Tomorrow Land Part 26

It was raining the day they packed to leave. It wasn't just drizzling, but hurricane-like downpours, gushing buckets of water down on their heads and worse, their supplies. Trey tied everything under tarps and shoved suitcases into garbage bags, but water damage was inevitable.

"What do you girls think, you're going to Europe for the month?" Trey scolded as he shoved suitcase after suitcase into the ancient Ford E-Series van they'd bought off a black-market dealer for three hundred bucks. It barely ran, spilling out black goo and blacker smoke each time you turned on the engine. But it wasn't a Smart Car, so it wasn't traceable. Trey wasn't taking any chances with the food they'd begged, borrowed, and stolen.

Thank G.o.d they had a sim Boy Scout like him leading things. After spending years of his life in rather impractical role-playing fantasy sims, Chris had very little clue about real life survival. But Trey was taking care of everything. He'd calculated food, supplies, even the number of people who could join them. Ten. Any more, he said, and there would be too many empty stomachs and too many fights.

"Oh no, here comes another one," Chris said, pointing through the rain to a hooded individual running up the path. Ever since the kids in school found out they were skipping town, they'd had visitors up the ying-yang. Everyone wanted to escape, and they were willing to trade fancy, high-end sim decks, Mom's jewelry-anything to strike a deal.

"Useless," Trey would say. "What good will a sim deck be when there's no power, no web?"

The figure approached, stepping under the awning where Trey and Chris were standing, pulled off her hood and looked up at Trey with big doe eyes. Anna Simmons. This ought to be interesting.

"Trey!" she cried. "I can't believe you were going to leave without me."

Trey looked down at her. And Chris could see the debate in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Anna," he said. "We're full. We can only take ten. You said you weren't coming, and just because Richard broke up with you..."

Chris was surprised. Surely Trey would bend when it came to Anna, the girl he was crazy about. But no. As she continued to beg, he continued to shake his head. He had a plan, and d.a.m.n it, he'd be sticking to it. Either that or he was still a bit sore about the whole Richard thing...

"What if someone doesn't show?" Anna tried. "I only see nine of you."

Oh, no she didn't. "Peyton's on her way," Chris interrupted. "She'll be here any minute." He glanced at his watch. They'd all switched to old-fashioned types that only told the time and didn't have standard GPS. If he'd set it correctly, Peyton was fifteen minutes late. Trey was going to be p.i.s.sed.

Sure enough, Trey shot him a look. "Are you sure she's coming?" he asked. "'Cause it's not fair to save a spot if she's not."

Chris pushed nagging doubts to the back of his mind. Even though he hadn't heard from Peyton after last night, when Tara was murdered, that didn't mean she'd changed her mind. It was just hard for her to get in touch, with her dad being all strict and everything. She'd said she would be here. She'd promised and sealed it with a kiss.

"Yes," he said, trying to sound as confident as he could. "She'll be here."

"Then I'm sorry, Anna," Trey said with a regretful shrug. "I've got nothing left. Maybe try Drew. I think him and his buddies are heading south sometime this week."

Tears splashed down Anna's cheeks, mixing with raindrops. "Please," she begged. "I'm scared and I don't want to die."

Trey's face softened. "We leave at ten," he said. "If Peyton doesn't show by then, you can have her spot."

"No!" Chris cried, feeling panic bubble up inside of him. "She's going to show!"

"Fine," Trey said, looking annoyed. "Like I said, if she does, she's in. First come, first serve, and all that. But if she doesn't, then there's no reason to deny Anna the spot-is there?"

Chris knew his brother had a point, as much as he was loath to admit it. He glanced at his watch again, fear gripping his heart. Where was she? Why wasn't she here? Had something happened?

"Hey, Chris, can you give me a hand with this?" cried Bill, attempting to lift a heavy box into the van. Chris ran over to help, trying to force the worry out of his brain.

She'd come. She'd promised, after all. And he trusted her with everything he was.

Chapter Forty-four.

"Oh my G.o.d, I can't believe we're actually here."

Peyton and Chase pulled up on their motorcycles-gifts from the Hive council that had made the last of the trip fly by-in front of the main entrance to Disney. The turnstiles, once manned by militant cast members who denied admission to anyone without the requisite pa.s.s, stood as harmless sentinels, suits of armor without soldiers, ineffective guardians to the keys of the kingdom. Beyond? There was an old abandoned railroad station where, once upon a time, a train would pick up pa.s.sengers and circle the perimeter of the park for those disinclined to walk. Beyond that? The Magic Kingdom itself. Once the happiest place on Earth. Now perhaps not happy, but one of its last refuges.

Peyton slid off her motorcycle, engaged the kickstand and walked over to the turnstiles. She ran her hand along the smooth chrome then turned back to Chase. "I'm so nervous," she admitted. "Everything I've been living for for the last four years has come down to this."

He dismounted his own bike and approached. Put his arms around her and squeezed tight. "No matter what happens," he whispered in her ear, "I love you."

His words sent chills down her back and she squeezed him in return. "I love you, too," she said. "That's why I want this so much. That's the real reason it means something."

They clung to each other for a moment, each lost in their own hopes and horrors, then reluctantly let go. They were still on a mission, after all.

"I guess we jump the turnstiles," Chase said with a quirky grin. "Unless you pre-purchased tickets. Hope no guards are watching."

She chuckled. "I think Walt will forgive us, under the circ.u.mstances." She placed her hands on each side of the turnstile. "Besides, I always wanted to do this as a kid." She jumped over the bars and landed on the other side. "Easy-peasy."

Chase made his jump and together they walked under the train bridge and came out into Town Square, right on the edge of Main Street USA. Peyton glanced around at the once-colorful turn-of-the-Twentieth-century modeled buildings, now with their faded, chipping paint. The storefronts along Main Street were battered and neglected. Some had been knocked down entirely-perhaps by a pa.s.sing hurricane or two. The place was silent as the grave, and a shiver pa.s.sed through Peyton. She scanned the area with her implants, searching for life.

Nothing. Totally dead.

"I guess they wouldn't be concentrating on aesthetics when they're trying to save the world," she muttered, half to herself. "I mean, they've got more important things to do than paint."

Chase reached over and took her hand and squeezed. She wondered, not for the first time, how much he believed that they'd find something here. It was beginning to seem doubtful to her as well. But she pushed on. Even if the chance was small, she had to know. Chase's life depended on it.

"This place is huge," Chase remarked, as they walked down Main Street toward a crumbling Cinderella's castle with a few missing turrets. "How are we going to find anyone?"

"I'm looking," Peyton told him, glancing off toward Adventureland. "There'll be signs. But nothing so far." She stopped as her lenses picked up movement. "Oh G.o.d," she whispered. "There are Others here." She zoomed in for a closer look. "And they're headed our way." She scanned the castle. Same deal. And coming from Tomorrowland, too. In a moment, they'd be surrounded.

"They're everywhere!" she cried. "The place is crawling with them." She motioned behind her. "Let's head back to the entrance. Maybe we can find one of those service tunnels or something."

They ran back down Main Street to Town Square and found a door that said Cast Members Only. Pushing through they found a staircase-Stairway Number 18, according to the sign-leading down into the darkness. Peyton checked the pa.s.sage and couldn't see any signs of movement in the dim light. Chase closed the door behind them and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are Others doing here?" Chase asked dubiously. "You would think if your father and his friends were here they'd have cleared the place out. Secured it."

Peyton nodded. "Something's wrong," she agreed. "This isn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be the last safe human outpost. Not a monster-filled Tunnel of Death." She felt sick to her stomach. Was it time to face reality, that they had come all this way for nothing? That her dad and his scientist friends hadn't actually ever made it here? Was Chase doomed to die because of her waste of a mission?

"Look, there were Others above the Hive, too," Chase reminded her. She felt his warm breath as he whispered into her ear. In the darkness, it sent shivers down her spine. "Maybe it's the same here. Remember your father's plan? Maybe they're down working in these service tunnels, right? We should go check it out. Might as well make sure."

She loved him for not giving up. "Okay," she agreed. "Let's head down."

As they walked down the darkened steps, Peyton kept her eyes peeled for any dangerous movements. She held Chase's hand to lead him. At the bottom of the staircase they came to a long, non-descript tunnel leading off into the distance. She did a scan. Nothing. She let out a breath.

"Okay, let's start walking. I'll guide you," she said.

They headed north, probably right under Main Street if Peyton calculated right. Above them she thought she sensed Others wandering the park, but maybe it was paranoia. There were no signs of human life at all. After a while, they came to a wardrobe room. Seemingly endless racks of costumes lined up in rows. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella-all her favorites were there. It made Peyton sad to think that no one would ever wear these outfits again. The silly faces would never be responsible for making another child laugh.

Suddenly, her lenses picked something up northwest of them. A heat pattern that didn't match the hot heat signal of the Others. She grabbed Chase's arm.

"I think there might be a human up there," she told him, scarcely able to breathe.

"Above ground?"

"Yeah." But was it her father? Was he here, alive after all?

"I'll go up," Chase said. "After all, I'm already bitten. What more can they do to me?"

"Well, they can tear you apart and eat you," she replied. "And I'm a better fighter. I have more training, not to mention the razors. I can also pinpoint his location."

"Fair enough. We'll go together," he said.

They walked up the stairs and emerged near the Pinocchio Village Haus, an old food stand long deserted. Peyton scanned the area. "It's a Small World," she announced excitedly.

Chase sighed. "It certainly can seem that way."

"No, no-I mean, that's where the human is. In the ride somewhere."

"Oh." Chase's expression brightened. "Okay, let's go."

From the outside, the dingy white building looked like all the rest. Dead and deserted. But Peyton's lenses kept getting definite hints of heat inside. They walked down into the ride and came across a waterway with a line of boats bobbing in some pretty gross-looking water.

But that wasn't the weird part. The weird part was that these boats were moving, gliding through the ca.n.a.ls just as they had years ago, when the park was still open. The only thing they'd seen so far still in action.

"Strange," Peyton said, glancing at Chase. She shivered. "And creepy."

"I guess we get in?"

"I guess so..."

They climbed into the first boat docked and let it float them slowly down the man-made ca.n.a.l. Soon they were flanked by dolls on either side, all eerily silent and none of them singing or dancing as they were supposed to. As a child, Peyton had found the "It's a Small World" song extremely irritating. She'd give anything to hear it now.

They paddled past Eskimo children, through Scandinavia, then past little British guards. Europe, then Asia, then magic carpets signaling the Middle East. Neither Peyton nor Chase spoke as they floated through, the water lapping against the boat the only sound breaking up the silence. The place smelled musty, old. And all Peyton could think about was how all these different cultures represented by these dolls, all the people of the world-how they had all become extinct.

They pa.s.sed through Africa. Saw Cleopatra in Egypt. Llamas greeted them at the edge of South America, followed by volcanoes and fire dancers of Tahiti and the s.p.a.ce-helmet-wearing kids of Station 13. Then, at last, all cultural boundaries faded away and the final scene of the ride spread out before them. Children of all nations, silently standing together as one.

It was then that the music started. And the silent dolls came back to life.

Peyton nearly jumped out of her skin as the theme song blared from unseen speakers. The dolls whirled and danced and smiled mindlessly, as if ghosts, celebrating a world long dead. She looked around, wondering what was going on. Why had the ride snapped back to life? And was there really a man behind the machines? A living puppet master pulling these dolls' strings?

Her sensors picked up flashes of movement to the left, movement that didn't seem like part of the ride. Heat trails that seemed human. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. Could it be? Could it really be?

"Over there!" she pointed to Chase. The two of them leapt out of the boat and onto the display floor. Past the dolls, into the background, behind a wall, and...

To her dad.

Her father was older. Grayer. More wrinkles. But it was definitely him. He was here. Alive. He'd survived. He'd waited for her. Just as he'd always said he would.

She ran over and threw her arms around him, overjoyed to have accomplished her mission at last. To have found her beloved father alive and well. "Oh, Dad!' she cried, burying her face in his chest. "I made it. I actually made it."

He patted her awkwardly on the back a few times-he never had been one for the whole touchy feely thing-and then pulled away. He looked at her fondly, reaching out to touch the edge of her face, tracing a finger around her silver-encased left eye.

"You really came," he whispered. "My razor girl."

"Yes, Dad, I'm here." She looked up at him, concerned, as he dropped his hand and turned away. Something about him seemed off. Different somehow. Though she couldn't put her finger on what it was. "What's wrong? You seem... worried."

He paced back and forth. "Not that it's not great to see you," he said, "but you really shouldn't have come."

She stared at him. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, fear coursing through her insides. "I mean, that was the whole deal. You needed me to get here. To bring you the data you stored in my head. The stuff that's supposed to rebuild the world." Something was very wrong here. Very, very wrong.

"Right." He sounded distracted. "But it does no good now, does it?"

"What's going on, Dad?" she asked, feeling like she was missing a vital piece of the puzzle. "Where is everyone? Where are your fellow scientists? Where's the new society?" Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for his answer. The one she was getting a strong feeling wouldn't be good.

Her father ran a hand through his thinning gray hair. "They never came," he mumbled. "They never came."

Oh G.o.d. "Who? Your friends?"

He slumped against a nearby wall, staring vacantly up at the ceiling. "It was supposed to work perfectly, Peyton. We had it all planned out: The disease wiping out all corrupt governments. Giving us a chance to start anew. We had a Noah's Ark. A new society ready to spring upon the world. But it all went wrong."

She stared at him, half of her wanting him to stop talking altogether. To not explain what she was beginning to realize she really didn't want to hear. But at the same time, she realized she had to know the truth. The real truth, the whole truth, at long last.

"What went wrong?" she forced herself to ask.

"The zombies," her father continued. "We didn't know there would be zombies. The zombies killed them all. The ones who were supposed to survive and help rebuild the world. They never made it here. Any of them. I waited... I went into hiding... I came back... But never anything."

Peyton's heart filled with fear as she tried to grasp what her dad was saying. "Supposed to survive?" she whispered. "What are you talking about, Dad?"

"I guess I might as well tell you the truth," he said, glancing around. "What difference does it make now?" He gave a half-mad laugh.

And so he told her. How he and his friends had formed a secret coalition ten years ago to create a virus that would work to wipe out certain members of the ruling cla.s.s. How they'd used the AIDS vaccine as a conduit they could manipulate. They'd planned to stage a coup, he said, to take over the government and start anew.

"We were going to save all the children. Rebuild the world. There were fail-safes in place."

Peyton couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Fail-safes? And they... what, failed?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Her father hung his head. "Yes," he admitted. "Once the plague became airborne we could no longer control who was infected. And then there were the mutants. We could have never predicted the virus would mutate some people's DNA and turn them into monsters. Suddenly those who didn't get the plague were now at risk of being lunch. Which obviously wasn't part of the plan."

"What were you thinking?" Peyton shrieked. "You thought you and your friends had the right to play G.o.d? What made you think that was okay?"

Her father gave her a guilty look. "You have to understand," he protested. "Things were bad and getting worse. We figured starting over was the best plan. We could have made it right. And we meant to save the children..."

"But you didn't. You destroyed the very world you were supposedly trying to save. You turned those same children into monsters. Who went and killed the rest." She thought about Spud. About Rocky. About Tank. About Tara. All those wasted lives. All that senseless death.

All at the hands of her own father. The one she'd been risking her own life-along with Chases's and the children's-for all this time. Believing in a man whom she now realized was little more than a monster himself.

Her father shook his head but said, "Yes, well, as I mentioned before, things didn't go exactly as planned."