World War Z Interviews Gerry Lane

  Location: A dimly lit room in a secure facility. The world is still recovering from the chaos of the Zombie War. Max Brooks, author of World War Z, sits across from Jerry Lane, the former U.N. investigator turned hero. Their conversation takes a surprising turn as Jerry recounts his unlikely service alongside the infamous Ivan Drago during the Battle of Moscow.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): Gerry, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. You've been through quite a lot, and the world has changed in ways no one could have predicted. I want to take you back to a part of your story that doesn't get told often—the time you spent in the conscript battalion during the war, particularly the Battle of Moscow. We've heard whispers about it, but no one really knows the full story. You served alongside Ivan Drago, didn't you?

Gerry Lane: [Chuckles darkly] Yeah, that's right. Drago. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be fighting alongside someone like him. The whole situation in Moscow... it was a nightmare, even by Zombie War standards. I guess, in a way, I should thank the Russian government for conscripting me. They were in a bind, and they needed every able body, especially in the desperate days when the city was about to fall.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Leans forward, intrigued] How did you end up in that battalion, though? You weren't exactly a soldier, Gerry. You were a U.N. investigator, right? You were supposed to be out there finding solutions, not holding a rifle in the trenches.

Gerry Lane: [Pauses, eyes distant as he remembers] You're right. That wasn't my world. But when the war hit, the U.N. didn't have the resources to handle a pandemic of this scale. We needed boots on the ground, and the Russian military, well, they were scrambling. By that point, Moscow was already under siege. The government had to make tough calls—mobilizing whatever they could.

When I got to Moscow, they threw me into a conscript battalion with no choice in the matter. They were desperate for people who could follow orders and put up a fight, even if they had no combat training. Ivan Drago... well, he was already there. They called it a "penal battalion" at first, but once the fighting started, it didn't matter where you came from. You just fought, or you died.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Raises an eyebrow] Ivan Drago, huh? I can't imagine what that must've been like, working with someone with his reputation. He was a hero in the Soviet Union, then fell from grace. What was he like in the trenches?

Gerry Lane: [Laughs, shaking his head] Drago wasn't some washed-up soldier. The guy's a machine. I'm not exaggerating. I've seen men break under pressure, seen the fear in their eyes when the zombies came swarming in. Drago? He was different. When the zombies hit the walls of Moscow, he was already there, on the front lines, just tearing through them.

At first, it felt like he was using the war as a way to redeem himself. In his mind, he wasn't just fighting for Russia, he was fighting for something more. It was almost like he had something to prove—not just to his country, but to himself. I couldn't help but respect him for that. But there was always this coldness to him, like he was some weapon that had been reprogrammed. The guy didn't care about camaraderie. He cared about survival, and about finishing what he started.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Nods, writing notes] So, you fought alongside Drago in the Battle of Moscow. What was that battle like? You mentioned the walls—was it as chaotic as the reports made it sound?

Gerry Lane: [His face hardens as the memories resurface] More chaotic than anyone can imagine. The zombies, they moved in waves—like an endless flood, just overwhelming everything in their path. They were fast, too fast. We'd set up barricades, fortified buildings, tried everything, but it wasn't enough. Moscow's defenses were crumbling. I remember standing there in Red Square, watching the city burn, hearing the sounds of combat echoing in the streets. It felt like the end of everything.

The conscript battalion, we weren't elite soldiers. We were just men—scared, confused, doing what we could to survive. But Drago? He didn't flinch. While everyone else was trying to hold back the tide, he was out there cutting through the hordes like it was a training session. The man was unstoppable. His sheer presence was enough to inspire those around him. He didn't talk much, but you knew when he was near.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Leaning in] I've heard rumors that Drago didn't just fight the zombies, he fought the Russian military commanders as well. Is that true? Did he clash with the leadership?

Gerry Lane: [Nods slowly] Oh, absolutely. Drago had this... arrogance about him. He wasn't one to follow orders without question. The Russian commanders didn't like it, but they needed him. The guy was a force of nature. He didn't give a damn about military strategy or whatever "official" tactics were in place. He just fought. And when they gave him an objective, he'd take it and complete it, but on his terms.

There was one moment—right before the final push, when Moscow's last defenses were about to collapse. The Russian command told us to hold the barricade near the Kremlin, but Drago saw an opening and just went for it—he broke through, leading a small group of us into the heart of the zombie swarm. It wasn't exactly "by the book," but we ended up turning the tide.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Eyes widening, scribbling in his notebook] You went into the heart of the swarm? That's insane.

Gerry Lane: [Shrugs] Insane is putting it mildly. But Drago, he was the kind of guy who didn't care about the odds. He was a wrecking ball, and when we followed him, we made it through, somehow. It was a brutal, bloody push, but it worked. We took out enough of the zombies in that area that the Russian forces were able to regroup and reinforce the city. It wasn't a victory, but it was a reprieve.

That was the Battle of Moscow, for me. It wasn't about glory. It was about survival—and surviving alongside someone like Drago made it feel... almost possible.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Pauses, looking reflective] So, after everything you went through together, do you think Drago ever found redemption, or was he just another soldier doing his job?

Gerry Lane: [Sighs deeply] Redemption? I don't know. I think Drago was beyond that. He wasn't fighting for glory, for honor, or for redemption. He was fighting because it was the only thing he knew how to do. Maybe the only thing he ever had left. In the end, I don't think it mattered whether the world called him a hero or a monster. He just fought.

Max Brooks (Interviewer): [Nods thoughtfully] You've seen the worst of humanity, Gerry, and still lived to tell the tale. The Battle of Moscow, your time in that battalion with Drago—it's a part of history now, a story that will never be forgotten.

Gerry Lane: [Looking down, voice quiet] Some stories should be forgotten. But yeah, that one... that one's for the history books.