He wasn’t typically a fan of littering, there would be a trashcan somewhere nearby, to throw away whatever you needed to, he would certainly never litter in a cemetery, it was just disrespectful, that being said, Aedus tore the box from his chest with his now free hand. He started at the smallest point from opposite armhole to neck hole. He discarded the silver spray painted box to the side, he couldn’t afford to be clumsy.

His hand was free because Katrina quite reasonably started flipping out at the fact that he flipped out, not his most calm and collected moment. A look over his shoulder had him seeing Katrina in the grasp of a zombie, The zombie bride was almost convincing enough to have him charging her but for two things, the calm panda to their right and the fact that the zombie was smiling and looked to recognize Katrina.

First things first, Aedus slammed the free side of the nun chuck down on the zombie that was crawling out of the ground face first. The nun chuck made a sickening shccccllump sound as it hammered on long decaying flesh. He whipped the weapon back in to the air. He took a running jump and landed with both feet momentarily on the arm that previously reached for Katrina, but he only momentarily stayed still His eyes focusing on Zombie bride for a moment longer reassuring himself that she was in the clear and then sprinted to close the gap between the girls and the burrowing…unburrowing? Undead. He made it to the entrance and turned right back around, putting himself between the groups.

“Zombies…coming.” He panted as he started to twist the martial arts implement around again.

Katrina struggled to pull away from the corpse that has her in its grasp. Until, that is, it called her by name. She paused to look up at the corpse's face and discovered that beneath the layer of deathly looking makeup, she did indeed know that face.

“Maya. Oh thank goodness.” Katrina threw her arms around her knight in shining corpse-bride-attire and squeezed to show how relieved she was that the other girl was not really undead.

“We have to do something. There are zombies. Real, actual zombies. Not even Halloween-trick zombies,” she was rambling. Rambling and waving her arms around and pointing for emphasis.

“We have to get out of here and warn people and maybe put up some kind of barrier and we should try to make sure no one gets hurt and...” she would have gone on, but one of the zombies was almost fully out of its grave. “Run!”

Maya knew her. Who was she? And who was he? The tall, lean drink of water with green eyes. And the nunchuks with the odd stain. The thought didn't even pass through her mind that this guy could possibly have produced the girlish scream and profanity from earlier.

Her eyes snapped back to the girl in her girlfriend's arms, and they stayed there. Who was she, again!? She'd said 'Katrina'.

Man, if she flipped out at every girl her boyfriend knew, that'd turn into a problem... But who the hell cared?

Girl was flailing her arms around and raving about zombies like a loon.

You know those movies where the kid complains to the daddy about a monster under the bed? Or about vampires? "Daddy, there's a vampire under my bed?"

The dad always says "No, son. It's nothing. Go back to sleep." As if nothing were wrong.

Just once, she wished one of those dads would drop everything. "GET IN THE FREAKING VAN!" That'd be a dad of the year, there.

She paused her mental flashback to some comic she'd once read in order to take note that she actually believed this person. There probably were zombies. It was a scary world. Girlfriend of the year, that was her. So, when Katrina shouted 'Run!' at the end of her ranting and something stumbled out of the graveyard, she decided to emphasize that title and exercise her right to rescue.

"You heard the girl! Run!"

If Katrina hadn't been in her girlfriend's arms, she'd have pulled Maya free and to safety, then and there.

Katrina was flailing. Maya tried to hold her still until she realized it was just the make-up.

>>“Maya. Oh thank goodness. We have to do something. There are zombies. Real, actual zombies. Not even Halloween-trick zombies. We have to get out of here and warn people and maybe put up some kind of barrier and we should try to make sure no one gets hurt and... Run!”

Would it have been too much to just ask for one single holdiay in this city without zombies, mutant trees, zombies, and general all-around crazyness?
Obviously.

But, if Katrina said they were zombies, they were zombies.

>>"You heard the girl! Run!"

And Ami believed her.

Maya held Katrina still.

"Kat. We can't just run. We're X-men." trainees, kids, never mind "We need to do something."

Looking around, she frowned. A guy, and three girls, unarmed, against zombies.

"Ami. Get the hell out of here. Call the Mansion. We need help." she looked at Kat "You too. Go with her. Warn people. Make them invisible. Do whatever. We'll hold them back."

Looking around, she saw some storefronts farther down the street. Reflecting the street lights. Well. That had to do.

"And tell them I would be really grateful for my bow and arrows. Go."

Aedus took another couple steps back and grabbed the gate closest to him yanking on it and pulling it shut as the ladies moved out of the way. He heard it even as he was in denial... they were x-men? he didn't recognize them, but it was Halloween, and they were dressed up, but Kat too? she could have told him. Was he being recruited by the x-men through future sight?... as a human? that didn't seem right.

Make them invisible? was that to Katrina or the Panda?

As the first zombie made it free of the grave Aedus rolled his neck letting the crack ripple through his neck.

At least the zombies went at zombie speed. They didn't put their arms up like mummy's abd 1920's undead though, a little disappointing. He slammed the bar down that held it in place in the ground and got in the majority of the other gate. they would be able to limit the amount they would have to fight this way, at least for awhile.

The Zombie bride was giving out orders and Aedus was glad someone was, he was more than happy to listen to the game plan, good organization was what made you win games...at least that was how it worked with soccer.

He looked over his shoulder for a split second to speak to the zombie bride, why did she have to dress as a zombie?

"You'll want a weapon with reach until they deliver." Aedus leaned slightly back and leveled the first ghoul with a kick meant to push the thing away.

She was an X-man (almost). She was a soldier in Eros' Army. She had been a body guard in the future and joined the air force in the past (and maybe would again someday). She was not a little girl who ran away from fights. Little, yes. Girl, yes. Running away, no.

She could retreat tactically, though. One did not face an unknown enemy unarmed, with neither weapon, nor knowledge of what she was up against.

Katrina took a deep breath, then nodded to Maya.

“I can do that. Just... be careful you two.” Aedus and Maya, that was. It looked like they were going to be the ones on the front line for now.

Katrina hurried back toward the street, fumbling for her cell phone. She dialed the shop first, then the mansion. Neither one picked up. It was after hours, but still, someone should answer in case of emergencies. She considered calling the police, but didn't think they would believe her if she cried zombie on Halloween of all nights.

Maybe she could call the Sanctuary?

She reached the road. A car screeched to a halt in front of her. It was a beat up old Impala. The tattered looking guy from before jumped out.

“Are they rising yet? Come here, I've got enough arms for everyone,” the hobo announced.

Katrina blinked. Hobos had cars? They had piles of arms in their cars? Should she be worried? This was officially the strangest Halloween ever.

Amelia told Maya to run, and... Maya held Katrina still.

Hey. Hey, wait a second. WHY WASN'T SHE RUNNING!?

Bah. Bad boyfriend. Terrible girlfriend. Walking right into trouble when she was giving her an out. It wasn't like she HAD to fight the zombies. Honestly. Amelia would have given her the benefit of the doubt if she'd wanted to, you know, not. But there Maya went, putting herself in danger... Stinking good person.

She would have been obscenely mad at Maya for telling her to go while she stayed. Would have been furious. Super pissed. Actually, she was. Kinda. But she was not shouting. When Katrina left, Amelia stayed, fists clenched. When the zombies approached and running looked mighty fine, she stayed. Amelia stayed.

"No." She said, simply. She looked Maya straight in the face. "No, I will not leave you to get eaten by the creeping undead."

Amelia. Stayed. Put. And really, that was that.

>>"You'll want a weapon with reach until they deliver."

"Yeah, I'm fine" Maya smirked, shaking off the wedding veil. She did not need a zombie or two to get a hold of that; better get rid of it before it became a problem. The rest of the costume was pretty easy to move in. Thank god she was not wearing heels.

Katrina ran. Ami, however, did not. She looked very determined as she took a stance next to her.

>>"No. No, I will not leave you to get eaten by the creeping undead."

"No one's getting eaten" she frowned "Ami I have been trained for this. You don't even have a weapon. Go, help Katrina, I don't want you to get hurt..."

That was that, as far as arguments went. The guy with the nunchucks took down a zombie. Maya tensed up.

"Are we sure these are actual..."

The zombie that had been kicked stumbled and impaled itself on the fence. And kept groaning.

"... never mind."

Looking around, Maya started moving towards the shop windows. Just fast enough to draw the zombies in the same direction...

Aedus was fighting two battles, one was the literal one, which at this point had been somewhat like whack a mole, the other was an internal fight with his gag reflex. It isn't something they can convey in movies or on shows, but the stench of the undead has to be the second worst thing about them,

1. they are walking around, unacceptable.
2 They reeked worse then rotten eggs, spoiled milk and unmaintained public restrooms combined.
3. they wanted to eat you...why? why couldn't they eat grass? dirt? coffins maybe?
4. Parts of them were hanging off of them, eye balls, arms, flaps of skin...
5. the carrion that were currently eating their flesh.

He stopped him self from thinking about it as he forced the urge to vomit down. He jumped back as one of the zombies surged forward... More of the cemetery residents were breaking loose. The zombie at hand was a large fellow that apparently died of something gruesome...or he hadn't been deteriorating well.

A large Zombie hand landed on his shoulder and started to pull him towards its Maw. Maya was moving towards the shops. Panda Girl seemed to think it was a pertinent time to argue. Aedus struggled as he whacked the large creature with his nun chucks several times as it dragged him closer. He hoped to the heavens that these were the kind of Zombies that couldn't spread the disease, particularly by their Nails.

A zombie was nomming at Aedus' face. And then the zombie's head wasn't there any more. With a boom and a puff of smoke, he was saved.

Katrina stared wide eyed, holding a short barreled shot gun.

She hadn't shot it. If she had, Aedus might have been the one with no head. She wouldn't have risked that.

The hobo, though, was pretty confident in his aim. For a reason, apparently.

Katrina looked from the hobo to her group of zombie hunting friends, then back again.

“Everyone, this is Rick. He's a professional zombie hunter. Rick, this is...”

And that was all the time they had for introductions. A zombie groaned and headed for Maya. Another popped up out of its grave behind the panda girl. Rick tossed his gun to Maya, and Katrina offered up two more. There were plenty more back in the car, too. And baseball bats, and grenades, and all sorts of other nasty looking things she didn't even know the names of.

He didn't want her to... SHE didn't want her to get hurt.

Well, duh. Idiot.

What? Was she supposed to have been touched by the consideration? Been shocked. Nodded dumbly? Thought about how her risking her life made Maya feel? This was not the sort of situation where she would simply follow her instructions to the letter!

Amelia did not blush. Fists stayed clenched. She did not move... well, um. Up until the part where Maya started moving, and ignoring her!! Because, apparently, zombies were still actually a thing. And this wasn't the 'Ami Maya Drama show'.

She took a step after her girlfriend. Then, stopped.

Well, grr. She didn't want to get hurt, either. So, what was the strategy here?

Turning in her panda regalia, she looked at stuff, assessed the situation. Stinky zombies. Lots of 'em. Katrina had gone... somewhere. Maya was headed towards the shops. And she, Amelia, was standing around dumbly. Like some sort of genius tactician. Not doing a damned thing.

Logically speaking, in a fight the best thing was to get an advantage.

At the moment, the zombies had the advantage. She did, in fact, lack a weapon. The zombies did, in fact, have numbers on their sides. And if she stayed where she was, in all likelihood, she'd make Maya a very sad girl. And that would make her a sad panda.

Amelia frowned. **** that. She would not stand around like an idiot.

Fine. She'd do a bit of what Maya was asking. She wasn't going to abandon her! But she could get a weapon and help. She wouldn't back down.

A sudden explosion of sound made her jump, and turn. Amelia spun towards where the good-looking guy from earlier had been fighting zombies. Ew. Smelled like burnt rotting flesh. Looked worse. Her eyes dropped momentarily towards the ground. They rose up a split-second later. She wasn't gonna get disgusted by these punks! Come on! She wasn't that weak.

Seemed like Katrina hadn't fled for her life, either. Her eyes snapped to the shooter and the girl.

A shotgun. Seriously.

>>“Everyone, this is Rick. He's a professional zombie hunter. Rick, this is...”

Something shifted behind her. And suddenly, shotgun girl was offering her a gun.

Now, a normal girl might have balked in this situation! A normal girl might have freaked at the zombie staggering around behind them, or the thought of utilizing dangerous firearms in a fight. Amelia was not a normal girl.

"Thank God Miri taught me how to fire one of these..." She muttered, taking a handgun from Katrina.

She spun around on the spot, steadying the gun with both hands. Braced for the recoil. Trained the gun on the monster's head, and... fired!

Gross!

Awesome?

She could not decide. All she could decide was not to dwell on it.

Also, handguns had a heck of a kick. And that zombie was not getting back up.

>>“Everyone, this is Rick. He's a professional zombie hunter. Rick, this is...”

"Kat, get the *** outta here!" Maya yelled, more than a bit annoyed that the two girls were still there. Fighting zombies was one thing; being distracted from fighting zombies by having to worry about Ami and Kat was another. Damn.

Rick, however, proved himself to be useful when he tossed a gun at Maya. She was not very well trained with firearms, but being chased by zombies does wonders to your survival skills.

BAM.

She turned to look; Ami was holding a gun at a headless zombie. Ew. Phew. Maya didn't know whether to yell or grin.

She didn't have time to do either; those zombies were getting too close for comfort. She aimed, and she pulled the trigger; this was really a lot different than using a bow, but up this close they were kind of hard to miss.

Bam. Bam.

She took a few zombies down before she ran out of ammo. Well, damn. Between her and Rick the Helpful was another bunch of them. She could probably outrun them, but...

"Hey! This way!" he yelled at the zombies, finally backing up enough to reach the shopwindows. With her back against the glass, she waited until the first walker reached out to grab her. With a move that Sam had taught to her a million times over, she grabbed the arm instead, pulling the zombie into a mirror... and when she came out, she left it there.
Only a few more to go...

He was rallying to win one fight as he whipped the nun chucks around the zombie arm and pulled down he was putting pressure on the zombies joint and he could feel it tearing, cloth old muscle the sound was disturbing. Regardless he was winning his struggle with nausea he was too freaked out to vomit.

*KABLAM*

And all of a sudden he was free of one fight and loosing the other all over the ground. He hadn’t realized it but he had been cursing and grunting and panting as he fought the zombie off. When its head exploded and the arm clutching his shoulder went limp and fell off him relief was short lived as his body reminded him that his mouth was open when it went down. He wretched and spewed all over the ground until his stomach couldn’t any more, the rancid flavor of zombie flesh was replaced by the bitter flavor of stomach acid. On the down side it was debilitating, on the positive side, being knelt on your knees and vomiting with a vengeance meant you weren’t in the way of crossfire. He wiped his mouth clean with his arm and ran low to the trunk of Artillery Rick’s car. It looked like they had projectile fire covered. He looked into the trunk and his eyes landed on a sledge hammer that gleamed shiny new.

With a glance to see that they were covered for the time being. Zombie Bride just disappeared into a reflection with a zombie in tow. Two guns wailed mortality down on the undead, again. He wrapped the tank top around his nose and mouth, it exposed his well toned body, but for the first time in his life he wasn’t looking for the excuse, he was protecting his nose and mouth from the smell, he couldn’t afford to vomit more if they needed him.

Aedus took a place to the side of the fire arm wielding trio he would be the last line of defense if they needed to reload or be defended, he would go Thor on them and bring down the hammer.

Was it Katrina's imagination, or did the zombies smell worse after losing body parts?

They smelled like terrible nightmares of mass graves in China and rotting dragon corpses. The vomit smell mixed in didn't help. Katrina shuddered and followed the example Aedus set by pulling the edge of her sweatshirt over her nose.

She was left with a shot gun that she didn't know how to use. It didn't look too complicated. She put it against her shoulder, pulled back on the handle that readied the bullet, just like in the movies, pointed it at a zombie (and far out of range of anyone else), and squeezed the trigger.

She was deafened by the sound, and thrown back by the unexpected punch, right onto her backside. Luckily there was nothing creepy, crawly, or undead right behind her. There was kind of a thorny bush, though. Ouch and double ouch. At least she wasn't in a skirt.

She didn't even see if she had gotten the zombie she was aiming for.

The cemetery was large. Somewhere in the back, where the group could not see, zombies were escaping onto city streets. The first found a man in a fancy pickup truck, idling. The Monster Mash blared from his radio. He was tapping his hand on thetop of the steering wheel, and bobbing his head.

Like a scene straight from Grand Theft Auto, Zombie 1 reached in and pulled the driver right out the driver's side door and tossed him to the street.

As that zombie climbed in, more piled onto the scene. A few made it into the back of the truck. They waved their arms dumbly, and searched the area for tasty human flesh. Oh. There. On the street where they'd just passed him. A mild look of recognition hit one of them, then vroom.The car shot forward, through a stop sign, an intersection, and on and on, weaving like mad.

Zombie 1 had accidentally mashed the accelerator.

Left behind, the driver climbed awkwardly to his feet.

"What the f-"

A pair of zombies pounced him. He was silenced before the swear.

Back with the group, Amelia turned. Her hands were shaking slightly. Recoil did that. It had been a while since the last time she'd used a gun. That was natural, too. Her eyes scanned the area for any other zombies who might have felt lucky... then jerked towards the sound of Maya's voice.

>>"Hey! This way!"

She blinked as Maya did something cool.

Then, turned back as more zombies approached the group, one a-piece. This was getting ridiculous...

"It's like an endless swarm..." She muttered in disgust as once more, she took aim.