I’d Drink... If I Could Find a Bar

I woke up this morning to find that Allyson wasn’t lying next to me. I thought she might have ventured out to see if she could find some food or something. I was angry that she would have been so stupid to go outside. Then I noticed a note addressed to me sitting on my keyboard. It was from her. She said she’s gotten fed up with me just sitting at my computer. She can’t stand being cooped up in here not doing anything, and she can no longer stand the fact that I’m not trying to help us get out of here. That’s not true though! I’ve been looking up important information and trying to find someone to help us. It’s not like I’m sitting around all day reading celebrity gossip! I want to tell her that so she’ll understand.

I should’ve told her that.

It’s too late for regrets. She’s gone now, probably off to find a way out of Kijuju. Now that I think about it, she kept asking me about the mine and any underground passages it might have. I told her everything she wanted to know, not questioning why she wanted me to tell her about that stuff. Things had been tense lately, and we’ve been arguing a lot, so I was happy just to have a night without any fighting. I had no clue she was going to do something like this...

Why would she leave me? She was safe here. I was here. She was better off here with me, but now she’s out there on her own. I want to go out and find her – bring her back. I’m torn. I want to go and find her, but I can’t bring myself to go outside. I know I’ll be killed if I do. I hate myself for giving in to my fears, but my fear is stronger than any sadness. I pray that she makes it back to me OK. It’s all I can do.

If there’s anyone out there that can help her, please, do it! Tell her to come back to me! I will protect her.

The army is here. I thought help was here at last, but all they did was hastily erect a wall to keep us all trapped inside this hellhole. They patrol the outside perimeter, automatic firearms in hand. They’re not going to let us out. They have no problem with letting people into Kijuju, but anyone who even thinks about climbing over that wall... well, may they rest in peace. They’re not here to help us; they’re here to contain us. They hope they can just trap us inside and watch us destroy ourselves.

I can’t even look outside my window anymore, let alone bring up the courage to venture outside. I still know what’s going on. I know because the blood-curdling screams of victims being murdered ring in my ears every day. Then I hear the cheers of that wild mob, and I know another one of us – a human – has been lost. I try to block out those sounds, the kind where you know flesh is being ripped apart and bones are being crushed. They chill me to the very core!

And the army doesn’t do a damn thing. They just stand guard outside their wall hoping we stop being a problem for them. I can’t trust the government anymore.

Please, if you’re reading this, don’t give me any more advice. Help me! Tell anyone you know who works for a newspaper or something to report on the madness here. You have to get the word out! If you know someone who has a friend who works for some government agency, tell them! Let them know that there are still good people in Kijuju – people who need to be rescued! We need help now! Send the army, the air force, or even N.A.S.A.! Please, if you’ve ever felt anything for your fellow man, now is the time to act! Please!

My World Is Crashing Down around Me

For those of you keeping track, Allyson has been living with me for the past week. And while I should be dancing in the streets for joy, it’s actually been just one nightmare after another. Everything you are about to read is true, as horrific as it may sound. And no, the fact that I’m making this post on Friday the 13th is not lost on me.

They were building some type of scaffolding/platform in the assembly place where the man with the sunglasses and megaphone delivers hate-filled tirades almost daily. I couldn’t figure out what it was for until one day they dragged one of us up there. (When I say “they,” I’m talking about anyone in Kijuju who has the crazed look of a rabid wolverine in their eyes. “Us” refers to anyone like me who still thinks, looks, and acts like a normal person, someone who is just confused by the madness gripping Kijuju.) That poor man; he struggled to free himself from the horde as they dragged him to the top of the scaffolding. Two men held him down at the top, and then the largest mountain of a man I’ve ever seen walks up out of nowhere carrying an ax the size of a small car! He had a black sack or hood covering his head, and just looking at him filled me with dread. I felt my legs go weak. I knew by the pit in my stomach what that ax was for. This was an execution. I turned away from the scene just as that giant beast started to swing his ax into the air. There was a moment of silence (maybe I imagined it), and then a hard THUD. I knew it was over when I heard the mob’s wild shouts start up again. I looked back and saw the decapitated head roll down to the bottom of the scaffolding. At that point my legs gave out and I just collapsed on the floor. Allyson ran over to me. She tried to look outside to see what had given me such a fright, but I pulled her away from the window. There’s no need for her to see that.

When I have dared to venture outside, usually after the mob in the square has dispersed, the only people I see are “them.” They walk listlessly, without much vigor, but their eyes... their eyes are filled with what I can only describe as rage. They stare me down something fierce every time I pass them. I can feel them drilling holes into the back of my head. Everywhere I go, I know their eyes are on me. That’s why I tell Allyson to stay indoors as much as possible. It’s not safe for her.

The people are no longer the only oddities around here. Every other wall is covered with graffiti, usually the same one or two words written over and over again. Animal corpses that have been savagely ripped apart are so common that it’s become impossible to walk without tripping over a rotting carcass. I’m pretty sure that some of the body parts I’ve seen were human, but I didn’t want to get close enough to find out.

One day I saw someone being dragged behind a building. He was struggling to escape, but the man who was dragging him was too powerful. I half wanted to know what was going on, half wanted to just ignore it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I carefully made my way toward the alley where the two men disappeared. When will I learn to stop letting my curiosity get the better of me? There was blood all over the walls and it looked like the stronger man was eating the weaker one. I’m not sure if that‘s what I saw, but it looked like his head was wrapped around the other man’s. I just ran from there as fast as I could.

I saw a group of people kicking something in a large burlap sack, just like the ones that they set on fire a few weeks back. When I passed near them, they stopped kicking it and just stared me down. I could have sworn the sack was moving. Was there some kind of animal in there... or was it a human?

I also saw someone throw a human corpse down a well. Then there’s this crazy guy running a food stall who just waved his carving knife around wildly. It looked like he was selling intestines or some paste-like substance. I almost vomited in my mouth when I saw it.

The weirdest thing I've laid eyes upon recently has to be the dog I saw with some leeches or tentacles on his face. I don't know if it was sick or had gotten infected by a parasite, but it was the strangest thing I've ever seen. When the dog looked at it me, it growled, and all the tentacles stood on end before it ran off. Don't ask me to explain it, because I don't know what it was.

As I type this they’re dragging another one of us up the scaffolding. What the hell is wrong with this place!? What the hell is going on!? If there’s anyone out there who can help me and Allyson, please come and save us! Anyone! Please hurry!

A Welcome Surprise

There was a furious pounding at my door that gave me such a start I almost dropped my glass of whiskey. Thankfully my quick reflexes spared me from any unfortunate loss. I wasn’t sure if I should open the door or not. I don’t want to say that I feared for my life at this point, but given the general state of craziness in Kijuju, one can never be too careful. To be sure, I was wary of opening up the door, but my curiosity eventually got the better of me – again.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the door. It was Allyson! She looked haggard, like she hadn’t slept in a week, but I didn’t care because she’s still my princess. I hurried her into the room and sat her down and gave her a watered down whiskey to calm her nerves. I couldn’t follow what she was saying exactly because I was happy just to have her back. To the best of my understanding she wasn’t able to find her boyfriend, and that the hotel she was staying at came under attack by locals shouting anti-foreigner slogans. Some people were dragged into the street and disappeared into the sea of hands of an angry mob. What became of them is anyone’s guess. Allyson was able to sneak away and she made a bee line for my place. Since I was born in this country she thought it’d be safer here than back at her hotel. I couldn’t fault her logic, but even I don’t feel safe here anymore.

Allyson’s been staying with me ever since, so I can’t say the current situation in Kijuju is all that bad. : ) Unfortunately, she gets jumpy every time that guy with the megaphone starts up with one of his rants. There’s just no end to them. Every day more and more people come to listen to him. No, that’s not true. They come to act like a drunken biker gang at a rock concert.

What is wrong with this place?