You may be one of them, and if you are you will know instantly after reading what I have to say. I am among the three thousand. I never asked for it, but hell, that's life, you get stuff you don't want and never get anything you actually want.
The first thing about the 3000 is, you will crave drinks more than you crave food. You will eat just enough to survive, but oddly, a refreshing drink will actually beckon your desires more than an entree created by a world-renowned chef. You can even go an entire day without eating and still feel completely fine. Of course, you have limits just like me. That's your survival instincts. The lack of water will kill you quicker than the lack of food. You will always prioritize drinking a glass of water, but when you know you need food you will eat it.
The second thing is, people will naturally want to listen to what you have to say. Even random people on the streets will stop what they are doing when you ask or say anything to them to have a conversation with you for as long as you want. That's also a skill that will help you survive. Finding quick allies is essential for your life for at least the next three months. If you don't really like talking to people, I suggest starting now. Practicing this skill is essential, or you'll be like the shy boy last year. Barely made it two days before getting his midsection sliced opened and littered the sidewalk with his gore.
The third thing is, you could literally disappear the next day and it would hardly matter to anyone. Homeless people seem to be the most prevalent, but there are plenty of people that live their lives under the radar. They work at a mediocre job, they may have a couple of friends but none that they are very close to, and relatives they don't contact much anymore. It's not for survival. It just makes you disposable.
The fourth and last thing may seem a bit contradictory to the first one but stay with me. When you have meat presented to you, hunger strikes you in a way nothing else does. It could just be a terribly cooked sirloin steak, but shit, you enjoy every bite of it. You're not a monster. You will never eat human flesh, but everything else is fine. That's not really a survival skill. It's just the type of people we are.
October 2nd is the date you need to keep in mind if the three things applied to you. On that day, we will all randomly come together to a single location. No one knows about the location except for a guy named Chuck, but he's never shown his face to anyone. I only know his name because I was part of it last year.
I was recently fired from Dairy Queen. I was the manager there, but even managers can't come into the store after hours and drunkenly make smoothies and drink them while lying down on the counter. I may not be the smartest woman in the world, but I managed to do everything on my own. Even when my parents threw me out of the house when I was 16, I managed to work while finishing up the rest of my high school education. I was saving up money to go to college, but, like I said, the type of people we are, we just can't resist a good drink and in turn, cost me my job. My boyfriend, Henry, was the one that recommended we take a little vacation. I was hesitant at first, but he kept telling me I needed a break. I knew he just wanted to get a free vacation, but I ended up giving him what he always wanted. I loved him with all of my heart, but sometimes, it just really felt like I was taking care of a son. He didn't have a job, but he already finished college. We agreed that once he got a job I would be able to go to college while he supported us. Anyways, we decided to go to Myrtle Beach since it was the cheapest option for us. When we got there, I was surprised by how many people were on the beach. We still managed to find a pretty sweet spot by the beach and laid out our mat and relaxed while feeling the cool water occasionally hit our feet.
I don't know when I dozed off, but I woke up to the sound of screaming. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a thick orange smoke surround us. People started dropping like flies, and as the smoke came closer to me, I closed my eyes, covered my nose, and stayed completely still. A couple of seconds later, I felt Henry's body collapse next to me. When I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I reluctantly gasped for air. The second the smoke entered my lungs, it felt like my entire body was on fire. I collapsed on the ground and the last thing that went through my mind before blacking out was, "I'm going to die."
