As the World Burns

I remember the times when I was worried about normal things. Things like the cable bill, the gas bill... Bills in general. I was worried about getting barbeque sauce on my white shirt. Getting stabbed on my way out of my apartment. Sweating too much out of my armpits. Accidentally letting a fart slip out in front of an attractive woman. You know... Things every guy my age is generally worried about. Looking back on those times, its actually rather comical. Funny how things like the zombie apocalypse can change your outlook on what matters so quickly.

The past three weeks have been somewhat of a... Learning experience. I've learned all the money I spent on bills would have been much better spent on a cache of weapons and ammo. I learned my white shirt is helpless against the insane blood splatter that slashing through a zombie's abdomen produces. I've learned I'm much more afraid of a group of zombies eating my penis off before getting to the rest of my body than being stabbed in a parking lot. I'm usually covered in old sweat now, armpits are the least of my concerns, and most of all, with all the terrible smells in the air these days, I doubt Layla would notice if I occasionally let one rip... Not that I do.

We've made it further than I ever thought we would. Another hour or so, and we'd reach our destination. The morale on the bus slowly increased with every “This many miles to Florida,” sign we seen on the road. Jack was doing an excellent job of navigating us so far. We only hit a road block on occasion, and he always managed to find a way around it. I couldn't believe the bus had held up for as long as it had, especially with our luck with vehicles. I sort of lost track of how many we'd totalled so far on the journey here... Far too many I can assure you, and with Brock gone, I was worried what would happen if the bus went down now... I tried not to think about it, despite what he said about Roxy, I knew we were a vital member short when we lost Brock.

But, in these situations, you learn to move on. Its all you can do. You keep going, and you learn. You do what you have to do to stay alive. Its human nature, plain and simple. Its what we've always done. We got cold at night, we figured out how to light a fire. We needed to haul the sticks to make the fire around, so we invented the wheel. We got horny... We learned how to fuck each other... Okay so maybe that last thing I just thought was funny, but you get my point. We, as a species, adapt. Its just what we do, and in times like these, it shows what we're truly capable of.

Sitting on the bus with nothing to do, and nothing on your mind is tedious at best. I passed a lot of my time showing Layla crazy music she'd never listened to before meeting me. It was always entertaining to sit and watch her face as something like 'Lovebites and Razorlines' by Glassjaw would start playing. The confused and almost terrified grin on her face always made me smile. When she found something she liked, I always sat in amazement while she would analyze in detail what made the song good. The girl certainly had an ear for things, and I was admittedly jealous of her ability to explain song structures, and other details that never failed to blow my mind. One of my more recent things I've started doing, is asking her random math problems in the middle of her talking. She'd be giving the most beautiful speech about song lyrics, and I'd just bust out, “What's seven hundred and thirty times ninety?” She'd answer it without even stopping to take a breath and continue her speech. Layla was nothing short of amazing, and I'm still befuddled as to how the hell I got with a girl like her.

I heard the album Layla was currently listening to end as Jack ran into a road block of overturned cars, and turned the bus around to find an alternative route. Layla was listening to the Radiohead album, OK Computer, that I insisted she listen to. I could tell by the sly smile on her face that she had enjoyed it, I had a feeling she would. It was my favorite of Radiohead's albums, and I knew a girl with her evolving taste would enjoy all the little things that make it a work of genius. She took off the headphones and handed me the CD player.

“So, what'd you think?” I asked.

“It was good,” she replied.

“Just good?”

“Yep, just good. Very ambient and...”

“Eighty times twenty-two?”

“One thousand seven hundred and sixty... You just love doing that don't you?”

“I take a certain degree of pleasure in it, that I will admit,” I said with a smile. Looking at Layla, I knew something else was on her mind. She had her sexy thinking look. It was my personal favorite out of all her looks.

“We're almost there Bob... How are we gonna find this place? Riley was the only one who knew where it really was right?” Layla asked, noticeably concerned.

“Ha! I seriously doubt she knew where it was. Come on, you knew Riley, that girl could barely find her way around the block, much less international waters.”

“Good point... Does anyone here know how to drive a boat?”

“Shit... Probably not. But... This is a bus full of fast learners, so I think we'll be okay.”

“Bob... Can you promise me one thing?”

“Anything, just name it.”

“No matter what happens, under no circumstances, will you ever make me fly anywhere.”

“Not even if you grew wings?” I joked, quickly noticing Layla wasn't laughing.

“I'm serious Bob. I refuse to get on a plane. I simply refuse to. Please don't ever make me do that.”

“Well Layla, I think our chances of finding a skilled pilot left alive are about slim to none, seeing as if there were any alive, they've probably all flown the fuck out of Dodge long ago... That being said... I, Robert James Faust, solemnly swear to never make you, Layla Anne Kyle, fly in any sort of aircraft... On one condition.”

“And what would that be?”

“I have to know why. Is it like a phobia? I mean... I've never flown anywhere, and I know I'd be a little nervous if I did, but...”

“Its how my mom died.”

“Oh... I'm sorry Layla.”

“Its fine... Its not something I usually talk about but... It was... Traumatizing.”

“I can't even imagine... I don't want to push you on this... And if I'm getting a little too personal, just tell me, and we'll drop it... But... How did the plane go down?” Layla dropped her head and took a deep breath, before looking me dead in the eyes. I knew I was in for a story, and I knew it was one she didn't like telling.

“I was seven, and my mom was going on a long business trip. She was traveling to Spain to meet some people for... Something... I don't remember exactly. I just remember where she was going because she said she would bring me back something from Madrid. My dad and I went to the airport with her, and before she got on the plane to leave she looked me in the eyes and said, 'Layla, be a good girl for your daddy, and when I get back, we'll go to the pet store, and we'll buy a puppy.' Needless to say, I was excited for when she got back. It was something I had been asking about for a few years. My dad and I walked to one of the windows to watch her plane take off, and... When it did...”

Layla stopped and started sobbing. I pulled her in close and let her cry it out. She didn't even have to tell me the rest of the story. I knew what had happened, and I couldn't even imagine something like that. Just when you think you're life is tough, you hear a story like that and you immediately go, “Damn, I had it easy.” Watching your mom die is something nobody wants to go through. Its bad enough when you're older. I could only imagine how hard it would be when you were as young as her. Layla cried in my arms, and I did what I could to comfort her. Nobody else on the bus seemed to notice the moment we were having, which was honestly a relief to me. I knew the worst thing that could happen was for someone to approach us and ask what was wrong. Eventually she calmed down, and I knew telling the story to me had helped her face a memory that had haunted her for a long time. She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. Being the person I was, which is to say a completely ridiculous one, I felt the need to try and change the subject entirely.

“Layla, if we ever decide to have kids at some point. I want to name our first born The,” I said, doing my best to look dead serious. She immediately started laughing, and I knew my joke had done its job.

“You want to name them The? So they would be The Faust?” she asked trying to calm her laughter.

“Or The Kyle, I'm open to whichever really,” I replied.

“As funny as that is Bob, if you and I ever have kids, we are not naming them The.”

“Can we name them something really vulgar then? Like we should name them Asshole. That way when they go to school, and the teacher does role call, they have to cuss in front of everybody.”

“Ha! I... I have no idea what to say to that,” Layla managed to say before laughing uncontrollably.

“Hey! What the fuck ya'll over there laughin' about!?” Kwame shouted from across the bus.

“Bob's names for children,” Layla answered. “He wants to name our first child either The or Asshole.”

“Bob... You are seriously an idiot,” Jesse replied in her typical fashion.

“What!? Those names are bad ass! Okay, what about Motherfucker? I think that's a good name,” I said, still doing what I could to look serious. Roxy lost it, and I was glad somebody other than Layla got the joke.

“Naw dog, you should name them Kwame. Fuck all that shit, that name is a bad ass mothahfuckin' name. Only bad ass mothahfuckahs have that shit,” Kwame replied.

“Kwame... What does your name even mean? I've never heard that name before I met you,” Jessie replied.

“Its a Ga name that is given to kids born on Saturday,” Layla answered.

“Shit... I didn't even know that shit,” Kwame answered. “What the fuck does Ga mean?”

“Its what you call people from the country of Ghana. Your name is from that country Kwame. Were your parents from there?” Layla asked.

“Fuck if I know, all I know is my dad was from mothahfuckin Detroit,” Kwame replied.

“Where was your mom from?” Dalton asked.

“Mothahfuckin Detroit!” Kwame shouted.

“Alright, well, we're gonna have to stop for gas up ahead here. That road block back there set us back a little,” Jack informed the bus. Not too long after that, we found a little gas station and we all got out to stretch our legs and get whatever supplies we thought we might need for the remaining trip. I decided I didn't need anything. For whatever reason, I was in the mood to prepare myself in a different way. I grabbed Zonbikira and Reiragado and found a nice quiet spot around the side of the gas station. Layla followed me, and I could tell without even having to tell her that she knew what I was thinking. Strange how we were already at that level with each other.

“Are you gonna practice with those or something?” she asked.

“Yea, I'm just... Kind of in the mood to,” I replied as I unsheathed Zonbikira.

“Well, perfection is usually achieved through repetitive motion,” Layla said.

“Good advice,” I answered. Layla sat down in the grass and watched as I repeated the same motions over and over again. Trying to strengthen the muscles that were involved in every move. I knew mastery of these swords wasn't something that was going to come over night, but I had to start somewhere. The more familiar with my weapon that I was, the better off my chances of surviving the rest of the way would be. My guts were acting up again, and I had a feeling the rest of the way wasn't going to be the cakewalk a few of the others on the bus thought it would be. I would be ready though.

“Bob... How many times do I have to tell you that you aren't a samurai before you get it?” Jessie asked.

“Ha! I never claimed to be Jessie,” I replied with a sly smile.

“Uh, no I believe you've said on a number of occasions, crap about a samurai's soul or something like that,” Jessie said.

“Oh, I've said a samurai's soul is in his weapon. Which is absolutely true Jessie, but I never really claimed to be a samurai or anything like that. I just feel its something we can all live by. In this situation, you're only as good as your weapon. Much like a samurai. In a sword fight, you're only as the sword in your possession. If you put your soul into the weapon, then...”

“I don't care Bob, just shut up,” Jessie interrupted. “Layla, how do you put up with him?”

“He's sort of right Jessie. We all need to be prepared for the worst,.. Just in case,” Layla replied.

“Yea... Well... I still don't care. I just wanna get to the island already, so I don't have to worry about any of that crap,” Jessie said. “Besides, I'm not putting my soul into a skateboard or anything like that for that matter. That would just be stupid.”

“Jessie do you even know how to ride that skateboard?” I asked.

“of course I do, why the heck would I have it in the first place Bob if I didn't know how to ride it?” Jessie replied.

“I don't know, I just thought I'd ask... Its a miracle that thing's held up for as long as it has... Its like... Special or something,” I said.

“That's because its mine Bob,” Jessie answered before turning her back to me. “Hurry up ninja boy! We don't have all day to wait around for you to play swords.”

Layla was hiding her smile under her sleeve as I sheathed Zonbikira. Fucking Jessie... Always getting the best of me in those exchanges... It was one of her superpowers I think. The superpower of always getting the last word in an argument... Even when she was wrong. I have to admit, I was a bit jealous of that ability. Not that I'd ever admit that to her. I walked over to Layla, and helped her up, off of the grass. I put my arm around her shoulder, and both of us started to make our way back to the bus.

“Admit it, you hate when she gets the best of you like that don't you?” Layla asked, not hiding her smile at all. I couldn't help but laugh just a little at her question.

“Ah, I'm getting used to it... It used to piss me off like no other though,” I replied.

“That's about the time when she threw your CD's out the window,” Layla added.

“Thanks for reminding me of that. I almost forgot until you said something,” I answered, laughing.

“Sorry... Well... This is gonna sound like something you would say, but... Since I'm fucking one of the leaders of the group now, would you mind if I made a few suggestions,” Layla said, causing me to nearly choke on my spit laughing.

“It took a lot for you say that didn't it?” I asked.

“Yea, I had to build up a little confidence to get it out,” Layla replied.

“Layla, you don't have to be uncomfortable saying anything around me. Hell, if you feel the need to burp in my face, by all means do so. I have a good sense of humor about things like that, seriously... And what you just said was hilarious... Totally unexpected too, which is always the best kind of humor. Anyways, what suggestions do you have for me?”

“Well, I really think we should make a few changes in some of the little things we do in the group. I think we need to organize a little bit. Maybe assign people jobs and stuff like that. I don't know... I have a lot of ideas. I keep thinking about this stuff when I'm listening to music.”

“You're seriously the smartest person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, so I'm open to anything. We'll talk more about it on the...”

It was quick and quiet, but somehow I heard it just in time. I pushed Layla out of the way and drew out my blade in one fluid motion. Time seemed to slow down as I readied myself for the strike. I had to take this one down with one slash, and the best way to do that was to aim for the neck. When it got close enough to make my move, I didn't hesitate. In one clean cut, I decapitated the charging zombie, and watched as it's head fell to the ground separate from its body. I flicked the majority of the blood from my blade and sort of smiled to myself. For a guy with absolutely no training, I was pretty fucking good with a katana.

“Are you okay!?” Layla shouted.

“Yea, I'm fine,” I calmly replied.

“That was... Surreal! How did you!? I mean... That was amazing!”

“I know... I don't know how I did it either... Maybe I'm summoning some obscure past life or something... Anyways, let's get to the bus, I think everyone is back there waiting for us.”

I wiped the rest of the blood off of Zonbikira as Layla and I boarded the bus. Everyone seemed quiet as we boarded, almost as if they were pissed we kept them waiting. They'd get over it, I thought to myself. Even if they didn't, we were almost to our destination. After we got there, I was hoping for a lot of alone time to make up for all the cramped days and nights with this group of people... Well... A lot of me and Layla alone time anyways.