Then he saw the truck stop.
He almost cried.
Figures shambled between the smouldering ruin that had been the main building and the pile of cars that covered a large portion of the parking lot. Two police cars sat near the wrecked cars, their lights flashing.
The bodies that hung out of the two visible windows of the police cars killed any hope that Mike might have had for rescue.
He tried not to let it bother him. He took the overpass turn-off onto the highway and drove east toward the amusement park and closer to the city. The other two Scout vehicles followed.
Mike noticed the boys had gone silent. He tried to get their thoughts back on the amusement park. “So, what are you guys going to do first when we get to the park?”
“I want to go fishing,” Ricky announced from the back.
“There may still be fish there,” Mike said. “I’m sure anything you catch will be welcomed by the troop. Just don’t catch everything in the pond if it’s there. We may need the fish later after we use up all of our supplies.”
“Sure thing, Scouter Mike,” Ricky said.
The boys went back to swapping stories, the truck stop momentarily forgotten.
Mike drove on.
This part of the highway was relatively clear. As they drove, only a single vehicle lay on its roof in the ditch. After a few minutes, he could discern the outline of the roller coaster in the distance. A sign alongside the highway said, “Citaview Park, Exit 169, 2 Km.”
“We’re almost there, guys,” Mike announced. “Make sure you’re ready when we get there. And keep your eyes peeled.”
They took the exit to the amusement park. The main gate to the Citaview parking lot was open with only three cars sitting in the massive area.
The Scouts pulled right up to the entrance to the park. A large unlit sign read ‘Citaview Fun Park’ over the walkway. The letters were formed by coloured bulbs. The ticket booths were more than seventy-five metres from the actual entrance.
Mike climbed out of his truck. “You guys stay here and wait until I check things out. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. You can pull the gear out when I get back.”
“You got it, Dad,” Kyle said. The boy opened the back door of the canopy and rummaged around for a second before he pulled out the axe. “Don’t forget this.”
Mike grinned. “Thanks, Kyle.” He hefted the axe and slapped the head lightly in his hand. “Keep the guys together, okay?”
“Will do.” Kyle turned away from his father and started organizing the Scouts who had already left their respective vehicles.
Mike watched Shaun and Steve get out of their vehicles. “I’m going to check for any dangers down here if you want to keep the guys out of trouble.”
“I’ll come with you, Mike,” Shaun said. “It’s always a good idea to travel in pairs. We should practice what we preach.”
Steve shrugged. “I guess that leaves me watching your backs. Good luck. Holler if you need any help.”
“Thanks, Steve,” Mike said. “Come on Shaun. Let’s see if anyone or anything is here.”
The two men went toward the ticket booths. To one side of the booths was the park administration office. A single door with a sign reading ‘Administration’ above a reinforced glass window was set into the wall. Behind the booths was a locked chain-link fence.
“So, what do you think?” Shaun asked. “I don’t see anyone in the park. It looks pretty deserted, which is what we want.”
“You’re right. But what I want to know is why there are three cars out in the parking lot. Where there are cars, it stands to reason that people wouldn’t be too far away.”
“Maybe in the office?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Mike said. He strode over to the office door and raised his hand to knock.”
“Wait! What if the owners of those cars are dead like everyone else we’ve come across?” Shaun asked.
Mike looked at Shaun and grinned. He held up the axe. “I guess we will be forced to defend ourselves.”
Shaun was pale, but he smiled back at Mike. “I…I guess I’m just a little jumpy. All this has me pretty nervous.”
“No worries, Shaun,” Mike replied. “I’m nervous too, but we have to find a safe place for the boys before we go into the city.” He knocked on the door and waited.
Nothing.
Several seconds, later, Mike knocked again. “Hello, the building! Is anyone there? My name is Mike and I am with a troop of Scouts from the city. Is anyone alive here?”
He waited several more seconds before banging on the door again. “Hello? We are a Scout troop from the city. We are all healthy but we need a safe place to stay. Hello?”
Mike looked through the glass. It had a small curtain on the inside that obscured the contents of the office. His face was almost pressed against the glass when the curtain suddenly lifted.
He jerked back from the window and Shaun gasped.
No one and nothing looked through the glass. The curtain dropped back down.
“Is anybody in there?” Mike called. He decided to change tactics. “We have food. We would be happy to share!”
This time, when the curtain moved, a pasty, frightened face peered through the glass. “Who…who are you? What do you want?”
Mike smiled and tried to look reassuring. “My name is Mike and I’m a Scout leader from the city.” He pointed to Shaun. “This is one of my fellow Scouters. His name is Shaun. We are here with a number of Scouts trying to find a safe place to rest. I don’t know if you have noticed, but the world has gone a little crazy out here.”
“You said you have food. How much do you have? Will you give me some?”
“We would be happy to share,” Mike said. “What is your name? Do you work here at the park? Are you all right?”
The man looked out past Mike and Shaun as if searching for something. “I…I’m Michael. Michael Carroll. No, I don’t work here. I mean, I don’t usually work here. I mean, I’m not Citaview Park staff.”
Mike could almost feel the man’s terror radiating through the door. He kept his voice calm. “It’s nice to meet you, Michael. Can we come in to talk with you?”
“I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you,” the man said. “At least, not yet.”
Mike set the axe down and held up his hands. “Sure, we can just talk like this for now. But, Mr. Carroll, we have several kids standing around out in the parking lot and I’m worried about leaving them exposed. Is there any way we can put them somewhere safe?”
“Kids? How many? Are any of them hurt?”
“No, Mr. Carroll. They are all healthy and I want them to stay that way. Are you the only one here?”
“No! I mean, yes.”
“Mr. Carroll, we noticed three cars in the parking lot. Are you sure you’re the only one here?”
“I…there were others here, but I’m the only one left,” Michael said.
“Where are the others?” Mike asked. He looked over his shoulder at Shaun who shrugged.
“They left. I don’t know where they are.”
“Are you all right, Mr. Carroll?”
“I…I don’t feel so good,” Michael said. “I think I’m sick.”
“I’m trained in first aid, Mr. Carroll,” Mike said. “We have first aid kits in our vehicles. May I help you?”
“You’re sure you are all healthy?” Michael asked suspiciously. “And you have food, right? You promise?”
Mike held his right hand up in the universal Scout symbol. “I promise we are all healthy and will share our food with you. Scout’s honour.”
“Fine! Stand back from the door. I’m coming out,” Michael said.
Mike and Shaun stepped back from the door while the man inside fumbled with the lock and the doorknob. When the door creaked open, Michael stepped out.
It was impossible to tell how tall he was, hunched over as he was when he stumbled out of the building. His face was pasty whi
te and his brow was covered with large beads of sweat. His hair was a jumbled mess and his eyes were wild.
None of this registered with Mike or Shaun. What caught their attention was the bloodstained bandage that was taped to the right side of Michael’s neck.
Chapter 19
“Shaun, could you go to the truck and get the first aid kit, please?” Mike said, trying to sound calm.
“You sure that’s a good idea, Mike,” Shaun said, eying the bandage on Michael’s neck suspiciously.
Mike had to be careful. Michael’s eyes were wild and he was obviously not quite in his right mind. Best to send Shaun out to the others to ensure they knew what was going on and could take steps. “Sure. Why wouldn’t everything be all right?” Mike gave a little head shake toward the parking lot when the sick man wasn’t watching. “You go grab the kit and maybe some food so we can help Michael get fixed up.”
Shaun got the hint. “Will do, Mike.” He gave Michael a wide berth. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay. Thanks Shaun.” Mike turned his attention to the injured man. “So, Michael. What happened to you?”
Michael’s head jerked up from his chest. He looked at Mike with fevered eyes. “What do you mean?” He touched the bandage at his neck. “You mean this?”
“Yeah,” Mike said. “How did you get hurt?”
Michael looked at his feet. “I was working on some of the park’s computers.”
“Oh. Did you cut yourself on something?”
“Not exactly,” Michael said, his voice soft. “I was under a desk checking the wiring on one of the systems when one of the girls attacked me.”
Mike took an involuntary step back from the man. “Attacked you? What do you mean?”
Michael looked embarrassed. “I think she was coming onto me. It happens sometimes.”
“Really?”
“Look,” Michael said. “It doesn’t happen often, but it has happened before. I always try to let them down easy - I am happily married after all.”
“So, what did you do?” Mike asked.
“I got the heck out of there.”
“What happened then?”
Michael looked a little surprised at the question. “Well…nothing, actually. She screamed and banged on the door for a while but didn’t come out after me.”
“What did her co-workers say?”
Michael frowned. “You know, I haven’t seen any of her co-workers since I got here. They all disappeared from the office. I just assumed they had other work in the park to do.”
“Other work in the park? That sounds odd,” Mike said. “I would have thought that, this time of year, the park would be shut down with only some administrative work in the office to do.”
“Yeah, I would think so too,” Michael said, wiping his brow. He shook his head and looked around blearily. “Is it hot out here?” He staggered a few steps to the left and suddenly sat down on the ground.
Mike had to force himself to stay put instead of going to the man’s aid. “You okay, Michael?”
“I…I don’t know. I suddenly feel all dizzy.…” He doubled over, clutching his stomach, groaning in pain.
Mike heard the sound of running feet.
“Mike! Is everything okay?” Steve called.
“Stay back for a minute, would you?” Mike called back, his eyes never leaving Michael. The man was now writhing on the ground in pain. “There is something seriously wrong with this guy. I want to help him, but after everything we’ve seen, I think we need to give him a little room.”
“I’ll come in alone,” Steve said. “I left Shaun and the boys back at the parking lot.”
Mike could see Steve slowly coming toward him, a medical kit in his hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong with this guy. He has a bandage on his neck. Claims that some woman in the office attacked him. Tried to make it sound like it was maybe sexual or something. I’m not sure I believe him though.”
Steve stood well away from Michael on the opposite side of the man from Mike. “So, what happened?”
Mike shook his head. “He started complaining about being hot and dizzy. Then he collapsed.”
A sharp moan from the sick man pulled both Scouters’ attention to him. Michael was beginning to struggle to his feet.
“You okay, Michael?” Mike asked.
No answer.
The man finally stood and looked at Mike with blank eyes. The pupils were tiny pin pricks.
“Ah, crap!” Mike said. “I don’t think that attack was sexual.”
“Nope,” Steve said backing away from the now-shambling horror. “Guys, get in here with the rope!”
Mike scrambled to get out of the way of the former IT technician. The creature formerly named Michael lurched and stumbled around like it was trying to get its bearings.
The sound of running feet was accompanied by the arrival of Kyle, Martin, Todd and Ricky. The boys were paired up, carrying ropes between each duo. Just as they had practiced hours before, they surrounded Michael and had him trussed up in under a minute.
As Ricky neared the unfortunate man, Michael’s eyes momentarily focused normally. “What…what happened?”
Ricky and the other boys jumped back in surprise and Michael’s pupils went back to pin-sized and he collapsed.
Steve and Mike stepped in and secured the bindings with some sturdy knots, leaving the wretched man to lie on the asphalt.
"What the heck just happened here?" Steve asked, looking down at the bound creature that had once been a man.
"I think that's pretty obvious," Mike said. "This guy was obviously attacked by one of those creatures and was infected by whatever they have. He turned into one of them."
"I got that much," Steve said. "But, did you notice that, for a brief moment after the boys had him tied up, he changed back? Why did that happen?"
"Hard to say," Mike replied. "But then, we've only seen a very little bit of this plague."
"True.” Steve sighed. “I really wish we knew just what was going on here. If we knew what caused this disaster in the first place, we might be able to do something about it. At the very least, protect ourselves from getting infected."
Mike looked at the boys. "You guys are getting pretty good at stopping these things. You all okay?”
The boys nodded. "The poor guy didn't know what hit him,” said Kyle. “We're okay."
"Ricky? How's your head?"
"It still hurts, Scouter Mike. My eyes still go blurry sometimes."
"You just take it easy then, Ricky. Maybe lie down in the back of my truck."
"If it's all the same to you, Scouter Mike, I want to stay with you guys. I want to help."
Mike smiled at him. "You mean, you don't want to miss any of the excitement?"
Ricky grinned. "Yeah, I guess that's what I mean."
"I will agree to your request on one condition: if your eyes start to blur or your head really starts to hurt or anything like that, you have to find a safe place and get out of the way." Mike held out his hand. "Is it a deal?"
Ricky shook Mike's hand, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "You got it, Scouter Mike!"
"So, what should we do with this guy?" Kyle asked. "Should we kill him?”
"Not yet," Steve said. "For a few moments after you caught him, he came back. Maybe he will again."
"Where should we keep him?" Martin asked.
"I thought we could just leave him here, but you're right, Martin. Keeping him here, out in the open, is probably a bad idea. He might attract more of them."
"Any ideas, then?" Mike asked. "I don't want him near the vehicles, especially if they attract each other."
"How about in the building?" Martin asked. "This guy came out of there, right? It can't be too bad in there."
"Well, he mentioned that the woman who attacked him is in one of the rooms. I think he either locked her in or barricaded the door, so it's probably all right," Mike said. "Still, if we are putting him in there we need to check it out first."
Ricky made a move toward the door, But Mike stopped him.
"Just because I said you could stay doesn't mean you get to go and be reckless, Ricky. If anyone goes in there, it will be the leaders."
Ricky grinned again. "Whatever you say, Scouter Mike. I just thought that since I'm already busted, I would go in first."
"No," Mike said, shaking his head. "Whether you are hurt or not makes no difference. We cannot afford to lose you."
Ricky's grin vanished. "We can't lose you either, Scouter Mike. Or Scouter Steve or Scouter Shaun. If you went away, who would lead us?"
"Give yourself and the other Scouts some credit," Mike said. "You guys have been learning the survival skills and how to lead each other for a long time now. You're all smart. You would figure it out if the adults had to go somewhere else."
The boys looked uneasy at Mike's words, but they also stood a little straighter.
"Here’s your axe, Dad," Kyle said, handing Mike the axe.
"Thank you, Kyle," Mike said. "Could you run back to the truck and bring a spade for Scouter Steve and some more rope for yourselves, please?"
"You got it, Dad," Kyle said. "Ricky, could you give me a hand digging some of it out of the vehicles, please?"
The two boys ran off and Mike studied the fallen man. "Hey, Steve. Any thoughts on why this guy seemed to go normal for that brief moment?"
Steve shrugged. "No idea. Maybe this sickness is just a mental thing like being drunk or drugged."
"I don't think so," Mike said. "We've seen some of these guys that were missing body parts that kept going. Heck, we've run over some that got up despite broken legs and chunks torn out of their bodies. Surely something wrong with their brains wouldn't cause that."
"No, I suppose you are right," Steve said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Truth is, we just don't know enough. It could be that this fellow wasn't completely infected with whatever it is and momentarily came out of it."
"Infected. That's an interesting choice of words, Steve. Do you think this is an infection?"
Steve shook his head. "I honestly have no clue. I'm an engineer, not a doctor. I've never seen anything like this before."
"No, neither have I. In fact, I've never even heard of anything like this." Mike sighed. "I wish we knew more. Should we be wearing masks around these creatures to prevent infection? How long does it take to be infected? Is there any cure?"
Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague Page 11
