* * *
His eyes blur as they pull up to the Pirates Of The Caribbean attraction. Smoke is billowing forth from the gift shop at the exit of the ride. Cops and WDW Security are everywhere, pulling patrons to safety and getting them to run for the main exit. A few are being carried. Some walk on their own, but still a bloody mess.
Melissa, the small, twenty-or-thirty something WDW security woman who was driving the cart, expertly dodges cops, tourists and fellow security guards.
“Damn, you ought to be in Indy,” said Mitch, grabbing the handle on the side of his seat. He was not used to being driven around - especially in a situation like that!
“This is a lot more exciting than shoplifters stealing a Mickey!” she yells, skirting a group of three more-than-slightly overweight tourists, all in Chicago Bears Jerseys.
Melissa parks the cart in front of what is obviously the command area, though the entire scene is chaotic at best.
Mitch goes over and speaks to a young, plainclothes sergeant.
“What’s the latest?”
The young officer’s eyes widen at the site of Mitch. “Detective Lomax! Glad you’re here.” Mitch – and his exploits - are well known to virtually every cop in the area, and to many well beyond Orlando.
“We don’t know much,” continues the sergeant. “From what we pieced together, the creature made its way into the park over a fence in the wooded area where the train runs the perimeter of the park. He didn’t do any real damage until he got into the park, right over there.”
The young cop points to his left near the Jungle Cruise ride where smoke can be seen billowing over the tall trees.
“Casualties?” asks Mitch.
“We’re not sure. I’d guess around thirty.”
“Do we have anything useful?”
“Sorry, Mitch, we don’t know much, Its not like this ever happens."
“Damn straight on that one,” says Mitch, pumping his shotgun and sticking yet one more shell in the tubular magazine, so he now has six big shells ready. “I’m going in.”
“I don’t know if that is a good idea. We’ve had Captain Padilla on the phone and since WDW-Sec thinks the creature is in the ride by itself, he wanted us to help the tourists and wait for SWAT.
“Naa, I don’t think so,” is all Mitch said, turning and walking back to the golf cart where Melissa was standing nearby.
“Thanks for getting me here,” he says to the woman. “Can you stick around for when I get out of there? I may need a quick ride again. But stay safe.”
She smiles. “You don’t have to tell me that one. You be careful too!”
She is very attractive and has a great smile – but no time for that! He smiles and quickly turns and walks toward the ride.
Another young cop yells for him to stop, but he ignores him. Before he gets too far, however, a frantic woman, seeing him heading to the ride, breaks free of a WDW security woman and runs over to him, grabbing both his arms and screaming. "It's in the pirate ride and I think my son is still in there with it! I’ve told these idiots that a dozen times but they just stand around doing nothing!”
“Okay, take it easy,” is all Mitch can muster to the terrified mother.
“We all swam and ran for the exits and I thought he was in front of me bit …ohhhhh! " she sobs, putting her head on Mitch’s chest.
He grabs her upper arm with one hand, trying not to lose grip on the shotgun and keep it safely aways form the woman. Her adrenaline is pumping, making her stronger than Mitch would have figured. He pushes back firmly, with just enough force to try to snap her out of it. "I'll go get your son, ma'am. But you have to let me go, so I can get him out of' there."
YOU ARE READING
Factual Illusions (Novel)
Science FictionA group of scientists at an ultra-realistic gaming company - Virtuallusion - are working on their latest "Reality." They stumble upon a way to travel dimensions ... to shadow Earths and beyond. Unfortunately for them, they allow a powerful and mani...
