The Journal Entries of S. Raake

May 25, 4098

Diary, 

It’s been one year since the apocalypse. Of course, if you’re reading this in the future, it’s been even longer. Long enough that you may not even know the true story. If, at any point, you were a student, you may have heard a version. But it’s not the right version. If you keep reading, I’ll tell you what really happened on May 25, 4097 at precisely 8:53 A.M.

But first, we must recount the day’s action before that time, the time of the humans’ attack.

You read it right- the humans’ attack. Not the zombies. What were the zombies doing, at that time, then, you ask? What was I doing? I was slacking off my job, which was probably the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. But before that mistake, my day was going quite well.

My alarm rang at precisely 7:30. I got up and brushed what hair I had left (and still have, thankfully). I walked to the kitchen and got myself a nice breakfast of fresh brain. Zaara had already left for the day (Zaara, if you aren’t aware, was my roommate). She was on a different schedule, which worked out fine every day. Little did we know, it wouldn’t work out that day. 

After breakfast, I brushed my teeth. They never look any different after brushing, but it feels nice to be clean.

I got dressed. My clothes, at one point, had variety, but by that point they were all just the same dingy gray. 

Time to go to work.

I had just finished school about a year and a half prior. My job was no fun. 

I worked in what was commonly called the “Asked.” “Asked” was the slang term for the A.A.S.C.D (Air and Space Contact Department). I was a Monitor.

My job was simple. Watch the screens for any change in the data. If change, report to Command. If no change, keep watching. Every day, all day. There had never been any change in my sector of space. Zambion was a relatively uncontacted planet, as it repelled tourists. It wasn’t very pretty, and there was nothing to do. Also, it was inhabited by zombies. The only change that ever occurred was when a ship from Auterra accidentally flew in range, thinking Zambion was nearby tourist trap Carna.

As usual, around 8:30, I had zoned out. AAahmid, one of the other Monitors in my sector, was doodling on one of the “forbidden functions” on the monitor (e.g. what he’s using- Paint). Everyone was lazing round, just like usual. Nothing ever happened in “Asked” Sector Zeta.

Nothing ever happened- until just then.

The alarms went off right as Aahmid added the shading to the perfect figure on his screen. He jolted, and Aahmid Jr, as the picture was named, got a new dark spot on his face from where Aahmid’s hand slipped. 

“Whoah!” Aahmid had said. “What-”

Zeta Commander Kaara stormed in, soldiers behind her. Aahmid quickly switched back to Zeta’s Communication program. “Monitors! Were any of you watching besides Liina?”

We all swiveled to look at Liina. She pushed her broken glasses farther up on her nose.

Aahmid’s jaw dropped. “You actually pay attention?”

Liina sniffled nerdily. “Um, yeah. I work here because I want to do this job-”

“You actually want to do this job?” Aahmid exclaimed.

Commander Kaara shouted, “Monitor Aahmid! Pay attention to the matter at hand.” She waited for him to be silent before continuing. “We have an issue. A human ship, from Earth, has come into our range, spotted by Monitor Liina. Liina attempted to make contact with it, and its response was hostile. We are not sure what is coming, but-”

Liina squealed in the back of the room. “Commander Kaara! There are more ships!”

Kaara pushed the nearest Monitor out of the way to see the console. “Sweet Mother of Brains,” she whispered under her breath.

I remember this because it was the first time I’ve ever seen Commander Kaara so worked up about a ship coming into contact with Zambion. The first time, and the last time.

The Commander swivelled around to her soldiers. “One of you go alert the Military Commander that hostile human ships are set to arrive on Zambion in-” she checked the screen “-approximately twenty-five minutes.” 

One of the soldiers left.

Commander Kaara turned to us, capturing the attention of the whole room. “Our military will not be ready in time. Most of our soldiers haven’t had much training, as there have been no hostile threats since the beginning of our civilization here on Zambion. The only ones ready for an attack, ready meaning here in the Space Center, are the high-ranking guards. So, if the Military Commander requires it, you will be required to fight. Stay here in the Space Center. It’s built for protection. And Monitor Liina!”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Contact the human ship again. Let me know when the link is open.”

Silence passes. Commander Kaara surveys the room menacingly. Time ticks by. It is 8:45.

“The link’s open, ma’am.”

Commander Kaara hurries to Liina’s desk in the back. She clears her throat. “Hello, humans. We pose no threat to you. Why do you attack us?”

A garbled voice comes back. “We attack because we want to destroy the creations we made. You are an abomination to this world, and only cause trouble.”

“But we have done nothing to you. We have lived here on Zambion since the creation of the first Zombie.”

“Exactly. Surely you are training an army to take over the whole Galaxy.”

Commander Kaara shakes her head, presumably at the humans’ stupidity. I agree with her. Humans may be superior to zombies, in that they move faster and eat better, but we’re smarter. More common sense. I wonder what it’s like on Earth.

Commander Kaara’s contact with the humans ends quickly. They are attacking from space first, attempting to decimate the population before coming in for any survivors. 8:52.

As the minute changes to 53, the windows rattle in the Space Center. Commander Kaara jumps up. “Monitors, thank you for your service. Next time I see you, one of us will be dead or you will all be soldiers. Pray it’s the latter.” She rushes from the room.

We all stand up, panicking. Aahmid, always the comic relief, yells something about how Aahmid Jr will be destroyed.

Time passes. 9:05. The windows rattle, loud noises and shouts echo throughout Zambion. Footsteps. Thumps. Bangs.

Commander Kaara told us to stay here, so we do. We stay, waiting for orders that never come.

The entire population of Zambion except the ten of us in Zeta’s Communication section is decimated by the humans.

We are all that is left.

Liina, Aahmid, Me. . .our families are gone. Our friends, everything outside this room. Gone. Forever.

But we don’t know this, sitting there in the Space Center. There is one window, but it doesn’t face the city. We don’t know what’s happening.

We don’t know our families are being ripped from us.

We don’t know our lives are being torn apart.

Sorry, Diary. I can’t go on. I can’t tell the rest of the story. You’ll have to ask Aahmid. Or Liina. But who knows, they might not be strong enough, either.

May 28, 4098

Diary,

My therapist read my journal, and told me I switched tenses in the middle of the story. Of course I did; it felt real. I can’t think of it in the past tense, because it’s always playing through my head.

May 31, 4098

Diary,

My therapist says I should go out more. I can’t. I can’t look at the beautiful cities of Auterra without thinking of the wreckage of my house. I can’t be asked about the famed attack whenever I go out. My green skin and ragged clothes, balding head single me out. So I can’t go out more. I’m sorry.

June 1, 4098

Diary, 

Today was the day of the funeral the ten of us held for the entire population of the world. 

When it’s on paper, it sounds insignificant. Ten of us standing for everyone?

Not all of us 10 survived the journey to our current home, Auterra.

How, how did I do it? How did Aahmid and Liina? How could we leave Zambion. I should have stayed.

The Auterrans came to Zambion, caring as always. They found us after the attack, huddled in the Space Center. They searched for any more survivors while we had our funeral. Then they took us away, to be safe on their planet.

June 2, 4098

Diary,

Here on Auterra, I’ve heard the schools teach the children about the attack to Zambion. But as the days go on, I hear rumors getting crazier. The Zombies were training a huge army to take over the galaxy. The Zombies took Master Kiradu of the Earthen Union hostage. The Zombies this, the Zombies that.

June 12, 4098

Diary,

Sorry I didn’t write for a while. I got sick. Food poisoning. On Auterra, they never expected to have to feed Zombies.

June 13, 4098

Diary,

You’re full. I’m going to have to go buy a new diary. Maybe my therapist can have you.

No, I’ll keep you.

You’re all I have left of my home.

- S. Raake