by Kirk Withrow
Clearing his throat, Frank said, “That’s right, Lila.” He wished he had more comforting words to offer her, but he knew there were no words capable of easing the pain of losing both of her parents at the same time.
After a moment, Eric said, “Frank, we need to get moving.”
Frank nodded and began maneuvering the UTV down a narrow service path that led to another of Fun World’s resorts situated farther away from the theme park. He thought it wise to avoid the main roads as much as possible in case there was still any military presence in the area.
Eric placed his hand on Lila’s head and gently ran his fingers through her hair, trying to commit every minute detail to memory. It was just one of a million tiny things he’d taken for granted that would soon be gone forever. Lila kept her head down for several long minutes, and he allowed her to do so. He couldn’t imagine the emotional turmoil she was wrestling with. It was a heavy burden for anyone, let alone a child, but he was confident her strength would see her through to the other side. Time and again, he’d been amazed by her resilient spirit. Now, that was the only thing that gave him any peace.
Eric looked at Frank out of the corner of his eye. If he hadn’t come along when he did, Eric truly didn’t know what he would’ve done. Considering it was at least the third time Frank had saved them, it was hard to think of him as anything other than a guardian angel. From the moment Melanie sank her teeth into his arm, Eric had been racking his brain to figure out how to ensure Lila’s safety once he was gone. Although his virus-impaired mind hadn’t realized it initially, he now understood that the answer to Lila’s salvation was sitting right next to him.
Lila’s heaving shoulders slowed to an occasional hitch before eventually stopping all together. She kept her head down for a few minutes longer before finally looking up. Even swollen and tear-stained, her radiant blue eyes glistened brilliantly in the moonlight. They were Melanie’s eyes, and they were beautiful. He was glad she’d inherited them so she would always have something to remember her by.
Once again at a loss for words, Eric said, “Lila, I…”
She seemed to read his unspoken thought, as she lunged forward and threw her arms around his neck. The unexpected action took him by surprise, and he happily returned her embrace. Like he’d done with her hair, he tried to take in every detail—the softness of her skin, the warmth of her breath on his neck, her cool tears on his face. Holding his little girl in that moment was the best feeling he’d ever experienced, and he didn’t want to forget any part of it.
Frank’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of the loving embrace between father and daughter, making it nearly impossible to drive.
All of a sudden, an intense beam of light swept through the trees just in front of their vehicle, prompting Frank to slam on the brakes. The light shot past before quickly doubling back. It brought with it an odd, whirring sound that none of them had ever heard before. It was a strange pulsing that could be felt as much as heard. The trees on each side of the path, which grew up to form a canopy that nearly obscured the vehicle from above, shook as though a thousand wild animals were suddenly rustling amongst them just out of sight. The light shifted jerkily as it panned around, clearly searching for something on the ground. For a moment, Eric wondered if they were about to be abducted by aliens. We have zombies now, why not aliens, too?
“Everybody out,” Frank said urgently. Eric and Lila complied without question, and the three slipped into the undergrowth alongside the service road. No sooner than they’d abandoned the UTV, the spotlight zeroed in on the vehicle. It hovered above for nearly fifteen seconds and then raced off. Before the aircraft disappeared beyond the trees, they saw the barely visible silhouette of what had to be a stealth helicopter. Eric didn’t find presence of such high-tech hardware the least bit comforting.
The trio emerged from cover and started back toward the UTV. Eric glanced at his watch and saw that it was 6:01a.m. Although he couldn’t be certain, he imagined they were nearing the edge of the MOAB’s blast radius, and that meant it was time for them to part ways. While Frank and Lila climbed in, he stopped next to the vehicle. Seeing this, Lila broke down and immediately started to climb out to be with him. Before she could hop out, however, Eric put a hand on her shoulder. She tried to push it off, but he held firm.
“This place will be turned into a parking lot in less than two hours. You guys need to be far away from here and I need to…” He let the words hang in the air, not wanting to finish his sentence in front of Lila. “It’s now or never, sweetie,” Eric said in the most reassuring tone he could manage.
Sobbing loudly, she said, “Then it’s never! I can’t do this, Daddy. Don’t make me. I want to stay here with you and Mommy!” She shoved his hand away and buried her head in his chest.
Although her words broke his heart, he knew he needed to stay strong. After a moment, he pushed away so that he could look directly into her eyes. “Lila, you are one of the strongest people I know. It will be hard, but you can do this. You have to—for your mother and me. Please.”
Her heavy sobs continued for another minute before Eric looked to Frank for help. The older man slid over and put his hand on Lila’s shoulder, patting it gently.
“Lila, your father’s right. We need to get moving to make sure we’re far enough away,” Frank said.
She looked up at her father once again, her face a mess of tears and mucous. As she did, he thought he saw a hint of understanding beneath the veneer of sadness in her eyes. “Be strong, sweetie. You can do this. Your mother and I love you so much,” Eric said, fighting to keep his own sobs from drowning his words. “Lila, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What did you say to the zombies outside the door when we were in the lighthouse?”
As the lighthouse seemed like a lifetime ago, the question took her by surprise and brought the slightest smile to her face. “I told them they should stop trying and just leave me alone because my daddy was never going to let them get me.”
Eric hugged his little girl one last time. Although it went against everything he wanted to do, he stepped back and said, “Go, Lila. Take Frank and get out of here.” He turned to Frank and gave him a solemn nod, which the older man returned in kind. The silent interaction conveyed so much more than anyone could’ve seen on the surface. It imparted a level of trust rarely seen amongst men, as well as an unspoken promise that his daughter would be in good hands. Confident in his actions, Eric stepped back into the shadows, hoping they might obscure the pain he was experiencing.
22
Frank pulled away with Lila by his side. It was a terrible situation, but somehow he knew it was where he was meant to be. This was the reason Betty had shown him the ventilation duct. Even though he hardly knew Eric or Lila, he felt a strong connection to both of them. He knew it would take a while for her to process everything that had happened, and he was prepared to give her all the time she needed. They drove in silence for a few minutes, before Lila turned to him and asked, “Frank, are you really going to take care of me?”
Frank had always wanted a daughter of his own, but the idea of suddenly taking on such a huge responsibility by himself left him feeling exceptionally nervous. He’d never been a father, and thus, he knew very little about raising a child. While he understood that the loss of a spouse wasn’t the same as losing both parents, the experience made him feel as if he could relate to what Lila was going through. Albeit not the most pleasant foundation upon which to build a relationship, at least it was a start. Even though Eric didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, the fact that he had trusted him to care for his beautiful daughter filled Frank with a sense of pride, and he took the duty very seriously despite his anxiety.
“Lila, I don’t know how much this old body has left, but I promise I will spend every bit of it keeping you safe.”
Still sniffling, Lila slid closer to him and took his hand in hers. In that moment, he finally understood what every father meant when they talked about being putty in t
heir daughter’s hands.
Without warning, a pair of bright lights appeared farther up the road. This was followed by the sound of tires screeching as a truck spun toward them before skidding to a halt fifteen yards away. Frank immediately slammed on the brakes, wanting to keep as much distance between them and truck blocking their way as possible. Although Frank and Lila couldn’t see past the headlights shining in their eyes, they heard the sound of boots as the heavily armed soldiers filed out and took up defensive positions. Several soldiers in the center of the formation advanced with weapons drawn. At first they were all yelling at once—ordering Frank and Lila to get out of the UTV with their hands raised in the air. Stepping out of the vehicle, Frank pushed Lila behind him in order to keep her in the shadows as much as possible. Although her time in the drainage ditch had rinsed off a great deal of the mud, she was still filthy and Frank didn’t want that fact to rouse any suspicion.
Even though he doubted the soldiers could hear him over their yelling, Frank tried to reassure them that neither he nor Lila was a threat. He told them she was his granddaughter, and that neither of them had any idea what was going on. When the electricity went out, they’d been forced to use a generator until their gasoline reserve ran out. Now, they were simply heading to the gas station to get more fuel. As he spoke, he slowly shifted to the side, hoping to block the Fun World logo on the side of the UTV from view. He breathed a sigh of relief when Lila didn’t say or do anything to contradict his story.
A brash soldier stepped out in front of the others and shouted, “I don’t give two shits, grandpa. You and the little one need to turn your asses back around before I have to make you turn around.” The soldier continued forward, his crazed eyes telling the story of a man on the edge. He kept his cheek welded to the stock and his barrel pointed at Frank.
Not wanting to invoke the soldier’s wrath unnecessarily, Frank did his best to stay calm. Despite his continued pleading, the soldier remained unfazed. Following the brash soldier’s lead, the remainder of the troops fanned out, keeping their weapons raised as they did. Frank heard several of the soldiers murmur that they didn’t have time for this and that they needed to get moving. The man immediately to the left of the loudmouthed soldier said, “J, come on, man. Forget about them. Let’s just go.” His voice sounded much calmer, without the sharp edges of the other soldier.
“Fuck that, Gomez. There’s still a quarantine and we still need to enforce it,” the first soldier said as he stepped forward, leading with his rifle.
With all the lights shining on Lila and him, Frank couldn’t see exactly what was happening. The vehicle’s driver called to them to hurry up. Even with
the noise of the other soldiers, Frank heard a loud sigh as Gomez switched off his weapon light and handed his rifle to the next soldier.
Crack!
The lead soldier’s light suddenly moved through the air erratically before the rifle it was attached to clattered to the ground. Gomez caught the soldier before his head hit the asphalt.
Squinting through the light, Frank saw the soldier’s crumpled body laid out in the arms of the other soldier who’d knocked him out. Over his shoulder, Gomez said, “Can you guys load Jiwalski’s dumb ass into the truck?” Several of the soldiers rushed forward and dragged Jiwalski’s limp body toward the back of the truck.
Rubbing his knuckles, Gomez stepped toward the pair of would-be refugees. “I can’t take you guys with us, but you two need to get as far away from here as fast as you can, understand? Drive straight out of here and don’t stop for anything. You’re not safe here.”
Frank and Lila exchanged a knowing look as they nodded to the kind soldier. Lila spoke up for the first time, saying, “Thanks for helping us, mister.”
Gomez gave them a warm smile and tousled Lila’s dirty hair before adding, “Take good care of this little girl. She seems like a sweet one. Wouldn’t hurt to find her some place to take a bath.” After he’d hopped into the back of the transport, he waved to Lila and nodded to Frank.
Once the military transport disappeared from view, Frank shifted the UTV into drive and sped away. As they drove, Lila twisted around in her seat and stared blankly as the silhouette of the iconic castle jutting up from the center of Fun World shrank in the distance. What had once been the ultimate symbol of joy and happiness now looked like the embodiment of all the pain and suffering she’d been forced to endure at Fun World. Although it was too early to know the exact impact the zombie outbreak at Fun World would have on her, one thing she knew with certainty: Fun World was definitely not the most wonderful place in the world.
23
Eric watched the UTV’s taillights fade into the distance. It was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Even though he could no longer see his daughter, he refused to look away, because he knew she was still looking back at him. He stood there staring for several long minutes at the place where the vehicle disappeared from view. The edge of the sun was just peeking out beyond the horizon, so he knew time was growing short.
7:01 a.m.
He smiled knowing that Lila had made it out of Fun World and that she had Frank to keep her safe. From the beginning, that was his one true goal. It would’ve been better had he and Melanie been able to join her, but that wasn’t in the cards. Turning, he started heading back to The Estuary. “I’m coming home, Melanie.”
It took him nearly forty-five minutes to get back to Room 504. He could feel the infection growing stronger inside his body. There were short periods of time that he couldn’t even recall. The numbers on his watch were blurry and indistinct, making it difficult to read the time.
7:47 a.m.
Eric staggered over to the balcony door. After several tries, he managed to unlock the door and slide it open. Whereas Melanie had fought tooth and nail to get to him before, she hardly noticed he was there now. He assumed that meant he was at least as much zombie as he was man. Moving awkwardly, he sidled up next to his zombie wife and put his arm around her. If she even noticed, she gave no indication. Slowly, one step at a time, he managed to turn them both so that they could see the sun rising above the Fun World castle.
Although it was growing increasingly difficult to speak, he managed to force out a few last words. “I love you, Melanie. Lila will be fine. Frank’s a good man; I wish you could’ve met him.”
Pain shot through his body, nearly dropping him to his knees. Although the pain was considerable, the transformation was so much more than that. Perhaps most distressing of all was an almost indescribable sensation, as if someone had a giant eraser and was slowly erasing his very existence one little part at a time. More and more, his muscles seemed to act without his control. There was one final thing that he had to do before the infection completely took over. With considerable effort, he unfastened the Larry the Lion watch and let it fall to the ground. He felt a weak smile crease his face and he knew it was all his own.
All of a sudden, a roar so unbelievably loud that he would have sworn the heavens had been split into tore across the sky. Two jets streaked past, the flames of their engines glowing hotly before vanishing a second later. The low rumble of another plane could be heard much farther away.
* * * * *
Nearly a mile above, a man pored over the coordinates as he sat at the controls of the sophisticated airplane. He input the numbers three times, each time unsure of the results. Furrowing his brow, he radioed central command to confirm the coordinates.
“Roger that, read back is correct. I repeat, read back is correct. Proceed with mission,” the commander verified.
Still not entirely certain, the bomber radioed once again. “Just to be clear, sir, you want me to bomb Fun World?”
“That’s affirmative; mission is a go. It’s time for the Fat Lady to sing.”
The bomber's hand shook as he keyed in the necessary launch codes. Swallowing hard, he raised the switch cover and said a quiet prayer. Just before he flipped the switch, he said, “Please forgive me.”
&n
bsp; The plane shook violently as its deadly payload deployed.
“You all right, Parker?” the pilot called from the front.
Barely able to speak, Parker said, “My wife’s going to kill me if she finds out what I’ve done.”
* * * * *
As the sound of the jets’ engines faded, another noise blossomed in the air. Quiet at first, it grew to a shrill screech as the massive ordinance carved a stunning path through the early morning sky. Eric thought it was beautiful and would’ve clapped if he had better control of his hands. Upon reaching its crescendo, it morphed into a deafening boom as the world exploded all around him. The thought that the wretched place would be better off now than it had been since before Fun World opened had just entered his mind when his brain was incinerated almost instantly. What had been Fun World was now nothing more than a blazing inferno that rose nearly a mile into the sky.