Beyond the Barrier: Zombie Town One-shots

No Risk, No Reward

(Sorry for the lack of Another Girl, Another Zombie yesterday, I needed to take a break to think up a new story cuz the one I had planned next kinda skipped ahead quite far and I want something to happen sooner. Also, I'm tempted to do a little part 3 to We're In Zombieland...? I'll see how well it turns out

So, for tonight, since I wrote about Bonzo coming home from containment, I decided to write about Eliza as well. Maybe expect one for Zed too, sooner or later. I rewatched the cheer championship scene to see which zombies were helping Eliza with her plan and it was 3 that I hadn't named yet, so I've named them now~)

A zombie uprising.

It was the only way she could think of to finally make a change. A real change. But she didn't expect Zed to agree with her. Or even Bonzo. They'd both gotten themselves caught up in the humans' world. They both thought that humans could be their friends. But a handful of high school students wearing darker jackets than usual and sitting with them at lunch weren't going to help them get any further. They'd certainly proved that when they had booed every zombie at the game away.

They got the blame for it all. They got the blame for their Z-bands deactivating and they got the blame for literally losing control of themselves. When it should have gone to the cheerleaders. It should have gone to Bucky.

After what she had been through, and after pouring her heart out to Zed and Bonzo, all Eliza could do was hug her mom and follow her inside.

Her parents tried to console her. It hurt them to see her like this, to know what she and her friends had endured. But Eliza was too upset and too aggravated to sit there and talk. Too upset even to cry. She felt almost numb. She could barely even register anything either of her parents were saying, until her dad noticed this and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Zinnia," he said softly, "I think she needs some space."

Nodding, Eliza's mother slowly let go of her hand and, tilting her head up so she could meet her eyes, offered her a sad, but reassuring smile. Eliza returned the look and stood up, wiping her eye with the back of her hand as she headed upstairs.

She closed her bedroom door behind her and leaned against it, trying to take a calming breath but it came out ragged and shaking and the floodgates suddenly opened. She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs and stood for a moment, just letting herself cry. Everything had been going so well, and all that progress they had made was ripped away from them in a matter of minutes. She couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty – she gave in when Zed begged her to hack his Z-band. That was what started all of this. If she hadn't agreed to that, he wouldn't have corrupted the software swiping right, and the Aceys wouldn't have been able to access the files.

She paused. Then let out a cold, humourless laugh.

She felt guilty.

All she had wanted was equality, respect and justice. All she had done was break one tiny rule in order to move them forward. She had warned Zed of the danger, and he didn't listen to her. Why should she feel guilty? Cheerleaders had shunned, ridiculed and provoked the zombies, cheerleaders had tried to manipulate her and cheerleaders had stolen from her. But did they feel guilty? Eliza highly doubted that. She wiped her tears from her eyes and stepped away from the door. Of course they didn't. They had too much on their minds right now what with their precious cheer championship fast approaching.

Were they punished for lying or stealing or endangering their fellow students, human and zombie alike? No way. Not a chance. They were cheerleaders, Seabrook's finest, and they never had to face the consequences for their actions. It was the zombies who had to deal with it. The cheer squad was still allowed to compete, and they'd most likely win yet again, Eliza thought with a scowl. Nothing about this was fair. Just for once, she'd like to see them fail. See if they could handle it. If they could finally understand what it was like to have everything you'd worked for snatched away from you.

She wanted to see them realise that zombies were so much smarter, stronger and more capable than they had thought.

She surged forward, grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen from her desk. The patrol had taken her laptop from her at the containment facility, insisting she'd get it back after a thorough investigation, which she suspected would mean returning it to her with a few files and programs mysteriously gone. At least she now had wi-fi on her Z-band. She just needed a little bit of information on the venue for the championship. A floor plan, anything about the lighting or sound systems that she could use and the roster for the competing teams. It took some time, but eventually, she had a page of scribbled notes and a sketch of a device which, she hoped, might be able to short circuit the electronics.

There was a knock on her door and her mother's voice came from the other side.

"Eliza, honey? Zed's here. He wants to talk to you."

She stopped and sighed.

"... Well, I don't want to talk to him right now."

"'Liza, c'mon," he was there, "Please."

"Zed, not now. Just go home, alright?"

She heard a muffled apology, an unconvincing "It's fine" then retreating footsteps.

Zed wasn't going to help her now. She didn't expect Bonzo would, either. They were still living in hope that the humans could change, but Eliza knew that change wasn't just going to show up and knock down the barrier. They had to do that for themselves. She'd have to be careful picking who would help her, though. A surprising number of zombies agreed with them. One name came to mind. She could, Eliza remembered, message her over the Z-bands now.

Eliza: I've got a plan, meet me early tomorrow, before school.

Topaz: You're not asking Zed or Bonz?

Eliza: They won't listen to reason

Topaz: I get you. Want me to bring back-up?

Eliza: Definitely. Whoever you can get

- BEYOND THE BARRIER -

Eliza was already out of the house long before Zed knocked on her door as usual. She was at the gate into Seabrook, with Topaz, and two other zombies she had brought along – Lazlo and Zora. She had explained her plan, given them all the details she had found, and already they were onboard. When the others started to arrive, Eliza avoided Zed and Bonzo as best she could, giving them only a short "hi". She stuffed the plans into her locker as the bell rang and was about to follow the others to class when they were stopped by a patrol officer. Who, without explanation, informed them all that they were being sent back down to the basement.

They were told it was only temporary. Mr Zeck was back again, as well, but far more sympathetic now. There was an air of unease around the room. No-one knew what was going on. Zed and Bonzo tried to get Eliza's attention but to no avail. She stuck with Topaz, Lazlo and Zora. At the end of the day, the real bomb was dropped on them by Principal Lee herself.

"Starting tomorrow, you all will be transferred back to Zombie Town's school until further notice."

"Zombie Town?

"We're going back to zombies-only school?"

"What?"

"What for? What did we do?"

The responses ranged from shock to confusion to fear to anger, but none of them could do anything about it. It had been decided. They couldn't fight back. They were made to leave, right there and then. They were told to have their lockers cleared out in the morning, which didn't help them feel any better. Topaz shot Eliza a determined expression and she shot one back.

She didn't feel the need to go back to school the following morning just to clear her locker out. It didn't matter anyway. Most of the things left in there, she no longer had any use for. And she wouldn't need the plans she'd drawn up, since Zora had made a copy. She had work to do, and she wasn't going to waste another second. She had a cheer championship to get to.