The Park (Evenstad Media Presents Book 1) (13 page)

JOURNAL 10MANFRED

ENTRY 010

DATE: 5/13/2074

I am still throwing up. There was blood today. I may not
have a medical degree, but I know enough to realize that vomiting blood is not
a good sign. I will not make it much longer at this rate. I have written as
much in this journal before, however now I feel that the end is imminent,
barring a miracle.

But I still believe that Natalie and the children shall be
cared for after my death. That, at least, is a comfort I can take in these
final days of mine. And if Evenstad doesn't care for them, I can only hope that
ghosts are real, so I might haunt them to their death.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

ENTRY 012

DATE: 5/15/2074

He's been too close for too many days. I've taken my
medallion back. I have to end this.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 04JUSTICE

ENTRY 011

DATE: 5/15/2074

It's time. It's never going to get any fucking easier, so I
just have to do it. I'm going to make that business suit cunt hurt. I've got
fire. I've got the poison gas. It's ending. Now. Let's just hope I don't
fucking pussy out again.

ENTRY END

US Meeting with Allied Military

5/13/2074 at 11:16 a.m. EST

Today, US Secretary of Defense Lena Browne and President
Victor K. Larson announced a meeting later this week with the leaders of
France, China, the United Kingdom, India, and Israel, all former allies of the
United States during World War III. Watch us here at The Cruise for updates as
this story unfolds.

UPDATE: 5/18/2074 at 3:01 p.m. EST: With the meeting over,
the foreign dignitaries have returned to their homelands. President Larson and
Secretary Browne have both declined comment.

JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

ENTRY 013

DATE: 5/15/2074

I should have let Julia keep my medallion. Maybe this would
all be different. Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe I just should have attacked
faster.

That bastard wasn't after me. He went straight for Julia.
What Julia did to him, I don't know. Maybe he knew her beforehand and had some
damn grudge. I can't imagine what kind of grudge would justify setting someone
on fire, but I'm learning more and more about just how fucked up people can be
every day I'm in here.

Julia's alive, which should be a good thing. But it's not.
She's burned half to death. More than half to death. Exposed bone kind of
burned. Her breathing is weak. She keeps passing out, and it takes her longer
and longer to wake up every time.

So I'm going to end it. I have to. For her. She made life here
just a little more bearable for me. So I'm going to make death more bearable
for her.

I don't know if anyone's going to see this, but I hope
someone will. I hope someone finds just this one entry, and they can know how
much I loved her. I loved her so much it hurts. I loved her so much I pulled
the trigger.

ENTRY END

Ch. 696: THE PARK: 9 p.m. EST: As the drama continues, we
finally see Justice's plan come to fruition. And it's darker than any ever
thought. A darker fate even than death.

JOURNAL 10MANFRED

ENTRY 011

DATE: 5/18/2074

I do not quite understand how I should feel. I have stopped
vomiting, but only by not eating. I don't bother anymore. It holds little
purpose to me, anyway. I do not intend to survive long. And yet, with this new
conviction, fate has seen fit to assuage my difficulties. I have strength
again. Perhaps not the same strength I had when I arrived here, but certainly
more than I have in the past weeks and months. I would otherwise think that
this would be wonderful news. At my age, an increase in energy, or an increase
in anything, to be totally frank about the whole thing, is normally cause for
celebration. As I get older, things always seem to be going down. Energy,
libido, finances. They go down more and more every year. Everything except
cholesterol, it seems. That and the number of pills you end up taking every
morning.

It never occurred to me before, but perhaps the lack of
pills are to blame, in the end. I always considered myself lucky. I never had
to take half as many medications as others my age. Even a quarter. I even
prided myself, being able to skip them without ill effects. But that was one
day or two days. It's been almost half a year. I can't see where that would be
good. And I can't see where I missed it, either. I can only imagine it was the
shock of the situation. I want to believe that. I do not want it to be the
fault of my subconscious. I do not want to believe that I have so little
control over my own mind that I would choose death like that, even while struggling
to survive with David, and with Craig.

Yet I fear I already believe it. How could I not?

ENTRY END

TO: Frederick Evenstad ,
Niels Evenstad

FROM: Marta Evenstad

SUBJECT: Farming Initiative

SENT 4/18/2074 AT 4:18 p.m. EST

Brothers,

We have found several very fertile areas, and they should be
very simple to access. Most are in underprivileged countries, which will of
course make our resources stretch further than they would in less impoverished
areas. Our largest obstacle will be Egypt, but I'm confident that what we have
will be more than sufficient.

I anxiously await your reaction, Brothers,

Marta Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Farms

—

TO: Marta Evenstad

FROM: Frederick Evenstad

SUBJECT: RE: Farming Initiative

SENT 4/18/2074 AT 4:22 p.m. EST

Continue on. You are in charge of this part of things. I
trust you implicitly in this matter.

Frederick Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Technologies

—

TO: Marta Evenstad

FROM: Niels Evenstad

SUBJECT: RE: Farming Initiative

SENT 4/18/2074 AT 4:31 p.m. EST

Sister,

I knew from the beginning that you would be the right choice
for this. I am so very proud of you. Words can hardly suffice. Carry on. We
will support you in any way necessary. I will see to that personally. You know
I would never let you down, dear sister. And I know that you will do what you
think is best to see this plan to fruition.

Niels Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Media

JOURNAL 05CRAIG

ENTRY 013

DATE: 5/19/2074

It's time, I think. I'm armed, I've killed. And I'm okay
with that. As okay as I can be with that. The house will be safe. I doubt Susan
made it through the first time, so even if someone chases me, they'll either
get caught in a trap when I get here or have to stop and figure it out. Unless
they just kill me from afar. But I don't see that happening. I'll take the
darkness medallion out with me. That should be ample camouflage.

Yeah. I'm going out. It's against everything I've worked for
so far in this game, but I've also changed my focus. I don't just have my own
survival in mind, now. It's that money. I know I can get my hands on it. I just
have to be the last one.

I'm really ensuring my own safety, anyway, taking the others
out of the picture. I just hope Manfred's dead. I don't think I could do
anything so vile to him. Of course, I could just wait him out, if we're the
last two. I don't like to think about it, but he's not a young man, and he
wasn't well last time I saw him. Chances are good he's dead or dying. And if
he's already dead, the only way I can keep my promise is to get the money and give
some of it to his family, or make them shareholders in the computer business,
or name them as my beneficiaries when I die. Which means I have to make it out
of here. Which means I have to be the last one. Or Manfred does. I could die
and let him leave. Which is another reason I kind of hope I don't have to take
part in him dying. I don't think that the best thing for him could be a hole in
the head. I think leaving might be better, if he's alive. I know I'd prefer it.
Just thinking about it, my promise is at odds with the idea of that money.

But I can't focus on that now, anyway. He's probably dead
already. Poor guy. So I have to get the money. I'm taking a few of the CESUs
with me, but not my work laser, or that damn heat gun thing. That still doesn't
need to be in anyone's hands. Not even mine. I can just hope that it rots away
in here after this is all over.

And so I go.

ENTRY END

THE PARK: REALITY SHOW OR WAR MACHINE?

5/16/2074 at 6:59 a.m. EST

If you've had access to TV, radio, internet, or snail mail
in the past five and a half months, you've most likely heard of The Park, the
newest brain baby from Evenstad Media. A dozen 'random' strangers thrown into a
locked down trailer park and ordered to be the last one standing. But not
unarmed. They're given CESUs, little medallions that, for lack of any better
example, work like magic. This one makes fire, this one makes lightning, this
one shoots a laser.

But now, we're starting to see CESUs outside of the realm of
entertainment. First, the US military bought an unspecified number of CESUs
directly from Evenstad Technologies. Now, other countries, former US allies,
have announced the same things. Suddenly, the world is flooded with tens of
thousands of these devil machines, all put in the hands of trained soldiers.

And then came Evenstad Farms. Out of the blue, from a
conglomerate that has never before shown any interest in agriculture, we see
this new project. They want to not only help poor farmers in other countries,
they want to increase food production to try and keep the world fed. A
wonderful, noble cause, undertaken by what is arguably the largest corporate
giant in existence today.

Personally, I just don't buy it. It's all too convenient.
All the sudden, as soon as the announcement was made about Evenstad Farms, we
start seeing US military aircraft around the Nile Delta. The most fertile land
since the Garden of Eden.

The Park was just a commercial. They wanted important
figures to see exactly what the CESUs could do. They wanted to work a deal. Evenstad
Enterprises, as a whole, has enough influence to get its way, and they've done
so in grand fashion, not even trying to hide what's happening. I'd put down
good money that we're going to see one of the first Evenstad Farms popping up
somewhere in Egypt, and not too long from now. And when that day comes, I can
only hope that the farm gets burned to the ground. People have to send a
message to companies like Evenstad. We can't be caught up by them, become their
puppets. If we do, we're no better than lab mice. They'll keep us around until
we're no longer necessary. You can call me crazy all you like, but human beings
are already a valuable commodity in certain circles. If Evenstad is willing to
start a war to make some profits, or whatever else they might be after in this
new scheme, what's going to make them stop there if no one stands against them?
What's to stop them making Evenstad Escorts, or Evenstad Medical Test Subjects,
or Evenstad Soylent Green? Not a damn thing but time and opportunity.

Be wary, friends,

Lars Krane

JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

ENTRY 014

DATE: 5/19/2074

Evenstad is going to pay dearly for what they've done to
everyone here. For what happened to Julia. For what happened to me. I'm going
to get that money, and I'm going to sink every last penny of it they give me
into ruining them, once I get out. For years, I worried about them. They're the
main competition for us in the TV broadcasting business. It's probably why I
was 'randomly' selected in the first place. Good fucking outcome for them
either way. Even if I survive, how will we ever compete with the ratings and
new subscriptions they've gotten out of this show?

But now, in the middle of their stupid game, I'm not all
that concerned. I can win this, and then I can end them. Michaels-Clark
Broadcasting might not be as big as Evenstad Media, but we certainly never did
anything like this show. We're not murderers. And I'll play the angle. I'll
play it as hard as I have to to get them gone.

But I have to win first. Which means I have to start playing
the way Evenstad wants me to. I'll feed into their ratings for now. I'll kill.
I'll hunt. And I'll live on pure fucking rage until they let me out of this
hell. But once I'm out, that rage is all theirs. Hope they're ready for it.

Actually, I don't.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 06RITA

ENTRY 010

DATE: 5/19/2074

Well, I've done it again. I've played out my best game, and
it's going to raise your ratings. If I'm going to keep Blake here with me, I'm
going to have to show him the old man. Not just show him. We're going to have
to make a trip down there and see him. Face to face. I have to make a pretty
damn big move if I'm going to keep his loyalty. Plus it'll give me a good
chance to see exactly what kind of old man you decided could actually compete
in this ridiculous game of yours.

Sad thing is, I almost wish this whole damn thing wouldn't
work. Almost. I mean, if this is enough to convince him that he can totally
trust me again, he's got to be a dumb fuck. You know, it really works for me,
but it feels a bit like cheating. I found an easy to manipulate boy who knows
how to work this stupid game way better than I do. You made it way too easy. So
thanks for that, I guess. But next time around, since I might accidentally skim
across this show flipping channels, could you really try to make the cute one
smarter? I know I asked before, but I'm just giving you a nice little reminder.
Cute and smart. You have nearly unlimited resources, right? You can find cute
and smart. So do it for me, kay?

ENTRY END