Disclaimer - I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios

It's time for a new one-shot collection! I saw ZOMBIES for the first time just over a month ago (I think) and I'm completely in love with it. This one is gonna revolve entirely around the zombies themselves and be set mostly in Zombie Town. Some of them will take place during the movie, some might be pre- or post-movie. I have plans for another ZOMBIES one-shot collection focused on my OTP, Bronzo (yes, I know, my OTP isn't Zeddison, don't get me wrong though, I do love them too! I'm just a big fan of Bonzo and Bree~), and something more ambitious which isn't entirely certain yet so we'll see. In the mean time, here's some of our favourite zombie siblings~

A Secret

First day of school: total disaster.

Class in a dingy basement? Check.

Set off a Z-alert? Check.

Get punched in the face by a cute cheerleader? Check.

Rejected from the football team? Aaaand check.

Well, the 'cute cheerleader' part did have an upside to it…

Not the point.

The point was, Zed's first day at Seabrook High – a humans' high school – hadn't exactly lived up to his expectations. His dad had been right, humans did not like zombies. Well, most of them didn't. At least Zed had been right about some humans. Or, well, one in particular. Addison hadn't liked zombies until she met him. Addison was willing to change her mind. Addison-

OK, stop thinking about Addison.

He paused outside the front door of his house. He heard Eliza's door closing from the other side of the street behind him. The little pep-talk she'd given him earlier after try-outs hadn't helped. The whole walk home had consisted of Zed and Eliza continuing to argue, and Bonzo trying, and failing, to diffuse the situation. Bonzo had left with a huff and roll of his eyes once they reached their street while Eliza fixed Zed with her classic 'you-know-I'm-right'-look before telling him not to let it get to him and saying goodbye. He knew this was just her way of showing she cared, but he couldn't help wanting to prove her wrong.

Taking a deep breath and shaking off the bad vibes, Zed opened the door.

"I'm home!"

"Zed…!"

He was immediately met with a seven-year-old to the leg, causing him to stumble slightly. He couldn't help grinning as he scooped a giggling Zoey up into his arms but before either of them could say anything, their dad entered the hallway.

"Hey, Zed," he smiled, but Zed knew what was coming, "How was your first day, huh?"

"Pretty good," he shrugged, giving a slight nod, and glanced from his dad, to his sister, and back again, "A whole lot different to zombie school, that's for sure."

"Yeah? And, uh… what about football try-outs?"

And there it is.

Zed tried to brush it off while his dad raised an eyebrow. He felt Zoey's grip on his shoulder tighten as she looked at him, so hopeful. He let out a sigh, one that he hoped sounded nonchalant enough to get him out of another talk like the one from that morning, but he wasn't so sure it worked.

"Didn't quite make the team. It's no big deal, I guess they just didn't have room for everyone, y'know?" he leaned in a little closer to Zoey's ear and whispered, "Or maybe they were too intimidated by my skills."

Zoey couldn't stop herself from giggling at her brother's face - the cocky smirk and the quirked eyebrow. Zed's jaw dropped in mock offense.

"Are you laughing at me?"

She shook her head but made no attempt whatsoever to hide her giggles.

"Oh, what, you don't believe me? You don't think I got mad skills, huh?"

The way he was wiggling his eyebrows only made her laugh louder. Zed kept his attention on Zoey until his dad gave up on getting him to talk and headed for the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Zed creeped a little closer to the door to make sure he really was in the clear. Zoey's laughter trickled to a stop and she cocked her head curiously.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. She could tell he was hiding.

Zed's eyes shifted back and forth, as if there could be someone else in the house listening.

"Checking the coast is clear…"

He carried her to the staircase and put her down on the first step. He motioned for her to go up, and he followed, keeping low and glancing back towards the kitchen every few seconds. Zoey bit ler tongue to keep from laughing again and copied his secret agent-act, pressing a finger to her lips when they heard a noise. They both froze – it was just their dad pulling out a chair, but they were having too much fun. A moment passed, and they hurried up the last steps and into Zoey's bedroom. Zed went to close the door and peeked around it briefly, ducking behind it again like he'd seen someone. He shut the door as quietly as possible and the whole charade was off. Zed rubbed his hands together as he knelt in front of Zoey, sat on her bed.

"So…" he grinned, and his voice dropped to a whisper, "I got a secret for you."

Zoey's eyebrows shot up and she leaned forward.

"A secret?" she whispered back.

"Yup. You ready?" an eager nod in return, "OK. Today, I met… a girl."

"Like, a girl you like?"

"Yeah," he looked behind him at the door, then shuffled a little closer to Zoey, "And this is the really secret part of the secret… She's a human."

"No way…!" Zoey gasped.

"And, you're gonna love this, she's… a cheerleader."

Zoey let out a faint, but shrill, squeak of delight and Zed held back a wince. Of course, he was completely prepared for the barrage of questions that spilled out after that, and he was all too happy to tell his sister all about how he met Addison. Especially since she wouldn't respond to it the same way Eliza had.

"Wait, she punched you?"

- BEYOND THE BARRIER -

"Zoey, dinner!"

Zed had just entered the kitchen when his dad called Zoey inside. She came running in and, while their dad's back was turned, she tugged on Zed's sleeve. He leaned down.

"There were humans outside," she looked worried, "I think they were cheerleaders."

Cheerleaders. Zed felt his heart sink. There was only ever one reason human teenagers would be in Zombie Town, and the thought of Addison being part of that brought his mood plummeting down, and it wasn't all that good to begin with. But wait – Addison might not have made the squad, right? Maybe she wasn't there. Even if she had been going to cheer camp forever… and even if the captain was her cousin… and even if she was a super bright and positive person who would totally make the squad. He groaned inwardly but before he could say anything to Zoey, the sound of screaming and screeching tires came from outside. Zoey's eyes went wide, and Zed stood upright, holding out a hand when his dad went to leave the room.

"I'll go."

He didn't wait for an answer.

Zed hopped off the porch and looked around. He noticed Eliza's mom across the street, who silently turned to him, shaking her head, then fixed her gaze on something behind him. With that, she went inside. His dad appeared at the door just as Zed turned to see what she had been looking at.

"Everything OK out here?"

Zed almost didn't hear him; behind the fence were two girls in Mighty Shrimp cheer uniforms, one of them being all too familiar. Addison. Her eyes met his and the guilt he saw there told him everything he needed to know.

"Zed?"

He turned away, to his dad. He hesitated. Why was he hesitating?

"Anybody there?"

He couldn't look back at her.

"Uh, no," he couldn't, "Nobody."

He couldn't.

"Come on back inside, then."

Before he followed his dad, he risked one more glance at Addison. Again, he was met with nothing but guilt. Her eyes dropped to the ground. What was he supposed to say to that? Without a word, without another look, he left Addison and her friend crouched behind the fence. Back inside, Zoey was sitting at the kitchen table waiting to eat. Zed tried to avoid her but she tugged at his sleeve as he passed her.

"Was that her…?" she whispered.

Zed forced a small smile and briefly shook his head, sitting down. She'd been so excited when he told her about Addison before.

"No."

Zoey knew him better than that, though. And she knew better than to pry.