Zombie Park (The Z-Day Trilogy Book 1)

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  Ben shifted in his seat.

  “I can tell by the look on your face that you want to know where the zombies are coming from. I assure you, I can get the zombies we need for the park. In fact, I already have ten zombies and many more are going to be created. Not only will we create human zombies, but we’re going to create animal zombies, as well. I’m told the first ones are going to be dogs, and then we’re going to continue with bigger game animals.”

  “Wait a minute! You’re going to make animals into zombies? Do you mean animals like lions and tigers and bears?”

  “And we’re not stopping there. We’re also going to make zombies from dolphins and sharks so we can have a water show at the park. How does that sound to you?”

  “It sounds dangerous. Making humans into zombies is one thing, but making zombies from animals is another. How will you be able to control them? If one of them got loose, we would be responsible for starting a zombie apocalypse.”

  “You’re being overdramatic,” said Mr. Forenstein, picking up a piece of paper and handing it to him. “We have already thought about one of them getting loose. I assure you it won’t happen. all the groundskeepers in the park will be highly trained handlers. They will know what to do in case something was to go wrong. Trust me; we watched Jurassic Park several times to see what scenarios could go wrong with the park. We won’t have any employees trying to sell our secrets.”

  “How would you know? I need to think about all this.”

  Mr. Forenstein stood up and went over to a filing cabinet. He took out a manila folder and brought it over to him. “Take a close look at this.”

  “What is this?” He opened the folder and brought out a piece of paper. He looked at Mr. Forenstein curiously.

  “You’re holding the deed to your new house. You’re a rich man now, Mr. Cutler, so you should live like one. If you look back in the folder, you’ll find a check for a million dollars, and if that’s not enough, you’ll find the title to your brand new truck. All you have to do is go forward with the park and sit back and enjoy the rich life. Leave everything to me, and soon you’ll own your zombie park. Do we have a deal, Mr. Cutler, I mean, Ben? May I also remind you that you already signed the paperwork giving me the rights to the park.”

  Ben stared at all the goodies he had just received. This was the chance he had been waiting for. He was finally going to be able to stick it to his landlord. He looked at Mr. Forenstein and extended his hand. “We have a deal.”

  “Good. I will get the ball rolling today. I have already purchased the land we’re going to need for the park.” He brought out a map with something circled on it. “This is where your house is located. You’ll find your truck in the parking lot.” He pulled out a cell phone from his desk and handed it to him. “Here’s your new phone. I’ll call you once I have signed the paperwork for the land so I can show you where the park will be located.”

  Ben took the cell phone and thanked Mr. Forenstein. He left the office and found his new truck in the parking lot. It was colored blue, which was his favorite color. He got inside and started it and then looked at the map. He knew where his new house was located, and he headed out of the lot toward his new home.

  Mr. Forenstein was on the phone with General Poe the minute Ben had left the office. He knew he would be pleased to hear the good news.

  “Everything went according to plan. He’s on his way to see his new home right now. He’s completely oblivious to the real reason behind us financing his zombie park.”

  “If things go south, make sure all of us are in the clear.”

  “Ben will be our scapegoat.”

  “I’m pleased to hear it, Robert. Now we’ll be able to continue our research unnoticed. I’ve contacted Major Rollins about the construction of the park. His battalion will get to work on it as soon as I give them the green light.”

  “Have the professors been successful yet?”

  “Not yet. Kathy is going to be testing a dog soon. She hopes she will have some positive results with it.”

  “How many rejects have we got now?”

  “We have ten,” said General Poe. “They’ll be part of the exhibits at the park. I’m sure we’ll have plenty more to add soon, as well.”

  “What about the animals?”

  “I have bears, wolves, tigers, lions, hippos, rhinos, and some other wild animals being purchased. As soon as the park is built, they will be delivered to us. I’m also purchasing cats and dogs.”

  “Working with animals won’t be easy. They won’t respond like humans do. They will need additional training.”

  “Leave the training to the military, Robert. All you have to concern yourself with is running the park and making sure nobody gets their nose where it doesn’t belong. Now I have a meeting with the professors. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something.”

  Mr. Forenstein looked at the paperwork Ben had signed. He put them in a manila folder and put it in his filing cabinet. Now it was time to move forward with the next stage of his plan. He had to notify the press about the zombie park coming within the year. They knew the news would cause some protesting from the public, but plans were already in the works to combat against it. If necessary, the National Guard would be brought in to deal with any protesters who went too far. Now he had to make sure Mr. Cutler didn’t change his mind. If he did, he would have to place another call and make sure he was eliminated from the equation.

  Chapter Five

  Professor Kathy Hollman watched as the border collie brought to her was prepped to be injected with the new serum she had spent all night trying to perfect. She had made slight changes to the formula and hoped it would render the results she was looking for.

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” asked General Poe. “We need to start seeing positive results.”

  “I’m not sure about anything. There isn’t any research to compare our work to. We have to keep trying until we achieve our objective. I hope the new serum will be successful.”

  He watched as she injected the serum into the dog. He noticed her hand was slightly shaking as if she was scared of what the results might be. She placed the empty syringe on a metal table next to her and stood back from the dog. General Poe checked to make sure the dog was secured to the table. He didn’t want it to get loose in case the serum didn’t work.

  Carlton Ross came into the room and went over to the dog. He was concerned that he hadn’t been notified the dog had been injected.

  “Safety protocol states I’m supposed to be present when a new patient is injected, human or not.”

  “You’re here now,” said General Poe. “Just stay out of the way.”

  Carlton stood next to him and waited. He knew it could take a while before the transformation took place. The monitor the dog was hooked up to went silent. It would now be just a matter of minutes before they knew if they were successful or not. Without warning, the dog went into convulsions, causing them all to take a couple of steps backward. Within five minutes, the transformation had taken place, and they were left with a zombie dog. Professor Hollman took a step toward it until she was cautioned by Carlton to hold her ground. None of them knew if the serum had worked or not.

  “What are we waiting for?” asked General Poe. “Did it work? Will we be able to control it?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s not like I can ask it.” She took another step toward it. As she did, the dog began to growl and tried to reach toward her. She took a step back and stared at the general. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “That’s why you’re not a soldier,” said General Poe. “Let me show you how it’s done.” He made a move toward the table. The dog began thrashing its head around as if it knew the general’s intentions.

  “I wouldn’t get any closer,” said Carlton. “It will break free from its restraints.” He pointed his gun toward the dog as a precaution.

  The dog broke free from its restraints and leaped toward General Poe, knocking him t
o the ground. It tried to bite him in the face with its mouth gaped wide, eager to devour, but the general kept his hands snug around its throat. It was a lot stronger than he was expecting.

  “Is somebody going to help me!” he screamed, starting to lose his grip.

  Carlton approached them and shot the dog in the head. It went limp in the general’s hands. He tossed it to the side and fought to catch his breath.

  “I guess that answers your question, General Poe,” said Carlton. “Their serum didn’t work.”

  General Poe glared at him as he walked out of the room. He slowly got to his feet and stared at the dog. “I think your serum needs more tweaking.”

  Kathy stared at the dog, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. She was having her doubts. Creating a zombie was one thing but trying to create one they could control seemed out of the question. She looked at the general wanting to say something but held back.

  General Poe knew she wanted to say something to him. “Go ahead and say it, professor. You’re going to tell me what I want is impossible.”

  “You see it for yourself. It nearly killed you. I’m afraid it’s the best I can do. Maybe we should be happy with the results we have so far. We don’t need to control the zombies. All we need to do is deliver them to our enemy. We can close our borders to make sure none of them return here.”

  He thought for a moment. Her suggestion will have the same results we’re aiming for. Perhaps we don’t need to control them. All we have to do is point them in the right direction. “Let me consider this. In the meantime keep working on the serum. I would keep your testing to smaller animals until we can move to our new facility.”

  “I’ll order more mice and rats. They’ll be more manageable.”

  “Good. Let me know if you make any progress on the serum.” He left, carefully stepping over the dead dog.

  Carlton was furious as he made his way past the zombie cages. The idea of trying to control zombies was stupid. If he wasn’t being paid so much to contain the ones they had so far, he would quit and go back to working for the local zoo. At least there, he knew exactly what he was dealing with. He went over to a pen full of goats and got one to take to the first zombie cage. He hated feeding time. If he made just one mistake, he could end up a zombie himself. He secured the long pole he used to push the zombie back from the door of the cage and went to the first one. As usual, it stood there trying to grab him as he steadied the pole. In one swift motion he pushed the zombie backward, unlocked the gate, and shoved the goat inside. He stared at the drain in the middle of the cage where the blood was hosed away from outside the cage. Chunks of goat covered it. He hoped it didn’t get clogged because he wasn’t going inside to unclog it. He brought the pole back outside the cage and the zombie attacked the goat. It was brought to the ground within seconds, and the zombie began ripping it apart. He had to turn his head. It was worse than watching lions attacking their prey on the animal channel. He went back to the pen and secured another goat. One down, now he had nine more to feed.

  Chapter Six

  Mr. Forenstein decided to stop by his house to check on his son, Billy. He was ten years old and had been sick for the past few days. Today was the first day he felt well enough to walk around the house carrying his favorite teddy bear. He was nearly into the kitchen when his father walked in the house.

  “Hello, Daddy,” he said, falling to his knees.

  Mr. Forenstein made his way over to his son and helped him up. “Are you feeling better today?”

  “He’s hungry,” said his wife, Anne, bringing a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup over to the table. “I’m sure he’ll be his normal self in a day or two.”

  “Then we can finally get him out of his pajamas and into some regular clothes. Your clothes are starting to get ripe.”

  “I tried to get him to change, but you know how he likes his plain white pajamas. I tried to get him to change into his teddy bear ones, but he refused.”

  He helped Billy to the table. “Tomorrow we’re going to change out of these, Billy. I’m sure by tomorrow you’ll feel much better.”

  “Can I have a toasted cheese sandwich tomorrow?” asked Billy, lifting his spoon.

  “Maybe we’ll both have one. Now eat your soup. I have some paperwork to follow up on.”

  “Are you finished with work today? Should I prepare you a bowl of soup?”

  “No, I don’t have time to eat. I might have to leave to sign some papers with the realtor.”

  “I guess it’s safe to assume you’re moving forward with the zombie park. I still think this is a bad idea.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I promise you it won’t be like Jurassic Park. You have to remember it was just a movie. We won’t make the same mistake they made. Besides, we’re dealing with zombies, not dinosaurs.”

  “What are zombies?” asked Billy, spilling soup onto the table.

  Mr. Forenstein looked at his wife. “We shouldn’t discuss this in front of Billy. I don’t want him having nightmares.”

  He left the kitchen and made his way to his office. He closed the door and went over to his computer. The first thing he did was check his email, hoping to have one from the realtor. He was in luck. He clicked on the email and read it.

  All the necessary forms are ready to sign. Please call my office to set up an appointment. He smiled. He was about to make millions in profits with this business deal. He made the call and made an appointment for the following day. He then called Ben and made an appointment to meet him at his office first thing in the morning. He wanted him to see the land the park would be built on. He turned off his computer and made his way back to the kitchen. His wife was busy putting dishes into the dishwasher.

  “Good news,” he said, smiling. “I’m done for the day. How would you like to sit down for a while? I can take care of Billy while you take a break.”

  “You would do that for me? I would like to finish the movie I was watching.”

  “What movie were you watching?”

  “Jurassic Park.”

  “Interesting choice.”

  “It’s your fault,” she said, sitting on the couch in the living room. “Ever since you told me about your park idea, I’ve had the movie on my mind. I’ve seen it so many times it really bothers me.”

  He sat down next to her. “What bothers you?”

  “The whole idea of the dinosaurs getting loose and killing everybody. The same thing could happen in your park. Just think about it for a moment. If they get loose, then what? Should I remind you of the movie ‘Dawn of the Dead’ and what happened? I don’t want to live in a world like they lived in.”

  He looked at her and shook his head. “You watch too many movies.”

  “And you don’t watch enough of them. Finish the movie with me. I’m at the part where the raptors are chasing the children in the kitchen.”

  He didn’t want to watch the movie with her. He didn’t want to be reminded of what could go wrong. He had already considered what could happen if a zombie got loose and bit somebody. He didn’t like the idea of knowing his wife was worried about it. “I’m sorry you’re worried about the park.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not worried about it. Have you considered what could happen to your son in the scenario playing in your mind? It only takes one of your zombies to get free. I wish there was a way to get you to forget about it, but I’ve been married to you a long time, and I know once an idea gets stuck in your head, it becomes reality.”

  “You’ve never said anything like that to me before.”

  “You’ve never told me you wanted to operate a zombie park before. Come on, finish the movie with me. I want you to see what happens when somebody tries to play God.” She turned on the movie and looked at her husband. “I’m sorry to express my concerns, but we’re not dealing with dinosaurs. What you’re about to do is unnatural.”

  He watched the movie with her right until the end. He wished he could say something to her to comfort her. He had cons
idered everything. He had considered it for the last two years ever since he had come up with the idea of working with zombies. Until now, he didn’t know how it would work until Ben Cutler gave him the idea for the park. He laughed. If he had paid attention to the movie a few years back, the zombie park could already have been operational.

  Later, after Billy had gone to bed, he decided to turn in after making sure the front door was locked. He found his wife brushing her teeth in the bathroom. He wished he had something to say to her about the park that would ease her mind, but he knew she would only recite a scene from the movie. He wished he could convince her it all happened because of one employee trying to make a buck. He wasn’t going to let something like it happen in his park. There would be security cameras covering every inch of the park. He would definitely know if somebody was planning something behind his back.

  He tossed and turned in his sleep. He couldn’t get the images of dinosaurs tearing people apart out of his mind. He looked at his wife. She was fast asleep. He got out of bed, careful not to disturb her, and went to his computer. He decided since he was up, he would look at the design for the zombie park. He knew if anything could go wrong, it would probably happen in the zoo. He stared at the dolphin stadium where he planned to have two zombie dolphins performing. Perhaps he shouldn’t have them perform. The show, itself, could pose a risk. He sat back in his chair and thought about it. I need to keep this show because the extra ten dollar admission will give me a larger profit. He had to find a way to make sure the show was completely safe for the audience.

  He looked at the list of zombie animals he planned to have at the park. He had plans for elephants, bears, lions, tigers, hyenas, alligators, and camels. He knew he couldn’t have any that flew. They would be hard to handle. Nobody would be allowed to walk through this part of the park. He would use a tram system to slowly drive the visitors through it. This way he knew nobody would get too close to any of the animals.