The Park (Evenstad Media Presents Book 1) Read online

  As soon as I found it, I headed back. Just in fucking time, too. I caught Desiree wandering toward the door. It took me a solid minute or two to even get her attention. Totally fucking dazed. Out of her skull.

  I was lucky to have found the medallion when I did. I definitely can't leave Desiree alone now. I haven't even been able to get away and test the medallion out. No idea what it fucking does. But at least I've got it. I'm better armed and Desiree's going to be better protected. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway. For all I know, it could be some stupid decoy they put out to mess with our fucking heads. And wouldn't that be fantastic?

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 08DESIREE

  ENTRY 004

  DATE: 2/20/2074

  Justice took me back inside. I think I'm thankful for it, but I just can't be sure. I keep hearing this voice and these words. I know it's You, God. I think I know. I just… I need a sign. Any sign. If You've truly chosen to speak to me, give me a sign. I need Your guidance. Should I listen to the words I hear? I want to do right. I want to do Your will. But I need a way to be certain. I don't want to succumb to the Devil. Please, God, just help me decide. Tell me who to listen to.

  Amen.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 11SUSAN

  ENTRY 005

  DATE: 2/22/2074

  Tina's pushing to leave. Heard her talking to Craig. Starting to work. He's considering. Don't like it. Don't want him against me. Her I can deal with. I've put it off long enough now. She's getting shiftier. Don't like it. The two of them could take me out. Pretty sure on that. Just a matter of going first. Don't think they have the stomach to kill. Never thought I did, either. But here I am. Can't have Tina around much longer. She's been leaving when she thinks I'm asleep. Think she's looking for something to help. One of the medallions, probably. She gets one, that could end everything. Don't like it.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

  ENTRY 004

  DATE: 2/23/2074

  I'm a fool. An even bigger fool than I thought. Apparently, I'm feeding Julia's delusion now. I didn't see it until after the fact, but that's exactly what I did this morning. Probably means I'm falling into it right alongside her.

  I was starting to feel guilty about how well she was taking care of me. It's not like I ever did anything for her. Not once since I found her, in fact. So I made sure I was up before she was, which wasn't an easy thing to do in the first place, and I made breakfast. Or I tried to. I burned the canned ham right down to the center. Yeah, not just the outside. All the way through. I guess there aren't any smoke alarms in these trailers. But I made up for it. The frozen hash browns didn't even get cooked all the way through. So I guess that balances it all out.

  I was going to throw it out, but that's when Julia walked in. Trust me, I could tell that she wasn't thrilled about the whole thing, but she smiled and sat down. I tried to give her as little as possible, but she just kept asking for more until she had a good, full serving in front of her. And she ate it and said how wonderful it was, even as we both struggled to choke it down.

  I don't know. We have enough food to not worry about it running out. It's all frozen or canned, so it won't spoil. There's no logical reason for her to have eaten it. But she did.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 09TINA

  ENTRY 006

  DATE: 2/26/2074

  I did it. I finally found another medallion. It was right over by the wall. I was worried about setting off the alarms and giving myself away, but I've been looking for almost a week, now, and this was the first one I'd found. I don't know if they just shut the alarms off or if this spot is somehow unprotected or what. If it was, it could be a way out. Not going to risk that, though. It's pretty clear I'm supposed to stay put.

  I haven't even gone back to the house yet. I need to wait a little bit and get my head clear. I tested out the medallion, and just having it scares me. All I saw was this ball of gold. It was shimmering like a really hot fire, and it went far enough that I didn't see it fizzle out. Maybe it even hit the wall. I don't know. But it was fast and hot and it's only been a couple minutes and it's already ready to go again.

  I found the mother lode. As in winning might actually be possible

  ENTRY END

  TO: Niels Evenstad

  FROM: Frederick Evenstad

  SUBJECT: Golden Gun

  SENT 3/31/2072 AT 11:14 a.m. EST

  Brother,

  The reports about the CESUs we made for The Park have caught my eye. Enough that I'm emailing you directly. I don't want word of this to get out. It's very sensitive and could be very bad for both of us if the information ever got out.

  One of the CESUs that my people made, the lab techs started calling it the 'golden gun.' It's a thermal weapon. They designed it to be a secret weapon, the kind of thing that would make someone almost invulnerable. A potential range of miles and enough heat to kill on contact. The timing unit they installed is incredibly fast as well. Less than two minutes before it can be fired again. It's quite a long time, but not compared to the potential destructive capacity

  I think we have to cut it. It's bad enough that we know that one can be made. I'm in full support of this program of yours, but with this, I fear that the bad press could be too much to overcome.

  Please consider what I've told you,

  Frederick Evenstad

  Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Technologies

  —

  TO: Frederick Evenstad

  FROM: Niels Evenstad

  SUBJECT: RE: Golden Gun

  SENT 3/31/2072 AT 12:22 p.m. EST

  I'm aware of all of this. I've already approved all forty CESUs to be used. I realize that this 'golden gun' of yours is dangerous, but the ratings, Brother. The ratings will get word out about your product, and the money will buy us real family security.

  Niels Evenstad

  Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Media

  JOURNAL 10MANFRED

  ENTRY 006

  DATE: 2/26/2074

  Secrecy is more important than ever. People draw close to me. I saw a flash of light go by. I can only assume that it came from one of the medallions. Nothing in nature, and certainly nothing I have yet seen here, would cause such an effect. I worry that the young man and woman may have tracked me here. I must cut back on my journal even more, to avoid the light of the screen revealing my location. Hopefully, my mind is strong enough to withstand the wear without it.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 05CRAIG

  ENTRY 004

  DATE: 2/28/2074

  Oh God. I can finally stop for a moment. I've left Susan behind after what she did. I just… I couldn't believe it. She didn’t have any difficulty with it and didn't show any remorse about it.

  Tina's dead. I didn’t stay a single second after that. Why would I? How could I? There was no reason for Susan not to turn straight on me. I left while her CESU was still recharging and just ran.

  I'm alone again, and all I have to show for the time I spent with Susan is Tina's corpse and paranoia. I'm no closer to taking apart these CESUs than when I first went looking for tools.

  Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I think I know how to get into them. But I don't like it. I think I have to use another CESU to do it. It's just too bad I couldn’t have grabbed Tina's. Maybe that would have worked.

  ENTRY END

  09

  JOURNAL 11SUSAN

  ENTRY 006

  DATE: 2/28/2074

  Tina's gone. Craig ran. Probably smart. Way he was acting, I might have had to take him out, too. Not an immediate problem. I can remove him when I need to. Nabbed the other medallion she had. Nasty piece. Keeping it close at hand. Between that and my first one, I don't see where I'll be in much danger. Just have to be careful. Don't let them go without a charge for too long.

  Think the money is safely
mine. Haven't met everyone yet. If Craig and Tina are the average, I should be fine. Not issues. Might get some respect from the girls at work. Lot of people might quit work. Twenty million is good, but not really enough for a good life. Not after taxes. Have to stay behind the cash register for a bit, still.

  ENTRY END

  WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE PARK?

  POLL2

  1: Susan (32%)

  2: Christina (14%)

  3: Blake (10%)

  4: Justice (7%)

  5: Rita (7%)

  6: Craig (7%)

  7: Manfred (7%)

  8: Desiree (6%)

  9: Julia (6%)

  10: David (2%)

  11:Tina (1%)

  12: Nathan (1%)

  (Information Collected by The Cruise)

  JOURNAL 08DESIREE

  ENTRY 005

  DATE: 3/4/2074

  Lord, I've received Your sign. Everywhere I look, I see demons. On the walls, sitting next to me on the furniture, everywhere. Everywhere but the doors and windows. I never see the demons outside. So I know. I understand. I can't stay here. They won't leave. You've revealed them to me, and there's no way for me to banish them. Not from here. They've impregnated the walls.

  I have to leave. Staying here won't do anyone any good. Justice doesn't want me to leave. He doesn't understand it. I can't make him see what's going on. I know You have Your reasons for not letting him see it. You have Your reasons and they aren't for me to question. I can only say it would be easier if You would share the visions, but I don't make this request. I would not dream of such indignity against You.

  When it comes time to escape, I will be ready. I don't know what work You have waiting for me out there, but I know that it's beyond that door. It's outside these walls, in the darkness. It's out of Justice's safety and protection. I see now that You didn't answer my pining for love. That, perhaps, is not in my future. Justice is here as a challenge. He's simply misguided. I won't hurt him. He's innocent. But I have to escape. I swear to do this in Your name.

  Amen.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 05CRAIG

  ENTRY 005

  DATE: 3/5/2074

  I've managed to find a new place to live. It's far away from Susan, unless she decides to leave. I doubt she will. She spent too long setting up those traps and security measures and everything. She's way too practical to waste that much time and energy. Scary practical.

  I'm still working on the CESUs. My best theory is still that I need to use a CESU to get into a CESU. At least as long as I'm stuck in here without proper tools. Of course, I might end up killing myself in the process. I don’t have any of the exact paperwork or schematics on them, but the amount of energy inside of a CESU is huge. If I screw up… I don't want to think about it. I'm working on estimates anyway. They could be wrong.

  And I have to find two. The one I had on me when I woke up is a ways off from the house. Have it set up with a tripwire. A million things could go wrong with it, but if it works out, I'll have a good thirty seconds' notice to get away.

  I'll be completely unprotected at that point, too. Not something I'm hoping for, but it's better than the alternative. You know, death. So I'd rather find two. Something to work on and something to work with. Hopefully not something powerful. Don't want to rupture whatever's in there. But I'd rather have the one I work with strong enough to make somebody else stumble, if necessary. A delicate balance. I don't know that I'll be able to find it.

  It might be easier if I could sleep better. Ever since I left, I've been on edge. Any little noise or light wakes me up. I'm lucky to get a few hours. And those few hours are normally filled with nightmares. Tina dying. Susan finding me. My own damn curiosity getting me blown up or burned to death. I've been way too tired lately. So I'd rather find the other CESUs soon. I don't know how many more nights I'll be lucid enough to comfortably do the kind of precision work I'll end up needing to do.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

  ENTRY 005

  DATE: 3/5/2074

  I've come to a decision. Probably get my stupid ass killed in the process, but Julia needs protecting, and I'm here. So I'm doing it. I can't tell her about it, but I'm doing it. I just don't want her getting hurt.

  She's teaching me to cook. If I make it out of this in one piece, I guess I'll actually be able to fend for myself. Hopefully I can get my food bills down. Restaurants and prepackaged dinners aren't really cost-effective. I always knew that, but I didn't think I could cook. Actually, I knew I couldn't. Now I can… sort of.

  Let's just hope that I actually get the chance to put this all to use. But then, if I do, that means Julia didn't survive. Either way, I failed. Which one is worse? I don't know for sure. Depends on the day. Depends on the time of day, I guess.

  Right now, the best option is Julia surviving. I guess I'll see what the verdict is tonight, when I don't sleep again. The past couple days haven't been good for me. Exhaustion. This whole thing's been keeping me up. But I can't manage to give up and leave. I just can't.

  ENTRY END

  JOURNAL 03BLAKE

  ENTRY 005

  DATE: 3/6/2074

  I've been thinking about my family a lot lately. My mom, mostly. Dad, he can probably handle the whole thing all right. On the outside, anyway. You know how it is with those old-fashioned kinda guys. They never really let you know how they're feeling until their dogs die. But Mom, I think she's falling apart. I guess part of it is me hoping. Not that I want her to get hurt. I don’t want any of this to happen at all, least of all Mom getting upset about it. But how would I really feel if I found out she wasn't upset?

  It's stupid. I know she has to be. Who wouldn't, with their son kidnapped? No notice, no nothing? They don't know that this is all fake. I'm still running with that. It's the only thing that actually makes sense. But Rita also says they wouldn't let the audience know it was fake. Makes sense, too. Everything she says makes sense.

  I'm glad Rita found me and told me what was going on. I wouldn't have figured it out. I'm just not that bright. Yeah, I can admit it. Rita pretty much saved my ass. I don't know exactly what would have happened if someone had figured out that this was all fake.

  But Mom and Dad don't know. They could have figured it out. They say it's always easier when you're sitting on the couch than when you're actually there. Maybe they solved the puzzle. Maybe they're not worried and they know that it’s some weird special effects trick when people die. Fuck, maybe they got told that it's all fake. I don't know. I don't know anything other than what I'm supposed to do. Survive. Or 'survive,' I guess. Don't become a victim of whatever high tech hallucination hologram bullshit they're using.

  I still think about that guy I killed, though. It was so graphic. I just can't manage to forget any of it. Not a single drop of blood.

  ENTRY END

  Mr. And Mrs. Ross,

  Your son, Blake Ross, has recently volunteered to participate in Evenstad Media's newest program, 'The Park.' The grand prize for the winner is twenty million dollars US.

  Unfortunately, this competition brings with it a certain level of risk. Due compensation will be provided in the event of serious injury or death. In his contract, you were named as the recipients of any such money.

  Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with any further information without sacrificing the integrity of the program, but you are of course free to tune in. The show premieres on January 8th and will air every Monday afterward at 8 p.m. EST.

  We appreciate your son's participation and your family's sacrifice. We understand that being without a family member for however short a time can be can be very trying. We can in no way make up for this hardship, but please accept a free lifetime subscription to Evenstad Media's Premium Package as a small token of our sympathy.

  Evenstad Media

  JOURNAL 04JUSTICE

  ENTRY 006

  DATE: 3/8/2074

  Desiree's asleep, so I managed to steal away s
ome time and test the fucking medallion I found. It's been long enough. I should have found out what it does before now, but I haven't been able to leave Desiree unsupervised for more than a few seconds without her trying to get herself fucking killed. I feel bad about it, but I blocked up the door to keep her from getting out. I'm a fucking asshole, I know, but I had to do it. Having this thing lying around, not knowing what it does, and Desiree falling out of her fucking skull, it just doesn't sit right on me.

  So I took it outside. It was hard as fuck to see what was going on in that dark, but I didn't want to test it out too close to the house. Might have blown the whole fucker to bits, Desiree included. Best I could see in the dim lights, it was some kind of spray. It smelled foul. Like diesel mixed with baby puke. I thought that was the whole point of it. Seemed pretty fucking stupid. If someone's really determined to kill you, a nasty stink ain't going to stop them.

  But then I saw the grass. Wherever that shit fell, it left everything brown and yellow and just fucking dead. Some kind of weed killer. Don't know if it does anything to people or not. I would guess so, as fast as it took out the grass, but what the fuck do I know? It could be that it just kills plants. It could be that it's just making me fucking hallucinate and the grass ain't even dead. I don't know.