World War J

My name is James Luke Watson.

Born in Oxford on 3rd March 2029. Son of the late Jimmy and Joanne Watson. I have one brother, Joseph. I am unaware of his exact location and status, but I am certain he is safe. If I could make it this far without them setting upon me then, without doubt, he would have made it as well. Probably faster too.

The date is 19th May 2055. It is 3:43am and I am holed up in my secure spot, about 2 miles outside of my final check point in the ruins of fallen London. I will head there at dawn. Along with Joseph and 5 other volunteers, freedom fighters, I am targeting the Mother Cube. Return from this mission is not a requirement.

I have never been inside a museum before, but I have seen one once when moving. Enveloped by the translucents like everything else, yet still visible through the hot pink stain. Some of the others told me stories about what was inside. About everything that was collected over thousands of years. All the items. All the tools. All the things that man built! All saved and looked after and cared for, to be put on display for everyone to come and see. An entire building dedicated to the achievements of our race!...I have accepted that I will never witness this…you have to. The meaning of our lives is too important now. Our purpose is to fight for the humanity that they are trying to destroy. To make sure it survives… Not to experience it.

…But I can still hope the contents of this capsule end up in there one day. I hope all of it ends up in a museum. In some well-polished glass case… amongst so much other stuff it never even gets looked at! I just want it to sit there with the rest! Another reminder of man’s ability to not give up, to succeed and to keep going for thousands of years more!

Inside I have put my medal for this mission, a locket I found once; there is a picture of a couple inside. They look happy. My side spoon…my god damn empty hot water gun! And some pictures we managed to take over the years on a salvaged Polaroid.

…But then, God forbid, what if we don’t succeed? What if we fail and those multi coloured blobs win? Would that be it for us? Or is there even the smallest chance our species can find a way back?...If there is, then they need to be warned of the danger.

This is why he said we need to write, Commander Johnson…Jack.

Jack said that it is important their onslaught and our uprising are remembered. That the people involved are remembered. He said our story, whatever the ending, will be as important in the future as our actions are now…and Jack was right…as Jack always is. Jack has a way of saying things that makes this world simpler to understand. He makes sense when absolutely nothing else does. I guess that’s how he pulled it off. How he managed to find a way to pick up what was left of us. Put us on our feet and make us hit back! He saw through the haze of reds and pinks and yellows and greens! And he saw our world again! He saw our world and he isn’t letting them have it any more!...at least, not without one hell of a fight!

It all began before I was even born. They say at first they just kept showing up, but no one ever really paid much attention. They say, ‘People were just getting that feeling, you know? When you just keep noticing something?’ Apparently no one thought it was worth mentioning… Not until it was too late anyway....

By 29th June 2021 little cubes of Jelly outnumbered humans 218 to one.

By 11th December 2021 Jelly became capable of intelligent thought.

By 12th December 2021 Jelly was able to communicate. They became organised. Sticky Winter set in.

London was devastated by the first hit, as was anywhere else that was close enough to a natural water supply. The bastards just came in straight up the Thames on little boats made out of orange wedges. Being around water made it easier for them to multiply. Not just their numbers, but their mass too! And we just didn’t have the spoons then. We weren’t ready!

How could we have been? The whole thing was global in days. Europe, Asia, Russia, South America. The last image ever broadcast was from the emergency fallout studios the Yanks had built in Alaska during the cold war. Jack found a copy and showed it to me once. It was of one man’s last stand after they had slipped through the cracks in the strong hold. Not a soldier. Not trained like us. Just a man… a journalist we think.

Everyone else around him had already been set upon. But he…he didn’t stop fighting. I saw that man devour 3 trifles, 11 fruit cups and 8 Jelly shots with a basic tea spoon right before a stitch set in and he had to sit down! A tea spoon!...And even when that became too sticky to handle he picked up his gun and started to fire. Again and again and again…but he didn’t know bullets wouldn’t stop Jelly. And they…they got him, just like they did the others…This was 33 years ago. It is said communications went dead after that.

Those who had enough sense to run were driven inland. Small pockets of survivors doing what they could to survive, nothing more. It was among one of these pockets that I was born and raised. Moving when we thought it was safe to. Scavenging for food and supplies with my brother. It’s how I grew up knowing the world that I will now give my life to defend. We have Jack to thank for that. For showing us what humanity was…What it is…

One night, years ago, Jack somehow managed to set up a beacon. He sent out a radio wave to let any other small pockets around England and around the world know of his plans for resistance. Fortunately Joseph and I were only about 20 miles out when we got the message. Although only a few others made it to the base camp Jack set up, those who did were strong. Women. Men. Hell the children are some of our best fighters! Give one of those little psychos a spoon and they…they get that crazy look their eye, you know?

Jack organised us again. Gave us a plan. Taught us that when something has you this close to the brink, when something has you bent this far over the ropes, you have no choice but to be ready. We have pulled what little we have left and we have adapted. We have learnt how to take these damn translucents down. And we are ready now! Ready to defend what’s ours!

It is almost dawn after nearly 34 years of their world. It is 9 years after I first met Jack. And now we have a chance to take our world back once and for all. I am in position to carry out my part in operation ‘Big Kettle’. At sunrise I and the others will head through ruined London to our destination points running along the river Thames. We have to hide away at night, which is why we set up these 1 man secure bunkers where we could. The cold night air makes them blobs slower but tougher. Even with the hot water pistols Jack showed us how to build, the water cools too quickly at night to have any real effect. During the day they are much faster, but once you get them directly into the sun they soon slow down. Enough for us to get a solid dig in with a spoon anyway!

When in position along the Thames we will set up our explosives. If we can get all to detonate simultaneously, then the amount of steam created should be enough to engulf the Mother Cube herself…I know you made it Joseph! Let’s see the Wobblies come back from this!

If we are successful, our hopes then fall on operation ‘Massive Napkin’ to come in and wipe up the mess. Once this island is secure we can send out word around the world to any other strong holds and finally finish this thing.

…If we fail…then we will continue to fight until we no longer can.

Let the contents of this capsule be a memory of our victory or a warning of our demise. To anyone left, to any humanity that has a new beginning, eat the damn Jelly when you have a chance. Don’t let it get too late!

My name is James Luke Watson. Born in Oxford on 3rd March 2029. Freedom fighter in the World War J resistance. The date is 19th May 2055. It is 5:49am and I am signing off to head out toward the Mother Cube.

J.L Watson