2017

Six months ago, an unexplained plague ravaged through the world as we know it. People had thought that it was just another flu, an unexplained disease that had no lasting effect on people, and would be surely handled by the end of the year.

They were wrong, and that's what caught them off guard. Some were smart, stockpiling food and water to last them for a while, as well as stocking up on emergency gasoline in case they needed to make a run for it. They were the ones who survived what transpired, and the ones who will continue to strive until every last human being dies. The ones who didn't make it were the ones who didn't take precautions, the ones who did not take it seriously.

People in cities and suburbs sank into their couches, grabbed a bowl of chips and a warm can of soda, and turned on the television and watched the events that slowly destroyed what we know of society. They only have themselves to blame for their own demise. The Plague didn't happen overnight, rather than what media and movies make it out to be. The Plague happened over a span of months. The first month wasn't the hardest. This is when news of the virus first reached the nation.

A vessel in Mexico had sank, and was the talk of the year. It had reportedly cost approximately $100,000,000 in damages, and effected the sea and animal life in the area. People swam in those waters, carrying the Plague to other regions of South America and Mexico. A team of Virologists had been trapped on board. The rescue of the crew was televised around the world. Millions of people had tuned in to watch what could've been the rescue of the century.

The screams of the crew aboard the ship were as terrifying as what was in the cargo. By the time the rescue team had opened the door, the screams became faded, and eventually ceased.

The entire virologist team had died overnight. People had begun to question whether or not this was just starvation, dehydration, or insanity. Others had known the truth about what was on that vessel, an unexplained virus that had been found in Australia while researching a migration of birds in the area. The rescue team that had carried the corpses off the vessel had unknowingly been contaminated, further spreading the virus to other regions.

The second month was when the news started getting out. Parts of Mexico had been quarantined by NATO forces. No one was allowed inside or outside of the quarantined areas. People had begun to protest the government and their motives of the outbreak. The ones who are alive today now know that what the government did would have been what we all would have done.

The Mexican government soon fell apart, leaving civilization a crumbled mess. The chaos was broadcasted on television, and what people saw might have been in their mind for the rest of their lives. People killing people, people eating each other for food, one event that had been broadcasted involved a militia riding into town, shooting innocent civilians who had not done any harm. The militia had decimated most of the Spanish population near Mexico City. Men, women, children, 4 week old babies- it did not matter who you were, what mattered was if you were going to become one of them.

Of course, no one knew what "they" were back then. But the people eating each other, and the people killing each other gave a strong hint into the after effect that the Plague had. This was the month of curiosity. The third month was the month of gaining knowledge.

By now, The Plague was the most talked about thing in the world. Search results all over the internet, people talking about it on every street block. People started panicking.

"What if the same happened here like it did in Mexico?" People had asked.

The rich had taken precautions, buying plane tickets into Canada, Europe, Asia, anywhere that wasn't on the western hemisphere. The middle class and poor stayed behind, wondering what to do.

The United States Government reacted quickly, sending the national guard to protect their land from a new threat. President Hiesmen had sent thousands troops to every state in the U.S.A, hoping it would boost morale and give people a glimpse of hope. By then scientists had started conducting experiments on the infected. They had found out that decapitation or destruction of the brain were the only ways to kill an infected individual.

The experiments gained much controversy, including one of the biggest protests in history. People were claiming that the infected "Are still human!" and have "Hopes and dreams like the rest of us!". People started carrying infected refugees into America by smuggling them.

Nothing could be done, for there were already too many infected individuals inside the U.S. People had locked themselves away in their attics, got on their knees and prayed to their God, but the smart ones...the smart ones stood up above the rest.

They stockpiled. Bought weapons and training, preparing to wait out the inevitable. The fourth month was the month of panic. Churches became deathtraps, cities were war zones, suburbs became nothing but bleak and empty remnants of what was.

People had begun to collapse. The armed forces had set up numerous quarantine zones across the continent, but became quickly overrun with the infected. By then, the death toll had already reached hundreds of thousands. I had retreated to my private beach house near South Padre Island, hoping that I would be protected from the infection by the isolation.

Technically speaking, I was right. The plague had begun far up north, between Rhode Island and New York. It would take the infected months to reach South Texas, but I had still prepared for the worst. People nearest me had stocked up food and supplies sense the first knowledge of the Plague, and we participated in festivals, or "Hoedowns" to increase our sanity level. The idea was foolish, as they wasted their precious resources that they had taken so long to gain in just one night. People traded with one another, people's backyards became mini farm steads, and some parents even resorted to homeschooling their children. The fifth month was the month of lost faith. The United States Government dwindled in number every day. The level of sanity people had was growing smaller every second.

Up north, we heard stories about what some people had done to stay alive. One of them involved a couple breeding every so often, just to miscarry the baby and use it as meat. None of us could bear what we were hearing, as it was to gruesome as any of us could ever imagine. The Armed Forces had sent in troops to restore morale in Washington D.C., it didn't work out as planned. Instead, Washington, one of the last beacons of hope for our great nation, now was covered in ruin and blood. We had all now known what lied ahead. There had been some rumors from others about Las Vegas being an infected-free-zone, which encouraged many people to load up their wagons and roll out west.

Only about 3 of the 70 who left returned, saying that there was nothing there but death. Hawaii was also declared a safe haven, but soon became overcrowded, and the infection started to spread. Canada was also noted to be a place of sanctuary, but we were never sure if it still remained. Television had stopped about the fourth week into the month. The last known program to be aired was live footage from Britain claiming that the city was overrun with the infected, urging people to stay out.

A majority of the camp in South Padre left towards Alaska. We had not heard from them since, we have no knowledge on weather or not their journey was successful or a failure. The last radio signal we received was a rumor that the Polish had developed a cure for the Plague, but it was not for certain. We had given up all the hope we had.

There was nothing left for us to turn to. People had started to become depressed, and resorted to things like sadism, burning animals alive. Some of the local militia even ventured out into far Texas just to relieve their stress by killing the infected population. I had chosen to leave by that time, thinking that eventually, this place would fall just like the rest.

The sixth month is what is today. Destruction, mayhem, rape, murder, anarchy, has swept through the entire United States as we know it. Not a single beacon of hope remains in this barren wasteland we once called America. I had returned to my lake house near South Padre to discover that the camp had eventually become overrun. The only survivors I found were nice enough to shield me from the infected, and took me into their home. I told them that I had a car, and it would be best if they came along with me.

They said that would be the best plan, and went upstairs to pack their things. I had gotten curious, and checked out the place for anything useful. I had opened the door to the basement, turning on the light, I had seen something that would haunt me forever.

People. Once normal everyday people, strapped down onto the floor with no clothes on, completely naked. Men, women, children, infants, newborns, every age. I had realized they were hunting down the remaining survivors of South Padre and using them as a human breeding farm. I immediately vomited, and returned upstairs, armed with a Walther P99, I quickly shot the elderly woman in the chest, killing her, only to be attacked by her husband. He was armed with a meat cleaver, and quickly took slices at my face. He missed every swipe, and I quickly sent a bullet through his skull.

I returned to the basement, and looked upon the horrors of what this world had become. I raised my weapon, and euthanized every poor soul in that room. I looted what I could, took my car, and drove as fast as I could. I am writing this because I know that my time is limited. I was bitten while trying to scavenge supplies in a nearby store. This is my final note. This is what I have.

This diary will hopefully help you in the future. If you find this, I have written the coordinates of my car, loaded with food, weapons, and medical supplies. This is what I can do to further push the goodness of humanity, even when I die. (37°27'12.5"N 75°40'29.4"W) is the location. Use a map of the U.S or GPS to find it. Abbey, I love you so much. I will be there, soon baby.