America the Formerly Beautiful

DOOMSDAY DIARY Daniel Swinford

We have been told that history repeats itself. This has never been truer than our current situation. We mimic the fall of the great Roman empire, only this time, we have done it to ourselves.

Society is gone. At least, the society that was economic, free, and robust. The mighty structures that were created by great men and women from past generations are now reduced to piles of rubble, destroyed by the alteration of human beings. Electronic communication in any form is non-existent in today’s reality. Few automobiles remain, and most of these are secured by Re-Gen, the new ruler of all that is seen. Society that was created by man has indeed been destroyed by man.

Only a small percentage of inhabitants have remained strong enough to survive without the vaccination brought forth by the great global pandemic, and the majority of these remain underground in their shelters. Those that received the vaccination were injected with an RNA altering serum, the result of an accidental mixture of components that changes the genetic identity of a human. These changes brough about an entire population of killing zombies that lack the ability to form rational thoughts. There are now very few of them remaining, and the strongest, most malicious of them have been secured by Re-Gen to patrol the country. I am fortunate enough to be one of the survivors.

What used to be simple daily tasks such as finding something to eat, are now daunting chores that may take hours to complete, or even fail at the attempt. Travel is mostly by cover of darkness, so as not to be discovered by the Re-Gen zombie patrol.

Each opportunity I have to sleep, I have this recurring dream of a red, shiny, heart-shaped locket suspended in the air, rotating like a precious gem, shimmering in the sunlight. The dream makes absolutely no sense to me, as jewels and most shiny things have no worth in today’s society. I am also compelled to continue my journey north, with my destination set on New York City, for reasons I cannot explain. I feel drawn to this city and must continue. As I draw nearer to the ruins of the great New York City, I hear a buzzing in the air that becomes progressively louder with each mile. I cannot explain the source, nor the reason. What I do know is that this is the place I need to be; I can feel it. As daylight approaches, I hunker down for rest in preparation for the next segment of the journey – the destination.

Once again, I experience the recurring vision of the floating, shimmering, twirling red locket. It seems to have gained brightness with each recurring dream. The buzz is noticeably louder, and I can feel the anticipation building within me to continue my journey.

But, alas, I continue to rest, half awake, and half focused on the locket. Re-Gen is all around me, searching for inattentive souls to devour. I cannot fail at this quest, but still, I remain unaware of what I am actually trying to do. What I must do is to keep moving, forging ahead earlier in the daylight, testing Re-Gen with every move I make. It is now mid-afternoon, and I find myself unable to remain stationary. I have the advantage over Re-Gen, anyway. They are loud and clumsy, while I remain nimble and easily hidden. I can do this!

As I break into the lower South side of Manhattan, I can see a glow coming from my right-side peripheral view. The oddity is that the glow is high in the air, but far in the distance. The buzzing is considerably louder now, also. As I take cover to consider the origin, a Re-Gen zombie passes by. That was a close call! It seems Re-Gen are more numerous here, as if they are actually protecting something. I have noticed they tend to stay away from bodies of water, as if they fear them for some reason. Carefully, I navigate toward the glow. I have never been to New York City before today and realize how tremendous this place must have been. The streets are now barren, bordered by fantastic structures that once sustained and nurtured life, prosperity, and wealth. Gone are the streetcars, subways, taxis, and the sirens. But most of all is the people. There are no people anywhere. Another day goes by, and as I lie resting, the reality finally strikes me, as if by full swing from a Louisville Slugger: the glow is emanating from, of all places, the Statue of Liberty! I am being drawn to Our Lady Liberty for some reason. It takes two more days to reach the amazing structure, formerly guarded by Park Service Rangers but now standing solo. As I monitor the entrance for activity, I see Re-Gen constantly circulating the premises. This is going to be a tough one, but necessary for my quest. Under the cover of darkness, I finally reach the entrance unscathed. As I begin the ascent to the Crown, the buzzing becomes wave-like, almost forcing me into a hypnotic state. I keep my hands over my ears and begin walking up the narrow stairwell. Woo, Woo, Woo, Woo the sound continues, in a trance-like rhythm. I can not recall the number of rest breaks I had to take on the three hundred fifty-four step journey, but I then realized I was no longer a youngster, or in peak physical condition. The stairwell was narrow, steep, and more frigid as the climb continued. I reached the crown to find the exact locket I had seen in my dream-like state. It was the perfect shimmer of red, sparkling, and glowing as it remained suspended in midair, held by something unknown to me. As I shimmy out to the locket, I looked down to see the incredible twenty story space that separated me from the planet. I almost lost consciousness, but regained my focus on the locket, unwilling to fail at the quest now. Upon first touch, the sound vibrations went through my arm and into my torso, creating a numbness and tingling feeling similar to paralysis. As I held it longer, however, I could feel my strength building inside my, and a confidence I never experienced before. I tightly grip the locket, and with careless abandon continue to ascend the arm of the statue until I reach the torch. I insert the locket into the torch, and the entire statue begins to vibrate! The Statue of Liberty actually came to life that day, shining her torch on the barren wasteland surrounding her. Re-Gen was eliminated instantly, and the earth became alive with a shimmer! Life was restored, and mankind was saved!

Daniel Swinford