1 Prologue

If you have laid your hands on this journal, it's most likely that you too share a similar story as me - fighting for your survival. But, just in case the world has changed by the time this journal reaches you and humanity gets civilized once again, let me tell you everything from the beginning.

My life started during the year 2109. I had existed for 19 years before that but the years before 2109 didn't matter really. All I did during the first 19 years of my life was to sleep, eat, and hide behind my parents.

A horrible war had happened thirty years ago when my dad and mom had just married. The disasters were catastrophic. Entire cities were bombarded. My city was one of them. Don't ask me the name of my city because it doesn't matter. It might have been a flourishing city full of happiness once but it's just a jungle now, giving shelter to a few surviving animals who now fight each other for food. And by animals, I mean humans.

I was told that earlier humans used to be the civilized species who shared things with others and helped each other while animals used to fight each other and snatch things away without realizing that there could be a better system than that. However, during my time, the barrier between humans and animals had eroded.

A few miraculous people had survived the bombs that were dropped on the city. My dad and mom were one of them. Nobody knew what had happened to the outside world. The survivors of the bombing, rather than exploring the outside world, decided to fight each other for the remaining food. My parents too chose a similar path, staying inside our house build from debris during the day and going out to loot food from others during the night.

The day that changed my life started as just another day. After waking up, my dad gave me shooting lessons once again and I aced them as usual, firing all the bullets in the correct spot.

"You did good today again. You're already turning out to be a better shooter than us," my dad smiled at me as he took his shotgun back from my hands.

Unfortunately, my dad shouldn't have said that because that gave me another opportunity to ask the same question I had been asking him for almost a year.

"When will I be prepared to come with you?" I asked.

"You are good with shooting but you also need to be prepared for all situations before you come with us, Jorge," my father said.

By the way, have I told you that my name is Jorge? Of course, I haven't.

We spent the rest of our day eating from our stock of food which we always kept hidden and playing a card game that we had salvaged from a wreck. Yes, that was pretty much my life. Sucks, right?

Usually, my parents would go out at night to locate and loot food from other families while I would stay behind to guard my house. However, today they didn't.

"We have enough food for now. I think your mom can use a little rest today," my father said.

"And you'll be on guard?" I asked.

"Yes, I will be. You and your mom can go to sleep peacefully," he said.

Usually, I didn't feel tired while going to sleep due to the fact that I had done nothing productive in the day. However, on that day, I felt tired for some reason. I slept soundly on my hammock for a few hours before a noise woke me up.

I jumped up from my hammock in an instant and was greeted by a shushing from my mom.

"What happened?" I whispered. However, her face told me that she was just as clueless as I was.

A few seconds later, my dad entered our room with a shotgun in his hand.

"Someone is here," my dad whispered. He handed a pistol to my mom and an iron rod to me. "Jorge, hide. I and your mom can—"

My dad was interrupted by the cocking of a gun from behind. We turned back to find a family quite similar to ours with a father, mother, and their son who was around my age. All of them carried shotguns with them.

"You cannot take away our food," my dad shouted and fired his shotgun. However, his aim was missed.

Unfortunately, the other family was a better shooter than ours. Their first shot hit my dad on his gut and he was knocked down. The second shot was fired by the son of the other family and hit my mom.

"Good job, Rudolf," the mother of the other family praised her son.

"What about him?" their father asked as he pointed his gun at me.

"I-I'll give you food," I hesitatingly stammered.

"Bring it to me fast then, boy," their father said.

I wasted no more time after that in fetching the food that we hid underground, covered by a slab of rock, and bringing it back to the family.

"Let's leave now," their father said. He then turned to me, "Sorry kid, nothing personal,"

After that, the family left, sparing me alive. Every cell inside me was shouting at me to attack them from behind. However, I knew that the odds of me surviving after doing that were too less.

"Jorge!" my father weakly croaked from behind.

It was then that I realized my parents were on their dying breath. I had seen them get shot in front of my own eyes but I hadn't got an opportunity to give it a thought.

"Dad!" I shouted and rushed to his side. Blood was gushing out at an uncontrollable level from his gut. My mom had already been consumed by the darkness.

"Jorge, I want you to listen to me," my father weakly mumbled.

"No, you'll live. You'll be fine. You are brave. Nothing will happen to you,"

"We both know what will happen to me,"

"But I can't live without you,"

"That's why I want you to listen to me,"

"But—"

"You know that I love you and everything I tell you is for your own welfare, right?"

Suppressing my tears, I nodded. "Yes"

"What I'm about to tell you to do is for your own good too,"

"I'll do anything if you won't go,"

"Son, I'm on my last breath. Can you listen to me for one last time, please?"

I nodded once again while wiping the tears from my face.

"Promise me, son. Promise me that you'll do it,"

"I promise,"

"I want you to kill yourself,"

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