-Chapter 8-
Step Up and Test Your Luck
"Holy shit guys! IT'S KIDDIE LAND!" Ellis cried pointing ahead. His voice hit Rochelle's eardrum at full blast as he walked beside her, putting an extra skip in his step.
Coach chuckled, and used his arm to wipe the sheen of sweat off his forehead. "I swear, doesn't it sometimes feel like we're babysittin'?"
Nick sighed, and watched the rear for straggling zombies following their path through Whispering Oaks. "He's like a five year old with guns, and a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language."
Rochelle halted her footing, and watched Ellis scurry ahead. He flew passed Coach, and moved toward the hub of Kiddie Land while twirling in every direction. His cheerful eyes panned each ride like an ecstatic child debating on which present to open on Christmas morning. Ellis's youthful glow radiated from his smile, his movements, and his laughter. Rochelle wondered many times how he could just maintain a positive vibe, and be so carefree about everything. The whole zombie apocalypse situation doesn't falter him at all, or even weight him down like it has done to her and the others. Even Coach pointed out before that this new reality possibly doesn't register in Ellis's mind, but while it gave her a quick chuckle, she didn't believe it to be true.
Still, Rochelle grew envious.
"I wish I could be that happy…" she mumbled, but bit her lip thinking. "-Oh what the heck." She raised her hands in the air, despite the weight of the axe, and imagined cheering for the Cleveland Cavaliers. "WOO! KIDDY LAND!"
It felt awkward at first, especially with Coach and Nick now staring at her, but the jovial and innocent shout awakened her senses, and relieved her previously dismal and blearily state. Whether she was delusional or walking a thin line of insanity…it didn't matter, because for the first time, in a long time, she felt rejuvenated.
"Are Ellis's immature antics that contagious?" Nick asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Nope, but I think it helps. I feel like getting on a ride now."
"I sure as hell wouldn't mind riding the Lil Peanut Rockets one more time," Coach said, catching on.
"Or the Screaming Oak," Rochelle added. "Ellis said that one is fun."
Nick dropped his hand to his side without a word. He switched glances between Coach and Rochelle, listening to their talk.
"But first," Coach said lifting a finger. "We find a corndog stand."
"And some fried dough too?" Rochelle grinned.
Coach laughed holding his stomach. He turned his sights to Ellis standing by the giant tree in front of them. "F'sho. F'sho."
Rochelle, tired of Nick's absence, nudged him in the arm. "Come on, Nick. Join in."
Nick shook his head. "I'll pass on that."
"Why? Are you too old for amusement parks?" Rochelle asked continuing forward. She walked underneath the Kiddie Land banner, and advanced to the right.
Nick followed her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying that your idea of fun is probably sitting around the casino making bets and chugging shots. Am I right?"
"There's nothing wrong with that."
Rochelle frowned, just the thought made her shudder. She personally had nothing against gambling, which required betting money in order to win money, but will never forget that her uncle succumbed to a difficult life after letting his gambling habits develop into an addiction.
"I don't see the fun in it."
"Have you ever been gambling before?"
Rochelle stopped to rest at two metal benches up against a stone wall. She took a seat, laying her axe across her lap, and briefly glanced at the used napkins and empty plastic cups scattered on the pavement. Rochelle had never been to Whispering Oaks before, and while it deems to be a nice and exciting place, she found her enjoyment lacking. Her feet laced with pain from their travels, and the bag of food was quickly dispersed of by the time they reached the main gates.
Shit, out of all the amusement parks I've been to none of them have been this big.
Nick joined her at the benches while Coach parted in the other direction toward Ellis. Ellis used his sniper rifle to shoot zombies in the distance-particularly the ones standing in line for the un-operated rides. When he stopped to reload, his amiable southern draw replaced the silence hanging in the air. He still pestered Coach about getting on a ride.
Rochelle couldn't resist a smile.
"Ro?"
Rochelle pulled her thoughts away from Ellis and focused on Nick. Her smile refused to wither, and her jittery unbridled emotions danced in the same rhythm as if she were still thinking about Ellis, but strange enough she wasn't. Her mind was on Nick.
Why am I thinking about them like this? I need to stop while I have the chance.
"I'm sorry. Um, only twice with a couple of my girlfriends. Each time I ended up leaving with less than what I started with."
"Twice?" Nick echoed. He stood in front of her keeping a distance. "How could you have only gone twice?"
"It is easier for people to walk away and never return when they aren't money hungry like others," she teased.
Nick's eyes grew, and he leaned back slightly. He looked around the area as if expecting to see some random gamblers standing beside him. "Are you referring to me?" He turned back to Rochelle pointing to his chest.
Rochelle chuckled softly, and rested her arms on her legs. "I'm not saying that you are."
"But your tone implies otherwise. Would you believe me if I said I'm not?"
"If you can tell me something you honestly love more than cold hard cash."
Nick raised an eyebrow. He folded his arms keeping his magnum in his left hand. He took his time, prolonging the silence, but replied sooner than Rochelle expected. "I could name a few things, but who doesn't love money?"
"Money doesn't buy happiness, Nick," Rochelle commented.
Nick furrowed his brow, and his calm expression twisted into a quick glower. His body tensed and he opened his mouth speaking through gritted teeth. "You know, my sister said the same thing to me the last time I talked to her. That was two years ago."
Rochelle didn't know what astonished her more; the fact that Nick revealed something else about himself, or the fact that what she said popped one of his nerves. She pressed her lips together turning away from his striking, and cold stare. A tight knot rose to her throat preventing her from swallowing.
"I'm sorry if that bothered you, but know you it's a true statement," Rochelle explained lowering her voice. Nick averted his gaze to Coach and Ellis, and Rochelle let out a breath, able to truly breathe. She changed the topic, hating to see him livid-especially at her. "I never believed that I had luck with anything, especially gambling." Nick's eyes trailed back to her. His glare softened. "I mean that's all it is right? Taking chances."
"I've been lucky more times than I can count on a number of occasions." Nick paused, and stroked his neck. "But you can be like Al, a bastard I know that still owes me money. He told me once that he carries around a lucky charm. He swore the damn thing has saved his life a couple of times."
"A lucky charm?" Rochelle folded her arms with a laugh, and lolled on the bench. "Like what? A rabbits foot?"
Nick shrugged, but gave a small chuckle. "How the hell should I know. That was his philosophy. I didn't believe any of that shit."
"Yo Nick! Ro!" Coach called waving his hand. "Are you guys ready to mosey or what?"
Rochelle rose to her feet, almost forgetting about Coach and Ellis waiting. "Yeah, we're coming."
She grabbed her axe, and began to follow Nick but something preventing her from moving forward. She froze, tightening her muscles, and waited to see if the strange feeling regenerated again. A vibration cracked beneath her, but ever so slightly that her companions failed to notice. She looked back at the garbage on the ground. The lightweight cups trembled across the pavement like a dangerous stampede charged closer to their location.
The familiar growing tremors whisked Rochelle back to her dream, and her heart sunk. Visions of Mrs. Harris lifeless body, and the massive beast reappeared in front of her eyes. Rochelle respired, and blinked the images to oblivion. She twirled on her heels to warn the others, but saw all three of them expressed signs of caution. Before Rochelle could find her voice Ellis beat her to it, and confirmed her intuition.
"Oh, shit! A Tank!"
As if on cue, the gigantic mutated zombie jumped out from hiding and hurtled down the hill from where they previously came. Rochelle's shaky grip clenched around her axe and she watched her fellow survivors attack the Tank with bullets. The Tank roared, beating its chest, and revealed no signs of stopping.
"Look out!" Rochelle cried in warning, trying to ignore her rapid heartbeat.
Coach and Ellis both dove to the sides, dodging the Tank's wide powerful swing. Nick hurried backwards, his body concealed behind the Lil Peanut Rockets, still firing off rounds to lure the beast away.
"Let's split up!" Coach shouted over the raging commotion.
In an instant, all of them bolted in different directions like an offensive side of a football team. Rochelle ran deeper toward the far side of Kiddie Land hoping to find some other weapon besides her axe. She searched the vicinity, passing a closed snow cone and cotton candy stand, struggling to keep up with her hustling feet. The clamor exploding behind her shattered any peace they once endured and rattled her brain, snapping into overtime. The Tank's threatening bellow pounded clearly in her ears despite the distance between them.
Rochelle spotted a cluster of tables ahead, and searched through winding up empty handed. A lone male zombie in the corner chased after her, and Rochelle decapitated the pale, white eyed undead with one swing. Ellis's voice rose over the constant gunfire, which gave her the impression that the Tank now pursued him. She inhaled a sharp breath, and moved behind a long ticket booth near the restrooms.
She pressed her body against the wall. A faint tremor, originating from the Tank pounding on the ground, knocked Rochelle to her knees. The Tank roared, and Ellis's screaming pierced the night air. A pang shot through Rochelle's body once his fading voice cut short, and Coach released a string of profanities before frantically calling Ellis's name.
"Ellis!" Rochelle shrieked, back on her feet, already fearing the worse.
Rochelle jumped from her hiding spot, but remained near the corner just in case. Her frantic wearisome eyes searched for the Tank. The hanging lights helped Rochelle see a glimmer of silhouettes-one the size of a human, and the other the size of a beast-moving in the foggy background on the opposite side of Kiddie Land. The obstruction of trees, tents, and rides prevented her from getting a clear view.
"Rochelle."
A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, and Rochelle jumped startled. She tensed spinning with her axe raised. Her sights immediately recognized a stained and torn white suit, and Rochelle loosened her grip meeting with a pair of green eyes. "Nick?"
"Were you expecting the mascot Lil Peanut?" Nick asked, panting. "Here, take this." He held out an assault rifle, and thrust the weapon into her hands.
"Thanks." Rochelle said, accepting the gun. "Where's Ellis?"
"We need to help him and Coach." Nick reloaded his magnum.
"Okay." She tossed her axe aside and braced herself eying the distance. Even though they have encountered a Tank before, back at the mall, they didn't have to face it. Jimmy Gibbs Jr's car spared them the trouble. She turned up to Nick. "I'll go help them. Do you think you can step up and test your luck against the Tank for a bit?"
Nick frowned about to protest, but the Tank rushed into view by the Peanut Rocket ride-moving like a prowling lion. "Fine. Be careful."
Rochelle nodded and wasted no time. She tore from her spot, and sprinted across Kiddie Land, keeping the Tank in her peripheral view. When given the chance, she stopped to assail the giant with numerous shots, but sidestepped along with Coach and Ellis on her mind.
The Tank targeted her, as if aware of her motivates, and Rochelle ducked behind a lit tree. The zombie paused to tear a chunk of pavement from the ground giving her the time reload. Nick's consistent firing helped keep her somewhat sane, but she still fumbled with the magazine cursing at her shaky fingers.
Out the corner of her eye, Rochelle saw the Tank effortlessly toss the boulder in her direction. She leapt to the ground shielding her head from the anticipating attack. The tree, blocking the directed path, caused the boulder to shatter into smaller pieces. Rochelle flinched as the shards rained upon her-one larger fragment smashing into her thigh. Her leg throbbed in pain, but luckily an ache she could ignore. When the Tank's grunts and movements faded in the other direction, chasing after Nick, Rochelle stumbled to her feet and continued her search.
She didn't need to travel far before she spotted a figure, with a round belly and bald head, sprawled on the ground. He hoisted himself to a stance, and licked his lips spitting blood.
"Coach!" Rochelle raced to his aid. Her eyes scanned each visible small wound covering his body. "Are you okay?"
Coach winced, and exhaled a long forceful breath. He rubbed his knee, but gathered his shotgun with renewed vengeance. "I'm okay."
"Where's Ellis?" Rochelle struggled to control her building anxiety.
"The Tank hit him over there." Coach explained, pointing. He limped past her already on the move to assist Nick. "Go help him. Imma help Nick."
Rochelle nodded, and flew over to a small area of lined tents. Her heart raced, and her mouth went dry at the sight of a green tent partially collapsed and crumbled with a gaping hole on the side. Two zombies swayed in front of it, and Rochelle swiftly cocked her weapon and fired.
"Ellis!"
She hopped over the bleeding inert bodies, and ripped the hole further to view inside. The overflowing darkness caused her to flip on her flashlight, and the glow shined on Ellis's unresponsive body covered with pink and purple stuff animals. Rochelle panicked, and carefully kicked the plush elephants and bears aside. She knelt beside him, gun on the ground, and lifted the upper half of his body in her arms. His head flopped, but she supported his neck using her arm watching his chest rise and fall in steady intervals of breathing.
"Ellis…" Rochelle called, her voice quivered. "Sweetie get up!"
Rochelle stroked his warm cheek cringing at the fresh cut on his forehead, slightly concealed by his hat. His right wrist swelled, and his arms were marked with growing bruises. For the most part his exterior wounds were minimal, but Rochelle could imagine the excruciating pain beating underneath.
"Ellis, please wake up."
Rochelle shook him fighting back the tears brimming in her eyes. He remained unconscious, but thankfully still showed signs of life. It wasn't until now, waiting and praying for Ellis to respond, did she notice the firing around her ceased, and Kiddie Land fell into an ethereal silence.
"Ellis," Rochelle whispered. She craned her neck looking out at the vacant and quiet park stretching behind her. "Nick! Coach!"
"Rochelle?" Coach replied, his voice echoed in the distance.
"Come quick! Ellis is-" Rochelle bit her tongue returning to Ellis.
Her eyes widened, and hope billowed through every inch of her body. Ellis's fingers twitched, and a faint groan escaped from his parted lips. He shifted in her arms, and lifted his listless eyes, staring ahead at the crumbled ceiling.
"Ma?"
Rochelle shook her head. "It's me, Rochelle."
Ellis's eyes drifted to her, and their natural azure glow gradually returned. "Ro…"
Rochelle smiled, and wiped her eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Yah, that Tank-" He struggled to sit up, managing at first, but groaned wincing in pain.
Rochelle kept a careful hand on his shoulder. "Do you feel okay?"
Ellis shut his eyes. He carefully held his swollen wrist ignoring the blood seeping down the side of his face. "I ain't lyin'…this hurts," he muttered, furrowing his brow.
Shuffling footsteps drew near, and Rochelle reached for her gun. Coach and Nick's huffing sounded in her ears, and she released her grip letting her shoulders drop.
"How is he?" Coach asked, peeking through the new door Rochelle created.
"Okay…I guess, " Rochelle replied with a mirthless shrug.
Ellis opened his eyes, and cracked a tiny smile. "Did ya get the Tank, guys?"
"Yah, we got him." Coach nodded, but paused looking at the collection of stuff animals. "Looks like these prizes cushioned your fall, Ellis," he explained, finding a bit of humor in the discovery.
Ellis exhaled a weak laugh. His good hand tightened around an elephant's trunk. "I won't ever make fun of a stuff animal again."
Rochelle smiled, but her expression didn't last. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't slow her beating heart. The entire situation terrified her at how close they were to losing Ellis.
Hell, all of us could have easily died. She clarified, glancing at Coach and Nick. Their appearance and conditions were far from perfect.
Coach slid into the tent. "Do you think you can walk, son?"
Ellis waved him off with reassurance. "Yah, I should be fine."
Despite Ellis's confidence, Coach offered his hand. Rochelle stood and also helped as the two of them steadily lifted Ellis off the ground. Ellis smiled. He was on his feet for a good two seconds before he cringed, and he held his side buckling. Rochelle grabbed Ellis's shoulder, preventing them from toppling, and lowered him back onto the pool of stuff animals. Ellis respired through clenched teeth, and Rochelle caught Nick's frown and Coach's grimace.
"Well…piss!" Ellis blurted.
Coach shook his head and removed his med-kit-the last one they carried. "Hold still, let me heal yo ass."
Rochelle stepped out of the tent to give Coach more space. She moved away from them, and treaded a few steps forward trying to stay positive. She scoped the wall ahead with a painted safe house sign which pointed them in the right direction. A looming presence closed in behind her, and Rochelle tensed sensing Nick's eyes watching. She suppressed a sob, and peered over her shoulder. Her eyes met with Nick's before they fell to his new wound-a small gash underneath his ripped left sleeve.
"You okay?" Nick asked, softening his voice with concern.
Rochelle nodded, flashing him an assuring smile, before she turned back around to hide her escaping tears.
Author's Notes:
"This used to be a funhouse, but now it's full of evil clowns!"
Does anyone else get the urge to sing "Funhouse," by Pink when playing this campaign? I hope I am not the only one. And yes, I understand it has nothing to do with an amusement park.
Ugh! Action scenes slow me down, but pack a great punch.
Let's thank the snow storm for dumping a foot of snow, cancelling classes, and allowing me to not only be stuck at home, but to give me the time to finish this chapter. Yay!
-DJ Dork
