The Park (Evenstad Media Presents Book 1) (9 page)

JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

ENTRY 006

DATE: 3/14/2074

Julia's finally asleep. I had to sit with her today. She
looked terrible when she came out. It was weird enough that she slept later
than me to begin with. She was shivering when I saw her. And she had a
medallion around her neck. I didn't say anything about it, just grabbed her and
hugged her. We haven't said a word to each other in hours. After I got her
calmed down enough that she could drink some water, she explained it to me.

I can't believe I found this woman. She's doing it for me.
She's willing to go back to this nightmare game for me. Out there, I never had
anyone like this. I didn't think I could. But I get into this god damn murder
fest and there she is, waiting for me with food and love and a warm bed. And
now this. I just can't believe it. She cares that much about me?

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 10MANFRED

ENTRY 007

DATE: 3/22/2074

I have allowed someone else into my home again. All logic
tells me that I should not have done it. Were I a more violent person, I would
even say that I should have killed him. But I know that I could never have done
such a thing, even if I were in perfect health. There is more here at play than
logic, anyway. Before I could give it much thought, I had already offered to
let him stay here. It was the loneliness. I couldn't handle the loneliness as
well as I thought I could, I suppose, and Craig provided me with an opportunity
to break that.

He's a quiet enough young man. He reminds me quite a bit of
David. But he seems to have more drive, at least so far as this game is
concerned. He believes that he can work with the medallions and modify them to
make them more useful. Whether he can do this or not, I cannot say for certain,
but I will allow him the opportunity. It is simply too nice having company. I
would not want him to leave me. I have even provided him with my own medallion
to tinker with. It allows him to continue his work and gets that danger out of
my hands. I was not comfortable with such power, anyway. I still have David's
old medallion, if the need arises for me to defend myself.

I am doing my best to hide my poor condition from Craig. He
has been so engrossed in his work, I doubt he would have noticed anyway.
Although, perhaps his very presence will help. I feel livelier just having him
around. And, although I still attempt to hide from the world outside this
trailer, I am interacting again. Perhaps the company will convince me that life
is worth living. It may assuage my fears enough to allow me to keep food down.
I can only hope. Now, I do not want to die. At least, not from lack of trying
to live.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 04JUSTICE

ENTRY 007

DATE: 3/24/2074

Locking doors isn't just something I do to get away, now.
I've had to put stuff in front of the windows, keep the doors locked. It's the
only way I can keep her in this fucking house. She's screaming and banging and
begging to get out. And then she'll just fucking stop. For hours, I won't hear
a thing. The first few times, I went in to make sure she hadn't passed out or
escaped or anything. But I stopped that right fucking off. She threw herself at
me when I went in. I didn't want to fucking punch her or anything, but I still
hurt her pretty good throwing her back in the bedroom. And then the screaming
started again. It just cycles like that. I don’t even know if she fucking
sleeps. Maybe that's what the quiet times are all about. I just wish she'd let
me nap longer than a couple hours. My vision's starting to get blurry. I'm just
thankful that she's not any fucking stronger than she is. Don't know if I could
handle her, otherwise.

ENTRY END

TO: Niels Evenstad

FROM: Frederick Evenstad

SUBJECT: Craig

SENT 3/27/2074 AT 3:13 p.m. EST

Brother,

I think we need to talk about this. Craig's figured out how
to get into the CESUs. This isn't anything that was in our plans. They were not
supposed to be able to do anything with them other than use them to fight. I… I
think this needs to stop, Niels. At this point, we can't control what happens.
The CESUs aren't designed to be modified by anyone, least of all garage
mechanics. We need to just end the show. We'll continue the pay to the
beneficiaries of the deceased and we can split the prize money between the
survivors. There's more than enough in the budget, and we can keep the online
game to hold profits steady. But this is far enough. This is now a matter of
public safety. We know some of these contestants are unstable. If something goes
wrong and they are somehow allowed out into the world, I can't imagine what it
would mean. And we would be plainly at fault.

Please, Brother. This has gone on long enough. You have to
see that.

Frederick Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Technologies

—

TO: Frederick Evenstad

FROM: Niels Evenstad

SUBJECT: RE: Craig

SENT 3/27/2074 AT 3:22 p.m. EST

I'm well aware of this situation, Brother. It's concerning,
I admit that, but it's not an issue we can't handle, either. I have full
confidence that everything will be fully safe. Craig is not qualified to work
with such technology. It will be well beyond his capacity to understand. My
people and I have ensured that, and I find it insulting that you would doubt me
so. But I do understand your concerns. Grant me some faith. We're monitoring
the situation, so it's not something you need to concern yourself with. Don't
let this worry you. You have enough stress. Your meeting with the military contractors
is fairly early tomorrow morning. Focus on that and leave the issue with the
CESUs to me.

Niels Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Media

JOURNAL 08DESIREE

ENTRY 006

DATE: 3/31/2074

God, I thank You for this. You have granted me another sign,
and I will follow it. I know that I must. All I need is a way to get past
Justice. I have seen what comes next. I have seen the Devil, and I will find
the Beast, even if it means that I must remove the other obstacles in my path.
Even if it means I must break through the walls that hold us all here. I will
prove my devotion. This I swear. You have spoken to me, told me to find the
source of the evil around us. I know You will show me the way.

Amen

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 05CRAIG

ENTRY 007

DATE: 3/31/2074

I've finally managed to do something useful. Really useful.
I just hope it turns out better than last time I thought I was doing something
good. That ended with Tina dead.

But that's not like this. This is going to keep me safe for
a long time. Maybe even until the end. I took the medallion Manfred gave me and
hooked it into some wire and cable I scrounged up from the houses around us. It
wasn't easy, and it's not perfect, but we've got a sort of electric fence up.
If we see anyone coming, we can hit the button on the CESU and get rid of them.
If we see them coming.

The CESUs themselves are fascinating, though. It's all
powered by a tiny battery. I don't know if it's nuclear power or dark energy or
something I can't even begin to fathom, but the battery itself is hardly bigger
than a standard AAA. But the weird thing is that the little LED gauge is wired
separately from the whole thing. I tracked the circuits twice, just to be sure.
No direct connection. The gauge connects to a transistor, and the power supply
connects to another transistor. I mean, I'm sure they connect together
somewhere along the way. But it's two systems completely capable of independent
function. If you could sever the right connection… I don't really want to think
about it. If you sever the right connection, you could possibly take off the
supposed charge delay, which I'm beginning to doubt is even a vital part of the
design. Which is scary. I don't trust myself to mess with that kind of stuff.
Not where this kind of power is involved. But if someone did, or if the company
did, these things would be a hundred times as dangerous as they already are. No
recharge time.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 02CHRISTINA

ENTRY 007

DATE: 4/3/2074

Tomorrow, we're leaving the house. I know Julia shouldn't. I
can see it whenever we talk about it. But she's insisting, and it's not my
place to tell a grown woman what she can and can't do, no matter how much I
might worry about her. But I am insisting on going with her. She didn’t want me
to, at first, but I have my limits, my conditions. That's one of them. She's
been ignoring this whole situation we're in for the past three months. I can't
just let her go out there and jump right back in.

Good lord. As though that didn't happen to me. And to the
others, probably. But I can't let myself let her do that. It just doesn't seem
right. Not when I'm supposed to be protecting her.

I won't let us go too far from the house. I want to make
sure we can get back if something happens, or if Julia just can't handle it. I
don't know if she can go back to ignoring the game, now, but I'll help her, if
it comes down to that. I'll even take her medallion so she doesn't have to
worry about finding it. I'm committed to this, whatever the outcome might be.
I'll keep her safe. Just that simple.

Right. Because things in this game are so fucking simple.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 06RITA

ENTRY 006

DATE: 4/3/2074

Well, I hope you're happy, Evenstad. I think I have to give
Blake head today. He's starting to get antsy about things, and I can't afford
to let anything like that happen. He might just leave me. And he's too valuable
as a source of information. So yeah. I have to do something to keep him around,
and flashing my boobs just isn't working as well as it used to. Warn the
censors, I guess. And if I make it through this, I expect a bonus for this
part. And all the other ratings increases I've probably given you.

It's not that he isn't cute. You cast him very well, in that
regard. But he's so fucking stupid. I've been happy with it so far, don't get
me wrong, Evenstad. But stupid is not a turn on. If you do an all-star comeback
show and somehow rope me into it again, can you at least make the cute guy
moderately intelligent? Just a thought.

But he gets this game. So I've got to keep him around. Once
I got him convinced that none of it was real, he started spilling. The kid
knows video games, and apparently this is just like a video game. He's not
applying very much of it, so far, but he's got it all in his head. I'll apply
it, I just have to get it out of there.

Which means he has to stay.

Which means a blow job.

Do you see what you've brought me to, Evenstad? I hope it's
worth it to you.

ENTRY END

TO: Niels Evenstad

FROM: Frederick Evenstad

SUBJECT: CESU Order

SENT 4/1/2074 AT 11:19 a.m. EST

You were right. We got the contract. US military wants 5000
to begin with. And I am sorry about the last email I sent you. I shouldn't have
doubted you. You've proven yourself time and again to be in control of things.
I'm much more calm about it now that this meeting is over and went well.

Take care, Brother.

Frederick Evenstad

Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Technologies

JOURNAL 08DESIREE

ENTRY 007

DATE: 4/4/2074

I have found her. I have found the woman You sent me for,
God, and I have seen what must be done. When I saw her face, You revealed to me
the Devil in her soul. She is the ultimate evil, and You have placed me here so
that I might remove her from this Earth. I, Your humble servant. It pains me, what
I had to do to Justice to get away, but he will awaken soon. I checked his
pulse. He was only unconscious. I shall take any punishment You see fit for
that.

I fear that the other woman with her must share her fate.
She has been tainted by the Devil's evil touch. They were kissing. Two women. A
woman and the Devil. An abomination either way. If You can save her soul,
please do. But the Devil woman, she must no longer blight the Earth. This, I
shall do for You.

Amen.

ENTRY END

JOURNAL 04JUSTICE

ENTRY 008

DATE: 4/5/2074

She fucking killed her dead. I don't know what I think. I
just know what I feel. I feel like fucking killing that bitch in the business
suit. Desiree didn't do a damn thing. We could have lived this all out in
innocence. I know I didn’t always fucking plan it that way, but it could have
happened. Instead, she killed Desiree. I got there just in time to watch her
fall. I couldn't save a fucking bit of her. Whatever that psychotic bitch used
against her, it charred all her skin, all the grass. I couldn't even save her
medallion. Melted. Once I realized it, I even had to leave her corpse there. I
just… the radiation, or whatever makes these fucking medallions work. I
couldn't have done a damn thing if that killed me. It still might, as far as I
know. Or maybe it was safe. Maybe it doesn't fucking matter. That seems the
highest probability. Sure, I'd like to survive it out to the end, but I'm
seeing that it ain't fucking likely.

So I'll just survive long enough to get things done. Desiree
was weak. She obviously wasn't in her own fucking head anymore, and that bitch
just flat out murdered her. So she'll see just what it's like. If I die in the
process, I don't give a fuck. She'll pay, and that's what matters. Desiree
deserves that much.

I'll do it for her. I failed to keep her safe, but that's
over. It's too fucking late for her, but not for her memory. Now, I don't
believe in any kind of God or nothing, but she did. And I'm swearing to
whatever fucking God she thinks might have loved her: I ain't fucking letting
this go.

ENTRY END