Postcards From Palanai

Palanai was a dead zone.

The living were dying and the dead were living. That's not how the world is meant to work; once you're dead that is it. No second chances. You. Are. Dead. That's not what happened in Palanai, though. It first started in Banoi where some infectious disease spread through out the island, turning innocent natives and holiday makers into psychotic flesh-eating creatures. It was total hell. When the island was bombed, we thought that was the end of it. Oh how terribly wrong we were.

Banoi wasn't put under quarantine fast enough. The disease had spread to the near-by island of Palanai, and we were too slow to contain it. The disease spread like wildfire, and the infected were quick to kill those who were not. Within hours, all hell broke loose. People panicked, they ran, and it was simply chaotic. Everyone went insane, and their panic ridden minds drove all sense away. Soon, there were very few people left.

Thankfully, some of our soldiers reached the island and saved some survivors. Boss told us that we got everyone, but I know that the bastard was lying through his teeth. Those survivors who were hiding, waiting to be rescued, all perished in the bomb my boss ordered to be dropped. As if the death toll wasn't high enough before the bomb was dropped. In his head, the dead were once again dead and that would be how they remain, and to him that's all that mattered. Not the lives of those who fought for their lives and managed to survive until the bitter end.

They deserved so much better.

Following the bomb, my team has been left the job of scouring through the aftermath and collecting any items that appear to be personal so that we can send the belongings back to the families of the victims. Being the only woman on my team, all the guys just told me to "grab postcards and shit" whilst they took wallets and bags. How I have put up with these dickheads for the past seven years, I don't know.

With my hazmat suit on, I dug relentlessly through piles of rubble and collected what I could. Hours passed by and by the end of it I had a plastic container full of post cards and what I believe to be a camera filled with video recordings, though the blast may have destroyed a lot more postcards. Having nothing better to do with my evening, I decided to split the postcards and voice recordings into piles. Some of the postcards belonged to various family members travelling together, so I placed them into one pile. The rest seemed to belong to a group of friends on holiday, and the voice recordings seem to belong to one of the guys in said group. Intrigued by the video recordings, I rather guiltily decide to read the postcards and listen to the video recordings in what I hope is chronological order. The first postcard had a beautiful scenic picture of palm trees on the sandy beach of Palanai. Bit of a shame that the bottom right corner is coated in dry blood.

Dear Mike, we arrived in Palanai yesterday and I am so bloody jet-lagged. I think I might be coming down with something, but it's probably just the jet-lag. That's what I'm hoping, seeing as the guys have planned a lot of activities for us all to do. It's a shame you couldn't come with us. Kiss Mum and Dad for me. Your big bro, Vic.

Shaking my head, I put a label on the postcard that reads 'Victor Fuentes'. He is on the list of holiday makers who weren't found, thankfully no two people have the same name. It saddens me that this guy is dead and his younger brother is blissfully unaware of the dreadful fate that has befallen his late brother. Determined to not let this get to me, I pick up the next postcard. This time it has a rather artistic shot of a single palm tree with a background of clear blue sky with the words 'welcome to Halai' scrawled across the front. This card has considerably less blood.

Hey Dad, we're here. Fucking finally, our journey took literally forever. Sure as hell don't want to experience that flight again, but I have to admit it was definitely worth it. The town, Henderson, is rad as hell. Stoked about getting some scuba diving in later. Later, Oli.

With a heavy sigh, I place a label on this postcard as well. 'Oliver Sykes', another holiday maker who wasn't found and is most certainly dead and lying somewhere among the ruins of Palanai. Next postcard.

Dear Grandma, the plane ride was rather long, but okay I guess. Palanai is pretty cool. The guys and I went swimming with dolphins yesterday and tomorrow we plan on going to visit a museum here. Max isn't feeling too well, he may have eaten something funny. Today we're just going to hang around the resort to let him just chill out. I'll write tomorrow. Love, Josh.

Another label, another name. 'Joshua Franceschi', yet again another person who was never found and will never make it home. Almost reluctantly, I take the next postcard. This time it has three different masks on it, which reads 'Greetings from Palanai, Expect Unexpected'. I almost snort at the slight irony of it, Expect Unexpected. I bet no one expected this outbreak of whatever the hell disease it is.

Dear Jack's Mom Hi Mom, greetings from Palanai! It really is stunning here, but a bit...weird. Yesterday some little boy bit Vinny on the ferry ride in. Can you believe it! The little prick was having some kind of temper tantrum and now Vinny has one hell of a fever. I'm sure he'll be fine in a day or two. I'll write soon. Love, Alex.

Jesus christ, how many names of the assumed deceased do I have to write today? Grabbing a label, I quickly scribble the name 'Alexander Gaskarth' and attach it to the postcard. Next postcard, this one with a beautiful shot of the beach...spattered with blood.

Hey Ryan, don't go to Palanai for your holiday anytime in the near future. Biggest mistake on my part and everyone else's here, actually. There have apparently been bizarre incidents and the police have instituted a curfew. I have no idea what's going on, but I'm damn sure that I am ready to get the hell out of here. Brendon.

'Brendon Urie'. Right, next postcard written by another dead person.

Hey Taylor, more people's flights have been delayed. There's some kind of outbreak and they have actually created a quarantine zone smack bang in the middle of town. So many people are trying to leave, but all travel in and out of the island has been cancelled. Hopefully, I'll see you soon and my flight in a week won't be affected. Can't wait for tour to start once I get back! Best, Hayley.

Oh for crying out loud...'Hayley Williams'. Only two more post cards left. I can do this. Besides, there are only the video recordings left after this and they should be relatively happy. Surely no one had time to record through this...mini apocalypse, I guess you could call it. Surprisingly the next postcard has no blood, and is just a cartoon of the beach. 'Palanai Paradise. Island Of Your Dream.' Oh how far from a dream this island turned out to be.

Need help. Help us. Please.

That's it. No name, nothing. Just a poor souls plead for help, and their pleas falling on deaf ears. With a shaky hand, I grab the final postcard.

Hey Elissa, I hope this gets to you some how. I know that I always told you that I hated you as we grew up, but I couldn't have asked for a better big sister. I love you, and I always have despite all the shouts of 'I hate you'. Remember that. Tell Mum and Dad I love them, and that I'm sorry I didn't tell them enough when I was around. Josh.

Once again it's Josh. I feel tears begin to build in my eyes but I quickly blink them away. Placing the postcard down, I pick up the camera and study it. How many people have died? How many families are there worrying about their loved ones? How many are waiting to hear from their children, grandchildren, siblings, or friends? How many are waiting at the airport for them to come home? How many have called the police, demanding answers when none can be given? How many people are grieving because they have an idea of what has happened to those dear to them? How many mothers are going to cry when they finally hear that their child has died before them? How many are going to ask why the bodies of the deceased haven't been sent back, simply because they can't be found or have to be destroyed to reduce the risk of another disaster like this happening again soon?

Oh christ, all the people I'm going to make cry because I have to tell them that those that they thought were having a good time abroad are actually dead somewhere. None of them are going to know the truth, either. The cover story is that there was a monsoon, no plague of any sorts. I'm going to have to lie to so many people.

I hate my job, I really do.

As I run my fingers over the camera, I feel something scratched into the device. Upon closer inspection, I can see a name scratched in the side. 'Alex Gaskarth'. Wait...that's the same Alex who wrote the postcard to his mum. The camera looks pretty battered, so maybe he carried this around with him for however long he survived. Maybe this can shed some light on the reality of the desperate situation so many people found themselves in. Flipping open the screen, I turn the camera on. Going to the gallery, I play the oldest video. Already I can hear faint coughing in the background. Holding the camera is a young man with light brown hair and rather impressive eyebrows.

"So Jack, Zack, Rian and I have been in Palanai for a few hours now. It's so pretty here and-"
"Hi mum!" A man with dark hair with a large chunk of blonde pops up over who I assume is Alex's shoulder.
"Go away, Jack. Anyway," Alex continues with a chuckle. "Some sort of strange illness has swept across the island, but hopefully it won't affect our holiday too much. The symptoms seem to come on suddenly and the sufferer is stricken straight away. It's weird, but fingers crossed all goes well!"
"Ooh, what if it's some sort of disease that turns people into zombies? What if it's the zombie apocalypse?" Jack questions rather excitedly from somewhere across the room.
"Jack, shut up and don't be an idiot. Unfortunately, Zack seems to have contracted whatever the illness is. He's dizzy, feverish, and to be honest I think I can safely say that we're all worried. Rian has gone to reception to see if he can find out more about what's going on." Suddenly, the coughing stops and both Jack and Alex look over to a part of the room where I assume their ill friend is. Both men look very concerned.
"Zack?" Jack asks as he takes a step forward and then stops.
"Dude, are you alright?" There is a long pause and I watch on the small screen as Jack takes a step back and grabs Alex's arm, as Alex raises an eyebrow in a questioning and confused manner. "Why are you looking at me like that..." There is a sort of groan and the recording stops.

Grabbing my notebook, I flip to a new page and write down the names of the people mentioned in the video and those holiday makers mentioned in the postcards. Checking the list, I find that all of them are dead. Next video, I guess. Once again, I am greeted by Alex holding his camera.

"All of us have had to leave the hotel, and we're all on foot. Zack...jesus christ, he was so feverish he was out of his head. It's as if he didn't know who Jack and I were. He," He takes a deep breath, and I watch as Jack places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He attacked me. Tried to bite me. Jack had to hit him over the head with a lamp to get him off me. We ran for help, but it was completely insane. People were screaming and fighting and crying and this...this little boy, he looked to be about eight, jumped on me and tried to bite me. I pushed him off and a man cut off his head with a machete! He did the same to Zack when he was stumbling down the hallway towards us. We saw him kill our friend!" By now Alex has tears in his eyes and was furiously shaking his head. "What is happening here?"
"I don't know," Jack says as he tries to console a hysteric Alex, taking the camera from his slightly shaky grip. "Some said that all of the people who had lost their minds were dead."
"Dead? Like zombies?" Another guy, this time an Englishman, asks in disbelief.
"That's what people are saying. I don't believe it either, Josh. We tried to find Rian in the reception, but he wasn't there and we have no idea what happened to him."
"I don't want to know what happened to him." Alex mumbles as he takes the camera off of Jack and turns it off.

Another name is added to the list. Next to 'Zachary Merrick' I write infected - eliminated. Personally I hate using the term 'eliminated' when it comes to these people who were unfortunate enough to become victim to the disease, but the boss says that we have to use that term to sound professional. Besides 'Rian Dawson' I simply write deceased. Pressing the play button, the next video starts up. Again, they are still walking and Alex looks tired.

"So...we lost a couple of people last night. We were all woken up by screaming, and we woke up in time to see one of the Matt's, who was keeping watch with Austin, get killed. His throat was torn out. As all of us woke up and grabbed our make-shift weapons, Austin was bitten and chunks of his flesh were being torn out. The woman who is responsible was old, but she moved ridiculously fast. Half of her left arm was missing, you could actually see the bone. She made the most disturbing gargling sound. Blood was smeared across her face and her teeth had bits of Austin's flesh stuck in them." Alex says, obviously finding it difficult to relive the attack.
"I'm just surprised Austin's gone," The camera is turned so it is now pointed at an American man with ginger hair and various tattoos on his arm. "I mean, he's so tall and is quite strong. How that old woman got to him and managed to actually kill him, I don't know. Everything is so confusing, and I hate not understanding what it is that is actually happening here."
"None of us really know, Alan." The camera is turned again and is pointed at a heavily tattooed man who must be the owner of the voice with the northern English accent. "We've lost Nicholls, Austin, and Vic all in one go and we can't lose anyone else. Right now we really need to focus on surviving and getting the hell off of this island."
"Easier said than done, Oli." Jack says, and the camera turns back to Alex.
"Pete had to hit the woman in the head with a shovel he found. But she got up again, so he hit her again and again until he finally...decapitated her. That poor woman looked as if she was seventy years old. Brendon said that it's some sort of cannibal disease he had heard about, but it's more than that. These people are dying and resurrecting, no disease can do that. Anyway, during all of the drama Vic got really badly hurt. He was afraid that the disease would take him and that he would become like one of them. So he grabbed a pistol that Patrick had found. He told us all to say bye to Mike for him, then he put the gun to his head and...the sound was so loud." Alex's voice cracks and rubs at his eyes before continuing. "We knew that the sound would attract any near by infected, so we ran. We've lost too many people in such a short space of time, too many."

The recording stops, and I grab my pen to write down more names. It's terrible having to write 'deceased' next to three of them, one being Victor. His brother still has no idea what has happened to him, and hearing what his last words were just breaks my heart. Next video, and Alex appears to be in one of the islands tree houses.

"Right now we are all taking refuge in this tree house we've found. Just before we got here though, one of the infected jumped out of literally no where. We killed it eventually, but in the moment of surprise and fear we all felt when it jumped out it took the opportunity and bit Brendon. His scream when the creature tore into his flesh didn't sound human. He begged me to shoot him. I couldn't do it. I couldn't put a bullet in his head. Realising he couldn't take the gun from me, he instead snatched the pistol Patrick was holding and shot himself before any of us could say anything. Patrick was inconsolable and I just lost it. I was so angry. I screamed, I swore, and I punched anything I could. Mainly trees."
"You landed a nice punch on my arm, asshole." Jack butts in, earning him a glare from Alex.
"Now we have found this tree house, but we can't stay long. There's food and water, but enough to last us more than a week. Out of everyone who came on this bloody holiday, we've already lost a third. So, these are the people left." Alex turns to camera and points it at everyone in turn, all sat in a circular formation.
"What do I say?"
"Your name, idiot."
"Full name?"
"That would be useful if we're documenting everything as evidence of whatever the hell is going on here."
"Jack Barakat." Skunk hair guy.
"Pete Wentz." A slightly tanned man with short dark hair.
"Patrick Stump." A blonde with glasses and a fedora.
"Hayley Williams." A woman with bright orange hair.
"Tay Jardine." Another woman with brown hair dip-dyed blonde, and with a nose ring.
"Derek Sanders." A guy with long brown hair and a lot of wristbands.
"Matt Barnes." A guy with brown hair styled in a quiff.
"Josh Franceschi." English guy from a previous video.
"Oli Sykes." The heavily tattooed man.
"Jordan Fish." A guy with short dark hair.
"Alan Ashby." The ginger guy.
"And then there's me, Alex Gaskarth. Wait...Josh, where's Max? I thought he came on this holiday as well?" Alex asks as he turns the camera to face Josh.
"He did, he-" Josh runs a hand through his hair and just shakes his head. "Max fell ill, and he tried to attack me."
"I got him off of Josh, but he wouldn't quit. I grabbed the hatstand by the door and hit him with it, but he kept on going. I had to kill him." Matt chokes out before dissolving into a tearful mess.
"Dude, I'm so sorry." Derek says, rubbing Matt's back.
"That's exactly what happened to Zack. Jesus christ..."

The video ends. Another two names with deceased written next to them. This means more families to call, and more hearts to be broken. I've had to do this before, but it has never been to this extent! Never before has it been this bad.

"We've decided to try our luck at trying to get to Henderson, although we have to catch a ferry there. Pete says that he knows where the ferry station is, so now we just have to hope that we can get the ferry working. We've all got weapons or some form of defense now, so at least we actually stand a chance now. We got ambushed earlier, but thankfully we all made it out okay. Hayley and Tay are pretty badass, probably more so than Diva Franceschi over there."
"Bog off, Gaskarth."
"Love you too! As I was saying, the eleven of us are heading to the ferry station now. I just hope there aren't that many infected there. Maybe we'll find more survivors. Everything has really gone to shit, apart from our group I haven't seen any other survivors. Hopefully we can find help, or contact someone that can hel-"
"Fish, look out!" Oli shouts, and I can see a member of the infected walking up to Jordan whilst his back is turned, and it takes its chance to bite him.
The camera is dropped to the ground and I watch as chaos breaks out. Gunfire, shouting, and the groans of the undead ensue. Jordan is on the ground, and a horde of the infected are closing in on the group. Oli, Josh, and Matt are all standing back to back and hitting any zombie that gets within five feet of them. Hayley and Taylor are side by side looking out for the other. Patrick is getting overwhelmed, and it isn't long until he is out of ammunition. With no other weapon at hand, he struggles to push off a zombie. Pete notices and swiftly decapitates the infected woman before him, then runs over to Patrick.
"Get off of Patrick!" He shouts as he hits the infected man around the back of the head.
A scream is heard as Alan falls to the ground, and three of the infected are on him in seconds. As they eat away at his flesh, tearing off his skin, Derek runs over with his baseball bat and beats at the feeding infected. As they all lay on the ground, well and truly dead now, Derek takes a pistol from his back pocket and shoots Alan in the head just as his body begins to twitch. I almost jump from my seat as a bloodied fedora falls and hits the camera lens. Oh no...that means that Patrick-
"Patrick!" Pete screams in anguish, confirming my suspicions.

Then the recording ends. For a moment I simply sit back in my chair and try to let everything I just saw sink in. That recording has really opened my eyes as to how bad things actually got. I knew it was bad, but not that bad. No one really knows. Watching a group of twelve survivors with seemingly high spirits at the prospect of reaching some form of safety suddenly attacked by infected that came from literally nowhere, and to lose three of their own in the process is just...I don't know what to say, I'm speechless. When I gathered the recordings, I simply thought that they would be videos before the infection with a happy family or group of friends. Not this, where more people are dying in each video.

Alex recorded these so that people knew what happened, though. He made them with the hope that he would make it out alive to tell the tale, or that someone would find it, watch it and share his story. As I go to watch the next video, I dread to think of how many more of the group died.

"When we were lowering the platform that would allow us onto the ferry, it made so much noise and that attracted more of the infected. About twenty more. A lot of us made it, but a couple didn't. Derek was bitten by Jordan, we didn't realise that he wasn't actually dead. We took care of him, but then Pete had to shoot Derek in the head so that he wouldn't turn. We all got on the boat, but Pete didn't get on. The original plan was to hit the controls with a rock so that the boat would start, but instead Pete started up the boat. He made no effort to get on. As we started our journey to Henderson, he smiled and waved and I spotted the large chunk of flesh missing from his arm. He knew he was infected and that there was nothing that he could do, but he still sacrificed his life to save ours. As the infected got closer to him, he didn't seem fazed at all. As if he didn't fear death. We're on our way to Henderson now, so hopefully we will find some sort of safe haven there."

Like I said, more people are dying with each video. The next one shows a panicked and dishevelled Alex, with an equally panicked Jack beside him.

"We're now in Henderson, but we have encountered a huge problem. The place is swarming with infected. One of them was different, its scream is ear piercing and hurts your ears. I got too close and when it screamed, I couldn't see clearly and I felt dizzy. When everything came back into focus, I saw Matt trying to fight off the creature, who I shall nickname Screamer, with his baseball bat as it had gotten closer to me. Before I could even grab my machete, Screamer had over powered Matt and was already tearing him apart. In a blind rage I cut off the blasted things head, but it was too late to help Matt. He was dead before he had hit the floor. The screams attracted more infected, so now we're on top of this platform thing and there are infected all around us." Alex turns the camera and pans over the large horde of infected surrounding the group.
"There's a military base here somewhere," Oli says as the camera lands on him. "They should know what to do, plus it might be more secure and better equipped. If we can somehow get there, we may have a chance."
"That's a good idea and all, but how exactly are we going to get there with all these infected surrounding us? Plus the gate over there looks like it's locked, and that's the quickest way to get to the base. Even if they do leave, what are we going to do?" Josh asks, looking very stressed.
"I'm not sure." Oli mumbles as he looks down at the hungry infected. In the background, I notice Hayley and Taylor talking to each other, they look as if they don't want the others to hear them. Hayley points at a few spots and they both nod. Grabbing what looks like a load of grenades. The two of them split up and agilely climb along the ledges on the walls of the square the group have found themselves in. As they go, they throw grenades at the horde below them and swiftly eliminating a large quantity of them. The camera follows them as the four guys shout at them, asking them what they're doing and whether they're insane. When they get to where the wall ends, the remaining infected are swarmed around there, surrounding the gate and reaching for Tay and Hayley. The two women appear to be holding a grenade in each hand. Glancing at each other, the pair nod and jump down from the wall. The guys are screaming now, telling them to get out of there. The pair don't take any notice as they remove the safety pins from the grenades and jam them around the lock of the gate. As the infected move closer to them, the two cling to each other for dear life and salute their friends with smiles on their faces.
"Best of luck, you guys." Hayley shouts over the groans of infected.
"See you on the other side some time!" Tay yells, and just as they start to wave the square is engulfed in flames and the camera shakes before falling to the ground, the recording reaching an end.

Another two dead. Those two were amazingly brave and selfless, giving their own lives in the hopes of saving four others. They did what they did knowing that there was no chance that they would survive. I'm not even sure if I would be able to do that. I am going to make sure that they are recognised for their selfless act, as well as the other members of the group who are dead. Next recording, and Alex greets the camera with tear stained cheeks and red eyes.

"I don't even know what to say. Hayley and Tay, they...I can't believe it. They got the gate opened, anyway. The rest of the infected in the square were taken care of. Now we just need to get to the military base which should be up on the hill north from here. Currently we are walking through the fish market which is completely flooded. My shoes are soa- Jack, what are you doing?" Alex asks with a sigh as he looks over his shoulder. Jack then comes running into view of the camera just behind Alex.
"I found a fish." He says with a rather amused expression, holding up a giant fish.
"It's the fish market, Jack. There are going to be a lot of fish here."
"You have to admit though, that is a rather impressive fish." Josh states and Jack raises the fish in triumph. Alex chuckles slightly, but then he suddenly looks around confused.
"Josh, where's Oli?"
"He's right her- He's ri-" The camera is now pointed at Josh who is now looking around in panic, desperately searching for Oli. "He was right next to me!"
"Where on earth could he have gotten to?" Alex mumbles as he points the camera around the fish market as he also starts looking around for Oli. Then they hear it. Splashing, like someone is walking. None of them are walking, though. At the end of the fish market, a large number of infected are advancing towards the trio. One of the infected looks incredibly familiar. Brown hair, rather tall, covered in tattoos...
"O-Oli..." Josh stutters. The infected stop for a moment. Oli and Josh are looking at each other. All is quiet. Then Oli lets out an ungodly scream and starts running towards them, the other infected following close behind him.
"Run!" Jack shouts and that's just what they do, run. The camera shakes as Alex runs. Ahead of him is Jack, no longer holding the fish, and Josh is about a foot away from Alex. The trio skid around a corner, but then something creeks and then there is a loud splash followed by a scream. The camera is spun around, and a sign from one of the stalls had fallen. Josh must have been running past it as it fell, because now he is trapped under the rather large wooden sign. Alex just stops running, and the sound of Jack's footsteps ceases as well. Josh struggles to move the sign from him, and as he looks up Oli and the other infected are closing in on him. Turning to face Alex and Jack with tears falling from his eyes, he waves his arm as a sign for them to run.
"Go! Keep running!"
"No, we can't just leave you!" Alex argues, taking a step towards Josh but he stops when Josh holds up his pistol and points it at Alex.
"I'm sorry, but you guys need to go! Forget about me, I'm practically a goner. Save yourselves."
"But Jo-" Jack goes to argue, but is swiftly interrupted.
"Just go!" Josh screams at them, before turning back towards the infected. Alex is pulled by Jack, and the two of them start running. The camera picks up Josh saying "I'm sorry Oli" before a gunshot is heard.
"There's a ladder to the roof of that building!" Jack states breathlessly, pointing up at a ladder a few feet away whilst he still holds on to Alex with his other hand. "If we can get up there, we should be safer."
"Alright, come one!"
Alex is the first to reach the ladder, clambering up as fast as he can and pulling himself up onto the roof. Placing the camera down, at this angle I can see Jack climbing up. Down below, the infected can be seen surrounding the bottom of the ladder. Jack goes to grab the final rung of the ladder with a smile, but then he must slip as he falls downwards and his hands release the ladder. Alex is quick to reach down and grab a hold of Jack's hand. The clatter of what I assume is a rung of the ladder can be heard hitting the stone ground below. Jack is now swaying slightly, and he looks down at the infected below him before looking up at Alex with a panicked look and wide eyes.
"Just hold on, Jack!" Alex says, and you can hear in his voice how he is struggling to hold onto Jack.
"Alex, I-"
"Shut up! Come on, just get your foot back on the ladder." Jack struggles to get back on the ladder, but with no success.
"I can't, the rung has gone and I can't lift my foot high enough." He all but squeaks.
"I'll just pull you up then."
"Alex, this isn't going to work."
"What do you mean?"
"Let go, Alex."
"What the hell, Jack!? Just hold on."
"Save yourself, just get out of here. This is the end of my journey."
"Don't let go, Jack! Come on, you can't do this to me. I've already lost so many friends, I can't lose my best friend too. I can't lose you."
"I'm sorry."
"Jack, no!" Jack's hand begins to slip out of Alex's, despite his best efforts to hold onto his best friend.
"We'll meet again one day, just get out of here. These past years with you by my side to cause mischief have been amazing, and I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Goodbye, Lexy."
"Please, Jack. Hold o-" Jack's hand slips away, and he begins to fall. "JACK!" Alex screams out, holding a hand out as if he thought Jack could grab onto it. But he just kept falling and falling, until he hit the ground with a sickening thud. The infected were on him in seconds.
"Jack..." Alex chokes out.

Wiping at my face, my fingertips feel wet. Oh gosh, am I crying? Sniffing, I look back at the camera to see one more video left on it. I click play. It shows a teary eyed Alex in a dark room with a single, flickering light on. Behind him, boxes are piled up high. Before he starts talking, he wipes at his eyes.

"I thought this holiday would be fun, you know? A nice tropical island vacation with a large group of my friends. What could possibly be wrong with that? Everything, absolutely everything. This disease or what ever the hell it is has washed over the entire island, we just never knew how bad it would be. At first it was just a sick bug, but then all my friends just started dying. They're all gone, every last one of them. Then Jack went and I...I don't know what to do." He chokes out as fresh tears start to fall from his eyes and down his cheeks.
"There is no hope anymore, I highly doubt anyone is actually going to help us...I mean, me. There's no one left, only me. Will I be stuck here until I either starve or get eaten by one of those...things? I just came here to have a good time, to get away, to see the world. Instead I've lost nearly everything. I just want to go home." He continues to cry. Then he stops. Wiping at his eyes, he appears to be listening for something. At first there is nothing, but then I hear it. The sound of a helicopter. The look on his face is of complete and utter disbelief.
"That can't be..." Standing up, he stumbles over the what I assume is a door and steps outside, momentarily blinded by the sunlight. "It is! Oh my god, it's help! Hey!" He shouts with a grin on his face and what are now tears of joy, waving his arm wildly. I grin myself, because surely he got out alive. The helicopter sounds close and there is no way they could have missed Alex. "Over here! Wooh!" Then his smiled falters slightly. "What the-" A loud bang is heard and everything goes bright for a second, before the camera plays just static.

For a good five minutes I just sit there staring at the camera in disbelief and my eyes wide. That was the bomb, which means Alex is...but they must have seen him! They couldn't have missed him! The orders were to save any survivors sighted, but they just dropped the bomb anyway. The look of pure joy and relief on his face when he saw the helicopter, finally filled with the hope that he will get home at last. Then he is just killed like the rest of his group. The boss said that some survivors were saved, but I have seen no evidence of that. No one has even seen these said 'survivors'. Oh god...no one was saved! The bastard ordered the bomb to be dropped, not even making an effort to try and save some lives! Looking at my list containing the names of the people in the video, that seems like a lot. How many more survivors died in that bomb, because I have a nagging feeling that Alex wasn't the only one. I grab my pen and stare at the list. As I look at the names, the memory that I found the camera near a hand poking out from a large pile of rubble refuses to leave my mind. I refuse to believe that was Alex's hand, but who's hand could that have been if it wasn't his? No ones.

Alexander Gaskarth - saved
Jack Barakat - deceased
Zachary Merrick - infected: eliminated
Rian Dawson - deceased
Peter Wentz - infected: eliminated
Patrick Stump - deceased
Hayley Williams - deceased
Taylor Jardine - deceased
Derek Sanders - deceased
Matthew Barnes - deceased
Joshua Franceschi - deceased
Oliver Sykes - infected: eliminated
Jordan Fish - infected: eliminated
Alan Ashby - deceased
Austin Carlile - deceased
Brendon Urie - deceased
Max Helyer - infected: eliminated
Victor Fuentes - deceased
Matthew Nicholls - deceased

Putting the pen to paper, I cross out the word 'saved', written when I was certain Alex had survived. How horribly wrong I was.

Alexander Gaskarth - saved deceased

Throwing my pen down on the table, I put my head in my hands. A list of nineteen people who have died. This is ridiculous...at least one of them could have been saved! They all lied, everyone here. People need to know the truth, they need to know what happened in Palanai because it sure as hell wasn't a monsoon. Taking the camera, I put it in my bag with the full intention of making sure that Alex's story is heard. Grabbing the postcards, I put them in my bag as well. I will make sure that I post them.

Then I notice something out of the corner of my eye. On the ground lays another postcard which must have fallen out if the box. The front of it shows a row of palm trees in front of a dazzling sunset. Turning it over, only a few words are written.

"No hope left.
From, Palanai."