The Z-Day Trilogy (Book 4): Zombie World

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  The sermon was interrupted by more pounding on the doors and the sound of cracking wood. The preacher ignored it and continued. “She couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t find her way in the darkness. She heard the voice again. She moved around the room, but couldn’t find the source of the voice. She forgot all about why she was there in the first place. She thought for a moment that maybe the darkness was playing tricks on her.”

  The pounding was more consistent and the doors shook violently. The preacher stared at them for a moment and then wiped beads of sweat from his brow. “She knew the voice had to be coming from somewhere in the darkness. She shone her light on an opened door on the opposite side of the room leading into a bathroom. She slowly made her way toward it and shone her light on a big silver cage with a parrot perched inside it. It was a beautiful and colorful feathered bird. It looked at her and repeated the words she had been hearing. ‘I Love you and Jesus loves you’. She felt a momentary sigh of relief once she saw who had been talking to her. She suddenly heard the parrot say, ‘Jesus loves us all; He loves us all the time’. Even now on this horrendous occasion Jesus loves us and He’s here with us. I have spoken often of this, spread the word about this, and now it’s almost time to join Him in heaven. We need to bow our heads in prayer and make sure our hearts and souls are ready to join Him in heaven.”

  A loud, thunderous crack suddenly sounded and the dead outside the doors broke through. Their arms were reaching through the opening in the door. The two men in the back of the church rushed the doors and tried to cover the opening, but they were too late. The dead continued through and entered the church, immediately bringing the two men down to their knees.

  Julie shuddered, bringing herself back to the ice cream shop. Sweat was cascading down her cheeks, making her feel uncomfortable. She looked at the children who were staring back at her.

  “Are you all right, Aunt Julie?” asked Carl. “You look like you’re getting sick.”

  Julie wiped the sweat from her face and tried to once again forget about the nightmare inside the church. She looked around the parlor. Am I the only one who has dreams like this? Carl had every right to be worried. She knew no matter what the costs, she had to keep them safe. “I’m getting tired myself. Let’s call it a night. Besides, I have a lot of work to accomplish in the morning. Are you both through with your ice cream?”

  “I’m through. I can’t eat another bite,” commented Carl. “I’m ready for bed.”

  Mr. Franks was satisfied the tour was going well. All the reporters seemed interested in everything the park had to offer and soon were asking questions that didn’t involve the security of the park. He didn’t let them see the zombie exhibits, but promised them they would have full access to them the following Thursday. He told them he wanted to keep them a secret until the official opening. As the tour concluded, he kept his promise and gave each reporter and their team special VIP passes for the Thursday grand opening. They were then led back to the beach where a boat was waiting for them to take them back to Costa Rica. Once they were safely off of the island, Mr. Franks turned to Captain Jonas.

  “Are there any problems I need to know about?”

  “Everything is quiet the way it should be.”

  Mr. Franks smiled. “I’m glad I put you in charge around here. Next Thursday is going to be the real test of security. The island is going to be filled with visitors. I know you can handle it. Keep up the good work.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Julio Rojas used the cover of darkness to gain entrance onto the beach on the opposite side of the island from where Mr. Franks was talking with Captain Jonas. Two of Captain Jonas’ men had just swept through that part of the beach and were heading in the opposite direction. Mr. Rojas was faced with two problems. He wasn’t exactly sure where the cameras were, and he knew he was going to leave footprints in the sand once he crossed the beach to a wooded area. He wasn’t going to have much choice but to cross the beach and hope his footprints weren’t discovered by the guards. He waited for a few minutes to make sure the guards were far enough away for him to make a break for it. He grabbed his bag and tore across the beach as fast as he could into the surrounding wooded area. He crouched down and pulled out a pair of night vision goggles from the bag and looked around, trying to find any sign of a security camera nearby. He didn’t see any in the immediate area, but he knew he would have to be careful, because they could be located anywhere on the island, and he wasn’t sure if any traps had been set as a precaution. He pulled out a map of the island that had been given to him previously and located his position on it. He wanted to get to the area where the zombies were being kept. His plan was to free them and cause an outbreak on opening night. Then all he had to do was bring his own people in to eradicate the zombies, and then he could once again continue his operation on the island. Until then, he would have to find a place to hide for a week until the opening of the park. He had been informed a special VIP night was happening in a week. It would be the perfect night to set his plan into action. He grabbed his bag and made his way across the foliage and away from the beach. He was a survivalist and knew how to survive in the outdoors. He grew up in the outdoors and knew which plants were edible and which were poisonous. He also knew which insects to stay away from and which ones he could use as a food source. He moved farther inland until he could hear music playing in the distance. He knew he still had ways to go to get to the park, but he was close, and that was all he cared about.

  Chris wanted to join the celebration at the park, but he was ordered to stay with the zombies and make sure they stayed secure. He didn’t understand why Ted would think there would be any problems while he was on watch. He took his job seriously enough to know what he needed to do to make sure none of the zombies got loose, unlike the one Ted had let loose. If anybody was a threat to the security of the zombies, it was him. He didn’t have the necessary experience in dealing with zombies and should keep his nose out of it. He should stick to the administration side of the park and leave the babysitting to him. He pulled a chocolate bar from his cargo pants pocket and walked over to the enclosure where his favorite zombie girl was being housed. He opened the chocolate bar and took a bite from it as she made her way over to the glass and pressed her face against it. He wondered what she wanted to eat, his brains or the chocolate. He laughed and held the chocolate out to her, and then moved it back and forth. He watched as her eyes followed its path and tried to grab it through the glass. He continued to watch her for several minutes wondering if it was the chocolate she actually wanted or if it was his hand he was holding the chocolate in. He heard commotion coming from their main attraction. Something was agitating it. He left the girl and made his way over to the star of the park and saw Cheng coming out of the enclosure.

  “So, you’re the one getting it all excited.”

  Cheng glared at him. “Don’t you have a job to do? Go away and leave me alone!”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that. I’m responsible for that zombie, remember? I have to watch everything you do to it.”

  Cheng was annoyed by his remark, but knew he was right. Chris had to watch everything going on with the zombies. He wondered if he should continue what he was going to do or simply turn around and walk away. Chris could pose a serious threat for him and his plans. He decided it was best to come back another time. He didn’t want to explain to him why he needed to get a blood sample from the zombie. He could lie about why he needed it, but Chris was too inquisitive. He knew he would keep asking questions until his curiosity was satisfied. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Chris. I’ll come back another time when it’s more convenient.” He turned around and walked away, knowing Chris was watching him. General Milkwood’s sample would have to wait for another day. Once he was out of earshot, he stopped and retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and called the general. He heard his voice on the other end.

  “What do you want, Cheng? I’m bus
y right now.”

  “I’m just checking in. Are you all right? You sound like you’re in a great deal of pain.”

  There were several minutes of awkward silence. “I was in a helicopter crash and got banged up pretty good. The pilot turned into a zombie and attacked me and the passengers on board. I’m the only one who survived the crash. I’m with a doctor right now getting my wounds checked. Enough about all that nonsense, I’ll survive. When can you get me the sample? Everything is almost ready for the next phase of my plan.”

  He didn’t want to inform him he had failed to retrieve the sample. It was unfortunate he had to wait for several hours after the transformation to draw the viable sample. It was the only way to make sure they got the adequate information they needed. “I’ll have it by the time you get to the island. When are you coming?”

  “In two weeks.”

  He heard the general tell the doctor to give him a minute. “Listen, Cheng, I need you to do something very important for me. I need you to alter all your work before I come to get you. Nobody must ever be able to replicate your work.”

  “But they can take a blood sample themselves and go from there. We would have to destroy more than just the paperwork. We would have to get rid of the entire island to accomplish what you want.”

  There was more silence on the other end. He could tell the general was formulating some kind of plan. “I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge another time. Just get me everything I need.”

  “You will have everything once you get here.” He put his phone away and looked around to make sure nobody had been spying on him. It was now time to go check on his secret project on the opposite side of the amusement park. It was the only project he had that Ted and Mr. Franks didn’t know about. He had been working hard on a large committee of zombified vultures. He was keeping the project a secret because neither Ted nor Mr. Franks wanted any flying zombies. He had two dozen of them locked inside a building behind safety glass. He was fortunate nobody had discovered his secret yet, but it didn’t matter even if anybody did. They were already created and ready to be displayed if such a day presented itself. He had other flying animals he was working on, but not as vicious as his vultures. He made his way inside another room where several parrots and ravens were being housed.

  “Now it’s time to create my new zombies.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Mr. Franks awoke to the smell of maple-flavored bacon. He got out of bed and made his way downstairs to see who was cooking. He found Kurt Freeman in the kitchen whistling some tune he hadn’t heard in a long time.

  “Kurt, why are you here so early? I don’t remember telling you I wanted you to make me breakfast.”

  “Early? You better check your clock. It’s nearly nine in the morning. Don’t you normally get up by seven?”

  Mr. Franks watched as he plated two eggs and four strips of bacon and placed it on the table. “It was a long night. I didn’t get to bed until after midnight.”

  “I heard it was a big success. I heard the employees and their families enjoyed the park.”

  “You didn’t go last night? I told you to enjoy yourself and not worry about me for the night.” He sat down and put cream and sugar in his coffee. “I think I reassured the reporters our park is safe. That’s what they all wanted to discuss.”

  “They’re worried we’ll have a repeat of America on the island. I understand how they feel. I don’t think enough time has passed since the outbreak.”

  “I couldn’t wait, Kurt. If we didn’t build this park right away, somebody else would have beat us to it. I don’t think the incident in America is going to keep people from coming here. It’s curiosity that will bring them. It’s like when there is a tornado outbreak. People are told to get to safety but they don’t. They get in their cars or stand outside to get a glimpse of the very thing they should be afraid of. It’s human nature to be curious.” He tasted one of his fried eggs. “Too much salt.”

  Kurt laughed. “The eggs are exactly the way you like them.” He sat down at the table. “Have you been watching the news?”

  “I haven’t had the time, why?”

  “There are some reporters who are still reporting from America. They’re reporting California and Washington are the last states to fall to the outbreak. The military is thinning and are expected to abandon their posts.”

  Mr. Franks looked at him curiously. “That doesn’t sound like the military. They’re highly trained. I didn’t think they would run from anything.”

  “They’re still human. They’re just fighting a useless battle. It’s being reported there are pockets of survivors who are heading to Florida to try to find a safe place to hide. At least, that’s where the reports are being aired from. I can’t imagine how anybody could survive a zombie outbreak.”

  “It can be done, Kurt. If you have the right weapons and the right mindset, you can survive. All you have to do is find somewhere with enough supplies and hope for the best.”

  Kurt shook his head. “It sounds like one of your movies. Your characters always seem to find a way to survive.”

  They were interrupted by Ted coming into the house. “I smell bacon.”

  “We’re in the kitchen,” said Mr. Franks. “We have plenty if you’re hungry.”

  Ted entered the kitchen and went to the cabinet to get a cup to pour himself a cup of coffee. He took it over to the table and sat down. “Everything is ready for next week. We get our last shipments this morning. Captain Jonas is going to contact me when the ship arrives.”

  “Good, Ted. I’m sure the reporters from last night are busy filling the airwaves with news about our park. I’m sure their reports will all be favorable. I could tell they were excited with their VIP passes for next Thursday.” He held up his coffee cup. “I want to propose a toast.” Ted and Kurt lifted their cups and in unison said, “To our park.”

  Kurt stood up and went over to the TV and turned it on. A reporter in Alabama was reporting that the National Guard was being ordered to a small community to rescue the survivors who were held up in the fire station and to take them to safety. From a distance, the camera panned the fire station. It was completely surrounded by the undead desperately trying to gain entrance to the station. The camera focused on two deuce and a half trucks pulling into the parking lot of the fire station and attracting the attention from the horde of the undead. They turned from the station and slowly shambled toward the trucks. Soldiers began jumping down from the back of the trucks and firing upon the horde as they drew nearer. Some of the undead fell to the ground, but a majority of them were gaining ground on the soldiers as they made a slow retreat trying to keep distance between them and the zombies. The reporter was doing the best she could to tell exactly what she was witnessing, but her words kept getting caught in her throat. The soldiers were being backed up against the trucks and being swarmed by the zombies. The camera was focused in on the onslaught as the soldier’s screams filled the air. Several of them fought hard against their attackers by slamming them with the butts of their weapons and pushing them back as hard as they could. The horde was too strong for them. They were forcibly ripping the limbs off of the soldiers. Blood was flowing freely on the ground, and the soldiers were being violently ripped apart as the camera kept rolling. Gunfire sounded from the front of the trucks and more soldiers appeared trying to save their friends before they were entirely devoured. Several of the undead turned their attention toward them as the soldiers retreated several feet to keep from suffering the same fate as their friends. They kept firing and reloading as several of the undead fell to the ground tripping the ones behind them. The camera focused on the reporter as she began screaming until her screams were replaced by a loud gurgle. Two zombies had pinned her to the ground and were ripping her throat open and showering the air with her warm life juice. The cameraman ran away from the scene focusing the camera back on the soldiers. They were losing the battle against the horde as the zombies shambled through
a barrage of bullets, dead set on feasting on the warm bodies of the soldiers. The TV went blank and the audience heard the sound of ripping flesh and crunching bone. Kurt turned off the TV and took his plate of eggs and bacon and tossed it into the trash. He turned to look at Ted and Mr. Franks.

  “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen here. That wasn’t one of your movies. That was for real. We have to make sure this park is completely safe.”

  Mr. Franks stood up and poured himself another cup of coffee. “Relax, Kurt, everything is going to be perfectly fine. What we just saw was unfortunate, but it gives us something to think about. When you get careless that’s the end result.” He looked at Ted. “Both of you promise me you won’t tell anybody at the park what we just saw. We don’t need to send an alarm through the community. You know how people will get. They will start panicking over nothing. There isn’t anything wrong with the security of this park. The park is perfectly safe!”