Disney Hell

It seemed to be a day like any other. Disney World was a place of magic and wonder, and Kahli was lucky enough to work there. At least, that’s how she felt before the world was flipped upside down and thrown into a pit of darkness.

Kahli was a dancer from a small town in Georgia. Ever since she was a young girl, all she ever wanted to do was dance. One of the best days of her life was the day she landed a job at Disney World. What better place to work than the most magical place on Earth?

She loved her job. She loved seeing the smiles on the faces of little kids as they watched her dance fluently with nothing but amazement in their eyes. She felt like this was where she belonged. Little did she know that, someday, she would never be able to leave…

That day was now.

She was one of the many dancers in the Festival of the Lion King show. When the show started, everything was normal. People were cheering, singing along and having a great time. During the all too famous song about love, Kahli danced with her partner, Ramone. The two of them were dressed as colorful birds. Bright feathers in tight leotards. They moved with elegance and grace in unison with the music, and everyone was quiet, watching them.

The quiet was broken when suddenly a group of people burst into the room. Kahli gripped the rope she was dangling from, and pulled herself up straight. Ramone, too, hung from a rope beside her.

Screams broke out.

“What the…” Ramone said. He stared in consternation at the horror unraveling before them.

Kahli didn’t know how to process what was happening. The people that burst into the building were covered in blood. Blood on their clothes, blood in their hair, blood on their faces.

A voice came over the speakers, “Everyone remain calm!”

Calm wasn’t an option.

“Ramone, somethin’s wrong. We gotta get down.” She spoke with a thick Georgia accent.

“Yeah. Right,” Ramone replied.

The two of them climbed down the ropes, as cries of panic and pain echoed around them. What was wrong with these people? They were… attacking each other. Was this some kind of terrorist attack? They didn’t look like soldiers. There were guests. Tourists. Adults and children. This wasn’t right. It really wasn’t right.

As soon as their feet hit the ground, a large, overweight man slammed into Ramone. Kahli screamed and could only watch in horror as the man sank his teeth into Ramone’s throat. Ramone desperately tried to fight him off. He began making a gurgling sound, similar to choking or maybe drowning. It was a sound that would later go on to haunt Kahli’s dreams.

She knew in that moment that Ramone couldn’t be saved. She needed to save herself.

She glanced at the chaos that surrounded her, and then she ran. She always liked to think that things happen for a reason. Nothing was chance. Everything was perfectly aligned to fall into place at the right moment. For her, that moment was now.

She was agile, she was nimble, and when a crazed woman lunged at her, bloody and growling, she was quick enough to dodge her attack. The woman lacked the natural grace that Kahli had. Her actions were crazed, without thought. Kahli twirled and slipped just out of her reach. The woman went tumbling down to the ground, snarling like a wild animal.

“This way!”

A shout rang out but Kahli didn’t know who said it. She ran in the direction of the voice. She wasn’t the only one.

The room was a stage, and all of the main exits were blocked. No one could get out because people kept pouring in. It was a massacre.

“Com’on!! QUICK!!”

The voice was coming from the back of the stage. As she got closer, she realized it was David. One of the many dancers in the show. He had climbed up on a prop and was motioning with his hands for people to come.

Despite the chaos, despite the blood and death (yes, she was sure there was death), David was risking his life to help others. It was a heroic act that Kahli would never forget.

“This way!” she began shouting along with him. His courageous act inspired heroism in her. That’s kind of how things worked, though, isn’t it? People inspiring people to do good.

She was almost to the back of the stage when she caught sight of a man. He was standing alone, speaking French. His words came out frantically, his hands gesturing in panic. Kahli didn’t know what he was saying. She didn’t even know if he was normal. But the look of terror in his eyes told her that he was. He wasn’t like the woman that tried to attack her, or the man that had killed Ramone.

She ran over to him and grabbed his arm. He immediately jerked it away from her.

“Hey, it’s okay! Come with me! Come with me!” she said. She gestured with her hands in unison with the words. He seemed to understand. He gave a nod of his head and the two of them ran the rest of the way to the back of the stage. Little did she know that this stranger would go on to become the most important person in her life.

“Through there! Go for the emergency exit!” David exclaimed from his high position.

“What about you?!” Kahli yelled back.

“I’ll be fine! Go! Get as many out as you can!”

Kahli never saw David again.

“Com’on! Follow me!” she said. She knew the way through the backstage area, and so that automatically made her the leader.

She didn’t know how many people were following her. The French man stayed close, and there were others following him. They seemed to have left the chaos behind them, but when Kahli reached the emergency exit door and pushed it open, she realized the chaos wasn’t just in The Festival of the Lion King attraction. The entire park was a whirlwind of madness and terror.

It was unreal. How could a place so happy quickly become something unrecognizable? The happiness had been sucked clean out of it, and now it was nothing but pure Hell.

“We have to get out of here!” said a man who had followed her out. A father with two young kids clinging to each of his sides.

“Which way is Main Street from here?”

“It’s that way but if this is happenin’ all over the park, I don’t think you wanna go that way,” Kahli warned.

“Why not? We can’t just stand here!”

“Everyone’s gonna be goin’ that way. You won’t know who is good and who is… crazy.”

“Listen to her. She has a point.” The French man spoke with a thick accent. Kahli was relieved to know he spoke English.

“I’ll take my chances,” the father said, “Com’on, kids.”

Kahli, the French man, and two others, a man and a woman, watched him go. The ones remaining were clearly looking to her to keep them safe. If they couldn’t go to Main Street, where could they go? The father was right about one thing. Standing around was not something they could afford to do right now.

“Com’on, let’s go. Move quick and follow me. We need to find some place we can hold up. Some place safe,” she said. The three remaining gave weak nods of their heads. They were just as lost as she was right now. Only difference was, they were looking at her to get them out of this mess.

Kahli led the way. People were running this way and that. Some people were screaming and crying. Some people were on the ground, trying to fight off the crazy people that seemed to be… trying to eat them. There were kids everywhere. Some of the kids were eating the adults.

A little boy stood alone. Splattered blood coated his clothes. He was crying for his mother.

The man that was following her went to help him. He was struck from behind by a woman and a teenage boy. More followed them, and soon the man was buried in a pile of crazy people all fighting for a piece of him. Like dogs fighting over a bone. Kahli didn’t see what happened to the little boy. Maybe that was for the best.

They were nearing the huge and magnificent Cinderella Castle when a man rushed up to them. He was normal. Panicked but normal. His arm was bleeding. A huge chunk was missing from it.

“I gotta find my girlfriend! Will you help me find my girlfriend? Please,” he pleaded desperately.

“We can’t. We gotta get someplace safe. Come with us,” Kahli said. She knew there was no possible way to find anyone in this sea of madness.

“No, you don’t understand! I can’t leave her!”

The woman of their group must have felt sympathy for him. “I’ll help you.”

That was another moment that stood out to Kahli. People want to think the world is crumbling. You see terrible things happening on the news. People stealing from each other. A father shooting his son. But when it really comes down to it, people are generally good.

“Thank you! Oh, thank you!” said the man. “Com’on. We split up near Tomorrowland.”

Kahli and the French man watched them leave. They didn’t make it very far before they, too, were attacked.

“We must move. Now,” said the French man.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Let’s go,” Kahli replied with a nod.

They continued weaving through the madness. A maze of blood and horror. Out of nowhere, a crazed man grabbed her from behind. She felt his fingertips brush her shoulders. Before he could grab onto her, the French man didn’t hesitate to yank him away. The crazed man went tumbling to the ground.

“Go!” shouted the French man.

The two of them ran. They ran as hard and as fast as they could. They climbed the stage to Cinderella’s Castle. They fought their way inside. Earlier she had saved him, just now he had saved her.

Things happen. For a reason.

Shoving a door closed behind them, they stood together, side by side, backs against the door.

“I’m Kahli,” she said.

“My name is Deon.”