I might be the last person alive on the planet, for all I know, because to even try to make sense of how I survived, just me by myself--most of the time... I don't know how anyone could have done this. Whether it's been luck or just a strong will, I can't even tell you. And... now that I think about it, I don't even know if you are still there. This hasn't stopped. This hasn't improved. About two weeks ago some big hardcore helicopters flew over downtown and rained bullets into the masses of crowded zombies roaming the streets. They looked like ants down there from my window, just a million ants fumbling over each other and cars and curbs, sometimes pushing against each other so hard one of them busts through a storefront window--then that building fills up and the roads are still packed. They flow mindlessly. Soon enough they'll break into my building, too. If my building had windows on the first floor, they'd have gotten through already. But just two sets of solid oak--and seriously boarded-up--doors protect me from them, now.
I should explain where I've been.
I should have left the apartment after the front gate was busted in. It was stupid of me to think that my situation was somehow going to stay consistent--that living in the comfort of Nicole's apartment would protect me until the invasion was over. Wishful thinking. I had the food and I had the barricade, but the outside world wasn't as lucky. They were all dying--everyone was dying everywhere, all the time, and all those dead people were coming back as zombies. And Santa Rosa might not seem like a busy place when everyone's at work or at home, when society works like a clock and everyone's somewhere. But you get all those people outside at the same time and render them brainless and hungry, and that's a different story. Having underestimated the rising tide of zombies, I thought my barricade would hold. I thought the door with the chair tucked under the knob, that the boarded-up window, and that my escape route were impenetrable. And one night I found out otherwise.
Enough time went by, a lot of people started to get desperate. People started leaving their hiding places and finding cars and making a run for it. I didn't know where they thought they were going. Obviously it would be anyone's last idea to leave their hiding spot, especially if it's gotten them this far. Who knew what life was like out there? Who knew if it was even possible to survive once your first safezone was comprimised? Maybe it was a black and white issue. Either you got infected in the first wave or you didn't, but either way there was no escape.
Look around. Look at what's happened to the world. It's not getting better.
Like I said, it's remarkable that I'm still alive. I think some part of me was prepared for a situation like this. Maybe I've just been able to stay calm about it. I like to think I've kept a cool head throughout, considering the loss and tragedy of it all. Am I the last person alive in Santa Rosa? Will someone else come knocking at my office door like Nicole did, back at the apartment? Could there be some bank employee wandering the halls looking for his friends?
How I got to the Bank of America building was by taking the black pick-up truck someone didn't get very far with before being pulled out and torn in half. The keys were still in the ignition when I hopped down to it from the apartment roof and climbed behind the wheel. This truck was big and bulky, so it mowed zombies over with a kinda pleasurable ease, like in a videogame. I drove pretty slow, considering the threat level, but I wanted to stay in control while the tires spun and crunched over bodies. The problem with driving, though, was that many, many people had tried their luck on the roads before me, and many of those vehicles were thrown all over the place like some kid tossing around toys. A lot of the cars were burnt to black charred frames. A lot of their passengers were so dead they were too dead to be zombies. The freeway was impassable. I couldn't even get onto the onramp. So I tried to pass through downtown and take side roads, but there were zombies everywhere. I had no choice but to drive faster when the crowd thickened, and that's what led to me plowing into another car that I didn't see through the fog of wandering corpses.
Bam, crash... Then I met Tony.
I should admit that the last person I saw alive was Tony, the guard, who helped me get out of the truck after it crashed. He carried me most of the way and shot zombies away with his shotgun, but couldn't reload it without dropping me--and one of the fuckers grabbed his arm and bit off his fucking fingers. Tony didn't make it up the stairs and he was screaming when they ripped him apart, but right before they yanked him away he ripped the keycard off his belt and gave it to me. So I got inside. The building was fortified. Again, I felt very fortunate. Because at this point I realized that supplies didn't mean shit if you weren't in a safe location. You'd think it was great to be in a grocery store until those front floor-to-ceiling windows buckled from zombie overload and they chase you to the rooftop. Plus, I brought some food in a backpack, some dry food, and that's lasted me a week.
The elevators don't work and the power is on "auxilary" mode--which I found out when I got into the secuirty offices two days ago--and I can't switch it back to normal. There are ten floors and rooftop access, which is fantastic. I want to find some way to write a "HELP" message up there with office supplies, like duct tape or colored sheets of paper, or maybe hang a banner from some of the top floor windows. Most of the day I watch the video feeds from the outdoor cameras in the security room, now. Before that I lied on my stomach on the edge of the roof and looked down at the zombie hoarde for hours. There were a couple escape attempts where I'd hear a car engine in the distance and watch this visible mowing-down of zombies down the street and follow it until this blood-drenched car comes rampaging along. The engine's had enough, sometimes, and the car dies out and maybe spins and crashes, or maybe comes to a stop and the driver and passengers are eaten alive. Now I just watch the video feeds. It's getting colder outside.
All that to say, I'm still alive.
And it's anyone's guess what happens next.
