Chapter Text
-×-×-
Hope You Guess My Name
-×-
X - The Carnival Master
-×-
Terrified screams tore through the group as Jc and Roi got dragged to the ground and dragged back like characters in a horror film. The Hippie and Daredevil choked out their pleas for help as Nicholas yanked them close to him. Holding the chains tightly in his hands, and laughing at their fear and terrified cries of the others.
"NO!" Joey screamed. "Let them go, you monster!"
"Joey!" Rosanna's hands quickly grabbed onto his arm and pulled Joey back with all her strength. There was no way she was going to let him do something so incredibly stupid while they were so close to freedom.
"Jc!" Safiya cried out, reaching out for him. She could feel Manny wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her back.
The Hippie got to his knees, trying to rip it off, a desperate attempt to break free. There was no luck.
The Daredevil tried to run, just to be pulled back down, hitting the ground with a rough thud. "Help us!" He chokes out.
Colleen quickly opened up the doors, booking it out of there, followed by Joey, who had a firm, but comforting hold on Rosanna. The Jet Setter, calling out for Roi and Jc, trying to see if they were alright.
"Roi!" Teala screamed out for her friend, her Lazarus buddy! She couldn't leave them behind, they all worked so fucking hard to get this far!
"We have to go!" Mat said, grabbing hold of the Super Spy, and pulling her out.
"You were to be the first to fall!!" Nicholas roared. "And it's time to catch up!"
The troublemaker has an idea pop into her head. She looks over at Safiya, quickly slipping to her side as Manny pulls her back. "You two get out of here, I'll get them," Nikita promises, glancing at the spear in Safiya's hand.
"Nikita," Manny says nervously.
"You two are supposed to be dead also, let me save our friends."
"Be careful, please," Safiya hands it off to her, hurrying out of the church with Manny.
Nikita's grip tightened around the spear as she looked over at the carnival master. Anger burns like wildfire in her soul, and she charges right at him, stabbing it right into his gut.
The carnival master howls out in pain, the crystal glows brightly, the magic of it wrapping around the wound. Dissolving the spear in half with its acidic magic. Nita drops it to the ground, taking a few steps back.
The chains fell to the ground, and quickly Jc and Roi grabbed their ends and booked it out with the others, Nikita running after them.
"TASTE THEIR FLESH! LET THEM BLEED! THEIR BLOOD WILL BE YOURS! THEIR SOULS WILL BE MINE! MAY THE DEAD COME ALIVE!" He cries out as the crystal's magic heals his wound.
The zombies came flooding the graves, growling and shrieking after them, determined to put those who still breathed in their graves with them.
-×-
"Safiya, that was the bravest and dumbest thing you've done all night!" Joey yelled as they booked it back to the lounge.
"What the hell was that for?" Manny asks, out of fear for her life and surprise she puts her life in such a risky spot! They no longer had the chance to revive her! If she dies, that was it!
"We have fought way too hard to keep everyone here, and there is no way in hell am I letting them die!" Safiya said, setting the spear down. "Calliope dying was enough,"
"Does the Iron Maiden mean nothing to you?" Colleen asks, crossing her arms.
"Mortimer?" Ro added, sounding unsure.
"All that bitch did was look cute, get possessed, nearly kill Safiya, and die," Nikita said, crossing her arms. "Plus we have much bigger stakes at hand! Zombies and these two," she added, gesturing to Jc and Roi. "Are you two okay by the way? Can you breathe? Do we need to get you a 40-year-old inhaler that is definitely expired?" Nikita added on.
"It is a bit tight," Roi said, shuffling his feet to express his discomfort. "Is there a lock or anything on these things? It's really going to slow Jc and me down, these things are heavy!"
"See them as weapons against the zombies?" Teala suggested. "At least until we can free you guys!"
Mat came over, examining the chained collars. "Roi you're right!"
"What man? About what part" Roi asks.
"The lock," The Detective answered. "But it's not a normal key lock. It's something else."
"What do you mean by that?" Jc asks.
"It's shaped like a coin. Like the Lazarus coin."
"But we already used the Lazarus coins!" Colleen exclaimed. "You guys used them to bring me back!"
"And please don't make us regret it," Nikita said, crossing her arms.
"Oh great, we're doomed to these for eternity. Where's a locksmith when you need one?" Jc sighed.
An idea lit up in Teala's head. "There's one more Lazarus coin out there."
"The pump station!" Safiya exclaimed. "We tried to get the coin, but couldn't because what the fuck was that question."
"We really needed you, man." Roi said looking over at Jc.
"We could have gotten it figured out!" Mat exclaimed.
"Really now?" Safiya asked. "You were the one who suggested we abandon that idea and keep looking for the fingers."
"We found most of them!" Mat pointed.
"Correction: I found all of them. You and I just figured out where they were."
"Can you two have your nerd-off later?" Nikita asks. "Time is ticking, I don't wanna die, you guys know where the Lazarus coin is to help those two!" She added pointing back to Roi and Jc.
"Okay, that's great and all, but how are we even going to get it? There's like hoards of zombies out there!" Colleen exclaimed.
"I'm dead, you died, let's go be zombie bait!" Joey exclaimed. "Maybe they won't do anything to us!"
"Guys!" Rosanna exclaims. "What are the Life Stones?" She asks.
"No idea, but that sounds like our ticket out of here," Joey answered.
-×-
The best bet was to split up into groups of three. Each one gets assigned an area to gain a life stone. As the group gained the life crystal needed, the others would distract the zombies.
The first group consisted of Colleen, Rosanna, Matt, and Nikita. The four of them would get assigned the Witches' lair to get the first life stone.
The second group consisted of Manny, Teala, and Joey. The three of them would be heading towards the Maiden of Madness to get the second life stone.
Safiya would join Jc and Roi to help free them from the chains Nicholas trapped them in. Then they would get the third and final life stone.
Each group would take turns distracting the zombies. Mostly Colleen, Nikita, Rosanna, and Mat, since they would be finished first, but switch out with the others. The group could not afford to have any of them kidnapped by zombies!
-×-
J.R.S
"Holy shit those were heavy," Safiya said, dropping the chains to the ground when the trio reached the pump station. "I don't want to know what it's like for you two."
"I'm going to have so much neck pain." Roi said.
"I am never ever going to help Joey with anything ever again," Jc said, grabbing the clue from hours ago.
An undertaker has 500 open coffins and asks his men to close every second, and then the third, and so on. How many remain open?
"I can definitely see what got you guys stumped," Jc said, handing the paper back to Roi. He reached into his front pocket pulling out a pen he placed between his teeth before reaching inside another pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "Math time."
"Fuck math time." Roi said. "Why math riddles? Both can be hard on their own! Why bring them together?"
"Where did you get pen and paper?" Safiya asks.
"I stole the pen from Mat. I also stole this paper from Mat. I was also the one who stole Mat's badge for an hour."
"Why?" Roi asks.
Jc shrugged. "I don't really know. I like fucking with him, it's funny. Voted me in, and almost got me killed. Just my way of getting back at him. Stealing shit from him. I'll give the pen back after we're done with this."
"Good for you, I guess?" Roi says. "Anyway, math problem? Before the rest of them all get eaten alive by zombies!"
"Yeah, right that's going on!" Jc says, snapping his fingers and hearing the cry of a zombie. "Okay, let's use 15 as our number. 15 work Safiya?"
The Investigative Reporter thought about it, perhaps a bit too long. Although it may have been caused by fear.
"Yeah, yeah 15," Safiya said with a nod as she let go of Roi's shoulder. "Sorry,"
"Don't be! You're helping us out here a lot." The Daredevil assures her. "It's okay to be scared. There's a lot of zombies running around!"
"I know, I just, I don't want Jc to do all the work."
"I will happily do it!" Jc said not looking up from his work. "If it means getting the fuck out of this chain and collar, I'll do whatever it takes!"
"I think what Jc is trying to say is, you've done enough, but it is great to have you here! Especially with helping us move around. These chains are heavy."
"SQUARE ROOT!" Jc exclaimed. "What the fuck is the square root of 500?"
"Why do you need the square root? What's up with the 15? Don't you need the 15 somewhere!" The Daredevil exclaims.
"Yes! Okay, the first will open a coffin, the second will skip it, and the third will close it. Fourth will skip, and fifth will open!" Safiya explains, catching on.
"Right! Then six through fourteen skip, expect fifteen. That's where fifteen comes in, and they close it! Then the rest can skip it and the whole process can repeat until the end! Catching on?" Jc asks.
"Nope!" Roi answered. What was going on? He needed to backtrack a bit, but math was not exactly his strong suit.
"I can explain it later," Jc promised, but he would not. "If I can do just a little bit more math I can get it!" He said, going back to his piece of paper.
The Hippie scribbled more math problems down into the paper. The Investigative Reporter joined his side, the two talking quietly and quickly before they figured it out.
"22!" Jc screamed out in glee before Safiya ran over throwing the number into the lock.
There was a soft click and Safiya quickly opened it up, grabbing the Lazarus coin.
"YOU DID IT!" Roi screamed out. "You guys did it!"
Quickly the Investigative Reporter rushed over to The Hippie, inserting the coin into the lock before rays of light ran through the chains bursting through them. The broken chains fell to the ground and Safiya quickly grabbed the coin before rushing over to the Daredevil.
Slipping the coin into place, rays of light once more ran through the collar breaking it into dozens of pieces.
The Lazarus coin fell to the ground, splitting into three different pieces as it hit the ground.
"You guys did it!" Roi laughed, pulling the two into a hug they gladly returned.
"Are you guys feeling okay?" Safiya asks, looking at them both.
" I can finally breathe and can't hear the carnival master laughing in my ear anymore, doing amazing Roi!" Jc said.
"Great! Now we have to run, the zombies are coming!" Roi exclaims, seeing the hoard of the undead sprinting over.
Safiya quickly grabbed onto both of them, and the trio booked it away from the pump station heading towards Fat Man Slims, the closest place for safety.
-×-
Team Witches Lair
"Oh this, this is not good," Rosanna melted to Mat's side, grabbing hold of the Detective's coat. Fear shone bright in her eyes. "There's so many of them!"
"We've been running around this town all night. We'll be fine." Mat assures her. "Just run to the Witches' lair, and we get the first stone, pass the torch to the others. Then safety!"
"On three?" Colleen suggests.
"THREE!" Nikita exclaims, breaking out into a run first.
"No! Never three! Never start with three! One and two first!" Colleen calls out, running after her.
"Let's go make sure neither of them dies," Mat says, patting Rosanna's shoulder.
The two run after them, Rosanna biting down on the tip of her tongue to stop herself from screaming to prevent any zombies from chasing after the four of them.
It's dangerous enough running through this mess as is, zipping through hoards and Rosanna's brain is pleading with her to scream, but it would just attract too many zombies and they already have enough trying to grab onto them.
×
"Here we are!" Nikita exclaims as the group of four hurries into the Witches' lair. "Where's this damn stump?"
"Well, there's not many here! Four at best, one for each of us! Start looking inside them!" Colleen says, running towards one.
To Nikita, this is the first damn good idea the Disco Dancer had in a while!
"Do we even know what exactly we're looking for?" Mat asks, digging through his tree stump. "I'm not really finding anything!"
"Rock!" Nikita and Rosanna exclaim in unison, both looking up from their own stumps at the same time.
"Got the point?" Colleen asks, shooting her gaze over to the Detective. He ignores her.
"Oh look! Guys, I got a magical wand!" Rosanna exclaims holding it up.
Nikita rushes over to the Jet Setter.
"Way to go Ro!" Colleen says. "Also darkly fitting you found it,"
"But we got the first life stone!" The detective rushes over, grabbing it as it descends from the trees. "And this means we're one step closer to getting the hell out of Everlock!"
-×-
Team Maiden
"Is this grave robbing?" Teala asks, looking for the rattle.
"Well, these graves are empty right now, because everyone who's in it is currently wreaking havoc in the town!" Manny said, brushing leaves to the side. "We're also doing this to get out of this town! We also did worse illegal things. Like, shove Colleen in an Iron Maiden." He added.
"Think of it as respectful grave robbing," Joey said, going from grave to grave. "Also, I'm dead! So it's just like regular robbery for me!"
"I bet robbery is a tame crime for you," Manny says.
"You're not wrong, but it's not like this will go on record. It's 1978 and my heart is not beating! Also, none of us were alive in the 70s."
"This would be one hell of a story," Teala says, looking up from the grave she's searching. "Twitter would lose their shit."
"Joey, what other crimes have you committed? Besides murder," Manny asks.
"I'm unsure," Joey answered. "Oh, guys! I found the rattle!" He cries out, holding up the pink toy. Giving it a little shake.
"Great! Now let's shove a zombie mother in an Iron Maiden!"
"Maybe we'll run into Colleen, and the two can say hello together! Bond over the maiden!" Manny adds on, rushing after The Savant and The Super Spy. "Hey, wait up!"
×
Running into a hoard of zombies was possibly the last thing Teala wanted to do tonight, yet here she was. Doing exactly that, waving around a rattle to catch a dead mother's attention.
She can see Mat and Nikita running in the background, three zombies hot on their trail. There's also a lot of screaming coming from somewhere nearby, she's unsure if it's human or zombie.
"Teala! She's coming!" Manny runs over, gently grabbing her arm and lulling her along. A zombie in a floral-looking dress chasing after, reaching out for the rattle and groaning as she's in pursuit of the duo.
Teala's quick to snap from her thoughts, picking up her speed and blocking out everyone else screaming, her heart pounding out of her chest and her brain screaming at her to hurry the fuck up. She never felt more energized and alive before. It's the final stretch of the night, and Teala cannot wait to get out of this terrible, terrible town.
"And in we go!" Teala opens the door to the doll maker shop, she tosses the rattle to Manny who catches it.
"Oh look! Fun noise!" Manny says, striking a pose as he eats for the zombie to come after him. "I'm having a fucking blast with this! Would you like to have one?" He asks the zombie letting out a noise that sounds like a creaking choking sob. "OPEN THE MAIDEN!" Manny calls out to Joey. "We're repeating Colleen's death!"
Teala rushes in, closing the door after her, and runs past Manny and the motherly zombie. She helps Joey pry open the Maiden, blood still paints the spike and the terrible stench of death oozes out.
Manny runs in, the zombie is right after him, and without even thinking the record producer throws the baby rattle in and the zombie goes right after it.
"Say thanks to Colleen!" Joey exclaims, he and Teala slam the Maiden doors shut and the zombie wails out, much longer than Colleen did before it goes silent. "It was easier the first time," Joey confesses.
A compartment pops open revealing the second life stone and Teala quickly grabs it.
"Two down! One more to go!" Joey beams, a smile spreading across his face.
"And now our lives are in the hands of a Hippie, Daredevil, and Investigative Reporter!" Manny adds.
"C'mon, we gotta get to the others." Teala's already out the door, and Manny and Joey are quick to go after her.
This terrible nightmare is almost done, and they can't wait to be done with it.
-×-
Team Town Center
"Teala, Manny, and Joey are done!" Roi calls out, rushing down the stairs of Fatman Slims. "Zombies are running all over though!" He drops the rope down. He looks at the Hippie and Investigative Reporter who tear their gaze away from the door.
"What happened to the plan? Why aren't they all running around being distractions?" Safiya asks. "Does nobody care about the plan anymore? This is just becoming far more dangerous now!"
"Well, it's not all bad!" Roi says. "This makes us immune to the zombies, they'll just think we're one of them!" He says holding up the executioner hood. "So, who's going to go running around with an executioner hood on their head and use the rope?"
Safiya and Jc exchange glances before looking back at Roi.
Their silence was enough of an answer for him. This was fine though, he wanted to do it anyway! He was quick enough and excellent at listening to instructions on how to make shapes! This also crosses off experiencing a zombie up close off his bucket list. After tonight, he was definitely going to go back and revise the shit out of it.
"Got it, cool, yeah I can, I can do it." He looks down at the rope pile. "At least help me out with this?"
"Theater does pay off I guess," Safiya says, grabbing the rope and begins wrapping it up. "Why did we have to get arguably the hardest task?"
"I dunno man, I mean grave robbing and luring a zombie to a second death seems hard. Really the first group got it easy, they got to play wizard and just run around!" Jc replies, looking out the windows on the door. "Do you think zombies can blink?"
"Staring contest with the undead?" Roi asks.
"Oh dude, hell yeah. I'd win," Jc laughs.
"We don't even know if they can blink! How are you so sure you'd win?" Safiya asks as she finishes wrapping the rope up, handing it off to Roi.
"Well, I'd win because I would have a weapon, and kill them," Jc replies. "The winner is gonna be the last one standing!"
"I love your brain, but I also would love to know what kind of weed you are on and so much more," Safiya says, pressing herself against the bar doors as a zombie begins to grow dangerously close.
"It's the 70s! I don't know, if I'm being honest I took it off this one guy who was running one of the booths when the clowns were around."
"You took a dead man's weed?" Roi asks.
"Well, I'm not gonna leave it behind,"
The casual banter was so interrupted by a screeching zombie, clawing at the door, desperately trying to get in.
"Oh hell no!" Safiya exclaims.
Roi quickly puts on the executioner hood, only to lift it a bit to look at Jc and Safiya. "Please, make sure I don't die, or at least get injured. I really don't want to leave this town with a twisted ankle."
"You'll make it out alive," Jc promises.
"I trust you both," Roi lowers the hood and hears their footsteps hurry up the staircase. Roi opens the bar doors and makes his way outside into the cold and zombie-filled night.
×
"Oh shit man, that is a lot of zombies," Jc says quietly when they reach the balcony. "What shape do we have to make?" He asks.
"Whatever this is, a very odd triangle?" Safiya answers, showing it to him. She looks back down, her heart rate increasing whenever a zombie gets too close to him. "Roi! Be very careful, watch your step!" She calls out.
She watches as the Daredevil moves slowly, and very blindly with his arm outstretched in front of him.
"Start at the merry-go-round!" Jc calls out to him, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Go left! A little bit, keep going! Stop! You're good!"
Roi quickly grabs onto one of the poles to stop himself from falling onto the ride.
"Is he good?" The Hippie asks her, before redirecting the question to him. "You good man?"
"I'm okay!" Roi calls out. "I'm good! What now?" He asks, holding the rope close, sinking his head into his shoulders as a zombie approaches him.
"Wrap the rope around the hoof!" Safiya calls out. "Just, keep a bit to knot it up! You're doing great Roi! You're saving lives!"
"The bravest Daredevil to walk this earth!" Jc adds on.
Roi gives them a shaky thumbs-up before wrapping the rope around the hoof and timing it up. "Okay! I did it!" He cheers. "Where do I go now?"
"Go straight!" Jc calls out. "Your destination will be a pole!" Jc adds on, looking up from the piece of paper.
"We'll tell you when to stop! Just take it slow, alright? There's quite a bit of zombies where you're going, but remember they think you're one of them!" Safiya watches as a zombie gets uncomfortably close, Roi freezing in place, ducking and leaning away as the zombie sniffs around at him. She grows bored of him after a bit and drags herself along towards another one.
"Am I almost there?" Roi yells up at them, shuffling along trying not to bump into any zombies.
"Gettin' there!" Jc yells back. "Take a left!"
"The other left!" Safiya corrects, sending him in the right direction.
Roi shuffles his way to the pole, holding his hand out for it. He grabs onto it, pulling himself very close to it. Hugging it for his life. "I'm here!" He calls out. "I'm here," he says, barely enough for Safiya and Jc to hear. It was more of an assurance for himself.
"He's okay, he's okay," Safiya tells herself, handing the triangle paper back to Jc. She looks back down, watching as Roi gathers his rope and begins getting his work done.
"Wrapping it!" Roi replies cheerfully as he wraps it around. "Got it!" He finishes tying it up and sets the rope down. He lifts the hood for a brief second to get aware of his surroundings. "OH SHIT," He yells out as zombies come rushing towards him.
"PULL IT BACK DOWN!" Safiya and Jc yell at him.
The Daredevil drops the hood back down and Safiya's nails dig into the wood balcony. "I really fucking hate zombies," she says, sinking a bit. "I'm so excited to get this done and over with,"
×
"I really hate zombies," Roi says to himself.
The zombies grow close to him, curious of him once more, sniffing at him and growling in his ear. Roi cringes feeling the undead so close to him, he shrinks back in fear as one grows very close in his personal space. "Please go away, I've done nothing wrong. Except I voted for someone to die and committed acts of murder against monsters." Roi says to the zombie. Hopefully, it wasn't a judge zombie, that would really suck.
Over the noises of the undead Roi can hear Safiya and Jc yelling at him to go straight, and he does, hurrying along with the rope.
"You'll end up at another pole!" Jc yells out to him.
Roi holds his hand out, brushing it against a zombie. His blood runs cold and he quickly finds the pole, grabbing tightly onto it and wrapping the rope around it.
"Okay, make your way back to the merry-go-round!" Safiya calls out to him.
"You just wrapped around The arcade! You're close to the ride!" Jc adds on, giving him a clearer idea of where exactly it is.
Roi makes his way back to the ride, finding himself back at where he started, and finishing off the triangle. He lets go of the rope and steps back holding his hands up. "I DID IT!" Roi cheers, hearing The Hippie and The Investigative Reporter applaud him.
"Hell yeah! You did it, now to the center, and be very careful! Big steps!" Safiya yells. "Don't trip over the rope!"
"We'll lead you there! You'll be alright!" Jc adds onto him.
Roi makes his way towards the center, stepping over the rope and heading towards the town center as Jc and Safiya direct him, telling him to go straight and to keep an arm's distance from the zombies.
"There's a chest! There's a chest! Open it up!" Jc yells.
Roi reaches out, feeling the chest under his fingers and he opens it up, the cheers of his friends follow as he reaches in, getting a feel of the third and final life stone.
The Daredevil holds the life stone close, and pulls the hood off, booking it back to Fatman slims.
×
Jc slams the door shut as Roi makes his way in, pressing his back against the door. "Chair please!" He requests, making grabby hands towards one.
Roi slides it over to him and Jc holds it against the door.
"Oh shit that's a lot of zombies," Safiya says in horror. "Are they all at this door?" She asks.
"I think so," Roi answers.
"What's coming to your mind?" Jc asks, looking at Safiya.
"Go out the side door, and just run for our lives back to the arcade and lounge!" She suggests.
"Genius idea, keep them coming. Never stop bringing them to the table." Jc says, making his way to the door. Safiya and Roi followed after him.
Jc slowly opens the door, and he breaks out into a run, Safiya and Roi catching up to him.
The zombies catch onto them, howling and shrieking into the night and chasing after them. Growling and groaning.
The three are running for their lives, but these zombies are quick, reaching out for them.
Jc glances over his shoulder, seeing a zombie gaining on Safiya and he quickly catches Roi's attention.
The Daredevil looks down at his hands and glances over at the zombie. A terribly smart idea in his head.
"Leave her alone!" Roi yells out, bashing the head against the zombie's head.
"That I'd not what I was implying!" Jc yells, grabbing their hands and running along with them. "Never use small weapons against zombies! We cannot run all the way to the graveyard and back to the lounge!"
"I'm still here! Roi's still here! It's fine!" Safiya assures him.
"We have an army of the undead after us! No, it's not!" Jc exclaims.
-×-
"RUN! THEIR RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Mat screams out from the arcade door, holding it open as The Hippie, Daredevil, and Investigative Reporter come sprinting over. In Roi's hands, he's holding on tight to the third and final life stone.
Jc shoved right by the detective, followed by Safiya, and Roi came rushing in and Matt quickly slammed the door shut.
"Are you guys alright?" Mat asks, looking over at them.
"No!" Safiya snaps, dragging her hands through her hair as she catches her breath. "We just had a chase of a lifetime with zombies after us!"
"I'm so done with zombies man," Jc said, burying his face in his hands as he sank into the couch. "I'm just gonna kill myself next time I find myself stuck with zombies."
"On the very bright side, we got the final life stone!" Roi reminded them, holding it up. "We can get out of here finally!"
Mat made his way open to the lounge door and opened it up.
×
Joey felt like the night was repeating itself, everyone sitting around the lounge waiting for the others to return. Except instead of Teala, it was Roi. Calliope and Mortimer were also dead.
The lounge door opened up and Joey looked over. Hours ago he was wondering who was dead, like a weird little twisted guessing game. Whose blood had been shed first.
Now he was hoping and praying to the universe that all four would walk in.
"You guys are back!" Ro beams, getting to her feet as the door opens up and Mat walks in.
Joey's heart would probably be pounding out of his chest if his heart was beating.
The final three made their way into the lounge, and Roi held up the life stone.
A choked-up sob of relief escaped from his throat and The Savant quickly got up. "You did it!"
"Did you have any faith in us?" Roi asks.
"I did, in all of you," Joey answers quickly. "I'm just wrapping around the fact we're all still standing. Never have I expected for this night to turn out like this."
"Yeah well, here we are!" Nikita said standing up. "Now, let's get the fuck out of Everlock!"
Manny grabbed the box full of tarot cards and set it down on the table. "So, who shall do the honors of opening this thing up?"
"You put us all in this situation, how about you Joey?" The Disco Dancer asks, looking over at The Savant. "The honor of the tarot box is yours!"
"Thanks, really," Joey said, taking the box and popping it open. All the cards were scattered around, except three. They sat in the middle, all neatly stacked on top of each other. Each one holding a single word written neatly on it, it was nobody's handwriting.
Joey grabbed the three cards, flipping them over to see which one belonged to who.
The Savant's card held the word Shed
The Troublemakers card held the word Th eir
The detective's card held the word Blood.
"Shed their blood," Mat read. "Joey? What does that mean?"
Nikita looks up at the cards, her gaze falling to a scan of the others. "I think this is the universe's way of telling us who wasn't supposed to make it this far."
Joey looked down at his hand, a faint scar ran across it and he looked up at the others. Those who still walked the living realm when they weren't supposed to. "Grab your cards, and drop your blood onto it." He said, showing off the scar on his hand. "We're getting out of this town."
"Okay, so like a fucking blood oath?" Manny asks. "What the hell? These are cult activities! I am not in the mood to do cult activities!"
"Do you want to burn before sunrise?" Rosanna asks, adding it on with an innocent smile that would send a chill down anybody's spine. Of all the people who had to ask, it had to be the guilt-filled angel of the group.
"No,"
"Then slice your palm open!" She exclaimed.
"With what exactly?" Teala asks. "Do any of us have knives?"
"I do!" Jc said.
"Of course you do! You can do everything and just have everything! Also, WHY ?" Teala asks.
Jc shrugs as he grabs the clown's knife. "Why not,"
"Alright screw Joey, I'm keeping my eye on you!" Colleen said.
"Can you guys just do this cult shit so we can leave? In case you forgot, we have a horde of zombies outside!" Nikita pointed out, snapping her fingers, gesturing to the lounge door.
Jc dragged the blade across his hand, allowing his blood to drip down onto the back of the tarot card.
"This is far from sanitary," Teala cringed watching Roi take the knife from Jc.
"We can wipe it," Roi said, wiping the blood on his sleeve before dragging the blade across his hand and dropping it onto his card.
"C'mon really, this outfit was really expensive!" Teala exclaimed, taking the blade.
Joey quickly removed his ascot, handing it to Teala. "Gay Fred Jones can have blood, it's a style choice! Right, Safiya?"
"Listen, man, I already made a questionable fashion choice, do not join me on the list!" Safiya said.
Teala took the ascot from Joey before she dragged the blade across from her hand. It dropped onto her tarot card and she quickly wiped it with the ascot before handing it off to Colleen.
"Are we sure this is going to work?" She asks, grabbing the knife.
"Colleen, please, shut up and slice your hand open with the rest of us," Teala says, wiping her hand onto a part of her jacket impossible to see.
The Disco Dancer sighs before listening to the Super Spy, her blood quickly falling onto her card. "I shed too much blood for you all tonight."
"And we thank you for it," Mat says. "We did need that artifact to be cleansed so we could get out of here!"
Colleen wiped the blade clean before handing the very bloody ascot and blade to Safiya.
"Oh, that's very sticky." She cringed.
"I'll hold it for you!" Rosanna offered.
"Thanks," Safiya handed The Jet Setter the bloody ascot. "A terrible choice to wear a sweater," Her blood splattered onto her card, and quickly a crimson stain filled her sweater where she wiped her hand on it.
"At least it somewhat blends in," Rosanna said, taking the knife and wiping it clean. "Guess I'm getting injured by a knife anyway." She joked before taking the blade to her hand, blood dripping onto the card.
"What a great way to lighten the mood Ro, thank you," Manny said, taking the knife from her. "Where have you been keeping this anyway?" The Record Producer asks The Hippie while dragging the blade over his hand. Ignoring the fact he was bleeding all over the tarot card, and table.
"I mostly kept it on the pinball machine," Jc answered. "Sometimes I carry it around with me. Happened to be one of those times."
"Thanks for that?" Teala says. "Wait oh my god, guys there's words!" She exclaims watching as her blood soaks into the cards, words appearing.
The rest of the cards do the same.
"Oh shit, okay, all out of order! We have to connect them!" Jc exclaims. "They all say something!"
"Oh, nope, Jc that goes, Teala switches with Rosanna! Yup! Roi switches spots with me, yup, yeah! Oh! There we go" Manny comments as they all get their cards in the correct order. "Did we get it?"
"With the power of the life stones, place the stones around the harp and strum it twice. The Lazarus harp can be used to summon fallen champions." Safiya read.
"Fallen champions?" Nikita asks. "Who the fuck is that? We're all alive!"
"Calliope? She's a fallen champion." Mat suggested.
Joey's brain was wracking with those who had all lost their lives. There were so many people who came to mind! Alex, Justine, Tim, Liza! Could it possibly be one of them?
Roi quickly rushed over, grabbing the harp and setting it on top of the box that held the tarot cards. Joey, Nikita, and Mat all organized the crystals around it.
"Strum twice?" Jc asks.
"Strum twice!" Rosanna confirms looking at the note.
The Hippie strummed the harp twice, and the wall where Colleen had come staggering from, lit up bright with gold, and slowly the door opened up, followed by smoke. With it, out stepped two unfamiliar faces.
"Who is that?" Mat asks.
The realization was quick to hit Joey and Colleen, the two in a collective gasp exclaimed "You!"
"Who?" Rosanna asks.
"Everyone, The Society Against Evil. Society Against Evil, everyone." Joey said, in a very awkward interaction. The woman, who quickly introduced herself as Jael, looked at The Savant with anger.
"Did you even pay attention to the contract?" The man, who is introduced as Ryu says.
"Yes," Joey said. "For a bit," he added, glancing over at Jc, Teala, Roi, and Mat. "But you know, a second mission popped up!"
"A second mission that was not supposed to exist!" Jael exclaimed. "Sacrifices for your life! That is how it goes!"
"There were!" Joey exclaims. "Sacrifices of friendship, of trust, of blood!" He explains, stepping forward, the group behind him. "We killed Colleen, they all she's their blood as the cards said! I admit, I didn't want it to turn out this way, but fuck am I glad it did! If there is anything that I have learned from this night, it's that none of them deserved to die!"
"But you allow others?" Jael asks.
"The first time I did not know I bought a murder mansion! The second time may I remind you, I was possessed and killed!"
"You were supposed to exchange lives for yours." Ryu pointed out.
"Are the sacrifices of trust, friendship, and whatever else not enough?" Joey asks. "Can you even imagine what we have gone through? We've all had our lives on the line! We watched each other fight what was thrown our way to keep each other alive!" Joey snaps. "I will not allow that to go to waste! I came into Everlock wanting to come back alive, but right now. I want everyone to make it out. I have been responsible for the deaths of my friends many times. I'm done with that,"
The Savant looks back at the group, his friends, before turning his gaze back to Jael and Ryu. "I'll make a new deal with you, and I want you to consider it very carefully."
"Joey, you can't just do that!" Ryu exclaims, stepping forward, but Jael stops him. Her gaze narrows onto him. "What exactly do you have in mind?" She asks
"We kill the carnival master, we save Everlock, and I come back," Joey says, stepping closer.
Jael looks at him, she looks back at the group and holds her hand out. "At least one of them must join you in the Society Against Evil." There was no confirmation anyone would. That any of them would have any trust in Joey after tonight. Joey's life depended on this, this was his second chance at life.
He wasn't going to lose it.
"At least one." He repeats.
"At least one," Jael confirms.
Joey takes her hand. The deal is sealed.
"Alright," Jael steps back, grabbing her weapon. "Let's kill some fucking zombies."
The Society members step out of the lounge, out of safety, and soon the others follow. Nikita, Mat, and Colleen are all holding onto the crystals.
Joey looks back at the table, and he quickly grabs the knife they all used and ties his bloody ascot around the handle.
Nicholas wanted the blood of his friends, and that fucker was going to get it. Just not the way he expected.
"This ends now," Joey tells himself and follows after his friends.
-×-
They unfortunately leave the safety of the lounge, the one place the undead can't touch them. Walking right back into the hoard they all just escaped with racing hearts and life stones.
The group watches with anxiety and relief as Jael and Ryu charge forward to the zombies. Taking them down with swords, a gun, and other various weapons they had on them.
"Where the heck were these guys earlier?" Roi asks, watching with awe. "They could have saved us a lot of time!"
"If they were here earlier, a lot of us wouldn't be standing here still!" Manny points out. "We'd end up like these zombies! Look!" He points out a zombie that was slashed in half. "That could've been Safiya or someone."
"I didn't even vote for you in the funhouse!" Safiya exclaims. "I thought we were cool!"
"When this is all over we will be!" Manny promises.
"And it almost is!" Teala exclaims, stepping between the two.
Jael and Ryu are back to back, killing off the final remains of the last zombies.
"Okay, where can I get an unlimited amount of weapons?" Roi asks. "That was one of the coolest things I saw all day! Did you guys see how they beheaded that zombie?"
As the screaming terrible wails of the zombies die out the last one is stabbed in the abdomen and the blade is dragged up; the church is in sight. None of them were going to feel truly prepared for what they were going to fight.
Yet Everlock was under The Carnival Master's rule for far too long. It was time for this terrible night to end with one last fight.
-×-
The magic from the artifacts had begun to dim, Nicholas' eyes opening wide. The sinister bright white glow died out as his gaze returned to normal. He blinked as he looked around. There was a dead silence around him. No more could he hear the screaming wails of his zombie minions in the back of his head.
The Carnival Master could feel a familiar ache in his chest that spread throughout his body. The feeling stung his throat and burned at his chest.
"They've returned!" His cries out, with horror and strength the church doors open up. "I killed you, and your back!"
"You truly underestimate the power of Lazarus, and the lengths one will go for their life." Jael draws her knife, her gaze landing on Ryu.
He charges right at Nicholas, slashing at him with his weapons of choice. Jael is right after him, launching herself right at him, stabbing at his chest as he cries out in pain, he throws Jael down and shoves Ryu away with his shoulder and all the force he has.
Jael is quick to get back to her feet, the woman practically launches herself at the carnival master, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs at his waist. She swings her knife down into his chest, the crystal glows brightly, and the wounds shine the glowing color.
The Carnival master slams Jael and his back against the wall, Ryu quickly slides over, slashing at the hellish creature.
Joey noticed some glowed less than others and The Savant's grip around the handle tightened and he ran right towards him. "Here's their blood you bastard!" Joey slashes the blade across his throat. Droplets of blood hit the crystal. "And the lieutenants finally get it!"
Nicholas howls out in pain, sending Jael and Ryu sliding and flying back. The crystal glows brightly, dust swirling around him as ghostly apparitions of the lieutenants surrounding him, each armed with weapons (all except Cindy and Benjamin who bite and choke him out) stabbing and slashing at him.
The Carnival Master's blood splatters to the ground, and he falls to his knees, crashing down on his side with dying twitches.
"How did you know that was going to happen?" Nikita asks, looking down at the dead body.
"I didn't," Joey answers. "I knew the crystal was healing him, but it wasn't healing him fully. I thought a throat slit would kill him,"
"I think she's talking about the lieutenant part," Mat says.
"Oh, that! I thought it would just be something cool. Like Ash Williams, and y'know. That was the clown's knife, and you guys used it for three cards."
"Groovy," Jc quotes, tired laughter rippling through the group.
Jael gets to her feet, helping Ryu up and she looks over at Joey. "Nicholas has been defeated, Everlock is safe, and the job is done. Life will return to you,"
"Just remember your side of the deal," Ryu adds, glancing at the others.
A smile spreads over Joey's face. "Thank you,"
-×-
The sun is rising. The sky is turning a beautiful golden shade, the last of the remains of night I'd melted away, to be forgotten by the future and trapped in the past. The last of the visible stars are leaving, there are no new ones that burn bright like their souls to join it.
The zombies that lay on the ground burn, the reek of death leaving as they turn to smoke. The souls trapped in the undead are leaving.
The red curtain that greeted them hours ago blows wide open as the early morning sun greets them. It greets them with love and warmth. Proud that they have all survived.
The fire still burns, weakly as it waits for the survivors. The crystals and salt still stand in place, it remains undisturbed by the outside world.
They all walked into Everlock strangers, most unaware of each other. Now they were going to leave, a friendship formed out of a night of terror. Their trauma from the night would follow, in the form of nightmares and corrupted reflections.
But their hearts were all beating, and the beautiful breath of life was in their lungs.
"Hey, um, guys?" Joey stops them, and they all turn around to face him. Tears are forming in his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for helping save me, and saving each other. I'm sorry for wanting to get you all killed. I'm glad we all found a way to get by that part."
They all stay silent before Nikita breaks it, stepping forward. Of everyone in the group, death had never reached out to Nikita. "Welcome back to the land of the living I guess. Thanks for not killing us too, and joining us instead." There was kindness in her eyes, her arms wrapping around Joey in a hug. "Never do anything like this again. I will bring an exorcist with me." She whispered before pulling away, joining Manny's side.
"I'll catch up to you guys! I promise! I just have something to do." Nobody said anything, they watched as Joey turned his back and walked off.
"He can Uber his ass home for all I care. I'm going home." Manny said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the keys to his van. "I want to go to bed dammit."
"Anybody need a ride?" Mat asks, holding up his pair of keys.
"Oh bitch gladly!" Nikita said. "I am not roller skating back home."
"The passenger seat is mine!" Colleen exclaims.
"Nope! It's mine!" Ro exclaims. "I called dibs yesterday afternoon! I'm calling dibs now!"
The Jetsetter ran towards the curtain, breaking free from Everlock. The Disco Dancer chased after her. I Want to get out of this town as soon as possible.
"It's still locked!" Mat called out at them, his gaze falling on Nikita. "You ready?" He asks, holding Blanche under his arm.
"Take me home first." said, moving the curtain out of the way, the troublemaker and detective disappearing from sight as the curtain fell into place.
"You guys want a ride?" Manny asks, looking over at Jc, Roi, and Safiya.
"I'd appreciate that man," Jc said. "I don't really wanna skateboard home."
"Yeah. I'll ask Mat if I can throw my bike in his trunk quickly though." Safiya said.
"Thanks, but I got my motorbike. I um, I have someone, something to look for anyway." Roi said, his gaze falling back onto Everlock before shifting back to his friends. "I'll see you guys later." The Daredevil made his way out of the town, somewhere out there was a Novelist, and he was determined to see him. Even if it was to say goodbye.
"I'll get the van started then." The Record Producer made his way for the exit.
"I'll ask Mat for you," The Super Spy promised, following Manny.
"Thanks, Teala," Safiya gave a simple nod as thanks towards her, before looking over at Jc. "Are you okay?"
The Hippie blinked and looked back over at her. "I'm okay, thanks."
"Good." Safiya smiled. "Don't stay too long. I want to go home." The Investigative Reporter disappeared behind the red curtain.
Jc looked back at Everlock, he could hear the curtain shift.
The Hippie was supposed to be the first to go, to leave this mortal plain. Yet he still stood, until the very end, along with eight others.
Jc was a survivor, and he was going to keep it that way.
Turning his back on Everlock, The Hippie made his way through the entrance.
Jc could feel a sharp pain rip from his lungs, a cold chill running down his spine. His skin stitched itself back together, and the bandage crumbled to nothing. There was a faint echoing laugh, a laugh of relief, and release. From the corner of his eye, he could see a cyan spirit, laughing and rushing from sight.
-×-
Joey found himself back in the church, prying the crystal from Nicholas' chest. He looked down at it, watching with horror and awe as he watched the deaths of his friends all over again.
Justine, Lele, Alex, GloZell, Tana. It was all their deaths, all over again. The ones he caused and failed to prevent. Joey knew there was blood on his hand, but he never expected to see it. All added up, right before his eyes in a crystal that showed him.
Joey could only wonder what it showed Nicholas.
"Joey! Joey, can you hear me?" Liza's voice asks.
"Liza?" The Savant asks, looking down, seeing his old friend pop up.
"Joey, please! Help us! We need you to save us!" Liza exclaims, panic rising in her voice. "You're the only one who can!"
He slowly lowered the crystal after watching the image of Liza fade.
The impossible of everyone surviving has been done, but could Joey make it happen again?
-×-
Manny found himself driving in silence, occasionally watching the sunrise since the roads were quite empty. He was trailing the van behind Mat's car.
He glanced into the back of the van, Safiya was sitting in the middle, to her left Teala, to her right Jc. The three of them were fast asleep. Manny didn't know how they could fall asleep, but he was too focused on driving to really take a moment to acknowledge his own exhaustion.
He wonders if they dreamed of Everlock, or had nightmares of dying. He wonders if they also felt the spine-chilling air ripping feeling he did when he stepped out.
Manny had many questions, especially about the spirits that had inhabited them. Yet he could save his questions for another day.
He was alive, Nikita was alive, and the others were alive. It was all that mattered.
They all danced with death; it ended with a bow and an escape.
-×-
Nikita ended up in the passenger seat, and Rosanna and Colleen were both fast asleep in the back. The former Jet Setter using Blanche as a pillow. The former Disco Dancer had her coat as a blanket.
"How are you holding up?" Nikita asks as Mat pulls up to a stop sign.
"Ask in a few days." Mat laughed before he made his turn. "You?"
"I'm okay, I don't think I'll sleep for a few days, but right now I'm okay. My friends are alive and I wasn't that responsible for anyone dying." She glanced back at Colleen, an apologetic look in her eyes.
"I'm worried about Joey though," Mat confessed. "He's alive, which is great! We did what we needed to do! But, I'm worried he has something planned. I mean, we all weren't supposed to live."
"Then it will be something to worry about, another day," Nikita assures him. "For now, focus on that fact we all made it out alive, and the road to."
×-×-×
The sun had risen, shining down onto the van and car as they drove down the roads, it was a new day. A new breath of life. Everlock would never leave the minds of its survivors, and nightmares would come in many forms for a very long time.
The friendships created would remain, and to the best of their abilities, they would all try to return to normal lives as much as possible. Yet at night, when their eyes would finally shut, they would have dreams. Dreams of where the lieutenants won. Dreams of memories that were not theirs, but of the spirits who inhabited them.
The knowledge of the two prior nights would come to them, they would learn the truth and the victims. Of the horrors, Oli, Eva, Tyler, and Andrea have all faced. In return, they would learn of the horrors the group faced. The four would never request updates of Joey. He may live and breathe, but he is dead to them.
The offer of returning would stand, for there were still souls who danced with death and had the scythe reap their life. From a world beyond our own, the dead remained trapped.
In another world, none of this happened, and only the Troublemaker and Detective left this town. In another world, none of these friendships are forged. In another world, they all failed and burned at sunrise.
Yet this was not another world, this was theirs. They fought, they cried, and they killed. It was in this world that they all survived.
At the end of the night, when the sun has risen and a new day breaks through, that is the only thing that matters.
-×-×-