The Z-Day Trilogy (Book 1): Zombie Park

by Mark Cusco Ailes

  “Have you come to kill me?”

  “It depends,” said Donnie, moving farther into the lab. “Are you the one responsible for creating the zombies?”

  A gray light of gloom cast its deathless shadow over the professor. He knew he would not be leaving the lab tonight. “What does it matter? You’re here to kill me no matter what I say to you. Go ahead; don’t delay my death. What I have created here will save countless American lives. We no longer will lose our children to war. The zombies can fight the battles for us. We don’t need to lose any more lives. It’s a step in the right direction.”

  “What about the zombie’s rights? What about the humans you make into zombies? Don’t they have any say in whether they want to spend the afterlife walking the streets in hungry hordes? What you’ve created here is against everything I believe in. For that, you must die.”

  Professor Hollman took a step toward him and held his hand up. “Wait! Before you do what you came to do, I’m working on a cure and I can right the wrongs I have done. I can put an end to it all right now. Don’t kill me and I can make everything normal again.”

  Donnie glared at him. The icy road of revenge led him to the slopes of madness. All he cared about was getting his revenge on the world that had cruelly turned its back on him. He was going to get revenge on the world that had cast him aside as if his life didn’t matter. He was going to unleash the unholy terrors upon the world and let them feast upon the blood of sinners and all who opposed him. “You have me all wrong. I don’t care about a cure. I want the zombies. I want the zombies to spread their disease around the world. I want the disease to rob the world of humanity, leaving only monsters behind.”

  “You want to start a zombie apocalypse? You’re worse than the rest of them!”

  “Judgment day will soon be upon us.” He drew a bead on his victim. A fist-sized hole punched out the back of his skull. He went down twitching, his skull ventilated. Donnie went over to him and found a set of keys in his lab coat. He hated himself for what he had become, but he blamed the world for it. “Death comes tonight!”

  Luke knew Donnie was counting on him to achieve his goal, but a nagging voice inside him warned against it. He wasn’t sure unleashing hordes of the undead would solve anything. A struggle between light and darkness choked him like a vice, squeezing and making it hard for him to breathe. What he had been asked to do was going to put an end to humanity and everything wonderful about the world he lived in. Could I live with myself if I actually go through with this? He looked around. None of the guards were patrolling the area. If he was going to go through with it, he had to act now. He pulled out the list of animals Donnie wanted him to release. Every single one of them was an apex predator. The list included polar bears, grizzly bears, lions, crocodiles, wolves, and hippos. These were not the kind of animals he wanted to mess with, especially since they were zombies. He looked at the list again. He looked around at where he was located in the park. The bears were the nearest animals to his location.

  “I guess I will free the bears first.”

  The clown at the amusement park left his post at eight sharp and made his way to the aquatics building beyond the zoo. He had been told to remain in the amusement park, handing out balloons until it was his time to leave. He had opted out of handing out balloons. He detested kids and was pissed he was made to hang around in the area where kids were present. Once in the aquatics area, his mission was to kill Ben Cutler. He was public enemy number one since he was the man responsible for dreaming up the park idea. He knew exactly where he most likely would be found. He was always located near the shark. Even though a party was going on at the Innovation Center, he knew he could count on him to be with the shark.

  Ben stood in front of the shark while Chloe cleaned off some of the smudges the kids made on the glass.

  “It seems endless,” said Ben, watching her cleaning the glass.

  “It only means people are enjoying my shark. I really don’t mind cleaning the glass. It gives me more interaction with her.”

  He watched as she swam by them. “I heard they are bringing a hammerhead here next week.”

  “She’ll be here next Thursday.”

  He laughed. “Do you refer to all your sharks as ‘she’ or do we not get any males here?”

  “Don’t be silly. Of course we get males here. I just like hanging out with the females and you, of course.”

  “Nice save. I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “It feels like a pizza type of night.”

  “With pepperoni and sausage,” she said, taking his hand. “And plenty of extra cheese.”

  They left the building in time to hear screaming coming from several areas of the zoo.

  “What do you suppose is happening,” she asked, looking around curiously.

  “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.” He led her toward the zoo down the street where they heard the screaming.

  As they entered the zoo, people pushed past them in a panic. They made their way into the zoo in time to see a crocodile with flailing limbs protruding from its mouth. A fountain of red flowed from where the victim’s head had been.

  Chloe looked away, sick at the sight of the blood and spat hot vomit in a sea of horror. The crocodile swallowed the remains and turned its attention to them. It moved toward them and Ben grabbed Chloe by the arm and turned tail to run out of the zoo. They were abruptly stopped by a polar bear ripping a clown apart, the bear’s slavering jaws slamming down on the clown’s head. They were trapped between the two monstrosities. Ben pulled Chloe with him inside the zoo, nearly missing being bit by the crocodile.

  “We have to find a safe place to hide.”

  “What’s going on? How did the animals get loose?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s worry about that once we find a safe place to hide. Until we find out how many animals are loose, we’re not safe. Let’s head for the restaurant. We might be able to find refuge in there.”

  He could hear frightful screams from behind them and the sound of crunching bones. Birds were flying overhead and dive bombing several of the fleeing visitors, using their sharp talons to rip flesh from bone.

  “Damn!” screamed Ben. “They promised they wouldn’t turn large birds into zombies. That was a golden eagle that flew by us.”

  “Hurry, Ben, we’re almost there.”

  They made it to the building and stormed through the door. A lion stood in their path with a young girl pinned down under its paw. Its jaw salivated at the thought of its feast. It unsheathed its killing claws and slit the young girl’s tender throat. A crimson rain burst from her throat.

  Vomit gushed out of Chloe like gasoline on a bonfire. She felt faint, feverish. All she wanted to do was get to safety, away from all the blood and carnage.

  “Come on, Ben, we have to find a place to hide!”

  “I don’t know where to go! There are animals everywhere I look. It’s like Noah’s Ark was emptied in the middle of the street!”

  “The souvenir shop. It has a vault inside. We can lock ourselves inside until we can figure something out. Come on, Ben, I don’t want to be dinner for one of the animals!”

  An Icy chill shivered down his spine as he witnessed more killings in the street. A parrot flew overhead spouting, “Death comes tonight!”

  They made it to the shop and burst through the door and shut it behind them and locked it. The store was empty, but looked as though a tornado had blown through. Chloe sat down to catch her breath.

  “I feel sick, Ben. I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Ben looked through the smudged glass. A pack of wolves were gnawing on several people who were viciously hunted down. Hot, bubbling gore flowed down the street. He turned away, unable to catch his breath. Chloe had passed out on the floor and bumped her head on the side of a shelf holding stuffed animals. Blood flowered from a wound on her head in crimson petals. He quickly made his way to the back
area where the bank vault was located and grabbed a first aid kit hanging on the back wall. He attended to her wound and sat down next to her. Outside he could hear the howling of wolves. He felt impaled by fear, unable to move. His heart hammered in his chest. He looked at Chloe. Her breathing was labored. He rested his head against a stuffed crocodile and closed his eyes. He felt responsible for the bloodfest. How could I believe nothing could go wrong with a zombie park? Now I have put Chloe’s life in danger. Desperate tears spilled down his cheeks. He had to find a way to keep her safe, even if it cost him his life. He picked up a stuffed wolf lying by his blood-splattered foot. He held it in his hand, staring at it with hatred. He put his hands around its throat and violently twisted it until the fabric split, revealing the stuffing inside. He tossed it aside and closed his eyes. A sound like nails scratching across a blackboard echoed across the shop. He knew something was trying to break in through the back door. He sat there frozen in terror. What could he possibly do if an animal got inside? The only thing he could do was try to carry Chloe into the vault and hide inside until the nightmare ended. He slowly made it to his feet and saw the parrot from earlier hovering at the front window still spouting, “Death comes tonight.”

  He leaned over and secured her body in his arms and carefully lifted her, careful not to agitate her wound. He stepped over the stuffed animals and made his way to the vault and switched on the light. He carried Chloe over to the rear and rested her body on the floor. He stepped out of the vault and looked around. He could still hear people being torn to shreds outside the shop. It was more than he could bear. He went back inside the vault and closed the door behind them.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Donnie Jorsen stood inside the aquatics building waiting for Luke. It was nearly nine and he was supposed to meet him there after releasing the animals from his list. He knew Luke had carried out the plan because on the way to the aquatics building he heard people screaming about the animals being loose. He was relieved to know he had carried out the plan. It was a vital part of the bigger plan. Soon the world would be brought down to its knees, suffering as mindless zombies.

  Luke ventured inside the building and found Donnie waiting for him at the shark tank. Donnie had already opened the ceiling to reveal the darkness that lay over the land.

  “It’s about time you arrived. I was wondering if you got eaten or not.”

  “I nearly did. I had to put some chick in between me and the grizzly bear. She didn’t stand a chance.”

  “Well, at least you stuck to our plan. I was sure you were going to turn tail and run on me.”

  “What about the zombies, Donnie? Have you released all of them?”

  “Most of them. I only released the most vicious ones. Follow me up to the stadium. I have a stash of weapons there we’ll need to get out of the park. I hope we don’t have to kill many of the zombies. I need them to spread their disease throughout the world.”

  Luke followed him to the stadium and looked around. He didn’t see any weapons lying around in plain sight.

  “I thought you said you had weapons stashed up here.”

  “I do,” said Donnie, bringing his gun into view. The weapons are all for me.

  Luke stared at the gun pointed toward him. The all-knowing eye of the gun peered into his soul. “What are you doing, Donnie?” He stared down in horror as his chest lit up with a little red laser. “Stop it Donnie; you’re scaring me.”

  Donnie stood his ground, taking careful aim, knowing every shot had to count. “I’m sorry, Luke, but my plans for the future don’t include you.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought you were my friend. You promised me I would be spared with you.”

  Donnie glared sinisterly at him. “I had a change of heart.”

  Luke took a step back toward the opening leading down to the shark tank. “Please, Donnie, you’re going to need me. I did everything you wanted me to.”

  His finger grew tight on the trigger, tensed for killing. “It’s better that I kill you then one of the zombies. They’ll make it painful and sloppy. I’ll make it quick and painless.”

  Luke was about to respond when all of a sudden, he was grabbed by his head by the great white that had just sprung straight up from its tank. It swallowed him whole and fell straight back down, causing a wave of water to spout like a geyser. The incident took Donnie by surprise. He had planned on throwing Luke’s body into the tank once he had killed him.

  “That’s one bullet I didn’t have to waste,” he said, lowering his weapon. “I’ll see you in hell, Luke.”

  He peered over the edge of the stadium to see how the infection had spread so far. Shambling hordes of hungry horrors filled the street below. He saw a blood-caked abomination crawl into his view, its lower half gone. The surrounding swarm surged in all directions, an endless line of teeth and claws.

  It’s spreading quicker than I anticipated. I’m going to have to fight my way out of here. He grabbed a large, black gym bag from underneath one of the stadium seats and snatched an assault rifle and a magazine from it. It didn’t matter to him how many zombies he had to fight. He had enough ammunition for a long drawn out battle. He left the stadium and headed to the lower level. Let the bloodbath begin.

  Gus Haddon placed another patty onto the bottom bun and covered it with lettuce and tomato. He was about to put the top bun on it when he was interrupted by the sound of screaming coming from outside. He hurried to the front counter.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, watching crowds of frightened people race by the business.

  “I think they’re screaming something about zombies are attacking people,” said the front counter girl.

  “Wait here; I’m going to go check it out.” He went outside and was almost trampled by several teenagers running past him. He glanced in the direction the teens had come from. His eyes bulged in fright. The street was choked with living dead. He could hear the zombie mob’s moans as he ducked back into the restaurant. He locked the door behind him and sprinted back to the counter.

  “What was it?” asked the front counter girl. “Are there really zombies on the loose?”

  He looked at her. His gaze burned with such intensity she felt her soul shiver. “Look!” he screamed, pointing at the window.

  Standing there, pressed against the glass, were hungry eyes and half-rotten faces leering at them. “What the…” She paused to watch one of the female zombies standing there with her jaws snapping shut spasmodically, trying to gnaw through the glass. She reached out and grabbed Gus’s arm and squeezed. “What are we going to do? Will they be able to get inside?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think they can bust through glass. At least, I hope they can’t.”

  “You’re not being very helpful,” she screamed, pushing past him, spilling a box of ketchup packets on the floor. “I’m going out the back.”

  Gus grabbed her arm and spun her around until she was square in his arms. She stared at him curiously. “We don’t have time for kissing right now.”

  He released his hold and took a step back. “I wasn’t trying to kiss you; I was trying to keep you from going outside. There are too many of them out there. Look at the front window. There are hundreds of them trying to get inside here.”

  “I know; I can hear them.” She sat down on a bench and looked at him frightfully. “We’re trapped in here.”

  “Look on the bright side. We won’t starve.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re making jokes while the living dead are trying to get inside to ravage my body.”

  Gus felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it. “Marie, thank goodness it’s you. You and Jake need to get out of town. No, I’m being perfectly serious. No! Don’t come to the park. Listen…Marie…shut up a minute. Some of, I mean, all the zombies have gotten loose and are attacking everybody outside. You need to get Jake and get out of town! I’m trapped inside the restauran
t with Cindy. I know how it sounds. Please, just do it. I will get a hold of you if I make it out of the park. All right, bye.”

  “Why did you ask them not to come get us? They were our only chance of getting out of here.”

  “Listen, Cindy. I can’t send my friends here. I will find a way of getting us out of here.”

  They heard the sound of gunfire echoing through the moans of the zombies, and then the sound of a larger vehicle heading toward them. Gus ran to look out the window through the horde of zombies blocking his view.

  He turned to Cindy excitedly. A military deuce and a half smashed through the zombie crowd sending several of them flying in different directions. The bumper hit one of the taller zombies low and hard, rolling him over the hood and crashing him into the windshield. It smashed on impact.

  “Damn!” screamed one of the soldiers sitting inside. He took his M16 and squeezed two quick shots through the shattered glass. A headshot finished the job. He turned to stare at Gus and Cindy inside the store and waved for them to join them. Gus unlocked the door and swung it open.

  “You two hurry and get in the back with the others. My orders are to get as many people to safety as possible. Don’t worry; you’re both safe now. We’re leaving the park now and taking you to a safe place. Hurry, we don’t have much time.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “I don’t know where you are putting all that food, Billy. Your stomach is like a bottomless pit,” said Mrs. Forenstein, watching ice cream run down his lips. “We need to get you cleaned up before your father sees you.”

  She was about to take his hand when Billy pointed toward something walking in front of them. She turned to have a look and fear knotted inside her. Icy tendrils robbed her of action, freezing her in place. She grabbed her son’s shoulder and drew him nearer to her.

  “Mommy, it’s an alligator,” he said, pointing toward it. “Look, it’s coming toward us.”