Welcome to Paradise // Billie Joe Armstrong // #Wattys2017

Going to Pasalaqua

I look up from the map Billie's holding and stare right at an old building, that's situated in a back street slum. The brick wall has cracks running through it and is covered in ivy for the most part, covering up the graffiti underneath it. The name board above the blue door is rusted, making it impossible to read what it says.

"This is the place" Billie nods slowly, folding the map and shoving it in his back pocket. I look at him and study his face, that carries a concerning look. He bites his lip nervously, all of it giving me the impression he's just as unsure of finding Mike, Tre and Adrienne in here as I am.

An unconscious part of me wants them to be somewhere else, giving me more time with Billie. I know that once the little bubble I'm in splashes open, I will fall to the floor, and the consequences of that drop are something I rather leave somewhere in the black spot of my mind. I try to brush it off, so what Billie cares about me? He loves Adrienne. He doesn't love me, nor will he ever. The kiss we shared was great beyond words, but it had just been the heat of the moment. Nothing more than that.

"Let's go" I say, already pacing over to the alley. Billie follows behind me, while shouting at me to wait for him. I reach the back and take in the environment. Some of the ivy from the wall has intertwined itself with the blue dumpster, that's just as worn out as the rest of the building. I'm really starting to dig the post-apocalyptic vibe that's around these days.

Billie has caught up with me and climbs on top of the dumpster, reaching out his hand for me to grab. I crouch next to him, the container below us squeaking at the weight of the both of us sitting on it. "Next time you wait for me, there could've been walkers in here" Billie warns me, to which I chuckle.

"What?" he laughs, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"I can handle myself, dad" I joke at him. Billie laughs as he rolls his eyes. He carefully opens the little window and glares inside the bar. "I don't hear anything, let's get inside" he says, climbing down. I follow after and we soon find ourselves on the inside of the building, that's just as torn up as the outside.

I immediately sense the smell of yeast, that complements the vibrations the room is sending. Wallpaper is ripped off the plastered walls for most part, revealing a bit of the brick texture. A matrass containing a blanket and two dirty pillows is placed in the back. Next to it are empty cans and water bottles. All the signs of human presence are present in this room. Except for the people themselves.

Billie, in the meantime, has disappeared into the back room. As I walk inside, I notice that it holds the same moldy atmosphere as the bar itself. More cans are spread out on the floor and here also, is a dirty matrass, with Billie sitting on it. His hands are wrapped around his knees, the concerning look on his face intensified. "They're not here" he sighs.

"Well, they definitely have been" I silently shush, taking place next to him. We sit in silence for a while. I play with an empty can, rolling it back and forth with my foot until my eye falls on a small object in the other end of the room. I get up to check it out, receiving questioning looks from Billie behind me.

The object I'm holding is a wooden stick, it's end covered in a red, hardened substance. It reminds me of my pen. "Watcha got there?" Billie asks. I sit back on the matrass as I hand him over the stick. His eyes travel across it until they meet mine.

"Oh, shit" he speaks, his green orbs widening into big circles.

-----

Adrienne and I completely froze in our steps, our body's so tense it was near impossible for us to move. It was hard to believe we saw what we thought was in front of us, so I looked over at her, confirming she thought the same as I did. Her facial expression screamed pure terror, her eyes widened, lips slightly parted.

I felt like I had to do something, but I was nailed to the ground. The strength my vocal chords once held was wiped away at the sight of what was standing in front of me. Addy, being as brave as she always was, called out for Mike and Tre. I sent her a thankful look.

To my relief, the boys came storming into the bar from the back room. Tre held a wooden stick and approached the whatever-it-was in front of us. He clutched onto it tightly and slammed it into Its head. Blood sprung free and landed all across the bar, making Addy behind me gasp.

"Dude!?" I yelled out, taking a step back and covering Addy behind me protectively. Tre threw the stick onto the bar and walked over at me, along with Mike. "A fucking zombie-apocalypse broke out!" he yelled excitedly. I cocked an eyebrow at him and looked over at Mike for endorsement. Mike nodded silently.

The four of us exchanged looks until I let out a relieving chuckle, with a little bit of a nervous undertone. "I'm so glad to see you nutheads" I laughed as I pulled the both of them in for a hug.

"So, here we are" Mike spoke. "Here we are indeed" I answered, nodding slowly. "This is all really confusing, care to inform us?"

"Let's go to the back, we'll tell you all we know" Tre said, and the four of us found ourselves to the other room, where a matrass was placed in the corner. We sat down in a circle, where Mike filled us in on what had happened.

He and Tre had decided to spent the night in the bar, since coming home drunk wouldn't have been the best of idea's. when they awoke the morning after, with as much of a headache as I had had, everybody on the streets had been going insane.

There had been nothing left of the world as we had once known it and the government was falling apart. People bit each other, tore on each other's flesh, oblivious of their own behavior. Tre for one, had been very excited about the whole happening. Mike on the other hand, being the wise one, not so much.

A bit forced, he had managed to get Tre back in the bar, where they stayed until Adrienne and I arrived. We then told them what we had heard on the news this morning, and with that, the four of us knew as little as anyone else in the world did. And also as much as anyone ever would.