Let the Games Begin

There is a lot of activity at the park. It is a hot bed for a certain type of survivor in this desperate time. I made the trip by myself to check out the park. It was - I don't know what it was.

I took up a position about 200 yards south of the park. There was a maintenance shed with a window and a strong locking door. I brought along a spotting scope that I had found in a sporting goods store. It goes to 42 power so the 200 yards was a very doable distance for observation. There were a few draggers around the area but once they get within about 50-75 yards of the park they get captured (by some members of the crew that maintains the zombie storage) or the sentries at the park take them out. The ones that are captured are "de-barked" before they get put in the truck for transport. They just use a big ugly knife and go right in through the throat.

Inside the park is where the real cruelty and insanity happens. It was late morning when I established the observation point. Most of the people where just starting to rouse for the day. One side of the camp seemed to be getting up and enjoying some interesting things. They had a big breakfast and they also had at there disposal many different drugs and what appeared to be a group of women and men that were open for business of the sexual nature. Any business. The other part of the camp, which seemed to have more inhabitants, didn't have much to eat and definitely didn't have the distractions the other side of the camp had. They quickly began working around the camp and some were gearing up with weapons and empty bags. They ones that geared up left the camp in all directions.

One of them was coming right for my vantage point. I tucked my gear and myself in the darkest corner of the shed. It was a bright day outside but the shed only had the one small window so I prayed it would be dark enough to conceal me. I held my SPAX Axe tight just in case. He came right to the window of the shed and peered in. He cupped his hands around his face to try and see in better. His eyes were burning straight through me...then he turned away. I let out the breath I had been unknowingly holding. I started to rise.

BANG!

The door pulled against it's deadbolt. He had seen me! He's trying to get in! I stepped to the side of the door and raised the SPAX. The door pulled again - and again -

"AAAHHHHRRRGGG!"

The scream made my heart stop for half a beat. I leaned closer to the door. I could hear tearing, crunching, and gurgling. One of the undead had taken him while his attention was on the door. Nothing I could do for him now.

I turned my attention back to the park. Things were pretty quiet. The worker side of the camp seemed to be taking care of all the day to day operations. The "pleasure" side was treating the others like house servants from what I could tell. Some of the Pleasures (seems like a good name to me) went into some tents that were set up in the park and stayed in there for quite some time. I saw them exit occasionally and carry small bags to a tent in the center of the park. When they left the center tent they were always empty handed.

This activity continued all day. The Servants (those not on the pleasure side) worked and the Pleasures did what ever they wanted (with the exception of the few that seemed to be working in the tents). Throughout the day the Servants that had set out that morning trickled in. I was going to back up and head out but the attitude of the camp began to change towards the end of the day and into the evening. Everyone began to gather around the center tent. There was a clear line of separation between the Servants and the Pleasures. They all seemed excited about what was about to happen. That excitement infected me and I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. Then it happened. It was like a cheesy post apocalyptic movie.

The flap of the center tent lifted and the crowd fell silent. A man, I'll call him Leader, stepped from the tent. He seemed to be a little older than the followers (who all appeared to be in their teens to thirties). He began to speak as he handed out little baggies to the Pleasures from one of the sacks that had been brought to him throughout the day. I'm guessing the Pleasures that went in the tents were cooking drugs of some sort and that's what they brought to Leader so he could hand them out at this meeting. It seemed to be a good speech as everyone was caught up in his every intonation. When he finished handing out the baggies he stepped back to the front of the crowd and gestured toward the Servants. The ones that had gone out for the day came up one by one and emptied their sacks at his feet. They each received a baggie after they emptied their sacks. When the last servant had deposited his goods Leader began speaking again. After a short speech the crowd fell silent again and they all scanned each others faces. They seemed to be waiting for someone to do something. Then two of the Servants raised their hands and shouted. The crowd went crazy with excitement. They hoisted the two, a young man and women, to their shoulders and surfed them to the front by Leader. Leader raised his hands and silenced the crowd. He shouted something and I can't be sure from that distance that I heard it right but I believe he said,

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

At this the crowd made its way to a fully fenced court near the center of the park. They encircled the court and began cheering as the male Servant who had volunteered entered the court. Leader gestured to the crew from the zombie storage building. They opened their truck and brought out the biggest zombie I have ever seen. It must have been almost 7 feet tall! Two of the crew wrestled it into the court and pulled the catch poles off then ran for the gate and locked it behind them. The Servant in the cage danced around the zombie, doing his best Muhammad Ali foot work. He was unarmed. He began striking the creature in the head with hard blows and darting away before it could grab hold of him, looking to the cheering crowd between each blow. This went on for about a minute and it was obvious that the Servant was getting worn out. His footwork was fading and his punches weren't as strong as they had been. He turned to the crowd for approval and the zombie shot forward with a sudden burst of speed and grabbed hold of him. It sunk its teeth into the back of his scalp and pulled a piece off. He began to scream. It fell on top of him and began to tear at his back as he screamed, a scream you couldn't hear above the roar of the crowd. Three of the wranglers went into the court. Two of them collared the zombie and pulled it into one corner. The other went to the servant on the ground and rolled him onto his back. The servant was still alive. The wrangler put a hand one hand on the mans forehead and with the other he drew a knife from his belt and plunged it into the Servants voice box! The wrangler stood up and drug the twitching Servant to the truck and tossed him in the back.

The second Servant, the female, entered the court. The wranglers released the zombie and ran for the gate. The servant began shouting at the creature. She didn't take her eyes off of it as she moved along the fence feeling it with her hands. The zombie was approaching her. When she reached a fence post she started to climb the fence. The zombie drew closer as she climbed. She reached the top pole that supported the chain link ceiling just as the zombie reached the edge of the fence and made a grab for her. She grabbed onto the top pole and swung out away from the side by pushing off of the zombies head which caused it to fall forward into the fence post. The Servant then began to pummel the things head into the fence post with kicks as she hung from the top pole. The zombies head was losing its shape and its feet were faltering as she continued her barrage of kicks. The zombies head bounced of the bloody fence post a final time and it fell backwards to the ground. The Servant dropped from the top pole onto the zombies face crushing what was left of the head. The crowd went crazy. Leader entered the ring and raised the Servant's arm like a champion wrestler. He led her out of the court and began to walk her toward the pleasure camp. The crowds followed congratulating her along the way. She picked out a few baggies from the sack offered by Leader and selected a love slave for the night. She had won the right to be a Pleasure by killing a zombie bare handed.

The camp began to settle for the night. I didn't want to have to make my way back in the dark but I didn't want to stay any longer after what I had seen. I packed up my gear as quietly as I could. I took up the SPAX and unlocked the door. I slipped through into the night.

It was dark. The ground felt wet. I stepped into the night. Something grabbed my right foot and pulled it hard and I went down. Hands were pulling at my clothes ferociously. I swung my SPAX with one hand as I tried to pull myself away with the other. The SPAX sunk deep into something hard and the clawing hands stopped. I fumbled in my pocket for a flashlight and clicked it on. My pants were torn and one of my shoes had been pulled off and was still in the hands of the zombie that lay dead at my feet. It's throat was chewed through as were its legs and part of its abdomen. With the speed that the hands were moving it had to of been fresh. The Servant that tried to get in the shed earlier. I pulled my boot from it's grasp and pried the SPAX from it's head. I took a risk and decided to leave the flashlight on for the trip home. I hope the camp didn't spot me leaving.