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

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mr. Rojas watched from behind one of the buildings as the next car of the ride appeared. He was planning on releasing the zombies to attack the next car but he didn’t have time. He decided to wait until it passed and then prepare for the next one. He didn’t understand the appeal of the ride. Why would people actually want to get this close to zombies? He impatiently watched as the car passed him. Inside the car, he saw two teenage girls laughing at the zombies as they tried to get at them. Mr. Rojas shook his head in disgust. This was a good example of what was wrong with the world today. People didn’t have any respect anymore. He was proud to say he had raised his daughter and son to respect the world and respect the business they ran. His drug empire was worth billions, but it wasn’t always like that. It had taken him several years to get where he was today. Everything was continuing to move forward until somebody had purchased the island, slowing his drug production. Taking back the island was the only way he could keep the production moving forward. He was about to come out of hiding when a large zombie appeared and faced the chained zombies. It approached them and freed them from their chains as the next car was coming into view. He held his position now that the zombies had been freed so he could watch what happened to the next car. He was in awe of the large zombie. When he released it earlier, he knew it was special. He wished he had something like it working for him. He knew with a zombie like it working for him, he could easily eliminate all the competition.

  He peered at the car as it drew nearer. Inside it were two more teenage girls. He figured they must have been friends with the two who had just passed. He knew they were in trouble. The car they were riding inside had caught the attention of the large zombie, and it turned to face it as it approached. Mr. Rojas could see the girls panicking inside. They were frantically trying to find a way to get outside of it as it drew nearer. The large zombie took a step toward it, growling to let them know he was going to get at them any way it could. It stood watching as it came nearer to him in anticipation of a free meal. It kept its focus on the girls as they continued to try to find a way out of the car. As it reached the large zombie, the zombie growled and moved to the side of it and reached down and lifted it up and rolled it on its side in one swift movement.

  Mr. Rojas was amazed by the strength of the large zombie, watching it use its fist to smash through the glass separating it from the girls inside. It snatched one of them by her hair and yanked her out of the car and slammed her onto the ground as the other girl painfully escaped and ran in the opposite direction screaming. The freed zombies were alerted to her screaming and turned to pursue her.

  Mr. Rojas knew his job was finished on the island. He decided it was now time to get back to the beach and find a way off before he met with the same fate. He took one last glance toward the first girl. The large zombie was squeezing her head until it violently burst like ripe fruit. He tossed her to the ground and turned his attention to the other girl who was scrambling to get away while several zombies were in pursuit. With all the zombies’ attention diverted to her, Mr. Rojas knew it was the perfect time for him to make his departure from the gruesome scene. He took one last look at the girl lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Gray matter littered the ground around her decapitated body. He hadn’t seen a gruesome scene such as this one in a long time. In his line of work, it occasionally happened when he had to teach somebody a lesson. It never came to splitting a person’s head open, but slitting someone’s throat wide open, or the cutting off of a finger wasn’t out of the question. He turned away and headed back toward the forest. Soon he was going to be able to take back his island.

  The teen girl had never experienced terror before like she was experiencing now. She had been invited to the island by her mother, a Canadian reporter, who was sent to the park to report on the opening day. At first she had been reluctant to go, but her mother insisted she take the trip with her. Her mother wanted to have some mother-daughter time with her away from Canada. She promised her there would be more teens visiting the park, and it would be the perfect opportunity for her to meet others her age from other countries. It sounded appealing to her. She thought it would be nice to meet people from other countries and maybe learn something about the different cultures. Now she was sorry she had taken the trip with her mother. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe the island would pose a threat to her life. Her mother assured her that what happened in America couldn’t happen again. The island was supposed to be safe. It was supposed to have tight security. Whatever it was supposed to have–it failed. Now she was running as if her life depended on it and it did. Thankfully for her, she was a long-distance runner. She was the top runner in her high school and had already secured a scholarship in track for college. Her life was lining up for a successful future. That was until she came to the island. She peered over her shoulder. She was putting distance between her and her pursuers. All she had to do now was find somewhere safe she could hide until she could figure out how she was going to escape the island. She could see the amusement park in the distance, and she knew there were plenty of buildings she could hide in if she could reach there in time. As she ran toward it, several ravens flew overhead, heading toward the forest behind her. She was thankful they hadn’t noticed her. She kept her mind focused on the amusement park. She glanced over her shoulder again to see how close the zombies were behind her. She suddenly felt a bolt of pain cascade throughout her body, and she tumbled to the ground. She stared in horror as she realized she had stepped into the open jaws of a crocodile. Its jaws snapped shut on her leg like twin beds of nails and bit down. The air was saturated with a mist of blood. She felt herself losing consciousness as she watched her leg being torn free from her body and devoured. She watched as the jaws clamped down on her once again, ready to take another bite, until she fell into eternal slumber. From behind the gruesome scene, the air was saturated with the growling of the approaching horde.

  Mr. Rojas wasn’t taking any unnecessary chances. He knew what the zombies were capable of, and he didn’t want to fall victim to any of them. He checked his gun to make sure it was fully loaded. He knew he had a ways to walk before reaching the beach and could encounter anything between here and there. He hoped none of the creatures he had released made it away from the park. There should be enough unsuspecting people there to keep their attentions. He quickened his pace, but not enough so he needed to stop for a breather. He heard something overhead sounding like flapping wings. He didn’t dare look up. He needed to keep focused on what was in front of him so he didn’t trip over anything, causing him to break an ankle, or even worse, his neck. He didn’t think what was flying overhead posed any threat to him. He kept moving forward until he heard loud noises coming from the trees directly above him. He knew he had been spotted by whatever was flying above the trees. He lifted his gun and fired several shots, hoping to scare the intruders away. He stood motionless and listened. He could still hear flapping overhead. He looked up and saw a half dozen ravens peering down at him. Knowing it meant he was in danger, he lifted his gun once again and fired another shot hitting one of the ravens in the head. It fell to the ground landing next to his feet. Without warning, the rest of the creatures flapped their wings and let off a chilling growl that sent chills shooting down his spine. He glared at them, daring them to try to stop him from reaching the beach. In a furious flapping of wings, they descended toward him, ready for an assault.

  He fired several more shots at the creatures before he heard the trigger click on empty. He tossed the gun aside and put up his fists, ready to defend himself. He was determined to kill the remaining five ravens. Nothing was going to stand in his way of getting to the beach and getting off of the island.

  “Come on, you bastards! I’ll kill every single one of you if I have to!”

  The scene became a deadly diving mass of claws and feathers. They attacked without remorse, scratching at his face. Mr. Rojas grabbed at his attackers trying to free his fa
ce from their claws. He managed to snatch one of them midair and throw it to the ground, squashing its head with his foot. He heard the sound of breaking bones. “That’s what you get for messing with me! Who’s next? Give it your best shot!”

  He was hit from behind, causing him to stumble forward several steps. The ravens continued the assault leaving bloody scratches and bites on his beaten body. He looked furious and waved his hands in the air trying to fend them off. They were relentless, as if they knew his reputation and were dead set on making him pay for all his crimes against humanity. He fell to his knees trying to shield his face from the creatures. Blood streamed down his face, and he gargled on gore, spitting bloody froth and phlegm. He was losing the battle against his attackers. He was tired from the battle and wearily stared at one of the ravens as it headed straight for his face. He didn’t have the strength left to defend himself. It was taking aim at his eyes. It hovered there, flapping its wings in fury, and then viciously plucked the dusty jewels from his skull’s grasp. He toppled over face first as the ravens played tug of war with one of his eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ted and Kurt met with Mr. Franks as the chaos continued inside the park. None of them could believe what was happening. Every scenario had been considered. Mr. Franks stared at them in horror.

  “I’m not sure what we should do. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  Ted glared at him. “I should have known something like this was going to happen. Why did we think we could control the situation? Why didn’t we learn from what happened in America? I’m just as bad as my parents were…”

  “Snap out of it, Ted!” screamed Mr. Franks. “We don’t have time for a pity party. We need to get to the panic room I had built if an emergency did occur.”

  “We can’t leave all these people out here to die!” screamed Kurt. “We’re responsible for every single one of them! We have to help them! We have weapons in the armory. All we need to do is get there and then take care of all the zombies.”

  “You make it sound so easy, Kurt,” commented Mr. Franks. “It won’t be as easy as you think. Do you remember how many zombies we have here? If all of them have gotten free from their enclosures, none of us is going to survive. Our only hope is to get to the panic room before it’s too late.”

  Ted listened to the screaming happening around them. He knew he was responsible for all the pain and suffering. He didn’t want to hide anywhere. He felt obligated to help as many people as he could. He looked at Mr. Franks and Kurt. “You two can go hide if you want to. I’m going to try to help as many people as I can. I owe them all that much. We tried to play God, Shelton, and look where it got us. People are dying because of us. Go ahead, go hide…I don’t need you.”

  “You will be killed, Ted. You won’t stand a chance against any of those creatures,” explained Mr. Shelton. “You’re better off with us.”

  Ted couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Mr. Franks turn his back on all the people he had invited to the island? Their lives were in his hands. “You’re right. I’m much better without you. I’m going to go help whoever I can. Go ahead and hide. I’m not turning my back on anybody.”

  “Suit yourself, Ted. You go commit suicide if you want to. Go on out there and make your last stand. Nobody is going to care whether you do or not. If you die, it won’t stand for anything. Go ahead and be the hero nobody will ever hear about.”

  Ted glared at him. He felt remorse for having helped him build the park. He never wanted anybody to die at the park. He turned and fled toward a building where several zombies were trying to gain entrance. He didn’t care if he died. He didn’t care about anything. There wasn’t any time to care about anything. He knew Mr. Franks was watching him, wondering what he was going to do. Deep down, he didn’t know what he was going to do. What could he do? He knew he couldn’t take on a horde of zombies all by himself. What was he thinking? He passed the building. He could see several people hiding inside under tables and some holding chairs in front of them as the horde threatened to crash through the front door. He wished he could stop to help those trapped inside, but there were too many zombies. He needed to find somebody else who needed his help that he could have a fighting chance of helping. He saw a man standing behind a vending cart tossing snow cones at a male zombie. He made his way toward him, thinking this was a person he could actually help. He reached the man as he was taken to the ground and ripped opened by the zombie. Ted was furious. He had failed to reach the man in time to help him. He ran past them, scouring the area for anybody he could help. He was too late to help anybody. He was surrounded by death. The screams had silenced, and the air was saturated by the sound of ripping flesh and crunching bone. He stopped dead in his tracks and thought about his parents. He wasn’t any better than either one of them had been. They were all guilty of creating things they didn’t understand or even could control. He felt as though God was punishing him. He thought about things that made him happy. He thought about…his thoughts vanished. Several zombies had surrounded him, and as he thought about how he wished he still had a family, he was brought to the ground and his life ended.

  Mr. Franks and Kurt made haste toward the building where the panic room was located. It had enough supplies inside to survive several months. It was the only thing running through his mind. If he could reach it, it would give him time to think about how he could salvage the park and in time, improve on it. He could reopen it once all the loose zombies were captured and put back inside their enclosures. In his mind, nothing had been lost. He was sure none of the zombies could escape the island and infect Costa Rica or any other place located near the island. The situation was still controllable. He was about to say something important to Kurt when he saw something in front of the building he was running toward. In front of the building was a grizzly bear that was reared up and bellowing its rage. He knew they had a major obstacle to cross if they were going to get safely inside. He watched as the bear went back down on all fours and stared at them hungrily. He knew there was going to be only one way he was going to get by the bear. He looked at Kurt.

  “We can’t back down. I’m sure we can get by it if we rush at it.”

  Kurt looked at him like he was crazy. “We can’t get by that thing. Look how large it is. It will tear us to shreds if we try.”

  “I know you’re afraid, Kurt, but if we don’t try, we’re going to get killed out here. Our only chance of survival is to get past it and get inside the building.”

  Kurt had a bad feeling about what he was proposing. He knew it was possible for one of them to get by the bear, but both of them? He was sure the odds were against them. He watched as the bear took a step in their direction. He was confused. He had a sneaky suspicion his longtime friend had a plan brewing in his mind. He glanced over at him. Mr. Franks’ attention was focused on the bear. “All right, Shelton, let’s do it your way. Let’s say we do it on the count of three.”

  “On the count of three it is. One…Two…Three!” Together they rushed toward the bear as it stared them both down. Mr. Franks prepared to put his plan into action. As they neared the creature, he viciously pushed Kurt into its waiting jaws and maneuvered around it, making it safely inside the building. He locked the door and watched from inside as his friend was being devoured alive. Watching the gruesome scene was exactly how he portrayed it in his movies. He figured it was why it didn’t affect him to watch his friend die so violently. He turned and continued inside the building. The panic room had been built near the rear in a large room designated for it. It was built in hopes it would never have to be used, but he was glad he had spent the money on it. During its construction, he kept joking how he was wasting his hard earned money, and how the room would most likely be used by insects before he would ever need to use it. He entered the main hall and heard something alarming. He stopped to listen, wondering what it was. He couldn’t make it out, but it sounded like snapping bones. He shrugged it off; he figured it was his mind playi
ng tricks on him. He continued down the hall, but the sound was getting closer. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. Something was telling him something was wrong, but he refused to listen. All he wanted to do was get to the panic room and get safely inside and leave all the carnage happening inside the park behind. From the panic room, he could contact somebody and have them send a helicopter to rescue him. He didn’t care what the sound was he was hearing; he kept moving down the hall. He then heard a loud growl and something sliding across the floor from one of the side rooms. He slowed his pace, fear engulfing him, causing his legs to buckle. He steadied himself and listened. He wasn’t sure what he was listening to. He took another step and suddenly stopped. A creature emerged from one of the rooms. It was a blood-caked abomination sliding across the floor with its lower half gone. The sight of it frightened him. It slid into the hallway leaving a bloody streak across the floor behind it as it focused its attention on him. It was blocking his way to the room he needed to get to. He thought for a moment. He knew there was a fire ax located near the front of the building. He could use it to destroy the creature and then get to the panic room. Satisfied his plan would work, he turned and was suddenly grabbed around his throat. He stared in disbelief at the creature that had him in its grasp. It was missing most of its face. He tried to scream for help, but the pressure on his throat was keeping his words silent. He pounded the creature’s chest trying to get it to release its grip, but it only made it furious. He felt all the life draining from him as the creature continued to squeeze until he lost consciousness. A crimson rain burst from his neck and the creature let his body slump to the ground in a bloody mess.