I had a dream that I lived in a society that was tightly controlled by a strict hierarchy. It was necessary for our survival, which was effected on meager resources. I was a part of “red team”. I was taught from birth to fight “blue team” for control of their resources. Likewise, they were taught to fight us. Our lives consisted of warfare.

We lived in a small, confined area, surrounded by a barbed-wire fence. The only thing that was more deeply trained into us than our fight with blue team was the proscription against approaching the fence. Why? Zombies! The world had been overrun by zombies, and inside the fence were the only living humans. That’s why things were so tough for us.

But one day, I was on a raid against blue team. I was part of a jeep team, each with mounted machine guns, and we were supposed to give cover for our infantry. The jeeps set out, but I turned mine. I didn’t want to die in gunfire. I had had enough of our society and its warlike ways. I started driving my jeep towards the fence! I didn’t care what I would meet there, I only wanted to get away.

My radio, of course, came alive with exhortations to stop, to turn around, to rejoin the fight. I ignored the radio.

Both sides of the battle agreed that my escape was of more urgency than the fight. Both red and blue team set out in pursuit. So great was my crime that I was not to be taken prisoner. They had no hope of reform for me. If somebody was so lost as to break society’s #1 rule and approach the fence, then they were clearly lost to all of society’s rules. I clearly was of no use to the hierarchy, and could never be trusted again under any circumstances. My approach to the fence was a danger to everybody, not just red team.

So both armies united to kill me. But I had a good head start. I drove like crazy, taking huge risks and nearly turning my jeep over, just to stay one step ahead of the pursuing armies. I had no idea what I would do when I reached the fence, but it didn’t matter to me. I had made my decision, and there was no turning back.

Finally, I had run out of room. I was at the fence. The armies would catch up with me. I wheeled around and brought my machine guns to bear. I would stay alive as long as I could. I began to fire on my pursuers. They began to fire on me. But quickly, their fire died off. They had all stopped, and were staring and gawking behind me, even to the point that I was shooting them down with impunity.

My panic subsided and I felt safe enough that I wouldn’t be shot, that I decided to look behind me and see what it was that they saw.

A thriving industrial society on the other side of the fence! Not a dead wasteland filled with roaming zombies. A factory, a busy road. Live humans! Everything we fought and died for was a lie. Red team, blue team, the struggle for survival. The hierarchy. None of it was necessary. It was an absurd comedy.

We threw down our weapons and tore through the fence and walked through to rejoin the rest of the human race.