It's taken me forever to get this out. To my followers, I'm sorry. Hopefully this will make it better! I know this isn't in the game at all, but I wanted to give a little more to Ish than him going from the sea to the sewers-cos that is just lame. Well, enjoy!
Contrary to popular belief, life on the road, just, sucks.
Okay, so I'm not on the road. Not really. I've been passing through rivers and whatnot, mostly checking things out. I don't stay in one place very long, not that I would want to stay anywhere.
All I can say is, humanity has completely fallen apart. I saw someone get shot over a jar of pickles, yesterday. A jar of pickles. They weren't even dill pickles. Sweet pickles. Sweet fucking pickles, and, bam, some guy is dead. As for me, I'm pretty good at hiding in the shadows, so most people don't know I'm around.
I've also seen some more of those sick people. We don't have names for them yet-other than infected. I'm trying to remember what it's called. Cortisone, no. Caladryl, no.
Cordyceps, yes. That's it. Apparently, it's some parasite-fungus-spore demon, whatever. If you breathe it in, then you turn into one of them. I'm just wondering how someone could even think of breathing in that stuff. The government's got all these diagrams and pamphlets out. They're scattered all over the streets, like they're really going to do good there.
Now, I know, if someone comes running after me, screaming, looking like they want to eat me, then I run. Okay. Got that. It can be transmitted through bites, which is disgusting. I'm absolutely certain that if one of those people bit me, I'd kill myself. I'm not sure I could live with myself, knowing that someone thought of me as chow.
Chow-chow Ish. Not really my style.
I digress.
A few nights ago, I was sitting on the roof of the boat, just casually staring into the nothingness we call space. I hear screaming, like a woman in pain, so I point my flashlight all over, trying to see something. All of a sudden, this crazy bitch comes after me, so I shoot her in the head. It was a good shot, if I say so myself.
She was bleeding out of her eyes and ears, just like a horror movie. She smelled awful, too, like a cross between wet dog and rotting flesh. Different than the one I had encountered before. I guess there are stages to the infection. I'm pretty sure this woman had been bit less than a week before.
Now, I'm just freaked out about people in general, but, it hasn't been all bad. When I first got to Delaware, I met a couple who were, like me, traveling through water. They were overstocked, and gladly traded me food for batteries. I'm not sure why they wanted batteries, but, hey. Whatever works. I still have got some of their food, and that was three weeks ago.
I'm in Pennsylvania now. I'm not sure where exactly I'm headed. I'm just going with the flow. No pun intended.
Okay, pun definitely intended.
...
I can see it now. The majestic city of Pittsburgh. I've been traveling for the past two weeks. I'm not exactly sure how long things have been shitty here, but there's still a cloud of smog looming above it. I could see it a long ways off. I'm extremely hesitant to stop.
Big cities mean quarantine zone. If there's one thing I do not want to deal with, it's that. I've heard from the people I've met that they're awful. A lot of rules. They trade in freedom for a so-called presumed safety.
But, I have no food, so I have no choice. I haven't eaten in a few days.
I head for the city, and I'm met with guns.
"Hands up!" A uniform yells.
My hands do fly up, and I'm pretty scared. I just don't want to get shot. I've never had a gun shoved in my face. I look down to my crotch, just to make sure I haven't pissed myself, without knowing it. I haven't, and I thank God I have decent bladder control.
The uniforms go through my bag, and take my gun. Bastards. Not that I should have expected less, but...
"You bit?" One of them asks.
"What?"
He jabs me with the barrel of his gun. "Did one of those goddamn things bite you?"
"No, no!" I shout. "I'm fine, I just need something to eat!" I try not to sound like a pathetic loser, but, at this point, it's unavoidable.
They take me to an unmarked building. The sun is starting to set, and the long shadows make me feel as though I'm in the middle of a horror movie. The only problem is, I don't know how it's going to end. Will this be a slasher flick, or will it be more supernatural- with me getting eaten by freakish monsters?
The building, inside, has been set up similar to a prison. On second thought, this is a prison. I did notice the gates on our way in, but I had just assumed they put them up when everything went down.
There aren't any prisoners here, or, at least, the criminal kind. In each cell is one or two people, all looking miserable.
When I get to a cell all of my own, one of my escorts has me strip down to my underwear. Had I known I would be showing off, I would have worn something other than my Scooby-Doo boxers from college.
They inspect me for bites. Upon their approval, I put my clothes back on. They lock the cell behind them.
"Hey, wait!" I call. "Why am I here?"
"Incubation period. We can't take any chances."
I fume about it for an hour or so. Fucking assholes. How can they do this to me?! I'm miserable already. Prison.
Prison?! I never thought in a hundred years I'd be in prison! And for doing nothing at all.
A masked soldier comes by around seven, and hands me my bag. Everything, aside from the gun, is in it, and that makes me feel a tad better. He also slides a bowl of slop to me.
Mystery meat.
Yet, given my state, it looks damn good. I eat it, and gag. It's not meat. It's more like a jelly-lard substance, and it tastes about as good as it sounds. I can't stop myself from eating it, though. On second thought, with a little salt, I guess this wouldn't be half bad.
I write another note before I go to bed, and slip it under the mattress.
...
"I now have the upmost sympathy for dogs. I feel like an animal here. A fucking cage. I do have food, if that's what you could call it, but it still doesn't make the situation anymore bearable.
I came into the city to seek out some help. I haven't seen a quarantine zone before, but, if this is what it is, I want out. This is degrading, and I feel like I deserve better treatment.
I'm hoping to make it through the next few days, providing someone doesn't go all Shawshank on me.
Now, that's an awful thought. Suddenly, this situation feels a lot better.
Hey, if you're reading this, it means I've either died, or I'm free! You should look forward to either.
-Ish"
If you liked it, let me know! If you didn't, let me know. Honestly, if you think he was being too funny, just let me know. I sort of felt like Ish had sort of a dark humor about his whole situation, and I wanted this story to get darker as it progresses. I'm sure I'll update soon, so be watching out!
