OUTBREAK

Games #18

After a few pieces of canned peach, Rosy started resisting them.

"Okay. You're done. I get it," said Hugo. He placed the can on the bench they sat on and held Rosy in his arms. The sun was beginning to set now. The broken-down metal rides screeched as a slight breeze blew through the park. Hugo glanced at the surrounding area, only to notice a Porky Pig mascot staring at him from behind one of the rides.

A slight shiver went down his spine, but he remained still, as to not startle Rosy. He shook his head slightly with a frown at the pig.

The pig gently shook his head 'yes' back at Hugo.

Hugo stood up from the bench with a quiet grunt and Rosy in his left hand. With another glance around, he spotted the metal pipe once more and picked it up. "Rosy, you're gonna have to hold on tight," he sighed.

With a baby in his left arm, holding a metal pipe in his right, he walked to the pig. When he got within reach, he swung the pipe. He carefully handled Rosy so she wouldn't be disturbed,

The pig stepped back, dodging the swing.

Hugo swung again, and again, but the pig began to run. In the corner of Hugo's eye, he saw Tweety approaching. He swung in the bird's direction, but the bird narrowly avoided the swing. Bugs appeared to the left of Hugo, he swung and knocked the rabbit in the shoulder. The rabbit was stunned for just a moment, allowing Hugo to slip out of the circle.

He got behind Bugs and swung the pipe down onto his shoulder once more. BONG went the pipe against the rabbit's shoulder. He kneeled down, clenching his shoulder yet not a sound came from inside the suit.

Porky and Tweety drew near, but Hugo raised the pipe once again.

"Not another step or he gets it!" Hugo threatened. Porky and Tweety burst into a sprint, Hugo swung the pipe but aimed for Porky's face. The pig was struck and was knocked off course into a lone trash can. Tweety tripped over Porky's leg and fell to the pavement.

In the commotion, Hugo retreated behind nearby bushes and trees within the park's planters. He checked to make sure he wasn't followed and placed Rosy down in a patch of grass where she was out of sight. She had fallen asleep due to being rocked around.

"I'll be back. Please just stay asleep," Hugo whispered desperately. He observed Rosy with a saddened glance yet knew he couldn't keep holding her forever. Stepping out into the open, Tweety, Porky, and Bugs were approaching. Hugo clenched the metal pipe in his hand.

He swung, but Bug caught the pipe before impact and Tweety knocked Hugo to the ground. He fell onto the concrete, dazed and weakened. Noticing the grass around Rosy starting to move, he jumped up and stepped away from the planter, trying to draw the mascot's attention; but they weren't having it.

Tweety began to turn to Rosy, but Hugo ran and pounced on Tweety. They struggled to get a hold of each other until they were broken up by the other mascots. Porky swung the metal pipe and knocked Hugo out cold.

—

Hugo awoke with a searing pain on the right side of his head and was in a warm suit with two faded eye holes. He was being dragged by his arms in a dark building towards a dim light. Tossed to the ground, he got to his knees and faced forward. Through the eye holes he saw eight other mascot costumes on their knees in a circle. Bugs, Tweety, and Porky walked around the group, watching closely.

There was duct tape over his mouth, and his hands were tied together.

CLICK CLICK went an object in Tweety's hands. Hugo couldn't see from inside his suit, but it shined slightly when near the light.

Circus music started to play, and the voice blasted from the speakers: "Well well well! The gang's all here! Now before the fun gets started, let's talk about our goal and mission in this park! Before the outbreak, we were just a bunch of anarchists who wanted to watch the world burn, now we have our own little world to burn! Now the only way to keep our power is to show our power. And In true anarchist fashion, we leave it up to chance to see who lives and dies in our new society. Of course, if you refuse to cooperate, we'll kill you anyway! Alright! Here goes!"

Tweety spun a barrel on the shiny object, aimed at the mascot beside her and BOOM.

Hugo and the other mascots flinched in their suits. Some were shivering, others were shaking their heads. He began to sweat.

"OH! Look at that! Seems like we already got our first loser! Take them away, Porky!"

Porky took the dead mascot and dragged them into the dark, leaving a trail of blood.

"Round 2! You're up!"

Tweety aimed at another random mascot and CLICK.

"Lucky you! Try again, Tweety! Remember, if you survive once we won't try you again!"

Tweety aimed at a third mascot and CLICK.

"Twice in a row! Can we get a third?"

Hugo felt an object press against the back of his mascot head.

WACK BOOM

The sound blasted just above Hugo's head, leaving a ringing in his ears. He was shaking profusely, yet he heard a ruffling that came from behind. Looking back, one of the tied-up mascots had knocked Tweety to the ground and was stomping on her chest. The shiny gun had fallen from Tweety's grip and bounced away a few feet. Hugo tried to reach for it, but Porky ran to him and kicked Hugo in the side. Through the eye holes, he saw porky pick up the gun, aim at Hugo's head and get tackled by another tied-up mascot.

Hugo struggled to get up but was helped up by some of the others. Once on his feet, a door was busted open by a mascot, who Hugo could only assume was Bobby. As the dying light of the day illuminated the room, all the tied-up mascots ran out of the building.

Hugo looked back at the darkened building to see the mascot who attacked Tweety held down. Porky aimed his gun and BOOM. The mascot stopped struggling.

Yet the surviving mascots ran, and the one Hugo assumed to be Bobby led them to the front of the park where he punched the metal. He rammed it head on and knocked over the wall. The metal scraps screeched and clashed as they hit the ground and all of Santa Clarita was altered to their location. Hugo turned his back to one of the mascots who he was with, and they helped untie his hands.

When his hands were free, he took off his hat and ripped the tape off.

"The baby!" Hugo alerted them.

Bobby came up to Hugo, urging him to take off the mask. Hugo lifted the mask of Bobby's suit and ripped off the tape.

"Let me out, hurry!" said Bobby. Hugo pulled off the rope around Bobby's hand's and let Bobby back into the park.

Approaching Rosy's location, she was crying.

"No, no, no!" said Hugo. He lifted Rosy out of the grass.

"Come on!" Bobby urged. The two began running, with Bobby behind Hugo.

BOOM

Rosy began crying louder. Hugo looked back to see Bobby staring at Hugo with a sad look in his face and a red stain in his chest. When he noticed Tweety reloading the gun behind Bobby, Hugo looked forward and kept running. He could hear a thump on the ground behind him.

Hugo caught up with the other mascots, who were struggling to get free, but as a group they all ran into a nearby wilderness, away from the roads. Santa Clarita became noisy with the moans of hungry wanderers.

When the Six Flags was out of sight, the group rested and took off their suits. Adam and Dylan revealed themselves, but the remaining three people were complete strangers.

Rosy was still crying.