Fun World Read online

  Shifting his weight onto his back foot, Eric tightened his grip on the improvised bat. He reared back like a Major League slugger and swung for the fences. Even in the darkness, the crunching sound told him he’d made solid contact. The woman’s head snapped back amidst a spray of dark blood and teeth. Pain reverberated through his arms, but he held fast to the makeshift weapon.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Eric saw the throatless man stumbling toward him once again. Son of a bitch! He let out a fierce scream as he pivoted to the side and thrust the stick toward the man’s face. It plunged deeply, forcing his eyeball from the socket before piercing the brain through the back of the orbit. As though a fuse had been tripped, the crazed man instantly slumped to the ground. The sucking sound his eye socket made as it pulled away from the stick made Eric’s gorge rise.

  When he realized Lila was no longer by his side, Eric’s nausea quickly gave way to trepidation. Panicked, he scanned the area but saw no trace of his little girl. Just as he was about to call out for her, he noticed the outline of something cowering in the shadows. Taking a step forward, he saw a flash of pink and immediately recognized her gym shoes.

  “Lila,” he said guardedly, unsure of the condition in which he would find her.

  She raised her head slowly, regarding him with a tentative look that resided somewhere between fear and awe. The ferocity and violence she’d just witnessed was incongruous with the mental image she had of her father, and it hurt him to see that fact reflected in her eyes. Deep down, Eric understood and knew that much healing would be required when they finally made it to safety. He also knew that some wounds never fully healed. He tried not to think about the long-term psychological toll this experience would have on his baby girl.

  “Hey, sweetie. It’s okay; Daddy’s here. I’m sorry you had to see that but I had to…” he said softly.

  To his surprise, Lila leapt into his arms. “Thank you, Daddy. I know you didn’t want to hurt those people. I get it. Can we please just get out of here?”

  Not for the first time, Eric marveled at her strength and maturity. The pride he felt for her made him take pause, and what he heard in that moment made him regret stopping for even a second. Their boat had moved roughly twenty feet ahead, but another was already pulling up to the spot where they’d disembarked. If he thought the other boats had been bad, the new one was an absolute nightmare. Screams of agony and ravenous snarls combined to create a grisly cacophony that was nearly loud enough to drown out the Happy Little World chorus.

  Eric watched in horror as the boat’s occupants tore one another to shreds in a matter of moments. He had no idea if the violence had spread from the preceding boats or if it had somehow arisen anew. The possibility that whatever was happening could sprout up anywhere filled him with unparalleled fear. Just as he’d seen previously, those who were attacked soon joined in the fight, albeit after switching to what increasingly appeared to be the winning team.

  All told, it took less than ten minutes for chaos to consume everything around him. Given the insane number of people within the park, the alarming rate of spread, and the fact that those attacked were quickly transformed into walking disease vectors, he knew that whatever this thing was, it was likely beyond containment right out of the gates. The situation was worsening exponentially right before his eyes, and it didn’t take a trained epidemiologist to do the math.

  Thinking of Melanie once again, Eric pulled out his cell phone. “Dammit. No service,” he groused as he stared at the screen dejectedly. He truly believed his wife was okay, but he desperately wanted to hear the confirmation in her voice.

  The sounds of the monsters intensified as they closed in around Eric and Lila. Noise bounced off every surface, making it difficult to tell from what direction it originated. Estimating their numbers proved virtually impossible in the darkness, as the disorienting light show cast menacing shadows in every direction. The monsters moved with an unnatural jerkiness that made Eric shudder. It appeared almost human but, at the same time, distinctly not. He likened it to the awkward, robotic movements of the animatronic puppets still twirling around as though nothing in the world had changed. Indeed, in their world, nothing had.

  “The uncanny valley,” Eric muttered, recalling the uneasiness generated by something so nearly human that somehow just misses the mark. Much like the androids usually associated with the phenomenon, he knew the things staggering toward them were not human—not anymore. He understood this on a visceral level but still struggled to wrap his mind around the idea. The blind rage and savage, cannibalistic violence he’d witnessed should’ve been more than enough to scare the shit out of him, but in that instant, it was their off-tempo gait and freakish body mechanics that made him shudder.

  Confused, Lila asked, “What? What’s happening, Daddy? I’m scared.”

  Her voice was filled with abject fear, and it cut through Eric’s soul like a knife. The ensuing pain drew everything into sharp focus for him. Lila was his priority and he would safeguard her at all cost. To have even a snowball’s chance in hell of getting his little girl out of there alive, he needed to accept the reality of the situation even if he didn’t understand it. Denial was a strong, obfuscating force that needed to be tamed. Denial was dangerous, perhaps even lethal.

  Read. React. Explode.

  The mantra he’d heard repeatedly during his martial arts training came to mind. Without an accurate read of the situation, there could be no appropriate reaction. In turn, there could be no explosion of action; at least none likely to yield the desired outcome.

  “Zombies,” Eric said, as if trying to convince himself of what his gut already knew to be true.

  Somehow it helped to hear the word spoken aloud even though it sounded ridiculous as it reverberated through his ears. He didn’t know how or why, but he knew instinctively that was what they were facing. The very idea was so out of step with his understanding of the world that his entire being rebelled against the thought. One look at Lila’s terrified face, however, solidified his resolve, and the mental shift he experienced in that moment was monumental and absolute. He understood what he needed to do. With acceptance, he felt as though an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Despite his not knowing which direction would lead him out of this nightmare, his path somehow seemed clearer.

  The inhuman growls grew louder still as more of the walking dead approached. It was dark away from the ride’s main thoroughfare, making it difficult to see the danger that could be heard so clearly. The meager light that penetrated the darkened recesses brought with it a bewildering tapestry of shadows, making the unlit landscape all the more frightening. On the heels of a particularly bright flash of light, a singular dark shape loomed massively ahead of them. Eric spun to face the enormous zombie he was certain was directly behind them. Much to his surprise, he saw only a faint glowing rectangle in the distance. His confusion quickly morphed into excitement when he realized what he was seeing; it was sunlight leaking in through an ill-fitting doorjamb. A way out! Tightening his grip on Lila’s hand, he raced toward freedom.

  2

  Seeing what her father did not, Lila screamed and dug her heels in, urging him to stop. Driven by the prospect of escaping the hellish nightmare, Eric continued forward with a panicked Lila in tow. He tried to follow her gaze but saw nothing that explained her reaction. A second later, he was inexplicably skidding across the concrete on all fours. His jeans ripped at the knee while the skin on his palms felt as though it was being removed with a cheese grater. He cried out in pain before the overwhelming fear of what lurked in the darkness forced his throat to fall silent. Although whatever he’d collided with was large enough to take his legs out from under him, it had possessed the slight give of something not permanently fixed to the floor. He thought of the innumerable times he’d tripped over his black lab, Ranger, and he wondered if perhaps someone had brought a service dog on the ride.

  Rolling onto his butt, Eric scoured the darkness once again
in hopes of locating Lila. He saw movement and instantly felt relief. A second later, his relief gave way to horror as two things became immediately apparent: there was no dog and it hadn’t been Lila he’d seen moving in the darkness. Like a defensive end on a peewee league team from hell, the little abomination scrambled toward him, dead set on finishing the job he’d started. Surprised by the speed of the attack, Eric scuttled backward in a desperate attempt to create distance.

  Even in the dim light, it was apparent that the boy had suffered an ungodly attack. There was a gaping hole in the center of his neck where a large chunk of tissue had been torn away; it flapped grotesquely with every movement. His nose and upper lip had been gnawed off entirely. Although it was unlike the bloodcurdling snarl Eric had heard the others make, the weak, grunting noise this one produced was no less terrifying. Eric assumed it was the result of the massive trauma inflicted upon his head and neck. Despite its gruesome injuries, the zombie boy moved faster than the others he’d encountered thus far, and he wondered if this was merely a reflection of the zombie boy’s pre-existing physical state or some other factor. Regardless, one thing seemed certain—were he to stop backpedalling and climb to his feet, the little monster would surely overtake him. Even so, every backward movement carried him that much farther away from Lila.

  Leaning back, Eric shifted his weight onto his hands and pulled his right knee up to his chest. When the zombie boy’s face came into range, he unleashed every ounce of potential energy stored within his contracted leg in the form of a vicious front kick. The bottom of his boot slammed into the thing’s mangled face with a loud crack, snapping the monster’s head back sharply. It lolled grotesquely to the side before coming to rest in an unnatural position on the zombie’s shoulder. As if the zombie’s body had yet to get the message that its neck was broken, it staggered forward for several more steps before slumping lifelessly to the ground at Eric’s feet.

  The little zombie was even more revolting up close, but more than anything it saddened Eric to know that a child’s life had ended in such a brutal fashion. His thoughts immediately turned to Lila, who was nowhere in sight. A tiny whimper somewhere in the darkness was all the motivation he needed. He sprang to his feet with surprising speed given the beating his body had just endured.

  Before his run-in with the zombie boy, several other zombies had been chasing them and Eric was surprised and concerned when he didn’t see them. Sinister snarls echoed in the darkness, ensuring him that they were definitely still out there. He could think of only one thing that could divert their attention…Lila. His mouth went dry and his heart rate quickened, driven by the fear coursing through his veins.

  Eric moved cautiously through the darkness, following the sound of the zombies as well as he could. He found them clumped together along a wall less than twenty feet away. As he drew closer, he saw that the undead pair was clawing at a storage shelf that was loaded nearly to its breaking point. When the frightened whimper rang out once again, there was no question as to what they were after.

  Like a battering ram, Eric drove his shoulder into the closest zombie, sending it crashing into an adjacent shelf. He grabbed two handfuls of the second monster’s jacket and spun him away as he slung him to the ground. Immediately, both zombies scrambled to be first to get at the prey they’d cornered behind the storage shelf. Their effort was in vain, however, as Eric heaved the heavy shelf forward, sending it crashing down on top of them. He was surprised to see them still squirming, like trapped animals under the shelf’s substantial weight. What the hell does it take to kill these things?

  Now helplessly exposed, Lila remained plastered against the wall as if she might somehow disappear into the concrete structure if she only pushed hard enough. Not waiting for the zombies to wiggle free, Eric grabbed her hand and started toward the door. Lila followed without resistance, too frightened to care who was pulling her.

  “Are you okay, sweetie?” Eric asked. Although he received no response, he thought he detected an affirmative nod through the darkness. That would have to suffice for the time being.

  The darkness receded somewhat as they neared the door. Thin beams of sunlight cut bright paths through the dust-filled air before etching faint, glowing lines on the dirty floor. Three small stairs led up to the landing at the foot of the door. Freedom was close; Eric could smell the vendors’ food coming from the other side. Not in a million years could he have imagined being so eager to head back into Fun World.

  Mounting the stairs in a single bound, Eric slammed into the door’s crash bar. The door gave slightly, opening less than an inch. His hope crumbled at the sound of the chain clanking on the other side. No, no, no, no! That’s not possible. How could we make it so far only to end up trapped inside the Happy Little World?

  Hungry moans grew louder as the zombies closed in on their position. Of all the places where he hoped not to die, this had to be near the top of the list. He drove his shoulder into the door with all his might and still it hardly budged. The first tears reached the corners of his eyes, and he wished he’d been able to talk to Melanie one last time—to at least tell her that he’d done everything he could to save their little girl.

  The pain he felt when he glanced down at Lila’s frightened face was more painful than a thousand zombie bites could ever be, and it was too much for him to bear. Moreover, the anger he felt about what the monsters intended to do to his beautiful daughter was immeasurable. Teeth bared in a perpetual snarl, the first of nearly a dozen zombies emerged from the darkness. Their collective moans had grown so loud that he no longer heard the ride’s annoying jingle. He felt his mind drifting away, as though his senses were caught in a vortex and being pulled down a drain. Lila let out a plaintive cry at the sight of a zombie missing half of its face. The thing’s putrid tongue rhythmically flitted through a large hole torn in its cheek, almost keeping time with its gnashing teeth.

  “Not today, motherfuckers!” Eric bellowed with renewed vigor, his mind finally tearing free from surrender’s cowardly bonds. The horrors he’d witnessed over the last fifteen minutes were beyond comprehension, and they’d nearly broken him. Nearly. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to stand by and let the monsters ravage his little girl without a fight. They would have to kill him to get to her.

  Rather than engaging head-on in an obviously uneven battle, Eric turned and fired a hard front kick into the locked door. The chain grew taut as the door slammed outward. Like the walking dead closing in behind them, the metal groaned as something gave way under the force and the door opened another six inches.

  “Lila! Squeeze through, now!” Eric barked as he pushed against the door with everything he had.

  There was little time to waste, as the zombies were nearly within arm’s reach, yet Lila didn’t move. Eric sensed that the idea of being separated from her father was giving her pause, so he grabbed her by the shirt and shoved her through the small gap.

  “Here! Take this, and don’t be scared to use it,” he shouted, tossing the stick out behind her. The last thing he wanted was to leave her alone and defenseless. He didn’t relish the idea of being separated from her either, but he knew the fate that awaited her on this side. As soon as she’d cleared the door, he spun to face the first of the zombies’ reaching hands.

  Eric immediately parried the outstretched arm, spinning the clumsy monster to the side in the process. Having temporarily redirected the zombie’s clawing hands and gnashing teeth, he capitalized on the opening he’d created. He crouched and stepped forward as though he were going to tackle the thing but instead delivered a solid shoulder bump that sent the lead zombie sprawling backward into the others who were eagerly mounting the stairs. They fell like dominoes.

  Taking advantage of the small window of opportunity, he repeatedly slammed his full body weight into the door with all the force he could muster. The compact landing and the monsters already climbing awkwardly to their feet prevented him from garnering much momentum. With the zombies bearing down up
on him once again, he worked with increasing urgency. Metal groaned and chain links rattled, but the door held fast.

  As the zombies continued to crowd in, their bloodthirsty snarls grew so loud that Eric could no longer hear Lila’s pleading voice on the other side of the door. It was impossible to know how many were lurking inside the ride’s dark confines, but it was safe to say that every one of them was headed in his direction. He knew that whether there was one or one hundred was largely irrelevant; everything he’d seen thus far told him that it only took one bite. One bite—even a small one—and it was game over. The smell of so many of them in such close confines was overwhelming. The sickly sweet metallic odor was so thick he could almost taste it. It was the moldering smell of death personified, and it was as terrifying as it was nauseating.

  Although he refused to give up, Eric couldn’t keep his mind from playing through the scenario of his impending demise. He tried to find solace in knowing that Lila had made it out safely, but the idea that she would be left alone proved nearly as painful. Tears flooded his eyes as he bellowed in frustration. This was not what was supposed to happen. This was not the way he was supposed to die. He was a man of his word, and he’d vowed to keep his daughter safe. The thought of letting her down hurt infinitely worse than anything the zombies could do.