What is JE's is her and what is mine is mine.

Zombies of Rangeman

Stephanie was changing Aubrey upstairs listening to her son and daughter chatter at the table eating their lunch. Caden's elementary school was closed due to a water main break; he and Cassidy were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. All the sudden she didn't hear the young voices, only the television with the Noon news. This was a rare occasion; Stephanie was home alone with Aubrey, Caden, and Cassidy. The school closing was unexpected. If she was home, then Ranger was usually working at home holding their beautiful daughter. Today he had a few meetings scheduled at Rangeman and off-site, but he would be home in time for dinner with his family. Peeking over the railing, Stephanie and Aubrey were investigating the reason for the quietness of the townhouse. Caden, Cassidy, Zeus, and Athena the cat were focused on the TV they could see.

"This year for Halloween," the news anchor announced, "Trenton residents are invited to dress up for 'The First Trenton Zombie Walk and Festival' at the Sculpture Gardens. Prizes will be awarded for the best individual and group zombie costumes. There will be pumpkin decorating, ghost stories, and treats. Come on, Trenton, let's get out your best zombie costumes and go walking!"

When his smiling face turned towards his mother and sister, Stephanie saw those little wheels turning in that brain. "Mommy, we got to do that! What does a zombie look like?"

After showing pictures of zombies on Stephanie's lap top positioned on the dining room and the three children around her, his plan was coming together. He couldn't wait for Julie, Ben, and Danni to get home from school to tell them about the zombie walk.

The front door opened, Julie was met by a bouncing Caden at the top of the steps. She knew that look with those crazy taped glasses. "You got a plan, right?" the oldest Manoso sibling asked.

"It's great! We're going to be zombies and win a prize!"

Once Danni and Ben were home and they were informed about the 'undead' walk, they were excited and couldn't wait to hit the resale shops for 'zombie' clothes. It was decided on a Gothic theme for the costumes. Even Aubrey was toddling around in the mix with her brothers and sisters. All the kids and Ranger had so much fun scaring at the haunted house last year as the 'Rabid Dogs', the 'Burg' girl didn't expect anything less this year. And from the giggles she could hear coming from Ranger's office, the 'plan' must a 'go'.

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Stopping back at Rangeman to return a signed contract and replacing it with a couple of files to review at home, Ranger was just about to leave to join his family. He met Tank in the hallway updating him briefly on his meetings when there was a crackling on the PA system.

"Hello, Rangeman, it's me, Caden."

Ranger muttered "Midget". The boss had to chuckle, his employees were coming out in the hallway cocking their ears up in the direction of the speakers.

"Coming up there is a zombie walk and they're giving out prizes. I know all of you will want to be there. I got a plan. See me for details. Oh, Ranger-Dad, dinner is almost ready. Thank you for your attention. This is Caden. That's it." There was a crackle again and announcement time was over.

"I'm in," Tank told his friend. "I love it when he has a plan."

"Me, too," Lester and Bobby said.

Ranger gave them an eyebrow. "Don't tell me, tell the Boy Genius," the Bad Ass instructed his employees all discussing zombies as the elevator opened. He couldn't wait to get home to hear what his son came up with in that brain of his. It would probably top scaring the haunted house goblins and ghouls from last Halloween.

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Over the next week, the Manoso household was a flurry of activity. Stephanie, the children, and her Bad-Ass husband who accompanied his family to a few resale shops were searching rack after rack for the 'perfect' zombie clothes in the evenings. His employees under Caden's direction were practicing their moaning and robotic-like steps in the halls of his company. He also had everyone watching the 'Caden' approved list of zombie movies. There were e-mail updates and reminders of appropriate undead dressing daily. Ella was making up batches of fake blood. What wouldn't his employees do when that little boy was involved? They couldn't wait for the walk.

Ranger was given the assignment of stopping at the garden store to purchase bags of dirt that all the bloodied zombie clothes were rolled in so everyone had that 'just coming out of the ground' look. He practiced his moaning in his wife's ear at night and must have it perfected it, because it got the desired orgasmic effect.

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"Babe, do zombies have ponytails?" Ranger inquired looking at his reflection in the mirror. His dark eyes appeared sunken into his 'ashen' Cuban mocha latte skin with the black make-up around them and the pale foundation his wife applied. It was the designated coloring from a certain little boy. He smelled like baby powder that was in his hair for a 'dusty' effect.

Stephanie purred in his ear, "Mine does."

He wanted to pin his sexy 'undead' wife to the bed. She had a black lacy shirt with a long skirt. It was tattered, torn, and dirt smeared but it clung to all the right curves. Her brunette curls were teased and powdered. There was a bloody gash in her neck with a very fresh red mark next to it. Stephanie's beautiful blue eyes stood out more with the dark make-up around them. His lips were stopped by the sound of the door bell.

He went down to answer it. "Momma?"

"Ricardo, this is where all the fun is," she said with a majority of his Cuban family dressed as Gothic zombies behind her.

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"We are 'The 'Ravenous Maggot-filled Zombies of Rangeman Come to Walk Amongst You Seeking Human Flesh'," a small very real costumed boy with black Buddy Holly glasses said stepping up to the registration table. He was chewing on a piece of stretched pink taffy 'skin' mottled with red. There was a 'fake' flesh wound on his cheek with cooked rice 'maggots' stuck to it.

The woman at the table with the pen in her hand glanced over at her two helpers and back at 'Zombie' Caden. "That's a very long title for your group," she said writing down the group name.

"It's OK. I checked with my attorney. The name isn't taken," Caden told her looking up with his impish grin at the very muscled Cuban Zombie standing next to him. He took the group's '103' number taping it to his chest.

"How many in your group?"

"63," Caden replied without a blink of an eye. "We woke up family from out-of-town."

Ranger said his usual word, "Midget." Before he walked away with his small son, he enlightened the three women with an arched eyebrow, "Try living with him."

"OK, now slobber your blood," the zombie genius instructed his troupe as he passed out plastic test tubes of the red corn syrup mix to drip fresh blood out of their mouths. The turn for Rangeman zombies was coming up. Ben, Danni, and Julie were tossing the cooked rice in the air so the worms landed on the Rangeman undead. Caden did his research; they all appeared to have risen out of the graves just moments before to do the 'zombie' walk.

Ranger was chuckling. Not only were his core team and their families involved in this escapade and a few other employees, his family from Newark, Stephanie's, Mary Lou and her family, and the cat and dog appeared to be zombies all because Caden had a plan. His mother had a battery operated 'zombie' rat stuck to her shoulder. He believed somehow that little boy was going to be the King of the Universe one day if he could organize this many of their family and friends in one week.

'Up next," the speakers announced, "is 'The 'Ravenous Maggot-filled Zombies of Rangeman Come to Walk Amongst You Seeking Human Flesh'." As on cue, Caden in the lead with Zeus began leading the stumbling, moaning group of ugly Gothic zombies through the path of sculptures. Ranger was groaning in his black tattered clothes dragging a leg next to his beautiful wife. Aubrey was in his arms babbling as they walked with her dark eyes and licking the 'sweet' taste of her father's blood off her fingers.

The Rangeman group no sooner finished their zombie walk through the cheering crowd and sculptures when a man came running over to them. "Aren't you the 'Rabid Dogs' from last year's haunted house?"

"Yes," Caden answered. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm the college advisor in charge. You were even better zombies. We added a cemetery to scare the people this year. Do you think you could work a night or two?" he inquired. "By the way, who does your make-up?"

Stephanie looked at her grinning yet stunned husband and her children. "Go have fun," she told them.

Ranger watched as Caden pulled the advisor aside saying, "You know we ain't cheap. I'll give you some of my secret zombie tips but it will cost you. We like those chocolate and strawberry Scooter crunch bars."

"You got it!"

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At the Monday morning update, the 1st place trophy was proudly held up by Ranger won by 'The 'Ravenous Maggot-filled Zombies of Rangeman Come to Walk Amongst You Seeking Human Flesh'. On display for the remainder of the day, it sat on the corner of his Rangeman desk until he took it home. The children were happy to share the $100 gift card between them and Pino's pizza for their win. The Rangeman Zombies practically filled the entire restaurant for dinner. Mr. Pino thought nothing of it.

The Rangeman zombies of Trenton and Newark were meeting at Asbury Park on Saturday for that festival. Ranger, his children, and his extended company family were dressing back up Friday night and the following weekend for Halloween walking and moaning in the 'haunted' cemetery. It was 'crazy' and he wouldn't expect it to be anything less since Stephanie and their family came into his life. It was the way he wanted it to be.