Zombie Park

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  “Long enough to hear you and Chloe are dating. Relax, I don’t care. I’m glad to hear you found someone who appreciates you and your park idea.” He approached the glass. “How’s our star doing today?”

  “She’s alive or dead,” said Chloe. “It depends on how you look at it.”

  General Poe looked at her strangely. “You’re referring to the shark as a ‘she’ and not an ‘it’. It’s a zombie, you do realize?”

  She stared at him trying to find the precise words to say. “Calling her an ‘it’ doesn’t sound right. Even if she is a zombie, we should still give her the proper respect she deserves. Look at her. She’s majestic. She deserves to be called by the right pronoun.”

  He laughed. “All right, Chloe, call her what you will. If you ask me, once they become a zombie, they automatically become an ‘it’ in my book.”

  “Is everything set for tomorrow. Will she cooperate with the program?”

  “She’s gonna do what she’s gonna do,” said Chloe. “Nobody is going to be able to predict how she’s going to respond to the crowd. We’ll use a dolphin to attract her attention. It’s the best we can do.”

  Mr. Forenstein placed his hand on the glass and the shark tried to bite it off. “That’s how I hope she reacts tomorrow. By the way, we’re going to have another whale added next week.”

  “Really?” she asked, looking excited.

  “A narwhal.”

  “A narwhal!” she screamed excitedly. “That’s the perfect addition to the aquarium. I can’t wait!”

  “We’ll get you whatever you want if you make sure your shark gives the public what they want. I’ll get you more sharks if you want. Just make sure your guests are entertained.”

  “They will be. Everything inside here is going to entertain them.”

  “Good,” said Mr. Forenstein. “I trust you’re going to help make it happen, Ben. Otherwise, leave her to make preparations for tomorrow. Everything is counting on her.”

  “I’m going to help her. We still have some things to get ready,” said Ben. “Don’t worry; the guests are going to enjoy the show.” He watched as both of them left. He turned to Chloe. “What’s a narwhal?”

  Kathy was looking through her husband’s notes while he attended to his smart zombies. He saw what she was doing and angrily approached her and snatched his notes from her hands. She stared at him curiously.

  “The strains have been altered.”

  He growled at her. “I found the reason why your serum wasn’t working. Your equations were off. I discovered what your miscalculations were. You were looking at the whole thing wrong.”

  “But if I remember right, you’re equations have some flaws, as well. I see you managed to create the smart zombies as planned, but something was off in your thought process.”

  “What are you squawking about?”

  “These zombies you’ve developed will become self-destructive. In other words, they won’t stay smart forever. They will eventually become defiant.”

  “That’s nonsense. I’ve checked my numbers numerous times. If there was a flaw, I would have found it.”

  She snatched the paperwork from him and pointed to one of the factors. “Look at your equations. You thought you had a ZDHD-2 condition when actually you have a ZDHD-1 condition. Your math is off by several factors.”

  He looked at the numbers she was referring to. The Zombie Deviant Hyperactivity Disorder factor was working against him. All of his variables were off by several factors. By these new findings, the zombie’s brains would eventually deteriorate to the point of causing lethargic movement, amnesia, and the inability to suppress aggression. In other words, they would no longer be able to control them. He sat down and slammed his head on the table. All of his progress amounted to a certain failure. He looked at her. “How can I fix this?”

  “It’s too late. General Poe thinks you already have succeeded with his zombie army. We can’t let him know the truth. By my calculations, your zombies won’t be a problem for about ten or eleven months. So right now we’re all right. Keep me here and I will help you. If you have me banned from the park, I will alert them to your mistake. This mistake will cost them millions of dollars.”

  He knew she had a noose around his neck. He had no choice but to keep her around. He couldn’t kill her because it would lead back to him. He couldn’t take the chance of an inquiry about why he killed her. He looked at her angrily. “You win. I will keep you around. We’ll change the equations and make new zombies. We’ll tell the general they’re our ‘new and improved’ versions.”

  She shook her head in agreement. Secretly she knew she had something hanging over his head. When she had the opportunity, she was going to expose his faulty work and take credit for a new and improved zombie. “I’ll get to work on fixing everything. You continue working with your smart zombies.” She sat down behind the table and smiled. She felt a wave of nausea overcome her. She looked at the apple she had taken a bite from sitting on the table. She hadn’t finished it because she felt a distinct craving. It was a craving she felt when she was part of the living dead. It was a craving she had banished from her brain. She craved the substance of life. She craved the life juice from her husband’s body. She fought back the urge. She didn’t want it to consume her. Not now, not ever. She needed her husband to stay around so she could throw him under the bus. She wanted to ruin him like he almost ruined her. She put her head on the table. The image of her kneeling next to a warm body with her eyes closed in ecstasy as she chewed noisily on her victim’s entrails filled her mind. She felt like vomiting, but held the urge inside. She raised her head and looked around. Nobody had noticed her moment of weakness. She was angry. Something else was wrong with her husband’s work. She needed to see the paperwork on his other serum that brought her back from the dead. She feared she wasn’t completely healed and was eventually going to revert back to being something she didn’t want to be. She stared at him, wondering where he had the new serum stashed. Finding the mistakes in it was going to be her only saving grace. She turned her attention back to the apple and stared at it. She could see the bite she had taken from it. It seemed to ooze with life’s precious juice, forming a pool of red, delicious blood around it. She wanted to suck on it, savor every drop. She was suddenly brought back into reality. She snatched the apple and threw it against the wall, shattering it into several pieces. It was what she wanted to do to her husband’s brain.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Billy was up bright and early the next morning. He had trouble sleeping through the night. All he could think about was the opening day of the park. He wanted to wear his favorite pajamas to the park, but his father reminded him he couldn’t wear them to the park until the costume party. He dressed and made his way to the kitchen table for breakfast. His mother had a plate of pancakes and a glass of orange juice waiting for him.

  His father entered the kitchen whistling the jingle to the park. He sat down at his place at the table and stole a quick glance at his son. “Don’t dawdle eating your breakfast, Billy. We need to be at the park as soon as we can. The place is going to be swimming with reporters.”

  “Can I have popcorn and ice cream today? Those are my favorites.”

  “I know they are. And to answer your question, if you mind your mother today, you can have both of them, just not at the same time.”

  “Yummy!” he said, dropping some of his pancake on the floor.

  Mr. Forenstein’s cell phone rang, and he answered it. “Already? The park doesn’t open for four hours. I’ll be right down.” He hung up and peered over at his wife. “I need you to drive your car today. Mayor Johnson is already there, and he’s wondering where I am.”

  “He’s an eager beaver,” she said, nodding her head. “Go ahead. I’ll bring Billy after he’s finished eating.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed her and went to finish getting dressed.

  By t
he time Mr. Forenstein got to the park, a huge line had formed across the parking lot. A marching band was playing, making it hard for him to hear. He saw a bright, red ribbon stretched across the gates leading inside. He made his way over to the ribbon where the mayor and General Poe were surrounded by reporters and photographers snapping shots of them together. Mr. Forenstein joined them.

  “Ah, Mr. Forenstein, it’s good of you to join us,” said Mayor Johnson. “I would have figured you would have spent the night here.”

  “Trust me; I thought about it. I trust everything is running on schedule.”

  “Everything seems to be up and running,” said General Poe. “All of our employees are accounted for and all of our exhibits are secure.”

  “That’s good to hear.” He looked around at the long line eagerly waiting to enter the park. “There is more people here than I was expecting.”

  “I can already see the positive impact this is going to have on our city,” said Mayor Johnson. “I’ve been told all the hotels have reached full occupancy. Hell, I drove by Bob Evans this morning and the parking lot was completely full.”

  “Spoken like a true politician,” said Mr. Forenstein. “Always thinking about the money side of things.”

  “That’s why I keep getting reelected. The people want somebody in office who can bring more money to the community.”

  Mr. Forenstein ushered the general aside. “Have you checked our main attraction this morning?”

  “Chloe assured me everything is fine at the aquarium. See doesn’t foresee any problems. Relax and enjoy the music. Everything is going to proceed without a hitch.”

  Mr. Forenstein watched as more cars entered the parking lot. He figured the park would reach capacity today. A couple of clowns passed him carrying balloons and handing them to the children in line. Each balloon had the park’s emblem imprinted on it. Next, a pantomime stopped in front of him and acted as though he was caught inside a box. Mr. Forenstein glared at him. The pantomime looked surprised and moved on to the next person standing near him. Soon he saw his wife pull into the parking lot. He was relieved to see them because he knew the park would most likely run out of parking spots.

  The time came for Mayor Johnson to address the visitors and dedicate the park. He took a microphone from General Poe and cleared his throat.

  “Hello, how is everybody doing today? I’m sure you’re all excited about getting inside the park and enjoying everything it has to offer. Before we cut the ribbon, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for attending today. I also want to invite you all to make a visit to downtown Valparaiso before your departure from the area and support the local businesses. And for all you high school students present, we have a top notch college here, as well. Well, I know you don’t want to listen to the mayor all day so let’s cut the ribbon.”

  The mayor was handed a giant pair of scissors and joined General Poe and Mr. Forenstein in cutting the ribbon. The park was now open for business. The crowd began to swarm through the front gates as Donnie Jorsen watched from his truck from a distance. He had Luke Anderson in the truck with him. Both of them were appalled by the crowd that showed up for opening day.

  “It’s worse than I imagined. I knew they would be busy, but this is ridiculous,” said Donnie. “I just don’t understand people any more.”

  “It could be just a fad. After the park is open a week or two, the novelty of the park will wear off. People will stop coming.”

  Donnie looked at Luke. “Are you kidding me? As long as the park is open, people will keep coming. That’s why we have to put a stop to it. We’re going to put an end to all this madness. We’ll teach them to mess with things God didn’t attend to exist. It’s all going to come crashing down around them at the costume party. Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to be caught spying on the park.”

  Inside the park the lines were forming at the ticket booth. Each person was handed a special souvenir ticket to celebrate the opening day, a ten percent off coupon for the restaurants, a ten percent off coupon for the souvenir stores, a colored brochure of the park, and a voucher for a free bag of popcorn. Announcements were being made through the speaker system announcing the day’s special events, including a chance to see the great white shark being fed at noon.

  General Poe could feel the excitement in the air. He looked at Mr. Forenstein and the mayor and invited them inside the Innovation Center to witness first-hand how people would react to their interactive displays. Once they arrived, the place was already buzzing with activity. Children were swarming around the exhibits explaining everything there was to know about zombies. A few of them were playing the video games, and a couple were playing the crane game where you could win plush zombies. There was a hearse and a replica of the Munster’s car in the middle of the building surrounded by people.

  “I smell money,” said Mayor Johnson. “This place is going to make our city a lot of money.”

  Mr. Forenstein smiled and led them out of the building, nearly being trampled by a crowd of eager tourists. The entire park was now teeming with energy. His main concern at the moment was the aquatics area of the park. He was eager to see how the crowds would respond to their main attraction. He led them to that area of the park, hoping there would already be a crowd forming there.

  Once they reached the aquatics area, they were pleasantly surprised. There was a long line making their way through the door to the first building. They took the employee entrance inside and made their way to the viewing areas where they found Chloe already discussing the shark with a large group formed around her. They could tell by the sound of the crowd they were enjoying the shark.

  General Poe put his arm around the mayor’s shoulders. “I see money everywhere I look. I have something special to show you. The construction of the stadium above this building just finished two days ago. It will hold hundreds of people, and it’s where we will feed the shark. It will be similar to a dolphin show at the zoo, but this one will be better. The splash zone will be extended farther than a normal show. There are drains throughout the stadium to drain it so we don’t have a leakage problem inside this building. The tank the shark is in is on a hydraulic lift. The ceiling of the building opens, and the tank is lifted. It’s state of the art type of stuff. There is nothing like this anywhere in America.”

  “That’s fantastic,” said Mayor Johnson. “Let me see it.”

  He was led up a ramp in the rear of the building used by employees only. Once at the top of the ramp, the general opened a door leading into the stadium. Mayor Johnson was overcome by the immense size of it. He looked at the general. “This is sitting on top of the building?”

  “Don’t worry. I assure you everything is to code and perfectly safe. If you look around the stadium, there are several stairways, a few ramps, and two elevators leading to the ground floor. We also have a set of stairs and an elevator leading back into the building if the guest wants to come inside the aquarium.”

  “This is remarkable,” said the mayor. “What time is the show?”

  “It’s at noon,” said General Poe. “I assume you want to be here for it.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for all the money in the world.”

  Mr. Forenstein laughed. “Would you like to see our zoo? We have every animal imaginable right down to a cockroach.”

  “You made zombie cockroaches? Isn’t that dangerous? What happens if one of them gets loose and finds their way to the city?”

  “Relax; it’s not going to happen. We have every safety precaution in place. We even have several guards patrolling both inside and outside of the perimeter of the park. Nobody will get in or out without our knowledge. We also have security cameras located throughout the park. We have security experts monitoring them around the clock. Nothing will happen without our knowledge.”

  “What happens if an animal gets loose?”

  Mr. Forenstein looked at the general
and then back to the mayor. “Some of the guests walking around the park are carrying. They are military personal assigned to the park. We have a weapons depot on the grounds.”

  Mayor Johnson understood what he meant. Hearing it made him feel better. “Then I guess I have nothing to worry about. Come on; let’s go see that zoo of yours.”

  Mr. Forenstein was proud of the zoo. The mayor had only seen a couple of the animals the last time he was at the park during construction, because he was called away, so this time he wanted him to have the entire experience. Once inside the zoo, Mr. Forenstein found his family looking at the polar bears. Billy was busy eating cotton candy. He went over to them.

  “Don’t fill up on junk food, Billy. We’re having lunch at one after the shark show. You don’t want to miss out on the double cheeseburgers. I’m told they have a cook named Gus who is famous for making them.”

  “I won’t. I’ll have my ice cream after lunch.”

  Mr. Forenstein turned to his wife. “Don’t forget to come to the stadium at noon and make sure you’re wearing your badge. There will be a couple of seats waiting for you. I’ll meet you there.” He left her and led the group to the amphibian house where his favorite animals were being housed.

  Once inside they heard loud thuds on the glass surrounding them. He led them over to one of the rattlesnakes where it kept trying to attack through the glass. Mayor Johnson took several steps backward.

  “Is it trying to break the glass?”

  “Of course it is,” said General Poe. “It’s part of the appeal. Every animal here is trying to attack you. They just don’t sit around doing nothing like other animals do in zoos.”

  “My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.”

  “That’s what we’re going for. People are going to remember their experiences here and keep coming back to experience them all over again.”

  “I know I’ll be back. I’m going to bring my family next time.”