B. Graves: Zombie Slayer

Entry 1:

They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. I wonder if that’s true for the half living or what some might describe as the undead. Did their lives play out like a movie before their eyes as the turned? Or are they constantly watching the mistakes they made on repeat as they wander the wasteland? Well, there’s only one way to find out.

Time for an adventure! Is what I would say if I were still the blissful little girl that took for granted everything that has now long been gone. Now, I’m just gum on the shoe of life trying to hang on.

For anyone that may someday read this, my name is… well, not important anymore, so you can call me B. Last name Graves, ironically enough. Since that is all the world has become. If you haven’t noticed, the world that we once knew is gone. Devastated by the Zero Hour, that point when utter insanity overwhelmed the minds and egos of the world’s powerful leaders. Sparking the nuclear end of my young adult life and well, just about everything else.

If not for my ever-forgetful dad, sending me to retrieve something for him from his old lab under what became Mom’s house. I probably wouldn’t be here. Which at this point I’m not sure if that was a blessing or a curse? I was 22 when the lab locked me in automatically. The sensors must have still been active and picked up the oncoming fallout. I was in there for longer than the series run of Dr. Who, or so it felt like.

Who knew a fallout would linger longer than an ex-boyfriend? Once it finally dissipated, the labs lock system started to lighten up. Though it still wouldn’t let me leave without this stupid mask. That has me looking like some kind of Mortal Kombat knock-off. Seeing how I took after my mom, science really wasn’t my thing so I couldn’t even begin to explain how it works. All I know is that I can’t leave home without it.

It is a crucial piece of equipment in my post fallout survival kit, along with a pair of kick-ass survival tools. There’s my big knife which I call “John” after Mr. Bad-Ass himself John Rambo cause his legend never dies. Then I have an E-Tool which is a little multi-tool shovel thing and my necklace which serves no purpose but to remind me of what I’ve lost.

I still remember the day my mom gave me the necklace. A beautiful golden necklace with a heart-shaped locket. It was so shiny and new back then, with a sunflower layered over the heart. Mom always called me her sunflower. A token I adored despite never quite being able to open the locket.

Anyway, that’s all in the past. I can’t afford to be caught dreaming of what was while out here. You see, contrary to popular belief. Cockroaches aren’t the only things that survive nuclear holocaust. And I use the word survive loosely. I don’t know another way to explain it but, there are these things that still walk the wasteland. A twisted combination of Virginia Creeper vines and Zombies that I named the “Creepies”. If reading this, you have probably already met them.

Entry 2:

This may be the first time; I ever came back to the lab feeling something more than exhaustion and despair. It’s been weeks since my first entry which if I’m being honest, felt like it would be my last. But fate had other plans, as I happened across what I could only describe as a God send.

When I left today, I had already decided I wasn’t gonna make it back. I guess you can say this Sunflower has seen too many dark and cloudy days. With that in mind I was prepared to go farther than I had before. Deeper into the wasteland, beyond what was previously known to be my daily limit. As fate would have it, I found something amazing! Under the rumble and wreckage of what once was someone’s lovely home. A true beast laid in slumber. A metal monster with barely a scratch. It was a 1986 Monte Carlo SS. The most beautiful sight I had seen in years.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but you see I was out of food. I had already looted ever desolate place I could reach within my limit and still return never being promised a haul that is worth the energy spent finding it. I was never willing to risk going farther into the abyss.

That was until today.

I guess this world isn’t done with me yet. Cause sure enough that chariot of destiny was in perfect condition. It ran with a rumble in it’s belly like a ferocious bear rising out of hibernation. With more supplies than I could ever dream to carry on my own. I returned home to tell God only knows who. Whoever you are, stumbling through my American educated writing. Regardless my petals have once again felt the gentle rays of hope.

Entry 3:

I have been reading a lot lately and with my Monte Carlo that I have dubbed my “SunShine” in place of SS, supply runs take far less time and effort. I have explored the surrounding areas that it can take me too.

I am living quite well these days and currently reading about growing food. I was always a healthy eater and considered being a vegetarian at one point.

One of my recent hauls led me to be in the possession of what could be a game changer. Gardening tools, books, and a large assortment of seeds that could become something great one day. Too bad I know squat about how to do anything like this. Lucky for me though, I am an avid reader. With a few dedicated brain cells, I’m sure I will figure things out. Though at times like these I do miss the luxury of google.

Entry 4:

I am at the end of my whit with the stupid garden. I have tried everything, but nothing will grow. It has been over a month, and I don’t know what to do. I guess I can’t say I am surprised. The planet was ruined by nukes. There must be a solution though. Some way to grow food again. If only dad were here. He would know what to do.

That’s it, I need to find dad’s other lab. I am sure he has something there useful. He was always working with different plants in that dark lab so he must have a way of growing them. He sure never had your typical Stepford wife’s garden. This may be my last chance, for real this time.

Entry 5:

Hello, again, my friends’? Anyway, it has taken me quite a while, but I have finally managed to clear a path to my dad’s place. Unfortunately, during this long back breaking process I have run out of gas and am down to only a few days’ worth of rations. I believe at this point I am only a few miles away. Completely manageable for a former athlete like myself.

Oh, that’s right, you don’t know much about me. Well, thanks to my parents I have been in gymnastics since I could walk along with various forms of dance. I had to really stack my resume for college. My dad was convinced I would be a genius nerd like him. So was my mom so she put me in martial arts as well so I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else to defend my honor. She was a strong woman like that. In fact, her defending dad was how they met. Kind of a funny story really. But best saved for another time. I’d rather not get myself worked up over the past. Years of love I’ll never know again, and effort I will never get back. At least my acrobatic and martial art skills have paid off in the apocalypse. Not that it is completely necessary to avoid the Creepies since they are quite slow as their name suggest. I must say, it definitely comes in handy when they can’t be avoided though.

Tomorrow I will have to face many of the Creepies, of this I am certain. But for tonight, I will rest one last time in this lovely miracle on wheels. I should be relatively safe in here since I made some extra modifications. I guess that ex-boyfriend was good for something. I can still handle a blow torch like he showed me. So tonight, this is my mini fortress and last check point before I embark into the unknown.

Entry 6:

This may be my last entry for a while. For a log that started as a last good-bye and somehow became an unknown friend of the future, I don’t think I will need it anymore. Ok let me explain. If you recall from my previous entries, I was on what may have well been my final mission to find my dad’s lab. Well, I found it and much more.

Buckle up for this little story.

It started the morning after my last entry, which was a couple days ago. Anyway, the day started as expected. Incredibly early. I didn’t get much sleep cause the Creepies spent the better part of the night attempting to invade my mini fortress to no avail. I kicked open the cumbersome door of SunShine-my Monte Carlo with the berserking force of a certain famous Tasmanian devil himself. I felt like a teenager on a shopping spree as I hacked down the surrounding Creepies one after the other. It had to have been five or six down before I was able to catch my breath enough to calm down. Which I desperately needed to do if I wanted to make it the next few miles to my destination.

After I got myself together again and put some distance between the Creepies and myself. I checked my equipment one last time before heading off. Poor John-my large knife was looking worse for the wear after that last scrap. I must have accidently hit Sunshine with it because there was now a chip in John’s blade edge. But what’s a girl to do in the apocalypse, these things just happen. No use crying about it, so I finished sorting things out and moved on. Now there were many more Creepies along the way which made for many great scraps but that’s everyday stuff at this point. The real exciting part is when I finally made it to my dad’s place.

Exhausted like many times before, I stumbled to what I hoped was safety. But remained aware that it could easily be my end. I made it to the lab which was still intact. Not surprising since dad loved the whole bunker style set up. As I began to punch in the key code 070893, mom’s birthday. I stopped and gripped my locket, and I was overwhelmed with sadness at the thought of mom being gone. Something I have spent so much energy avoiding. As I stood there staring through the tears at the keypad. I was startled, as the door began to open without me finishing the code.

As it was opening, I went weak in the knees and crumbled under my weight as I laid eyes on a young man that wasn’t my father. He caught me and said my name as I faded into unconsciousness. It was some odd hours later when I awoke to the sound of a familiar voice saying, “Brian, I can’t believe it’s really her. My little girl is alive and with her comes hope for mankind.” I reached for my locket as I sat up. Only to find it wasn’t there. As my vision cleared, I saw my dad holding it in his out reached hand. Opened with sunflower seeds.