The Colony

by Kathleen Groger

  Adam idled the vehicle. “Look over there.” He pointed to the far side, to two ticket stalls free of sign debris. “I think we can get in there if we move the metal stanchions.”

  “Bethany, help me.” Megan and Bethany hopped off and moved the barrier. It was a tight squeeze, but in minutes, we were driving into the African Safari-themed park.

  Adam cut his engine in a round plaza that held a damaged fountain. Large cracks split the structure like a half-eaten pizza, and pipes stuck out at odd angles.

  I shut off the engine and stared at the signs. A walkway to the Waters, where I spied large waterslide structures, was on the left. A walkway on the right led to the Wild and my heart caught in my throat.

  “Guys, that’s a zoo.” I waved my hand in the direction of the large African masks decorating either side of the entrance. “Wild animals.”

  “Then we go to the waterpark side. I’m sure if any animal got out of its cage it didn’t stick around. Come on, we don’t have a lot of time.” Adam tapped the muzzle of his gun on his thigh.

  I reloaded my guns and Adam handed me the Sig. “Can you reload this one too?”

  Megan pointed to a hut-like structure advertising stroller and wheelchair rentals. “Why don’t you guys tuck the ATVs in there while Bethany and I check out the admissions office?” She walked to a building with busted out windows.

  I handed Adam the loaded gun and we wheeled the vehicles into the hut. It was a wreck. Strollers were spread all over the cement floor. In the center, a gaping hole consumed a double-wide blue stroller shaped in the form of an elephant head. We turned the ATVs around so they faced out, and exited back to the plaza.

  Bethany and Megan walked out of one of the buildings, each carrying two black objects in their hands. “Look what I found. And they work.” Megan handed us each a radio.

  “Awesome job, Meg.” Adam turned on his radio.

  He’d called her Meg. Like they had been friends forever. Stop it. Stop the insanity. Stop worrying about Adam and Megan. Focus on staying alive.

  “I think we should split up. We probably only have an hour or so lead on the Raspers. We need to find gas.” Adam turned in a circle. “I’m going to see if I can find the maintenance shed. Most likely over there.” He pointed off to the left.

  “We’ll go this way.” Megan grabbed Bethany and jogged to the right.

  That meant I went forward. Okay. I clicked on my radio. “Testing.”

  “Got ya.” Megan said back.

  Adam responded, “Loud and clear.”

  I took off running, hitching my bag back up on my shoulders. Colorful plastic tubes spread out in a maze-like pattern. Some were broken and smashed on the ground, while others remained intact, waiting for water and screaming kids. In front of me, a staircase spiraled toward the sky. It was the tallest structure in the park. From up there, I might be able to spot something.

  I took a deep breath, then climbed.

  The stairs were about five feet wide and continued on and on, spiraling around and around. It connected to a slide, which snaked through the park in a dizzying design. No way would I ever want to ride this for fun.

  It took me a few minutes, but I finally made it to the top. I had to be about fifty feet in the air. I walked to the edge of the structure and looked over. My ears popped and I swore my stomach flipped. “Wow.”

  The pungent scent of rot and decay filled my nose. It had to be coming from the zoo. I mentally crossed my fingers that it meant all the animals were dead.

  The park was larger than I had thought. A number of the smaller buildings had fallen apart, and blue and white lounge chairs filled the empty wave pool. I searched for anything that might contain gas.

  On the left, a cement structure hid behind a building designed to look like a tiki bar. I thumbed the microphone on the radio. “Hey, Adam.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I climbed the tallest slide. To the left of the wave pool and behind the tiki bar, there’s a building that might have vehicles in it.”

  “I’ll check it out.”

  I was about to climb down the stairs when Megan’s voice broke the silence. “We found something.”

  “What?”

  A rumbling filled the air. I leaned further over the edge to find the source of the noise. What I saw curdled my blood.

  A horde of Raspers swarmed through the entrance to the Waters park. I couldn’t breathe.

  I thumbed the mike again. “They’re here. Raspers. Hundreds of them.”

  “Shit,” Adam said.

  Megan and Bethany didn’t reply.

  “Where are you guys?” I tried to say it as quietly as possible, but I wanted to yell it at the top of my lungs. I pulled out the Glock and for the first time, I wished I had a rifle. One with a scope so I could pick off the bastards.

  “I’m near the tiki bar.” Adam’s voice whispered out of my radio.

  “Megan, Bethany?”

  “We’re here.”

  “Where are you?”

  “In the restaurant.”

  I searched the landscape for the restaurant and found it only feet from the horde of Raspers. “Can you guys get to the roof?”

  “We can try.”

  The Raspers surrounded the building. No. No. No.

  “Hey, assholes, over here!” Adam screamed aloud, not over the radio. What the hell was he doing? He hung on the support structure of another slide. About ten Raspers separated from the group and moved toward him. He jumped from the supports and ran into the tiki bar.

  I spun around, looking for something to throw. The only thing on the platform was a five-gallon bucket filled with nasty green water. I grabbed it, dumped the vile water, and yelled, “Over here!”

  Taunting the Raspers was not a good idea. It felt as if a swarm of bees were shredding the lining of my stomach. I tossed the bucket. It landed on the concrete with a thump and bounced around like a giant ping-pong ball. A few more Raspers moved toward my stairs. Now what?

  I caught movement on the roof of one of the buildings. Megan and Bethany.

  “What do we do now?” Bethany whispered over the radio.

  I hit the talk button, but a new rumble filled the air. The stair structure shook. I fell onto the deck, frantically searching for something to hold onto. The radio slipped from my grip. Megan screamed, then a metallic screech drowned out her cries. I pulled myself to the edge as the slide shifted back and forth. A hole ripped open below the chairs in the wave pool, sucking them down.

  Another earthquake.

  All the vertebrae in my spine tightened. No. Not now. Not when I was fifty feet in the air. Not with Raspers below.

  The Raspers.

  “Go away.” I whispered my useless request.

  They ran in every direction to avoid the gaping crack breaking open at their feet. A few fell in. Then all at once, they turned in a collective, almost choreographed, movement and ran out of the park. What the hell?

  My ledge rocked back and forth. My insides mimicked the movement. I had to get off this thing before it collapsed and dropped me to my death. “Don’t let me die. Don’t let me die. Don’t let me die.” I didn’t care who heard my prayer.

  A sickening crash added to the chaos of noise. Another sway to the right. A metal groan. The platform shifted enough to pitch my fallen radio over the edge. If I didn’t move, I was next.

  I only had one option. I let go of the railing and scrambled to the waterless slide. Could I survive sliding down? I holstered my gun and jumped into the plastic flume just as the staircase and platform broke away.

  I screamed and crab scooted down the slide. I pushed myself faster. I refused to die on a damn water slide in the middle of an earthquake. The staircase slammed back into my chute, sending me tumbling head over feet down the twisting ride. I jammed my hand outward to break my momentum and after a few moments came to a skidding halt, leaving the skin on my palms ripped and burned. I managed to right myself, but not before I had entered the enclosed portion
of the ride. Darkness enveloped me.

  I couldn’t tell what was happening. I was trapped in a tube—a tube of horror. Another shockwave hit. I pictured the water slide as my coffin.

  My breath caught and my head pounded. I had to get out of the confined space. I tugged the jacket under my butt and stuffed my bag in front of me. I rocked back and forth to gain momentum. A creaking sound filled the tube, and panic squirmed under my skin, searching for release. The tube rocked to the right, and then I shot forward. I closed my eyes and prayed I wouldn’t feel any pain when I died.

  I flew through the ride as if I was sliding on water instead of nylon. I squeezed my eyes as tight as I could. Then a horrible thought hit me. At the end of water slides, riders were dumped into a pool of water. There wasn’t any water in the park. If I survived the ride, I would crash into an empty concrete basin.

  I pictured my mom and dad. Clutched my bag. Rocketed through the tube of death.

  14

  Light burned into my eyelids. The tube had opened back to the air. I couldn’t look. Didn’t want to see. I pitched forward and the tube dropped away. This was it. I hurtled through the air. My muscles tensed and I squeezed my eyes even tighter. I waited for the concrete. Waited to go splat. Waited to die.

  My back smacked onto a hard surface that dipped with my weight. I skidded along, banging my tailbone, and slammed to a stop, sprawled like a turtle on its shell.

  Was I dead? I didn’t think so.

  Bruised? Most definitely.

  I opened my eyes one at a time. Blue sky met my gaze. My whole body ached and I couldn’t get enough oxygen. I tried to sit up. Couldn’t get traction. I rolled to my side and came face to face with a green canvas. The pool was covered. Water seeped up through the material.

  I struggled to get upright when the sound of ripping sent alarm bells ringing in my head. I scrambled to my knees, frantically trying to get off the tarp, dragging my bag behind me.

  The canvas pulled and shifted. I lunged forward onto the concrete just as the material gave way. The cement saved me, but took a few pieces of my hands and knees as payment. I didn’t care. I was on solid ground.

  The ground rumbled and forced me to my feet sooner than my body wanted. I slung my bag on my shoulder and searched for somewhere to go. Somewhere safe. It was as if the whole earth shuttered and moaned. Then everything went quiet.

  Was it over?

  My chest heaved as I gasped for air. The others. I had to find the others. Megan and Bethany were the closest. I turned to the restaurant. It still stood, but part of the staircase I had climbed was lying on the roof.

  Oh. God. They’d been on the roof.

  I stumbled toward the building and wished for my radio. My stomach rolled and lurched. Before I reached the door, I threw up some sort of greenish acid. I choked on the burning sensation and had to take a swig of water. I ran a scraped hand across my mouth, and braced myself for what I might find inside.

  “Megan? Bethany? Where are you?” I entered the sad excuse of a restaurant.

  While the outside of the building had remained solid, the inside was a mess of tables, chairs, and stuff I couldn’t figure out. I needed access to the roof. I climbed over a pile of shattered wood and glass that might have been a cool bar at one time.

  After clearing a mountain of broken tables, I made it into what used to be the kitchen and thanked God the park had removed the food after they closed for the winter. Even though it didn’t smell, the kitchen was a wreck. Pots, pans, plates, and glasses had fallen from cabinets and shelves.

  I waded through the debris to the far right side, where I’d spotted an open door and stairs. Putting both hands on the doorframe, I hauled myself from the pile of junk and onto the stairs.

  With more energy than I thought I still possessed, and most likely due to the sting, I raced up the staircase. Whimpers of pain and muffled words floated down the stairwell. I let go of the breath trapped in my lungs. They were alive. I hurtled up the last few stairs two at a time and busted through the hatch to the roof.

  I raised my head. A strangled cry escaped from the back of my throat.

  Megan was on her hands and knees whispering to Bethany. Her ankle was stuck under the twisted metal and wood that minutes ago had been the waterslide staircase.

  “Are you guys okay?” I rushed over and dropped next to Megan.

  “Oh, thank God. I’ve been calling on the radio but no one answered.” Megan looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I lost my radio in the quake.” I glanced down at Bethany.

  She clenched her jaw, scrunched her nose, and closed her eyes. “Can you get it off?”

  “We will. Just hang in there.” I had no idea how.

  “It’s too heavy. I couldn’t move it.” Tears slid down Megan’s face.

  She might not have been able to move it, but I hoped that my little extra strength, compliments of the sting, would be enough. “Maybe we can do it together.”

  Megan wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and nodded.

  “Okay. On three let’s try to shove it off.” I counted down then we both pushed, but couldn’t free Bethany’s foot. I rocked back on my heels. We had to figure out another way.

  “Bethany, can you sit up?” I pushed on her shoulders.

  With a guttural groan, she shifted into a sitting position.

  “Good. Now when we lift, I need you to pull your foot out as fast as you can, because we will only be able to hold it up for a second. Can you do that?” I searched her blue eyes.

  She blinked and nodded.

  “Megan, you ready?”

  “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

  “All right. One. Two. Three…” I lifted with every ounce of strength I had. It moved a few inches. I was losing my grip.

  With an, “Aaaahh,” Bethany yanked her foot free.

  I released the section of the stairs, as well as the breath I had bottled up.

  “We did it.” Megan cried and wrapped her arms around her cousin.

  “Can you walk?” I stood and bounced on the balls of my feet. “We need to find Adam.” I said a silent plea for him to be all right.

  “I think I can.” Bethany struggled to stand. When she got vertical, she almost collapsed, but Megan caught her.

  “Megan, where’s your radio?” I searched the ground for it, but didn’t spot it among the busted plastic and wood.

  “It’s on the back of my pants. Can you grab it?” Megan had both of her arms wrapped around Bethany.

  I unclipped the radio from her jeans and pushed the talk button. “Adam, are you there?”

  No answer. I tried again, my voice pitched higher than before. Silence. Dead silence. A lump lodged itself in my throat.

  “He wouldn’t answer me either.”

  I glanced at Megan and saw she was fighting tears.

  “We need to find him.” I looked at Bethany. “Will you be okay?”

  Her face was pale and her eyes glistened. “It hurts like hell, but I don’t think it’s broken.”

  Megan locked her gaze with mine. “What about the Raspers?”

  “They ran when the earthquake started. Hopefully they all fell into a large hole and died.” All the Raspers being killed by an earthquake would solve so many problems. But there was no way we’d be that lucky.

  “You don’t know for sure?”

  I rubbed the stress knot forming at the back of my neck. “No. Not for sure. Just wishful thinking. Let’s go.”

  It took us longer than I would have liked, but we finally made it to the front of the restaurant. I drew my gun and stepped outside. Not that a few bullets would do me much good against the mob of Raspers.

  No Raspers. Just massive destruction. We worked our way to the wave pool, avoiding all sorts of debris and cracks in the earth. We reached the tiki bar where Adam had been. It was still in one piece. I hoped he was too.

  I rubbed the muzzle of the Glock across my right arm. My chest burned like I had a severe c
ase of indigestion. It startled me how much I wanted him to be all right. How much I cared. I was so going to need a new Rule Number One.

  Megan righted a wayward lounge chair and deposited Bethany in it. “Here.”

  “Sorry. I need to rest for a minute.”

  Bethany’s injury was going to slow us down, but what could we do? We couldn’t leave her. I jammed the Glock in its holster, shoved the radio in my bag, and picked my way through the branches, metal scraps, and plastic chunks barring the door to the bar.

  “Adam?”

  He still didn’t answer. Where was he? I cleared the pile of junk and entered the bar.

  An overwhelming scent of whiskey assaulted my nose. All the bottles that once rested behind the bar had smashed, their contents mixing and running across the floor. The spillage leaked into my boots as I picked through the disaster zone of barstools, piles of chairs, and busted tables.

  “Adam, can you hear me?” Megan called out from her position by the door.

  He wasn’t here. Crap. There had to be another room, a storeroom or something. I spun in a circle and searched for another door. There. Behind a garish totem pole. I billy-goated my way over a pile of chairs, landing with a thud on the tile floor, the shockwave zipping through my legs. I made it to the closed door and yanked the handle. Nothing happened. I pounded on it. “Adam, are you in there?”

  No response.

  I had to get the door open. But how? Another bang. “Adam. Answer me.”

  Megan crashed to a landing behind me.

  “You okay?”

  Megan stood. “Yeah. Is he in there?”

  “I don’t know. The door won’t open.”

  Megan turned, walked to the corner, and came up with a piece of a wooden table. “What if we try to pry it open with this?”

  “Might work.”

  She handed me the thin shank of wood. I jammed it in the door by the handle and smashed the wood with a metal chair seat.

  The wood shattered and the door groaned. I threw the seat back into the rubbish pile and pulled on the door again. It moved a crack.

  “Come help me get this open.”

  Megan stood to my right and we both braced ourselves. “On three. One. Two. Three.” We pulled with everything we had. The door moaned louder than before, but it still didn’t move.