“Well, maybe this is something that Man just can’t figure out…or wasn’t meant to figure out,” Michelle said.
“How so?” James asked.
“Maybe this is bigger than Man.”
Sensing that Michelle was about to go off on a religious tangent, Benjie moaned, “Oh Lord, here we go again.”
“No, really,” she said in an agitated tone as she jabbed at Benjie with her elbow. “I’m being serious. Benjie thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not.”
“So then explain to me what you’re trying to say.” James crossed his arms and looked into her eyes.
“I just think that maybe God planned this out. Kind of like a rapture or something.”
“Uh, I don’t know if I believe in God that much,” James said with a frown.
“Now-a-days, many people don’t, and that’s why it’s so hard for them, and for you, to understand what’s going on. He’s a lot more powerful than any technology around. Believe me, if He wants to change things up, He’s going to.”
“I’m not buying it,” James said dismissively. “It’s not that simple. You can’t just write this off as something spiritual.”
“It’s beyond spiritual…it’s beyond Biblical. It’s God’s will. I think He saw that it was time to bring his flock back into line. We had strayed too far away from Him.”
“Damn girl, you were never this religious in the past!” Benjie exclaimed.
“No, I wasn’t. Me and Jerry never even went to church. But now that this has all happened, it’s helped me to see what’s going on…to make sense out of what’s going on.”
“Well, I still don’t buy it,” James said in a flat tone. “I don’t mean to insult you, but I think you’re using spirituality as a coping mechanism to help you get through all this craziness, and if it works, then good for you.”
“I’m not trying to make you to think the way I do, but when the time comes, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Growing weary of the religious conversation, James decided to shift gears and change the topic. “Well, one thing I hope I’ve seen the last of is political correctness. I don’t think they’ll be any room for that type of stuff in this kind of world. People aren’t going to have the time to decide what’s polite and what’s rude. Now everyone’s concern will simply be to make it from one day to the next.”
“I’m with you on that one,” Benjie agreed. I hope that we’ve seen the end of politics all together.”
Running with the topic, Michelle added, “And no more hype about people and their lives. Who cares about who miss so-and-so is dating or what mister so-and-so is up to?”
“I know I never did,” James said in agreement.
“You know what I’m really going to miss?” Benjie posed.
“Why don’t you go ahead and tell us,” Michelle said.
“Well damn, girl, I guess I’m not important enough for you to try and guess,” he said, slightly offended.
“I just don’t have the time to guess,” she said as she sighed.
“I’m gonna miss fast food drive-throughs.”
“Yeah, I guess me too,” James said.
“And what about you, James?” Benjie asked.
“What do you mean, ‘what about you?’ ”
“You’ve never really said much about yourself. Maybe a little bit about your family in Texas, but not much about yourself.”
“Aw, there’s not much to say about me. I’m just a normal guy…you know…I just go about my business.”
“Do you have family here in Georgia?” Michelle asked him.
“No, not really…except for my cousins when they come back here.”
“Hmm, so how did you end up here?” Michelle asked. They mysteriousness behind James had her intrigued…and a bit intimidated. She shifted her eyes quickly over to Benjie and saw that he had a puzzled look on his face.
Instead of answering, James turned and looked away. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun. He listened to the birds and he took in a deep breath.
“You know what I’m thinking?” he said aloud, eyes still closed.
“No.” Michelle hesitated with her answer. “No, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking of going to Texas.”
Stunned at James’s statement, Michelle didn’t know what to say. She looked over at Benjie, only to get a shrug and raised eye brows from him.
“We’ll go with you…mister,” Allister said as he stood in the doorway—Donnie and Hannah standing behind him. “We’ll go with you…to Texas.”
A Note From the Author
First off, I’d like to thank everyone for reading my book. I am truly honored that you would take the time to try to decipher the mess that I have tried to pass off as a novel. I hope that you found it interesting, and in some ways, thought provoking as well. I did my best to create something that would have substance and hold up to the multitude of other zombie novels and stories out there. Hopefully, my attempt won’t go unnoticed.
Growing up watching zombie movies, I always found myself wishing that the productions would focus more on the actual cause or source of the outbreak. In most movies, the stories are joined “in progress” and after the outbreak has started. When I decided to write this book, I knew that I definitely wanted to focus on that aspect of a zombie apocalypse. I also wanted to focus a little on the function of government, especially when it is confronted with the inevitable reality that things are going to change for the worse, no matter what they do.
Although my trilogy ends in sort of a cliffhanger, it doesn’t mean that the story ends there. My primary focus in writing this novel was to document the events surrounding the lives of different people within the first few days of the outbreak. I never intended to create a long, drawn-out epic that goes way past the initial assault on the living. I really wanted to highlight the desperation and fear that we all might feel if something like this were to truly happen. I also tried to emphasize how the human character tends to stay strong in the face of adversity, always trying to put on a face of strength, even when strength is no longer present.
I’m not too sure if Irene is ever able to continue her quest to find an answer to the Ozersk Syndrome—or if she has the will left in her to do so. Although Shondra is shattered by the loss of Vincent, I tend to think that she has it in her to rebound and make the best out of the life she has left. James is set on trying to make it to Texas, but will Benjie and Michelle join him, and will the three newcomers have what it takes to make such a journey? As far as the president is concerned, according to Jim, he’s off somewhere on an aircraft carrier. Although he has the resolve to rally the survivors, does he have the capability too?
There are many questions left in regards to the lives of Magda, Jim, Karnes, Carrie and the other survivors. Although their situations aren’t the best, there’s always a glimmer of hope, but I’ll leave that up for your interpretation.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my novel and may you stay safe during the Age of the Zombie!
A Glimpse of Decay (Book 3): Lost in Twilight Page 22
