Life After the Undead (Completed)

PART 14: The Gladiator .2

Connor's P.O.V.

Do you have any idea how cool it was to watch Evelyn ride that massive zombie rat like it was a bucking bronco?

It was hella cool.

Even when it threw her and she hit the ground. Even when I thought she was going to die and it was going to come after us next. It was still pretty cool.

Granted once she hit the ground I left her there. Sprinted right out of that mall and to the truck she had borrowed from the Drifters. Problem was Evelyn had the keys and I knew from experience that her car was set to shock you when you did things you weren't supposed to do, did Drifter trucks do the same thing?

That didn't stop Rebecca from tugging at the door, trying to force it open.

I tried to get her off but Rebecca was in a right panic and I could guess why. Massive rat creature, and all the zombies that should have been inside were outside. Yeah, that's a good enough reason to run.

God if Evelyn didn't show up soon we were screwed.

Luckily she did show up. Literally just appeared behind Rebecca with a glare on her face and Godrick right beside her.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Evelyn had screamed at Rebecca who threw herself down to the ground as if the scream had been the battle cry of a zombie heading for her.

"Trying to steal the truck? Ungrateful. That's what you people are," Evelyn had snarled as she got it unlocked.

I stooped down to pick Rebecca up but she was crying about all the stuff she had to leave behind and already I could see Evelyn's eyes rolling, yeah she didn't want to listen to Rebecca sob over this shit for the rest of the car ride home. Unfortunately, that's what was going to happen.

But then she really looked around and realized that Melissa and Jack were missing. She didn't say anything though, not until the orange flares popped in the sky.

I was still learning what the flares meant, because Toronto had a hierarchy for flares. I knew green were Evelyn's and regular red was Drifter, but orange was new.

"He doesn't usually come out this far," Godrick had said to her and she just stared at it, watching as they faded.

"Guess he's running out of viable options downtown," she had said and then she had tossed me the keys.

"I'm going to find Melissa, you take the car back."

I thought this was a joke but she actually walked away from me and Rebecca. Her and Godrick. She just left us there.

She didn't tell us how to get into the compound if the drawbridge was down, or the house if the door was locked. Her and Godrick just walked away and through the parking lot as if they weren't going to turn the corner and bump into a whole herd of zombies. But they did just that, they turned the corner and disappeared. There wasn't any screaming, there weren't any bullets and it didn't sound like the zombies were stampeding towards a fresh meal.

They were just gone, so really, I didn't have a choice. I couldn't just sit there and wait for them, I had no idea when they would be back.

I got us into the borrowed truck, drove it back to the Shady House and discovered everything I needed was already in the car. I had one remote control for the drawbridge, one to park the car in the garage and I had her keys to the house.

And yes, Rebecca cried the whole ride back.

I was assuming that Evelyn had me ride back with Rebecca so she wouldn't have to deal with her. And if we're going to be honest, I kind of got it.

I got her into the house where she returned to her room to sob about all designer items and make up she had left behind, as if that was going to be our problem and not just her problem. I had a feeling we were going to hear about this for forever.

About twenty minutes later a completely different Drifter truck came through driveway and while I was originally worried because I had left the drawbridge down for Evelyn and not a random Drifter, I had nothing to worry about. It was just Evelyn getting a ride back with Godrick.

And I was so sick of Rebecca's crying that after I shouted that she was back, I just ran right out that door to hug her.

Except, you know she deflected me. One hand to the chest and one solid push and I was bouncing back.

Yeah, forgot that she didn't like being touched.

"She crying?" she asked. I nodded and she indicated to the back. "I found a whole bunch of abandoned bags and a whole suitcase filled with other things, so I picked them up. Figured they were hers. Get Melissa and help me get them in."

Rebecca had chosen that moment to come down, she was sulking and what not and clearly Evelyn didn't want to deal with it.

"I found shopping bags and a suitcase filled with shit. Make sure that these are yours," she said and then Rebecca was squealing and rushing forward in only her slippers and a sweater.

I, however, was more interested in something else. "Did you not find Melissa?" I asked her. "Cause... you told me to get her but she's... she's not here."

Evelyn blinked her eyes and then turned back to the gate she had just come through with Godrick.

"You mean she's not with you?"

"We thought she was with you?" I said to her. "You said you were going to go get her, did you not get her?"

Obviously not because they had returned with Rebecca's lost shopping bags and not Melissa.

Godrick turned to her. "You don't think that Tiberus took them?"

"He wouldn't take a Duke..."

"We did think it was weird that his people just left... and we both know he's never cared about titles..."

Evelyn groaned loudly and began to pace the length of the car, clearly thinking.

Godrick watched her for a moment before adding: "You could always call him. He kind of listens to you."

Evelyn glanced towards him, stopped pacing and then put her hands on her hips. "Son of a bitch I'm going to have to go get them."

"I thought you don't do rescues," Rebecca reminded her, her arms laden down with all the bags she was trying to get to the door.

Yeah, I wasn't even going to offer to help. Two of our friends were missing and she was spouting the rules as if they were more important. I know Evelyn made a big deal about them, but if she chose to disregard her own rules, which would be totally like her, it would mean saving our friends. And I was all for anything that made Evelyn even a little bit like Brandon.

"Yeah except I'm not living in this house, by myself with you two until the thaw," Evelyn snapped. "I'd kill you both. Starting with the loud mouth!"

Rebecca's mouth dropped open and Evelyn left us both to stalk into her house, clearly to gear up to take on something called the Dome.

"Well can you at least leave us the password so that when you die, we can run the house?"

Evelyn didn't even answer.

And ten minutes later both she and Godrick got back into that Drifter truck and drove away.