Chapter XII

In Summary…

And so it is. After three years of wandering and researching I end my journey with more questions than answers. I have gained a great deal of insight, but I find that it is all lacking with the bigger questions going unanswered. I have a wealth of testimony but little in the way of concrete evidence. Dante's place of origin, the object of his quest, and even his death are still shrouded in an impenetrable cloud of mystery.

It has become obvious that we may never have those answers. The deepest secrets of one of the war's greatest heroes remain kept. While I cannot say that I am fully content with the result of my labors I can say that I am not fully disappointed. Dante's story has been compiled and, if you're reading this, my submission has been accepted, duplicated, and distributed. A record of the work of this great man will live on, forever. To Mr. Cortez' "independent and self-sufficient society"; read this and know what faith, compassion, and unity can bring. If there is anything to be learned from the chronicles of Dante it is that a man is less his origins and more the sum of his deeds.

So who was Dante? I've asked that question of others. Now it is my turn to provide an answer. Dante was a man from a place of anonymity who, for all intents and purposes, came into being during World War Z. In mankind's darkest hours he was a wanderer, a warrior, a protector, and a friend. Even in the arguable narcissistic pursuit of his obsession he found the time to fight alongside and for those who could not fight alone. Dante was a man tortured by a mysterious demon-like purpose that possessed him to roam the infected American landscape and wade through undead horror in search of an unknown prize.

In his quest he made countless friends and left an almost tangible imprint on those he met. Whether alone or with allies by his side, he managed to do tremendous good in a time when no good deed went unpunished and the wages of bravery and courage could have meant a fate worse than death. He was the physical embodiment of man's capacity for greatness, honor personified. He was the man. He was the myth. He was the legend. Ultimately it does not matter whether he lived through or died during the Battle of Winston. What matters to everyone who knew him and even to those who knew him not is quite simply that he lived.