Last Nights Dream:
I’m sitting on top of a floating structure, sort of like a canoe but without any seating positions, near the shore. I sat on it like one would sit on a horse wiht my legs dipping into the water. There were two men with me. The one in front of me was a pirate, with most stereotypical pirate gear you can think of. I didnt even bother looking at the person behind me, because frankly, the pirate was interesting enough .The back passenger was very quiet. So I was having this conversation with the pirate about ships, and to my surprise I find out he doesn’t know a whole lot regarding the lexicon of the various ship structures and locations. It was a little disappointing, so I started showing off some of my knowledge, referring to the various locations.
'This is the stern, this is the hull, I think this is starboard… wait, is it?"
He just shrugs.
This contraption keeping us afloat barely has a shape and hardly looks like a boat, so I know it doesn’t make sense. It made perfect sense at the time.
When I gave up on talking boats with the pirate, I started looking around and it dawned on me. I got scared. The waves had started becoming very choppy and a lot more violent. We were very far from the shore. So far, that it took me a minute to find which direction was land since the rising waves were blocking my view most of the time. This thing we were on was surprisingly sturdy and I was very grateful. But that appreciation didnt last long. As I gazed around me I could see several structures afloat all around us. They looked like miniature submarines, around the same shape and size as the thing we were riding on. Ofcourse, they were all unmanned. We were floaring in circles as I gazed at what looked like a floating graveyard. Without saying a word to each other we agreed. We have to get to shore immediately.
As if to fortify our decision to flee something appreared in the corner of my eye amidst the mini-submarines. It was a dorsal fin, and it was big. It was the size of my torso. We grew frantic and started splashing with our hands propelling ourselves to shore. We going surpsingly fast, but that shark was swimming circles around us. From the size of its fin I would have guessed it was about the size of our floating structure if not longer. The fin got closer. We stopped splashing. I tried lifting my leg out of the water as much as I could. Whatever was underwater nudged our boat very gently several times. ‘Its trying to tip us over?’ I said. But it was too gentle. Is it toying with us? It swam off to circle us again. We continued splashing towards the shore. This time it started swimming to the right of us at a similar pace. I tried to ignore it and keep splashing until something incredible happened. Its’ head surfaced. It had a human face and a human torso. But it was far from human. It was metallic (think silver surfer), it had no eyes and no arms. Its torso was upright. He was just out of arms reach. I just stared at him, mouth gaping and it looked back at me smiling. WTF is this?! I thought to myself.
‘Hello there’ The words were nice enough, but I could read his intention very clearly. He was intending to toy with our lives.
As soon as he finished those words. He went under. The speed with which he disappeared was astonishing given the pace he was swimming at earlier. Seconds later the man behind me was pulled under. He didnt even have time to scream. ‘I am dead’ I think to myself. I look in front of me to continue my seemingly hopeless attempt to escape. The pirate is not there too. ‘I am so dead’ I say to myself. I continue to splash. My feet touches sea floor. I leave the floating structure and start running towards the shore. I dont sense that creature. He let me live?
I look to the shore, and then I slowed down. What is this? There are people walking towards the ocean. They were everywhere. A migration towards a watery grave. They were walking very clumsily and they all had the thousand mile stare. Some stumbled. As I carefully got closer to them I noticed something else. Their flesh was rotting. Great. Zombies in the water. Normally, on land one can outmaneuver slow zombies pretty easily. But I was knee deep in water. They still looked uninterested. We started walking past each other. ‘Ok, I can do this’ I thought to myself. Some started looking at me, but they didnt come after me. I started running to shore. I was zig-zagged around this ‘suicidal’ army of the undead. I was getting closer. I can see houses and buildings. Then I heard something I never expected.
‘I think I’ll take just one bite’. I turn to the source of that voice and to my horror, this zombie had reaced out for me and gabbed me by my shoulder. Self-conscious zombies?! I start wrestling with him. We fall into the water. I felt a very warm sensation. I broke free from him and sprinted to the shore. I was out. But the escape pass wasn’t free. I was bit. If they are anything like tradional zombies I will eventually turn into one of them. But so far, they were nothing like traditional zombies. So I decided to forget about it for now. I decided to warn the others.
I ran through a parking lot into a gigantic supermarket. Right at the door I recognized someone. It was Steve (If you are reading this, yes you, ran-a-ku). You look at me as if you are looking at some stranger you have never seen before.
‘Steve!’ I yell.
'What the hell happened to you?'
I catch my breath. ‘Zombies!’ I manage to blurt out.
'There are zombies outside… we have to get out of here!'
Steve didnt believe a word I said.
'Listen steve, If you see anyone that behaves unusually, he’s a zombie.'
Coincidentally, a person walks in to the store. He wore rags and he walked with a slump.
'Steve look! Thats one!'
Steve stares at him. Then turns back at me with a puzzled look. I am puzzled myself.I take another look at the man. He was just a hobo.
'Listen Steve, just believe me’
Ahmed (Success! Well not in this case) walks in with the smile of ten year old. He is enjoying the food he just bought.
‘Ahmed listen we gotta go’
‘Huh?’
‘We are going’ I shouted. I forced them out of the supermarket and we started walking. I didnt know where we were going, but it didnt matter. As long as it is a far away place.
I walked at a fast pace. Steve and Ahmed were having trouble keeping up. Then a woman blocked my path. She was small, and was wearing a robe and a hijab. But as soon as I looked at the face I knew. It was very grey, as grey as grey crayons get. Zombie. Or perhaps becoming a zombie. You can’t tell because both are conscious. Either way this person was infected. I didnt even hesitate. Hijab or no hijab, I kicked that woman in the stomach. She reeled back a bit, but just stood there. I started walking in another direction. ‘Wash kayina?’ she said in a very gentle voice. What is wrong? She is speaking my language? She knows I am of the same country as her? and, I know that voice. I turn around. I look at her. Through all the grayness and the zombification I started recognizing the features. It hits me very hard. For several reasons. First, I kicked my mother. I felt like I deserved to die. She had instantly forgiven me. I felt worthless. Worst of all, the infection and mark it left on her face. I walked towards her repeating the words mother in arabic each word becoming more distorted than the next. Each one asking for forgiveness, and lamenting the nature of the circumstances. I put my head on her and kept weeping.
THE END
I had to do this. I couldnt study until I got this off my chest.
