Night fell over the City of Mogadishu, Somalia. Somali men and Somali women armed to the teeth patrolled the Rampart, the massive wall which surrounded the metropolis. Along with the cities of Burco, Kismayo and Galkayo, Mogadishu is home to the few million Somali citizens who remain uninfected during the zombie apocalypse. Beyond the wall, out in the desert, hordes of zombies roam, devouring any humans they encounter.
As the Rampart guards watched, the rest of the city slept. The City of Mogadishu is home to two million seven hundred thousand and eighty-six inhabitants. As the zombie apocalypse puts the race of Homo Sapiens on the endangered species list, Mogadishu's significance has increased. Paris, France, and Washington D.C. along with Berlin, Germany, and Lisbon, Portugal are all overrun with the living dead. America, Canada, Germany, France, England and other great world powers have fallen. Contact with Asiatic powers such as China, Pakistan, Japan, India and North Korea indicates they are barely hanging on.
On the continent of Africa, major powers such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Congo are still hanging on. In those nations, the rule of the strong replaced placid democracy during the zombie apocalypse, thus enabling the people to survive. In the Caribbean, the Republic of Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad's policy of isolationism has largely kept them safe from the living dead. For now. Islands aren't completely secure from the zombies. All it takes is one ship full of infected to ruin things.
The zombies have laid siege to the world's nations, both big and small. The Undead aren't going anywhere. The only people making any headway against the living dead are the men and women of Somalia. When America and other world powers fell, Somalia built ramparts around its major cities and mobilized its young men and women into a 'volunteer' force known as the Somali National Army. The Somali National Army's top brass have managed to prevent Somalia from falling to the living dead. For the moment.
General Fatima Said lay in bed, stark naked due to the summer heat. The forty-something African Muslim woman couldn't sleep and if had nothing to do with the summer heat, the mosquitoes, or the fact that she was in charge of defending all of Somalia from the zombies. The General couldn't sleep because Sergeant Amir Aden kept her awake. The well-built, handsome younger man quite simply couldn't get enough of her.
"Hmm, I am exhausted," Fatima Said whispered as she rested in Amir Aden's arms. The younger man grinned and tenderly stroked Fatima's hair, which was sans hijab for a change. Their uniforms were strewn about all over the General's quarters. Aden gently kissed Fatima's forehead. Fatima grinned and kissed Aden, who caressed her supple body. Just like that, they resumed making love. In an age where the dead walk the earth, the living can never take life's moments for granted. Not ever again.
"Now I am tired but in a good way," Aden said, gasping for breath. Fatima smiled, pleased to have worn him out. The two lovers lay in each other's arms, savoring the moment. Like Aden, Fatima has lost friends and family to the zombie apocalypse. The Somali military managed to wall off the major cities and saved millions of Somali lives, but many more perished or got turned into zombies. Tender moments like these allowed these two top soldiers to feel human. The zombie apocalypse was stripping otherwise decent folks of their humanity, and not just through infection.
"Thank you for making me feel alive," Fatima whispered, and Aden nodded. They spent much of the night bantering, discussing day to day things while carefully avoiding discussions of the future. In a normal world, the highest ranking female military officer in Somalia wouldn't be having a torrid affair with a male subordinate. Oh, and the age difference between the two of them would be considered scandalous by both men and women in traditional, patriarchal and Islamic Somalia. The zombie apocalypse was devastating but it was also freeing.
Fatima thought of something which happened the other day. She was in the casern's mess hall, having supper when a familiar silhouette approached her. Fatima was surprised to see her good friend, Captain Cisman Shariff. He approached her with an intent look upon his face. The short, stocky little man recently voiced support for Fatima when she told him about her and Aden. Fatima was pleasantly surprised by Cisman's support. The mustachioed little man smiled and then pulled out an antique cellphone which he kept charged even though most networks had been down for many years. On the screen, Fatima saw Cisman hugging a young Somali man who looked familiar.
"This is my lover Ali Barkhad, he's a farmer, and we've been together two years," Captain Cisman Shariff said proudly. Fatima looked at the picture and smiled. Cisman and Barkhad made a handsome couple. In the nation of Somalia, in spite of rigid Islamic rules and Somali cultural norms, there are gay men, lesbians, bisexual women and bisexual men. There might even be some Somali trans men and Somali trans women out there. The haters and fundamentalists need to let people live their lives and stop hating those who are different. Fatima gently squeezed Cisman's hand and nodded respectfully at him.
