The Aftermath of the Z PeriodIts been nine months since the last known Z was killed. I dont think we could quite say life is getting back to normal, but its definitely more normal than its been for the last couple of years. Families have been regrouping, towns are being rebuilt and trust is reforming around communities where it was torn down. Some days its almost possible to forget the terror that surrounded our lives for so long, but then youll pass the old burn piles on the side of highways. The military was in such disarray that they took to burning the Zs just off the roads in the open. Luckily, we discovered after the fact that burning them killed the virus that first killed them. Doesnt that sound confusing? A kill after the kill.

Throughout the Z-Period, I connected with many people in different situations. One of the most memorable would be Jane Smith. I met Jane at one of the safe zones in West Jordan, Oquirrh Elementary School. She was the mother of a 2nd grader and given the situation, was quit calm. We worked closely together while locking down the school and that gave us the opportunity to share stories and compare our mental notes.

Jane was picking up her daughter from school when she received the text alert that Oquirrh Elementary School sent out to each of the parents:

Attention Parents & Guardians: This is an emergency alert! All students must be retrieved at once. Volunteers needed at the school

It was almost as though they didnt know what to do Jane had told me. The message was vague, thank god I was down the block when I received it because they started shutting down the roads around the school and half the students couldnt be picked up, the other half headed home couldnt get home. It was a mess! That is what happened. Pure chaos all at once. It was all over the news for so long that the Zs were moving in and most people were living in doubt, thinking that the news was blowing it out of proportion because how many people in this country, in this state, think that terror is going to come knocking on our door? So while we were prepared, we werent prepared for this large scale of disaster.You know, Ive never been so thankful for my divorce than I am now. My ex lives in Florida and for now its safe there so I dont have to worry. Its just me and my daughter and shes with me now so I couldnt ask for anything else. Other than no Zs. Jane told me about her family situation. She didnt have a family. She was an only child and her parents passed away when she was in high school. She went on to say she lived with friends until she graduated and that she had never been more grateful for that than now as she didnt have to worry about anyone else.Jane and I worked together for several days. Luckily, aside from a few stragglers, the Zs didnt make it to the elementary school. After securing the school and moving fencing around the exits and entrances, it was utilized as a safe zone and temporary shelter to those who were displaced.After my stint at the elementary school, I moved closer to the eye of the storm, downtown Salt Lake City. It was there where it was a scene almost from the most recent Baltimore riots except worse. Most of the convenient stores had been burned out. Either from looters or from people burning the Zs that were trapped inside. Its awful to say that even some innocent people were likely killed. There were people crazy enough to leave one innocent person trapped if there were too many Zs to risk saving them. I spoke with Mark Cowell, a tourist visiting from the UK, who saw that very thing happen.It was bloody crazy! I was in the market when some man started screaming that there was a Z in the store. Everyone started running for the exits but thats when we realized that there was more than just one. There were dozens. A few people fell but I got out and they were barricading the door from the outside when we saw there was a person in the back. Not a Z, a real person! It was too late though. We couldnt let the Zs out. Im still hoping that person somehow made it out from the back.

It was almost like humanity was gone when we were trying to save humanity. Now as we are building life back up again, its stories like these that have kept me going. The Marks and the Janes who saw everything first hand and shared with me so I can share with the rest of the world so we can do what we can to prevent this from happening again. As I mentioned, the last known Z was killed, but we cant speak to the unknown.

Works CitedBerlinger, Joshua. Baltimore Riots: A Timeline. 28 April 2015. 28 April 2015 .

Macey, Maegen, Jofre, and Molly. Oquirrh Elementary School Zombie Survival Guide. Rep. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

"Oquirrh Elementary." Oquirrh Elementary | West Jordan, UT. Jordan School District, n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.