Day 9

I woke up two days later. I looked around the surroundings. It was daybreak. Hope was barking. How long has it been barking? I wondered. The pickup overturned. I released my seat belt and I fell face first towards the ground. Ouch! I checked my watch and noticed that it's been two days since I've been out. Wow, I never knew I could sleep for one entire day. I crawled out of the wreck and get to the back of the pickup. Most of the things inside the truck were either smashed to pieces or they've been thrown far away when the truck overturned.

I gathered up as many supplies as I can and continue down the road. I opened the map finding a place where people stay or at least they used to. A town situated down the road about 20 miles. I walked down the road without even looking back. I thought back. That dream. That figure. It's getting familiar. That voice. I've heard it before. I checked my wallet. A picture of a woman. She looks exactly like her. I tried hard to recall that voice. And I kept looking at that picture. My wife. That figure in my dream was my wife. Where is she? Is she gone like everyone else? I stopped in my trails. I dropped down on the floor with the picture of her. I screamed out loud. Hope got frightened and almost ran away, but she trailed on. Tears start rolling down my cheeks.

I took the gun out and aimed at my head. Tears continued rolling down my cheeks. What am I doing? I want to end my suffering, but I'm not giving up hope to continue finding signs of human life. It's only been 9 days. I'm going crazy. I'm delusional. What am I to do?

"Sir, please calm down." someone said to a man standing on the edge of a building. I tried to calm that person down. That man intended to jump off the building. I was still an intern in a hospital. I raised my hand towards the guy. I told him, "If you jump off this building, what's going to happen next?" The guy being stressed threatened to jump off the building still. I walked slowly towards that guy. "Don't come any closer or I'll jump." that man said with a shaky voice. That feeling of being responsible for another man's death came into me. I was so afraid that if I go any closer, he would jump off the building. The more I approach, the more that man stepped closer towards the edge. He was too close to the edge and suddenly, he was about to slip. I ran towards the edge and he was clinging on to the edge of the rooftop. I stretched my hand out towards that man. He tried to reach for it. I stretched out further. He reached my hand. I grabbed it and everyone helped to pull that guy back. That man was saved. He was a schizophrenic patient in the hospital where my internship was based in. That was a memory from 10 years ago.

Tears still rolling down my cheek as I sat with the gun pointed at my head. I cried and cried and cried. What should I do now? Should I continue this road trip or should I end my life here? Hope came towards my face and started licking me. I lowered the gun. I stood up and continue my journey. I decided that taking my own life isn't worth it. Walking down the road for 3 hours, I finally reached a small town. The traffic lights are still working. Cars which ran out of fuel for a week. I searched the streets and I found a working pickup. I drove it to the closest fuel station and refuel that thing. Scavenging through the whole town I found some extra fuel tanks and fuel it up at the fuel station. I roam around everywhere and scavenge all sorts of supplies just to stock up in the car. Some dog food for Hope. Tired of roaming around, I went into a random house and went to the master bedroom and lie down on it. I looked around the house. A picture of a married couple. Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I recalled my wedding day. Tears continue rolling down my cheeks until I fell asleep.