had stuff like a small farm, with a couple crops and around fifty people. They had fresh food and crap like that, but wanted shit like generators, batteries, and fuel for their vehicles. I on the other hand, had my hands on batteries, and a generator, and enough fuel for my generator, but would have really wanted to try some potatoes and maybe a couple ofspan class="Apple-converted-space" /spanbananas. So then started an odd relationship, which even then, I knew wasn't gonna end well./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongWhat do you mean by that?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Fuel doesn't last forever… Batteries don't last forever. And that was my plan, have them waste their share of fuel while I hide mine, have their lights and heat go out while I stay warm and cozy in front of my fire… Sounds psychotic, I know, but what did I care? I could tell these were bad people, and I knew it, from their presence and their actions. I nearly began to trust them, really, I did, I began knowing them, their names, their faces, their little quirks, even their lives before the Panic. Most were stuff like former police officers or tradies, and one of 'em, the main negotiator between us, who for a while I thought was in charge, used to own some big law class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"The "thank you" baskets they gave me were usually filled with enough food and some basic medical supplies that would last at least a week or two. Sometimes if I wasn't home, they'd drop the basket off, or if it was important, they'd wait for me… In one of the last cases, it class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I sat down on a lawn chair, waiting for them to arrive, it had been a mostly quiet day, and they promised me something special that week. Personally, I was hoping for one of those armoured cars, I knew they had at least three of them during one of my few and far between visits, so I was hoping they had one to spare…/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"They drove up to my driveway… And three people came out… The Negotiator in his grey suit, a fella who looked like the textbook example of a skinhead… And a girl… Barely looked like she was in her teens yet./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He rubs his eyes]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"The girl… Was a blonde… Bluest eyes I've seen… She was dressed like she was competing in a beauty class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I asked them "Who is this?" and The Negotiator said… "Yours". strong[He shivers in disgust]/strong/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Sick bastard… Didn't stop me from accepting the gift./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongYou accepted it?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Did I have a choice? What wold have happened if I said no? Not to me, to her, the girl. She could have easily been some feral they domesticated, after torture… To them she was cattle, no, a puppy at a pet store, that they would put down if she wasn't taken. If I didn't take her in, then what would they have done to her? Would they just regift her to someone else? Someone less human than me? That night, I made my intention clear to her, and that she was free to speak her mind about The class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"At that, she broke down into tears… And told me everything… After that… I knew I couldn't let them remain class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I knew that for them, change was near impossible, almost a fruitless effort… I knew, that they had to pay, they all had to pay. And so began my own little war… Not just against the undead, or even the legion, but against all the monsters that this world gave birth to. Not just for myself… But for Sarah, and others who were just like her…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"After that, I began to set my plans against Legion. Whatever food I gave them, was soaked in a cocktail of chemicals. Whenever a hunting trip would happen, there tires would be shredded, and the hunters numbers would begin to drop… Until eventually, I learned a neat class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"Zack are attracted to loud sounds and noises, and would follow it intently. So I figured to keep this news a secret from them… Oh, and that some of the meat I gave em may have gotten Zack blood on them, so you could only imagine how surprised they were when people suddenly began turning within their fences, and that said fences were opened, and their emergency speaker system was blaring on, luring the dead towards class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I'd say most of 'em died after that… I did see a couple runners, there was a chance of survival…/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongDo you regret it?span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He is quiet for a moment]/strong/span/p
p class="p6" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"No… Why would I? A crap tone of people died, sure, but a whole lot more good people died long before those goose steppers reared their ugly bald heads. And besides, these fellas were all around terrible people, let me put it to you like this: Someone gets hit by a car, its unfortunate and a bit sad. Hitler, or a Klansman get hit by a car, in my eyes at least, it ain't that bad. You see? A bunch of people sure do, hell, even the group I found later on when we began to travel inland agreed with me and Sarah./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"strongWhat happened to Sarah?/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"In comic terms, she became the Robin to my Batman, a companion who I cared for, and treated like she was a younger sibling, or a child. I taught her everything I knew, survival, hunting, scavenging, how to fight…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p3"span class="s1"I gave her the childhood she never had, or had since forgotten about./span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He smiles to himself, there is a sense of pride in his face]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"She's getting married in a couple weeks… I'm proud of her. More than you know. In a way… She saved me. Everything I did… The monsters I killed, both living and undead, I did it for her… And for people like her…span class="Apple-converted-space" /span/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p5"span class="s1"strong[He looks back at the statue]/strong/span/p
p class="p4" /p
p class="p3"span class="s1"She gave me a reason to survive, and I gave her a better world… A better, safer world… And a new life./span/p