Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
[ I arrive just before sundown to the location Raymond asked to meet. Affectionately known as rock park, the location is just that. A normal park except for the huge cluster of rock in the center. Alone at a bench is Raymond. As I approach him he looks up, nods in my direction and directs his gaze next to him. An invitation to sit on the bench. As i sit on the bench we share pleasantries, He offers me a bottle of water but I decline. ]
I guess the first time I saw Zach was when I was coming home from work. I used to work at a gas station. The pay was decent at my age, and i was still able to stay at home. It didn't help much for courting woman but at least I got to save my money.
[ He smirks. ]
It must've been about 3 a.m. I hated the late shifts and just wanted to go home and sleep. I was already nervous about encountering someone that was infected and it just happened to be my luck that night. I was almost home when I saw this little girl and...
[ He pauses, closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. ]
Anyways, it was an eye opener. My family and I left town that next day. We just kept driving. Anywhere we could go really. Eventually we ran out of gas and ended up staying with some relatives. It was nice, they lived in the mountains and had enough bedrooms for everyone. Dinners were always silent though. We were fortunate to the effect that they were kind of preppers.
[ preppers? ]
You know, doomsday preppers. For them it was more of "The government is going to collapse and we will end up in a civil war" type of thing. Deep down they didn't actually think anything like that would happen, and they never would've guessed that they dead would rise and inherit the earth. Needless to say, they were pretty well off as far as doomsday goes.
We had just finished up dinner one night when we heard a gunshot in the distance. I guess i should backtrack. We were always really good and keeping noise and light discipline. I mean it was pretty easy, we were all adults and know what would happen if we didn't. They lived far enough out in the wilderness that neighbors were a rare sight and each kept to their own. Well, we heard the gunshot and immediately stopped what we were doing. We just kind of froze there. All of us were staring at the door.
[ He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and places one in his mouth. ]
We heard a knock. Not really a knock by like a soft thud. My uncle had a shotgun with him at all times. He pulled it up to his shoulder and aimed at the door. He gave my dad a look and my dad whispered to me to go with him to the next room so we could get our guns. My aunt and mom went with to the next room with us. They each got a gun and sat in chairs. They were strong woman. Were.
[ He pulls out a lighter and brings it up to the cigarette. He holds it there for a moment but doesn't light it. ]
My dad told me to stay with them, you know "Protect the woman".
[ His posture changes. He slouches forward and places his hands together in his lap. ]
I heard soft footsteps going towards the front door. It felt like an eternity. Then there was a long bang. Not the gunshot kind but like if something fell. I rushed out into the hallway and saw a man in the house. He was lying on the floor facing the door. My uncle had started to close it. As soon as he did his shotgun was pointed at the man. My dad was checking the windows to see if there was anything else out there. My uncle asked the man his name, but i couldn't hear what he said. Everything was so hush hush. My dad turned around and saw me. He gave me a look and motioned for me to go back into the room. I turned the corner and went right into the worried faces of my mom and aunt. I told them that there was a man in the house but my dad and uncle were there and had it covered. That didn't quell their fear though.
My dad kind of called for me after awhile. He talked in whispers so it was unnerving to hear anything louder than that. I went into the room they were in and saw the man. He was holding a towel up to his face and it was covered in blood. He has this tired look and this clothes were little ragged. My dad stopped me and told me that it was one of the neighbors. I guess he was checking on his garden when zach came and started to break down his door. He was able to get away but during the struggle he cut his head on a glass door that had broken and had to shoot the zach. When he finished tell me I took another look at him and saw his eyes. It was strange, the first thing that came to mind was that I couldn't see his gun. Right after that I heard a shout, turned around and found the butt of a gun in my face.
I fell to the floor and laid there for a second, turned on my back and saw another two guys holding everyone at gunpoint. It was so odd though [ he straightens his posture and takes the cigarette in his hand. ] The whole thing was so quiet, no one made any sounds after the shout. They had tied us up with wire and put us in the living room. The neighbor was tied up with us, and one of the guys started going through the house. The other guy, the one that hit me, he stayed there and told us that they were only getting some food and ammo then they would leave. The neighbor started to mumble about how he was a liar. The man told him to shut his fucking mouth.
[ He once again places the cigarette in his mouth and starts fumbling with the lighter. ]
The other guy came back with pillowcases full of stuff and said they were good. The guy that hit me, went over to my mom and aunt and started to pick them up. My dad started to shout to leave them alone, and the man hit him on the side of the head with his gun. I remember my dad kind of just fell on the ground and whimpered. The man looked and my dad. Just stared at him on the ground then bent over and said that they took everything from the neighbor, they took all of our stuff, next they were going to go down the road and take the next person's stuff. If he didn't want to see the woman hurt he would stay there on the ground and bleed to himself. I didn't even see my uncle stand up, but the guys partner did. I just remember the sound of a 12 gauge go off and the ringing in my ears. My uncle fell to the ground and the neighbor right next to him slumped over too. The main guy started shouting something at his partner but all i could hear was muffled from the blast. It looked like they were arguing and then the main guy looked at me and started saying something. He ran towards me and kicked me in the head. I hit the wall and blacked out.
[ He brings the lighter up to the cigarette and finally lights it. ]
I had quit smoking for years before then. I was so proud of myself when i did it. My first thought was how rare of a person i was. No one gets away from smoking, i meant no one.
[ He takes a drag of the cigarette, holds it in, and lefts out a sigh of smoke. He stays quiet for a moment and takes another drag, holds it in, and tilts his head up to the sky and blows it out. ]
When i woke up, everyone was gone. I looked around the living room and saw my uncle and the neighbor. They were in the same position and it as there was a lot of blood on the floor. I threw my head over to where my dad was and saw they same thing. I looked behind me and didn't see anyone. My mom and aunt were gone and the pillowcases of all of our stuff was gone. Same with the men. I started fumbling my way to my dad. He was breathing but just barely. I laid on my side and pull my arms around my legs to bring my hands in front of me. I pulled myself up and ran into the kitchen. I cut the wire with some scissors and grabs a towel. I ran back to the living room and when to pick up my dad, but he wasn't breathing anymore. [ He lets out another puff of smoke. ] I just sat there. I didn't know what to feel or do. I was just numb. Eventually I looked for one of the guns we had, but couldn't find anything. I went into the garage and got out an old baseball bat and started walking to the next house. It was maybe a hundred yards down the road. When i got there, it was the same thing. Neighbors were in the living room tied up and shot. This time i saw my mom and aunt. I took a blanket from one of the rooms and laid it over them. I looked around and saw the guy's partner. The one that had shot my uncle. He was halfway out of the back door. His head was just eviscerated. I guys the main guy had enough and took him out. Who knows.
When I was leaving i found a pack of cigarettes on the counter. Without thinking i took one out and just lit it up. All i can remember is how unsatisfying it was. The taste, the smoke, everything was just so lackluster. I stayed there for awhile then went home.
[ He pauses for a moment, then turns to me and motions with his hands. ]
I went back of course. I spent the next few days, scavenging what little food i could find and burying my family. It was pretty rough. Eventually i ran out of food, and started walking. I didn't have any destination in mind i just kept going. I was pretty lucky though. I ran into a small convoy of soldiers. They took me in and gave me food. I stayed with them. Made a new family.
We tried looking for the guy at first but, i was never able to find anything. It sucks, but what can you do. I just try to keep pushing forward. I did some good things, helped people, Killed Zach, and just kept pushing forward. We made it to the coast and celebrated, but it just felt so empty. I've seen and done some pretty amazing things throughout that war, but it all felt in vain. I came back home and just fell into a routine. I guess i can't push forward anymore. That's just the way it goes.
[ We started to talk about other subjects. Pre-war cars, movies, and food. Raymond shook my hand and told me of a few places that were good to eat at. I walked back to my rental car and watched as Raymond eventually sat back down on the bench, and lit another cigarette. Eventually he faded from my rear view. After trying to reach him for a farewell a few days later, I was informed that he had just up and vanished. He hadn't shown up to work the next day after our interview. A few months later I received a call from Raymond. He had stated that after the interview he went home and felt a change. He decided that he wanted to go somewhere new, and start a new life. He thanked me for being able to give him a push.