“Frank, you ok?”

Burt sat in a green swivel chair in the monitor room as Otis sat in the chair by the desk talking into a yellow walkie talkie. Burt had been up for a while, but only because his stomach’s growling had become a bit much to bear. Now he was taking slow bites out of his slice of pie for breakfast quenching that growling, with Otis and some girl he met after waking up. He didn’t make much talk to her before Otis had shown up with food but did find out her name was Kay. At one point, he had the feeling he had seen Kay somewhere before….but shoved the thought away deeming it unnecessary to dwell on.

“…I’m here. Applejack’s here too...” Frank’s voice said from the device.

Burt turned to look at Kay the moment Applejack was mentioned on the transmission seeing her puzzled look. She looked at Otis and then him as if she had a question on her mind, but didn’t know how to say it. Burt shook his head while motioning with his hand telling her not to as he and she returned to their food.

“Good to hear you, Frank,” Otis replied happily with the walkie talkie up to his face, “We’ll be savin’ you both a piece of pie.”

“Sorry Otis…I’m going to keep looking,” Frank’s voice replied, with a hint of drag in his tone, “You save those slices. We’ll be back later…”

The walkie talkie emitted a beep before going silent as Burt watched Otis put it into his coat pocket.

“Well that can only mean one thing…,” Otis commented with a sigh before looking up at Kay and Burt, “Eat up you two.”

Burt took a few more bites of the pie he had before setting it down on his lap with his hunger quenched for the moment. His eyes wondered to the monitors above Otis before looking around the room as he let out a quiet sigh.

“Why was he out there anyways?” Burt asked looking back at Otis.

“Looking for the fella you described when we brought you in,” Otis explained, “Apparently, Frank saw this guy on the roof and he gave off a suspicious vibe.”

Burt recalled his encounter with the man in question as clear as day….then the drunken man…then the supermarket…

He shut his eyes and batted the memory away while taking a breath hoping to keep himself under control. However his thoughts drifted slowly before focusing on…before he heard Otis sigh.

“You gonna be alright, son?”

“I will…” Burt claimed with a hint of temper trying to be contained from his tone with one hand clenched tightly in a fist, “somehow…I will.”

“Well…make sure you eat up,” He heard Otis say with hesitation present in his voice; “You’re going to need your strength these next few days.”

Burt opened his eyes while letting out a breath through his nose. He picked up his piece of pie and proceeded to take a single bite out of it. Right when he was about to put the piece in his mouth, he took notice to something on the monitors. The one he was viewing was facing the…

“Hey Otis….” Burt began not taking his eyes from the monitor, “is that kiddy coaster suppose to be going that fast…?”

Frank rushed around the unfilled fountain in the North Plaza with Applejack close by avoiding the zombies about the area while looking for any sign of the man from the roof…but like the food court…the search came up dry. With determination coursing through him, hunger being far from his mind, and the thought of how close he was to catching the man present in his mind, he frantically searched around the area coming across two separate stores, one he saw was a photo shop and the other one appeared to be a warehouse supply shop. Part of Frank judgment wanted him to check each one while another argued the man wouldn’t have stuck around if he was being chased. He stopped for a moment looking around as he felt a sense of dread coming over him as third part began to suggest the possibility of…

"Frank..." He heard Applejack say interrupting his thoughts as he turned to her, "You ain't thinkin' of givin' up are ya?"

He shook his head assuring her and himself it was the farthest thing from his mind before slowly going back to his thoughts….which were immediately interrupted when a loud gun shot rang out. He quickly turned around expecting to see the father from the trio of snipers coming at them but was greeted with…

“GANG WAY GRAMPS!”

Frank backed up out of the way as Kent came running by him and Applejack towards the doors to the park moving past the zombies and shoving a few out of the way.

“HE’S PISSED!” Frank heard Kent shout before looking back once more.

Frank immediately went wide eyed as this time he DID see the father from the trio of snipers coming towards him with full titled rage.

“Ohhh shi-” Frank began as he saw the man begin to cock the rifle.

“Frank, run!” He heard Applejack shout.

Without any more encouragement, Frank turned tail and ran for his life pushing himself with all his will to get out of there as quickly as possible. Shoving zombies away and weaving between them, Frank quickly came up on the doors with Applejack by his side. He shoved a pair of the doors open allowing Applejack enough room to exit alongside him. The moment they began to descend the stairs the sound of shattering glass filled their ears. Frank dropped down having the edges of the stairs jab him in the back only to find himself knocking a zombie that had been standing nearby off its feet and onto him. Frank gripped the zombie’s shoulders and began to push it off him just as it began to try and…

Frank felt the zombie’s shoulder slip from his grip as it went to the side slamming head first into the railing beside him with enough force that Frank could of swore he heard a bone crack before the zombie dropped to the ground lifeless.

“Thanks.” Frank said as he saw Applejack coming back from her kick.

“Don’t mention it, partner,”

“Hey, psst gramps!”

Frank whipped his head to see Kent crouching behind the short side of the stairs motioning towards where he was. Against the part of his mind telling him to stay away from Kent with the revelation from the food court coming back into his thoughts, Frank made sure he was down the stairs far enough to where he wouldn’t be in the father’s line of sight for a while before getting to his feet and descended the rest of the stairs. He quickly moved to a crouch joining Kent behind cover, but stopped short of his destination motioning for Applejack to go ahead keeping watch of the doors. Once she was behind cover, Frank retreated into cover as well keeping as low as possible just as he heard the one of the doors above quickly open.

“Frank... you there…” Otis’s voice erupted from the walkie talkie before Frank quickly silenced it and shoved it into a pocket of his jacket.

“Good plan gramps, let him know where we are and I’ll show him some pictures,” Kent whispered cynically looking directly at Frank before pausing a moment and blinking a few times, “…it’s real?”

Frank looked to see Kent was gazing at Applejack whom was keeping low just as they were.

“Looks you’re not far off your rocker as I thought, old timer,” Kent added before Frank shot him a small irritated look before another gunshot rang out.

“Thomas…Thomas!” Frank heard the father yell from above before another gun shot was heard, “Hurry up boy!”

Frank caught the sound of the one of the doors being slowly opened and a familiar voice joining the father.

“Daddy…what are we going to do?”

“We’re gonna get out of here and…Thomas!” The father shouted again, “Put Jack down and help me shoot!”

“You got a plan partner?”

Frank turned his attention from listening to the father and son back to Applejack who had an unsure look on her face.

“…and it can talk?” Kent whispered with slight amazement.

Frank looked out into the park trying to find a way to escape, but knew the moment they got out from behind cover they’d be done for. More gun shots rang out followed by the sound of corpses falling down and gushing blood as Frank continued to search for a way out. He eyed a corner formed by the walls of the park just when…he got an idea.

“Alright, when I say go, run for cover,” Frank explained pointing off to the corner in question, “Got it?”

Frank looked to Kent whom responded with a small nod before feeling something tap his arm. He turned to Applejack whom still had her unsure look and looked as if she was about to say something, but ultimately lowered her eyebrows with a small smile before giving a nod. Frank then proceeded to fake a rather loud cough…

“Thomas… keep firin’…”

Frank readied himself as he heard the father’s approaching footsteps as the gunshots continued. He drew in a deep breath just before he saw the barrel of a rifle coming into his view.

“GO!”

Frank shot his hands up gripping the rifle by the barrel, feeling his palm become suddenly heated, and by the wooden grip. He gripped both parts hard and pulled the rifle violently taking the father with it. Frank pulled the gun until he felt the father's grip loosen and hearing him fall onto the grassy grounds before tossing the gun away. He clenched his stinging hand into a tight fist not wasting any time in running for his life with Applejack and Kent just up ahead.

“THOMAS! SHOOT THEM!”

Frank pushed himself with all his might remembering how Thomas had hesitated back at the North Plaza and hoped that…

Frank felt his heart racing as he rounded the corner and planted himself against the wall with a small sense of relief.

“Come on Frank!”

He looked to see Applejack and Kent heading for the other corner not far from him and followed right behind them. Upon rounding the next corner, he saw another one just up ahead but he spotted a metal pair of doors on the wall to his left. Figuring it was an access for mall employees, Frank continued forward and saw Applejack was still running, but no sign of…

“Sorry gramps,”

Frank felt something strike him in the side of the head before feeling a foot slam into his back. He fell onto the ground just as another foot jab him right in the side and continued several times.

“Frank!”

Frank looked to see Applejack charging at Kent with anger engulfing her face. Kent swung a single leg planting a solid kick into the side of Applejack’s head before slamming a foot down on her side several times as well. Frank moved to get up on his feet…

“This is how the professional world…” He heard Kent begin before feeling a foot make contact with his gut causing him to drop onto the ground again, “Works, grandpa.”

Frank laid there on the ground with an aching head, stinging palm, and hurting gut as he felt more kicks to his sides before he heard Kent kicking into Applejack. Frank slowly looked up to see Kent turn to him towering over before lifting a single foot up. Frank braced himself as he felt the bottom of Kent’s shoe make contact and pain immediately engulfing his face before he blacked out…

As his vision slowly came back he heard the sound of moaning and….the sound of a metal door opening. He slowly lifted his head to see no sign of Kent, but to see the pair of metal doors opening and…. several figures in yellow walking slowly out into the park…

As he faded into darkness, he saw the group of figures turn their attention to him and Applejack seeing their….green soulless masked faces….slowly approaching...

“Frank. Frank!?”

Otis held the walkie talkie awaiting a response as he stood in the men’s restroom of the Paradise plaza with a flashlight in his free hand. He had arrived to see that the place was vacant of any zombies, even the stalls, before trying for Frank once more.

“Damn…” Otis whispered as he looked towards the sinks in the restroom, “…ok Otis….Greg always said it was in this one…”

Otis lifted his gaze towards the ceiling remembering the words of his co-worker when he spotted it… a square hatch in the ceiling right next to the corner above the sink with a small handle. Otis climbed onto the sink suspended in front of the large mirror. Making sure his feet wouldn’t fall and get stuck in the sinks; he put the walkie talkie and flashlight into his jacket pockets and reached up towards the hatch. He gripped the handle and slide the hatch open being greeted with the dark interior of the vents above. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the walkie talkie and flash light before switching the light on.

“Frank, if you can hear me,” He said with the walkie talkie by his face as he shined the flashlight up towards the hatch, “The coaster in the Wonderland Plaza is out of control. I’m going to go check it out and see what's going on.”

Otis looked up into the vents once more hoping whatever was keeping Frank...it wasn't trouble.

“Don’t worry about me and you go get that fella alright?” Otis added before putting the walkie talkie and flashlight back into his pockets before reaching his arms up.

As he managed to lift himself up into the vents using his feet to grip the wall for a foothold, his thoughts went back to the monitor room and seeing the footage of the coaster going around and around at a very fast pace. However... he could remember at one point…he could have sworn... he saw someone…on it….

Author's Note

Hey everyone! I'm glad I was able to get this up before I went to camp next week. So I had to power drive this thing, even staying up till the early morning while giving this chapter a good look over making sure it didn't seem rushed to you guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far. Leave your feedback in the comments below and lastly, have a great day everyone