Z Day is Here

by Rob Fox

  Cole has been in the living room all afternoon, pacing the floor, trying to think of ways to find Tonya and, I am sure, what to do once we find her. I have no doubt she is long gone. I just don't have the heart to tell Cole. Dustin refuses to even think that Roger would have done anything to hurt Tonya. I still don't know what to think.

  Tomorrow we are planning on setting up a watch on the balcony most of the day. Hopefully, we will be able to see something that will help lead us to Tonya or safety.

  Day 59

  We have been sitting on the balcony for hours and have seen nothing new or out of the ordinary. Dustin and Cole have both been taking turns throwing plates and silverware at zombies that have been passing by below us. We all had a good laugh at a fork that got stuck in one zombie’s cheek. Cole yelled till the zombie looked up at us, then he dropped it straight down. The fork went straight into the zombie’s cheek like a knife going through butter. Cole jumped up and down cheering for himself and yelled, “Extra points! I get extra points for it sticking!” I guess they have their own point system that I have not been able to figure out.

  I am not sure how many of the undead there are in the hotel now, but if I had to guess, I would say somewhere around ten to fifteen. For some reason, I haven't been worried about it. I guess it's because I am comfortable here and feel very safe. The only problem we have right now is lack of food. I am starting to become concerned about that little problem. Sure, we can invade the snack machine down the hall, but that will eventually run out. We have been through worse, and I am betting we will go through even harder times soon enough. Darcy always told me to only worry about the things I can control, so that is exactly what I will do.

  Cole said he just saw Tonya running away from someone (or something) down in the theme park! Crap! Now we have to find some way to get her.

  Day 60

  We have all seen Tonya alive now. She is in another building across a pond from us. We have no way of contacting each other, so we don't know what happened. We are working on a plan to go get her, but I know there are quite a few zombies in the hotel, so any rescue attempt will be very difficult.

  After quite a bit of debating, it was decided that I would be the one to go get Tonya in the morning. I have known her longer than Dustin, and I just can't trust Cole to stay alive long enough to save her. For some reason, Dustin very much wants to go. I don't know if he just really wants to help or if he has an ulterior motive. Either way, I don't quite trust him enough; after all, he is the one who brought Roger into our group.

  Well, I am going to go ahead and get to bed tonight. I have a very long day ahead of me tomorrow and need to get as much sleep as possible. I don't plan on taking the laptop with me. I am going to just bring what I need to survive and some medical supplies for Tonya, just in case she is injured. As long as everything goes good, I should be back on here tomorrow evening with an update. Wish me luck on my mission. God knows I am really going to need it!

  Day 61

  Dustin left before I got out of bed yesterday. When I woke up, I went to grab my bag, but it was gone. I ran into Cole's room, where I found him sleeping. When I ran into Dustin's room, he was not there. On his bed was a note. The only words on the note were, "I cannot let you go out there. I have gone. Wait for me. I will be back."

  Once I got over the first wave of anger, a slight sense of relief also passed over me. I had been the one to always go after the hurt and wounded. I was the one that went to find Cole and then went to find medical supplies. Maybe Dustin was right to do this. But I could have gone. My hand is one hundred percent healed, as is my shoulder. For the most part, I am healthy and getting really fit, thanks to the diet and exercise I have gotten. (I guess I could call this The Zombie Fit Diet; if the world hadn't gone to shit, I could have marketed this and made billions.)

  Once I read the letter, I ran to the balcony and scanned the grounds around us, looking for any signs of Dustin or Tonya. There is no telling how long he had been gone, so I wasn't sure where to look. I ran in and woke up Cole. After I explained what had happened, he joined me on the balcony to help look. After about an hour of scanning the grounds, Cole yelled, "I see them, I see them!" He was pointing to a building directly in front of ours. I wasn't sure, but I could have sworn that I had seen three people. I could definitely make out Tonya and Dustin, but I couldn’t see the third person until he walked out into the light. The third person was Roger.

  Something was wrong, though. Roger was tied up; his hands were behind his body, and his feet were tied together just far enough apart that he could walk but not run. Across his face were rows and rows of duck tape and a shotgun attached so that the barrel was facing the back of his head. I could not make out what had happened, but I could see Dustin holding the handle of the shotgun and Tonya quickly following behind them both. We watched as they all three made their way into the hotel, careful to avoid any zombies.

  Before I could even get to the hotel door, I heard the elevator ding, indicating that it had arrived on the floor. I peeked out just enough to see them step off and head towards us. Dustin told Tonya to block the elevator and double check the doors leading to the stairs. He and his prisoner made their way inside, and Tonya soon followed.

  Once in the room, Tonya ran to Cole and me and hugged us for what seemed like hours. I could tell she had been crying because of the heavy red bags under her eyes, and her wrists were black and blue and raw, where it appeared she had been tied up. I wanted to ask what had happened. I wanted to know why Roger was now a prisoner. I wanted to know it all. I asked about a million questions, but they were all exhausted. No one wanted to talk yet, so I didn't push the subject. I can piece together what happened in my mind. On my final question, all Dustin would say was, "Tomorrow."

  Day 62

  I could hardly sleep last night. I had to know the story. I don't think Dustin slept at all. When I would wake up, I could hear Dustin in the sitting room, pacing back and forth in front of Roger; he was cursing under his breath. Roger looked frightened. Tonya and Cole slept like babies all through the night.

  When everyone got up, we all met in the sitting room. Roger was down on his knees. His face was bruised and bloody. Dustin stood over him with a metal curtain rod. We all sat on the couch in front of them both. Tonya began to speak, but before she could say two words, Dustin grabbed Roger by the back of the head, pulled his face up so they were looking directly face to face, and shouted, "I am going to show you more pain than you could ever imagine. You killed my wife, and you tried to kill Tonya. Now I will kill you myself."

  The room seemed to drop twenty degrees. We all just stared at them both. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Before I could protest, Tonya turned to me and nodded her head. “It is true what he is telling us," Tonya murmured. "The night we were drinking, I passed out, and when I awoke, I was in the trunk of a car.” She told her story about how Roger took her to the amusement park and tied her up. He would walk around naked, talking to himself repeatedly and even talking about Dustin's wife. She she fought him off as much as she could until one day she just gave in. She told Roger she would do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't kill her. Roger quickly untied her and began stripping her clothes off of her until she was standing in just her panties. As Roger lowered his head to remove her panties, Tonya hit him as hard as she could on the back of his head/neck area. Once he was down, she found a knife Roger had been carrying. She tied him up and left him in the room with all the doors open. She had hoped zombies would have come in and ripped him into pieces.

  Right as Tonya finished her sentence, Dustin slammed the metal pole across Roger’s inner thigh. Roger screamed in agony. Cole began to cry a little.

  Tonya said she moved from hotel to hotel trying to cover her tracks, but Roger had somehow escaped and found her. She had locked herself in a room, which was when we saw her.

  Dustin interrupted her story at this point and began to tell how he had arrived at Tonya's hotel room to see Roger bangin
g on the door. He was so angry that he was foaming at the mouth, desperately trying to get in the room. He overheard Roger telling Tonya through the door that he would butcher her just as he had done many other women before her. Dustin snuck up behind Roger and knocked him out. He and Tonya together fount the duct tape and tied him up, making sure to keep the shotgun in a place where all he would have to do was pull the trigger. Tonya said she convinced Dustin to bring Roger back here instead of killing him right there. She said everyone deserved a fair trial.

  We removed the tape from Roger’s mouth. He was drooling and had a large amount of blood flowing over his lips. He begged for forgiveness and even said that Tonya was lying, that she was the one that kidnapped him. We didn't buy his story.

  I asked Cole and Tonya to leave the room. Once they were gone, I asked Roger to look at me. As his eyes locked onto mine, I could see the guilt and remorse...though I am sure it was only because he had been caught. "I am going to let Dustin do what he sees fit. You have hurt a lot of people, one of which I have grown to love. You deserve no mercy, though I will agree with whatever Dustin decides," I said to Roger.

  He began to cry and beg for his life. I nodded to Dustin and walked toward the door. I asked Tonya and Cole to go into another room down the hall, then closed and locked the door.

  I am not sure that I should write about what took place next. I could go into graphic details, though I am not sure I even want to remember what I witnessed in that room. Dustin got the vengeance he so desperately wanted. Roger did not die quickly; he died in excruciating pain. His pain ended only when, after knocking out all of Roger’s teeth with the metal bar, Dustin placed the shotgun into his gaping bloody mouth and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

  We left his body lying on the floor and moved to a new floor in the hotel. We have not spoken about what happened. That chapter is closed for good. Tomorrow, we head towards the city.

  Day 63

  After the past few days’ worth of excitement, I am happy to report that nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far today. We were going to head a little closer to the city but have decided to sit back and do a little planning. Tonya and Dustin could also use a little break. I have determined that the easiest way is to go straight through the amusement park. I am a little worried about this, because they have always given me the creeps.

  Our first step will have to be getting out of the hotel without being seen. Dustin says he knows a way that will keep us undetected. I just hope he is correct.

  Day 64

  We got up early this morning so we could make our way through the park and get it over with as soon as possible. We took Dustin's route, which, as he said, was zombie free. Once we reached the door leading out, we ran as fast as we could across the lawn until we came to the entrance of the park. The front gates had been torn down; I don't know if that means people were trying to get in or out. Either way, we all got a little more prepared for what we could face ahead.

  We walked through the ticketing booths and through the turnstiles. There were giant cartoon characters staring at us with larger-than-life smiles spread across their face, their hands up, waving at us, inviting us in...or were they daring us to enter?

  A happy cartoon song played over the loudspeakers throughout the entire park, lending to the eeriness of the experience. I remember as a kid walking those same streets with my parents. I remember being so excited to see those characters smiling and hearing that song play in the background as I ate my cotton candy and waited in the eternal line for forty-five minutes to ride a two-minute "thrill" ride that would always make me sick. I remember the people dressed in the mouse and cat costumes that used to sign autographs as if they were the actual cartoon characters I watched so intently on the TV. All the happy kids and exhausted parents are now long gone.

  We made our way past the Ferris wheel and spinning rides and were on our way to the big steel coaster that had just been opened earlier this year. Darcy and I had been planning on coming out here to ride this big beast sometime before the end of the year. One of the cars could be seen halfway up the large incline. It looked like a couple of people were sitting inside. However, their heads were slouched back, and I could clearly see one of them was missing their arms.

  As we passed the giant coaster, we walked by a building that housed a little kiddies’ ride. Every amusement park has this kind of ride. You ride on a boat through different "lands" while animatronics kids sing a cute song in their native language. When we got directly in front of the building, a group of about eight zombies walked around the corner. We decided (without saying a word) that we would all run inside the building to get away. We ran through the doors and deep into the building. A long line of boats was parked in the water, guiding us through the maze of rooms. The animatronics kids were standing frozen in the pose they were last in when the power went out at this building.

  We bobbed and weaved through the rooms and over the boats, steadily making our way to the exit. As we turned one corner, the power to the entire area flashed on. The singing children all burst to life singing their happy little songs and dancing their happy little dances. The sudden noise was enough to startle us all. Cole jumped back, lost his balance, and fell directly into the water. We all turned to help him, no one noticing the zombie that had made his way into the room with us. Just as we pulled Cole out of the water, Dustin turned in time to be face to face with the undead man. The zombie’s mouth came snapping down towards Dustin's face. Out of instinct, Dustin leaned way back to avoid the bite, but in doing so, he also fell into the water, bringing a zombie right down on top of him. Blood began bubbling up from under the water. We all stood back, not sure what to do. Cole scrambled out of the water as if he were in a bed of snakes. After what seemed like hours, Dustin came rising out of the bloody water and the zombie came floating to the top. The zombie’s body rolled over to reveal a deep gash in his forehead, presumably from hitting his head on the tracks below the water. As we pulled Dustin from the water, the zombie sprang to life, his body twitching and writhing in the water but unable to stand. We stood and watched him for a few minutes; Tonya began to laugh, and soon we all began laughing at him. He looked as though he was having a seizure, but he was fully coherent or as coherent as a zombie can be. He stared up at us, blood flowing from his skull, looking like he would tear us limb from limb if he could...and he would!

  We began walking away from the flailing zombie when we heard a noise behind us. We all turned to see at least twenty zombies walking through the water straight towards us. Without thinking, I grabbed one of the robot kids, raised it above my head, its electrical cords hanging down, sparking and waiting for me to throw it in the water. The zombies began moving faster towards us, their mouths snapping in anticipation. I walked beside the water. I imagined myself in a movie; everything went to slow motion. My eyes on the water, head tilted down...slowly, I brought my eyes up, looking straight through the living dead hordes coming straight towards us. I mutter something witty and throw the electric "bomb" into the water, waiting for the sights and sounds of the soon-to-be-frying zombies. A split second before the animatronic kid hit the water, the power went out! The horde continued coming after us, never knowing what almost happened to them. My movie moment was over. We ran fast.

  We made our way to a building labeled, "Employee's Only." This place looks like a break room for the employees. We have decided to rest here for a while. I don't think any zombie saw us enter here, so we should be safe, at least for now.

  Day 65

  Just as we were getting comfortable in the employees’ lounge last night, we heard a crash in one of the back rooms. We all decided to go investigate. After wandering around the building for twenty minutes, we came across a room with a locked door. We could hear noises coming from behind the door. I just wanted to leave; bad things happen to people that investigate strange noises. Dustin, Tonya, and Cole all wanted to see what it was. Their curiosity getting the best of them, they voted and decided to o
pen the door. After looking around a little more, we found a crowbar lying beside an old toolbox. I grabbed a large pipe wrench and prepared for the worst.

  Dustin put the crowbar into the door jam and counted one, two, three . The door flew open as Dustin torqued the crowbar. Inside the room were hundreds of costumes. We slowly entered the room, carefully walking down the cramped aisle towards the back. We’d only walked just a few feet into the room when a zombie lunged out from between two costumes. The zombie looked to be in her mid- to late-twenties. She had long blond hair that was caked in dirt and blood. Her eyes were the normal zombie white, and her skin color was a light blue. She was wearing one of the cartoon characters’ outfits, minus the hat that would cover her head. The sight was both frightening as well as a little funny. The speed at which she moved was not funny at all. I have never seen a zombie move as fast as she did. I really hope that is not a sign of things to come.

  She moved fast, but she didn't get very far before Dustin's titanium crowbar came crashing down across the side of her face. The blow was enough to knock her down, but she was still "alive." I drove the wrench down onto her head. With my blow, her head split open like a melon. After searching the room, we found a letter presumably written by the girl. We took the letter and closed the door behind us.