Interview with Ghostland Suicide Prevention Officer
GP: Thank you for contacting me. And for agreeing to speak with me today. I understand it's difficult to speak under such circumstances—
SPO: (laughs) Yeah, you could say that. I'm not saying I think people are following me but I have seen the same van outside my house a few times this week.
GP: Any thoughts on the class action lawsuit that's going on?
SPO: I think it's great. I don't know how much will actually happen, but I do believe Hedgewood needs to be held accountable for what happened. If the judge is sympathetic—and who wouldn't be?—then I think we might get a decent outcome. Some kind of settlement for the families of the casualties, at least.
GP: That would be great. So I guess I should just dive right in since you probably don't have a lot of time. Can you tell me what you remember about those first few minutes?
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SPO: It all happened so fast it's hard to remember the order of how things went down, you know what I mean? Even though, like, the images of it are tattooed on my brain. First thing I remember - I uh, I was at the magician's exhibit near the midway, the haunted amusement park - and all of the sudden the water tank exploded, like chunks of glass flying everywhere. And uh, and then people started screaming. I saw a little girl with glass in her face - in her face. She was bleeding and running, running to me I guess, but I don't think she could see me with all the blood in her eyes. I don't uh, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget that, no matter how long I live.
GP: I'm sorry.
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SPO: Thank you. But you should really feel sorry for her. Once everyone started running, trampling each other, you know, throwing elbows to get out of there, I ran and grabbed her up, I held her in my arms and I couldn't see anything, you know? Because we didn't get to wear the AR glasses. Only the keepers had glasses, the rest of us weren't supposed to wear them because we were supposed to be focused on the customers, the uh, the guests. Which is kind of (expletive) stupid when you think about it. But I guess they weren't expecting this. I don't think anyone could have expected what happened. They were supposed to be docile. You know, subdued. I mean, there were stories... but that's all they were, just stories. Everybody thought she made it up, like she was just being dramatic or whatever. Nobody believed what happened with him, with Morton. It was like, what do you call it - ?
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GP: An urban legend?
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SPO: Yeah, exactly. But uh, I guess we should have listened because that's what you get, isn't it? You don't listen and then you learn your lesson. It's just like in horror movies, when they tell the story around the campfire, and everyone laughs it off and stuff but then the exact same thing happens to them and they act like they weren't warned. Like they couldn't have prepared themselves. So yeah, we were warned. And we didn't listen. And so many people paid the price.
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GP: What happened to the little girl? Were you able to - ?
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SPO: (Pause) She didn't make it. God rest her soul, she didn't live long enough for me to even try to help her. She was there with me and then... then the light just went out of her eyes. I never saw someone die before and uh, I sincerely hope I never have to see it again. But I saw so much of it that day, you know? It was... I can't even explain it. That's how bad it was.
GP: How were you able to escape?
SPO: A group of us hid in the utility tunnels under the park. There's a network of them running from most of the major exhibits but you have to have proper clearance. Didn't seem like there was as much activity down there but it was tense. Also, we didn't realize some of the tunnels closed off when the park shut down. So we were stuck there until the next day without food and water and without not knowing if we were ever going to be rescued.
GP: That's when the police rescued you?
SPO: Yeah. (laughs) I've never been so relieved to see a cop in my life.
GP: This was after they shut down the Recurrence Field.
SPO: I believe so, yeah.
GP: Can I ask… there's a theory going around that Rex Garrote was involved in the meltdown. What do you think about that?
SPO: (Pause) Speaking as a Masters Psychology student, I think those people need to get their heads examined.
GP: You never experienced any of the so-called "glitches" yourself?
SPO: If there were glitches it was a software problem. Look, if Rex Garrote really was alive—and I sincerely doubt he was, or still is—what motive could he possibly have to slaughter so many innocent people in his own theme park? It just doesn't make sense when you break it down. The whole theory falls apart.