GOJIRA

AFTERMATH

IV

"Honda...Jack?"

A nasal voice woke me up from near catatonia.

"There you are...well, is that information correct sir? Are you in fact Jack Honda?"

Through my daze I stared at a woman wearing a white uniform with a red cross on her chest. ...A Med.

"Well?" the Med said impatiently.

"Yes...that's right."

"According to our files you have no Government or State affiliation of any kind aside from your citizenship"

"Uh...Listen...Where am-"

"Excuse me sir! Do not interrupt me! I must inform you that your current status puts you at risk of a possible Prop #883 violation regarding....Oh shit."

Suddenly she stopped her rambling as an alarm began wailing. I looked around, for the first time taking in my current surroundings; it was some sort of City-operated Medical holding cell. Around me were confused and angry men and women, and frightened and sick children. Some had bad wounds. The Meds didn't seem to be treating anyone. Instead they were fumbling around with radiation detectors and interrogating people about their identities.

The female Med ran off with some others as a screen above us flickered on.

There was a collective gasp in the room.

On the screen...It stood. Through a haze of smoke and fire It loomed over what seemed to be the burnt remains of tanks. Apparently It had gotten through what turned out to be the first defense barrier.

A blonde woman's head popped on the side of the screen. Her once picture-perfect makeup smeared with sweat, her lipstick covered lips trembling as she spoke.

"...And yes...According...I'm...I'm sorry...According to sources...The...monster..." Her face instantly warped into a grotesque smile, as if reacting to the absurdity of what she was saying.

"The monster is...Godzilla."

"I knew it!" A hoarse voice yelled from somewhere in the room. A man who looked like a bum came limping out from behind the others, and stood triumphantly in front of the screen.

"I told 'em! I told 'em he'd come back! Hahah! It's Godziller alright!"

"Move it!" A few of the others pushed him aside.

The twitching head on the screen went on.

"State Medics are tirelessly working around the clock to treat the wounded..."

"AAAHH!!! Get off of me!!!"

A skinny woman was suddenly thrown on the floor by two large male Meds.

"What...What are you..."

"Shaddup." One of the Meds said. He took out a syringe and injected it into the skinny woman's arm while the other one held her down. Everyone just stared wide-eyed, backing off as far as they could in the small room.

"Hey!" I said, stupidly.

Before I knew it one of the Meds had grabbed me by my throat.

"Listen pussy. Bitch is INFECTED. Got it? That means we gotta take her into quarantine...You still wanna cause trouble?"

I shook my head "no" like an obedient child.

"Good." He dropped me to the floor as I choked out some blood.

"Infected?" I said.

"That means she's got radiation poisinin'...or somethin'." A small man said as he helped me up off of the ground.

"Thanks...thanks alot."

"Ah...Don' mention it. Those Meds 're just a bunch a cocksuckers..."

"Yeah...I noticed."

"Still...You gotta be careful..." He looked over towards the screen. The monstrous reptile waded through the smoldering rubble It made of most of downtown.

"Even they're just afraid...This thing...this thing is somethin' else..."

"Gojira..."

"What? Ya mean Godzilla...right?"

"That's a romanization..." He stared blankly at me. "That's the English version of the name. The Japanese call It Gojira."

"You a Jap?"

"...Half."

"You know anything about this thing...like what it wants?"

I laughed.

"No...I have no idea..."

"This is God's punishment." A voice said on the monitor. "This is what we have brought upon ourselves...by letting this country fall into the hands of Jews and blacks...By letting gays do what they please...The moral fabric of our society was destroyed long before this beast of judgement came before us."

"Allah is punishing the infidels. This is what your society has brought upon itself. Suffer. It is Allah's will. Suffer and keep on suffering." Another voice stated triumphantly.

Gojira's face filled the monitor. It's Nuclear-red eyes glinting, I felt I understood. It had no allegiance, It wasn't on anyone's side.

We were all equally worthless to It.

And at that moment, I couldn't help but agree.