Dear Reader,

What a crappy way to start the writings of the history regarding Zealandia and the fall of man. It could be worse. I could have started with “Dear Diary” or “This begins the history of Zealandia” Oh well, it is started and I guess are curious about who I am. I am James. I am the father and husband of EMI the creator of Zealandia. Before you get creeped out by that statement, I am not actually her father. More like an accidental creator. I will go into details about it later, otherwise, you will just be confused; trust me.

   I used to be you typical slave-wage company man earning way below his worth in a highly stressful company job in marketing fulfillment. I tried hard not to make waves, but as I think back on it most thought that meant I was weak and easy to use. I didn’t need the job, it just kept me busy until I could spend time with my wife, Susan. She made 14 times the amount I did working for the government researching stuff. I asked many times what exactly she did. She smiled and replied, “If I told you, I would have to kill you.”. I eventually gave up asking after our first year of marriage. Our marriage certainly wasn’t easy. When we got engaged my dad had disowned me because she wasn’t Christian. He was never happy with anyone I dated. He would always find something wrong with everyone, “Tattoos are the mark of the Devil.” and “Tongue piercings are the sign of a whore.” were some of the best excuses he came up with. When he threatened to cut me out of the will, I told him to go fuck himself and never looked back. (I really don’t know if it is proper to say ‘fuck’ in a historical document, but I think accuracy is more important than politeness).

The real betrayal was from my best friend at the time, Paul. After telling him I was going to propose, he told me that if I did he would never respect me anymore. Apparently the fact that Susan made so much really rubbed him the wrong way. I was so shock and betrayed to find out, Paul’s real feeling that I broke off our friendship and never looked back. Susan never found out the whole story but I think that she had an idea about what happened between us. I still think I made the right choice and would never take it back. I think it helped our marriage last for the next three years. It wasn’t easy, we fought some and loved each other more. We spent time learning about each other’s dreams and hopes. I learned that she wanted to change the world by breaking the bonds of death and that most of the time she does something that excites her, she really doesn’t think about how it can go wrong. She learned how I was a depraved beast in bed and that I had trust issues.

Every night I stayed up waiting for her to come home with takeout being warmed in the kitchen. She would always walk in throw her keys into the crystal dish by the door and smile at me with those deep hazel eyes, I would smile back hug her and run my hands through her jet black hair. After holding the moment I would follow her into the kitchen always comment on how beautiful she is. It would always make her giggle when I did that. I was glad that she knew how much I cared for her. And after the Mandarin lessons she has been giving me, I have more ways to express it (She actually taught me Mandarin so I would know what her parents are saying behind me back. They called me the prized cow when they think Susan isn’t listening). For three years we have been a very happy married couple, or so I thought, which brings us to the beginning of the end that I mentioned before this long tangent.

I was at work in my small cubical doing things that a trapped cubicle monkey would do. This time I was in rapture staring at the clock. I took a half day and I was excited to get out of there. It was my third anniversary and I was going to give my sweet Susan a surprise that she would never expect. Within the first weeks of marriage, I tried cooking for her. It was a disaster, she ended up being hospitalized 2 hours later and getting her stomach pumped because she ate poison. How was I supposed to know that peach almonds contained arsenic? Since then, I never touched the kitchen with the exception of keeping takeout warm. This has always bothered me and left a sour wound in my mind, I decided that I needed to overcome this and I spent the last month learning how to cook from a professional. I got the hang of it and learned how to make my own dishes. All I needed to do now was to get out of this hell hole, get lunch, get the fresh ingredients, and get home. I looked at the clock and saw that it was finally noon. I grabbed my stuff and rushed out. If I had known that this would be the last time I saw these guys, I would have at least said goodbye, but I am getting ahead of myself.

After I grabbed those items, I drove home. Instead of using the garage, I parked in the entrance driveway. Yes, my home has a separate driveway for guests. I live in a very large Tudor with eight rooms. I loved that house. It was my sanctuary against the world. I do have to admit that it was a little large for our needs and wants but it was really cheap at the time we bought it. Once I parked the car, I grabbed the mail and entered the door. I placed my keys in the crystal dish by the door and turned left towards the kitchen.

After placing the bags on the island counter, I proceeded to organize the mail. After reading the third letter, I was stunned to silence by a feminine cry of ecstasy coming from the bedroom. A cheeky grin crept across my face as I realized that the cries were from Susan. I thought that I was going to get a chance to celebrate now and after dinner. I proceeded to sneak over towards the bedroom. The door was open partially as I maneuvered my face to peek in. The first thing I saw was Susan’s head. She was on her back positioned sideways on the bed. I thought it was strange because she usually had her head against the headboard when she normally masturbated Then shock jolted my brain. Both of her hands were supporting her neck. I adjusted my view to see a redheaded woman between her legs. I focused more on the unfamiliar site and recognized her voice as she teased my wife. It was her secretary! I heard that voice almost every other day on speakerphone. Is this why she was out late for the past year? I shifted my hips as I discovered how tight my pants had become. I was aroused! I can’t blame myself it was a hidden fantasy of mine to have a threesome with a beautiful redhead and my Asian wife. But this was more painful than the movie led me to believe. My heart fell into my stomach and shame flooded my chest as I turned away. Shame for seeing such a personal act and getting turned on. I walked towards to front door going faster with every step. I grabbed the keys violently and knocked the crystal dish over. I turned back to watch it shatter as thought about how my heart shattered as well. Anger flooded me as I threw open the door got back into my car and started it. I saw the silhouette of my wife at the open door as I threw the car into gear and hit the accelerator.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I turned onto the highway and accelerated as fast as I could. My vision was blurred by my anger and tears. My throat became a lava bed of heat and burning from holding back the tears as best as I could. About halfway down the on-ramp, my back pocket vibrated. I pulled it out and saw the image of Susan on the screen. I lost it and bawled like a toddler with a stubbed toe. My nose began to run as freely as my eyes. I tossed the phone out of to open window and turned to look at the road. I saw a landscaping truck in front of me was stopped at the traffic meter. I slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel to the left. The car went sideways and slide towards the truck. The car almost flipped twice as I saw the steel support beam extending from the landscaping truck’s bed come closer to me. It seconds past, but time seemed to slow down as I thought about my now shitty life. I closed my eyes and sucked in a quick breath bracing for the impact. Instead, I heard a metallic crunch and the sickening sound of meat rendering. I tried opening my eyes but my vision was blacked out and then I passed out.

Pain was all I felt when I finally came too. I stared at the dash clock trying to figure out how long I was out. The number kept vibrating so I was unable to read them. The pain never stopped and almost kept me from recognizing the sound of heavy machinery in the background. I felt something shift in my stomach and the pain exploded. I looked down and saw what appeared to be a steel beam sticking out of my gut and going through the steering column. The pain increased even more as a moan of sheer agony escaped my lips. I heard someone outside of the car yell “Wait!”. Then the noise and vibration stopped. A head poked in the car and I saw a man in a police uniform looking at me. “Hey buddy, I am sorry for the pain but we need to cut you out of the car. Once we have, we can then get you to a hospital. I need you to hang in there for another minute.” I looked at the officer and nodded with a weak smile. He turned and yelled, “Start her up again!” The noise came back as well as the pain. I could get a breath deep enough to scream. I assume that is why I passed out again.

When I woke up, I saw a white wall with medical devices lined along it. I tried to take a deep breath but was only able to slightly inhale. I started to panic. What was keeping me from breathing?! I looked around and discovered that I was on my side. I felt cold gloved fingers touching my back. I saw hard on my legs but couldn’t feel them. The steel beam was still sticking out of my gut. It was only a foot now and it was jiggling, panic rose to a new level as I tried to scream. Only a short whimper eased out of my lips. I heard a voice, “James, I need you to calm down and listen to me. This beam is preventing your diaphragm from expanding enough to breathe. We need to take it out quickly. I am not sure how much damage it has done and I can’t risk taking the time to test you. Please stay calm as I remove this. Nurse, brace him.” I felt more hands on my shoulders and back. The beam wiggled even more and started to shrink from my vision as it sank into my stomach. Panic filled my mind, and my abdomen clenched. The beam stopped as the muscles tightened around it. I then felt a new hand on my back, a sharp stab of pain and immense pressure as the beam sunk into my stomach with rapid speed. The pressure then released and I took what felt to be the largest breath I was able to take. I heard the doctor yell for clamps. My vision blacked. Stars started twinkling in my peripheral vision and I let the coldness consumed me as the stars faded to black.

I woke up again with blurry vision. I had some clear plastic over my nose and mouth and didn’t have the strength to lift my arms. I tried to move my legs and found complete failure in the task. I thought I was restrained as panic started to rise again. I heard someone step close to me and speak. I push my feelings to side as I focused on the words. “Mrs. Wagner (Oh, I forgot to tell you that my name is James Wagner. Sorry I am scatterbrained when I am dealing with emotional events.), I have some bad news. Your husband received a lot of damage from that steel beam. The least of the injuries is a perforated stomach and a half of his liver missing. The major issue is the fact that his L3 and L4 Vertebrae have been completely removed from his body severing his spinal cord. The fact that his is still breathing is a miracle in itself. I am sorry to say this but we don’t expect him to last another hour.” Crying erupted from around my feet and Susan wept screaming how this was all her fault. I agreed but also blamed the secretary. It was about that time I heard the secretary ask the doctor to give them time alone to say their goodbyes.There was a pause in talking as I heard steps and a door close. Susan broke the silence, “Did you bring the nanites?” I heard a pause and assumed she nodded to Susan. “Good, give them to me. This is all my fault and I *sniff* need to make it right.” I was really confused about what she was talking about when the secretary asked, “Are you sure this will work? I love him, don’t want him to suffer, and I don’t want this to point back to us.”

They were going to kill me. What the fuck is wrong with this world? I felt a prick on my next followed by a huge rush of pressure. I wondered what they were going to put on my coffin, “Here lies James Wagner. Faithful to a cheating bitch.” My thoughts we cut off as my heart began to race. Burning pains erupted from my neck and spread to the rest of the body. I heard, “We must do this, I am not ready to lose him. Once he is in stasis, we will steal him from the morgue.” I was shocked in the secretary’s reply, “I don’t think I can take losing either of you. I wanted to surprise him as well today. I am equally at fault also that we got too excited. I am committed to the plan.” The beeping of the medical machines began to race faster and faster until there was a solid beep and then, *sigh* I died.