Got Beef?

Domingo was intense about cooking. His voice had a range of pitch when he spoke about it. I thought it was clear to assume that this was his passion. I would think he is willing to die for the luxury of food or instead the meals he prepares. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing has yet to be proven.

After eating the food Domingo prepared for us he explained to me that he was going to stow the stovetop and blow out the candles he set up earlier and get himself ready to rest for a little.

"Tomorrow we go to the settlement, right Domingo?" I couldn't help but to ask again.

"Yeah. We will be taking a straight path. I think it's the best way to get you to the settlement as fast as we can".

"Ah- well I appreciate that. In truth I'm pretty nervous about going" I said.

"Well, when we get there I'll take you to the mayors office and leave you there. I would stay but I have a few things to get to but, we can chat again over a meal. Just so we're clear, next time you have to pay" he said.

"Haha- you want me to pay? I don't have a dollar to my name".

"Haha- no Tuesday. All the settlements we've made relationships with don't use dollars anymore. We have agreed to use something that represents resources. The mayor and the office will clue you in, but for now just keep in mind a meal I cook will be pricey. It also won't be a last minute meal like tonight's dinner." He responded.

"This was fine, but I guess that's good to hear" I said.

The talk about this settlement has been talked up, I'm nervous. I hope it lives up to the high expectations. I would like to experience a change of scene with settlements being thrown into the mix of this twisted world, something that resembles the world before the undead walked around.

"There must be a lot of things going on with more than one settlement being brought up, right Domingo? It must be fun to live like normal again".

"Well, right now we're close to an all out war" he said.

"Actually, as the head chef of the settlement I was tasked in discovering resources to feed the warriors on the front lines and making meals that can be eaten anywhere." Domingo continued.

"I'm sorry- So no matter what time or what happens to the world, we are still on the verge of war… even after everything that got us to where we are. It never changes?" I cut him off to say.

"Sometimes yeah, it can't be helped. At least that's what I think. Some of the leaders of these settlements want to see the world burn." He said.

"Well this is unexpected" I said.

Domingo was not wrong. In the previous years leading up to the zombie apocalypse two parts of the world were at war. The north had the ideals of keeping the peace while the south had many reasons to change that. Ultimately neither side won as the first to showcase some sort of military might or new discovery, the other side would do the same to keep the balance in their favor. Eventually the world was in shambles and the countries turned to chemical warfare. What we have now is the result of those actions.

"After everything that got us here, we still have not learned." I said.

"Not in the slightest. One party will always want peace and the other will always want to opposite." said Domingo.

I was hurt to hear this, I thought we left those days behind us. In the years leading to what we have now, I saw the horrors of war. Everyday I would visit the postings of lives lost, I was hurt to see many of the people I talked into publishing their writing lose their life. The food shortage, the collapse of the economy, and the morale of every neighborhood impacted as family was sent off to war. The pain of those days creeped into my mind. I feel like I need to let it go before it becomes a problem again.

"Domingo, I think it's time I went to sleep".

"Yeah, I understand. I'll set the place up for security runs and I'll wake up every other hour. By the way, here is one more thing".

He slid across an object in my direction. It stopped its movement as it hit the toes of my shoes.

"Here, this is an extra sleeping bag. It's got everything you need in there".

The sleeping bag was wrapped around to save space. Although I wanted to put the past behind me and get some rest, I wanted to question our future. I had more questions about what I was walking into.

In respects to Domingo and the situation we find ourselves in this conversation is a tiring topic, not one to be spoken as we're dying for a moment of rest in a gas station fighting for survival.

The sleeping bag was the same as any camping one. It was thick and had a zipper. There was not much else to describe. As I slid myself into the sleeping bag it was warm and soft.

"Domingo, let me know when it's time to move".

"Yeah, no problem".

Although the last conversation topic we shared was still fresh to the both of us, the hospitality Domingo expressed to me washed away the painful memories that were washing up.

I was waiting in silence as I heard Domingo walk back and forth blowing air to what I assume would be the candles he talked about earlier.

As the sounds of my partner walking around grew from muffled stepping into a dull pitch, my mind sat still like waiting for the train to arrive. I pictured myself sitting on a bench with a distant white background. There was only the bench and the distant sounds of a train clicking off rails. The sounds of the train approached slowly and reached the front of me.

"My dreams have arrived to pick me up." I thought as I saw a train park and open it's doors for me to join in on the adventure it's about to take.