Blondes threw a flying utensil at the rope, cutting Cara down as she fell to her knees, the utensil returning back to Blondes. He placed a hand on the Mord-Sith's shoulder. "What do you mean you wouldn't have minded?"
Cara shook her head. "Never mind that." She looked up at him and then to the yellow car. "You drive?"
"I can." He looked to the totaled cars, the ones from the crash; one was fully in the street, sideways, and the other was before it, partially on the grass…in front of someone's house. "But apparently you can't." He turned back to the woman, who was now holding a hand to her head, wiping at the blood. "Are you sure you're okay? And what about the other driver? What happened?"
Cara slowly rose to her feet, using Blondes's right shoulder as leverage. "The other person is fine. And so am I." She wasn't fine, however. She was quite stirred. Quite confused. And she wanted everything to go back to how it was before... Before Blondes and before this Kahlan Amnell. "I'll explain later. But right now, I gotta get to The Ditch." She made a move to buckle her pants up all the way.
Blondes raised his eyebrows. "The Ditch? Is that like a metaphor for your home?... What about the accident?"
Cara shrugged, yanking the torn shirt away from her body. "I'll call in. But I have to meet Bobby tonight."
Blondes gave her a questioning look. Cara clarified, "My boyfriend. I may not respond much to his romantic advances, but I care about him. He's a nice guy, and he keeps me sane. He also helps keep me on the popular circuit. Status means everything in this town. And so does keeping your word." She looked to Blondes. "You got a spare shirt?"
IIII
As the name suggested, The Ditch was...well...a huge ditch, the look of a gigantic impact crater having plunged into the earth. Many teenagers were partying within it - making out everywhere, standing and conversing, some sitting in chairs around tables, all while a few fires randomly lit the area and music blared from car radios and the like.
Cara walked through the crowd with Blondes at her side. She was now wearing a shirt they'd found in his car - a tight, yellow thing which exposed much of her midriff. And she hadn't even bothered to clean the dried-up blood from her head, but she didn't care. She needed to find Bobby. He would make everything normal again. Make her normal again.
Cara spotted Gicko some distance away, sitting at a table by himself and eating a bowl of popcorn. "Look, there's Gicko," she said. "Not that he'd care, but maybe he knows if Bobby's been here."
They made their way to Gicko and sat at either side of him. Gicko made a surprised face, popcorn falling from his mouth. "Cara." He looked to Blondes. "And..."
Cara shrugged. "That's Blondes. He won't be talking. But me? I need to know where Bobby is."
Gicko looked at the blood staining his friend's brow. "Um, Cara, girl, are you okay? Because -"
"-Just - have you seen him?" Cara was aggravated.
Gicko placed the bowl of popcorn on the table. "You're wrong for even askin'... But since we're discussing missing people...you think Hyper's around here anywhere? You know how it is with women. When they want you, they want you."
Cara nearly fell out of her chair; she was already sitting on the edge. She knew there had been some level of sexual attraction between Gicko and Hyper, ever since they were fourteen. But for one of them to actually admit it?... "Whoa! Are you saying that you want her? You want Hyper?"
Gicko blushed. "No! Why? If I did, would that be weird?"
Cara laughed.
Blondes just yawned.
"Only if she doesn't want you," replied Cara. "See, you have to play things out right. Offer her some jewelry - something shiny. We both know she loves shiny things. Say it's just a gift between two friends. If she says, 'Cool,' then better luck next time. But if she says, 'Oh, Gicko, I've been meaning to give you something too, then you're in."
Gicko smiled. Cara smirked. "It means she's been thinking about you and that moment for some time now." She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Really. Try it. I gotta go."
Cara walked away, Blondes following.
Gicko smiled even wider, then pulled out a red, diamond-shaped jewel. 'Give her something shiny,'" he repeated.
From a shadowed area, a cloaked zombie, somewhat gruesome but also halfway normal-looking, watched Gicko...and his jewel.
At a less crowded area, Cara and Blondes stopped to talk, watching young people party as they did. "Well, where do you think my boyfriend could have wondered off to, Blondes? You seem like a ladies man. Or ladies boy. Maybe you know how men thi-"
"Cara!" Blondes yelled, looking up at her. "Besides the fact that I've never met your boyfriend, he's irrelevant to the point. There are more pressing matters at hand."
Cara scoffed. "Right. Right. Zombies are real. My family has stopped them for centuries. Whatever."
"This is not a whatever-situation." He pointed to Cara's chest. "From within you it burns."
Cara held up her left arm. "Yeah, not as much as my hand does." She winced. "Damn."
Blondes grabbed Cara's hand and looked down at it. The ancient-looking mark had made the skin around it blotchy red. Blondes quickly looked back up at her. "Good Lord, Cara, how did you come about this?"
Cara sneered. "That bitch."
"Excuse me?" Blondes furrowed his little eyebrows together.
Cara explained, "This girl. Attractive. Blue eyes. A weird cloak. Might've been an attractive Jedi."
"This is no time for joking, Cara. Burns of this kind were only popular around times of raising grounds. It means the mark of life - honored life. I'm not sure as to its main purpose, but -"
"Oh, I don't know - to be a tattoo?"
"This isn't funny," Blondes stressed again. "I need to get back to the playground, do my holographic research. And more importantly - find this girl."
"I've told you everything I know about her," she lied. "So what are you gonna do, lecture me some more?"
IIII
At the most crowded area of The Ditch, Bobby sat at a table with a few of his good-looking friends. "You see, I don't even know why I put up with Cara. She's not even here."
"Probably because she's major-fine," his friend Leon barked.
"Yeah, probably," Bobby agreed.
They all laughed.
Leon looked to his right and saw Hyper sitting about five feet away. "Who's the hottie? I mean, glasses and all. Can you say pin-up girl for the new millennium?"
Bobby saw this and shook his head. "Careful. That's Cara's geek-girl friend…nicknamed Hyper. Her burps are foul. Plus, the whole sitting-with-her-legs-wide-open thing? Definitely not the girl you want to take home to mother."
Leon growled, "Damn it. Whoever heard of a hot, foul-ass belching babe?"
A third guy at the table agreed. "Tell me about it."
Bobby and his friends got up from the table and walked away.
IIII
Cara patted Blondes on the head, messing up his slicked back hair. "No, we grew up together. Gicko, Hyper and me. You know everything else about me, but you didn't know this?"
"Can't know everything." He took out a comb and slicked his hair back. "For example, this town is called Firesridge, but from all the news about D'Hara High School, one would think the town bears the name as well."
Cara rubbed at her wrists, and revealed more of her past, "Since my ma was eleven when she had me - and my father fourteen - Gicko's mom raised all three of us - me, my ma, and Gicko. Gicko's mom took her in when her parents kicked her out. My dad didn't have to worry about being abandoned, seeing as his parents openly embraced him, and claimed my ma was a whore. That I probably wasn't his. If an eleven-year-old girl was out having sex, she was likely having sex with more than one boy, they reasoned." Cara sighed. "Anyway, the last time I saw Gicko and Hyper, we were all fourteen."
"And monsters?"
"Sure, I've believed in things before," Cara rolled her eyes. "Just never Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy... And oh, yeah...zombies!"
Blondes put his comb back into his, pocket, eyeing Cara as though she were a child who needed scolding. "Well, a Flamer should. You should, Cara Mason. And you will."
"Will!" Cara yelped.
Blondes smiled, feeling the woman had finally gotten the message. "Yes, you will."
"No. Will Turzing," Cara explained.
Cara was looking at the more crowded area, where she saw Hyper with a tall, pale guy. They were laughing and really enjoying each other's company. "Hyper's ex-boyfriend," said Cara. "What the hell's he doing here? And with Hyper?"
IIII
Hyper jokingly punched Will in the chest. "God, Will. And you came all this way just to see me?"
The slim dark-haired guy grinned his reply, "And you know this."
"Still the sweetheart," Hyper smiled back.
Several feet away, Gicko spilled drink on his shirt. He started to wipe at it, and then hurriedly unbuttoned the fabric, revealing an amazing pack of washboard abs.
A few girls from a distance noticed Gicko...and his abs. They had been talking about all the cute guys at the party. "...Speaking of fine," one of the girls said.
Another girl, Becky, made an annoyed face. "Oh please! That's Gicko. One of Cara's geeky friends. Trust me. You could save yourself the embarrassment."
The third girl shook her head at the waste. "Since when do they make hot geeks?"
"Tell me about it," uttered the final girl.
Becky and her friends walked off.
IIII
Cara steadily watched Hyper and Will. Blondes was bored beside her, watching as well. "Hey, maybe she knows where Bobby is. C'omn."
Cara ran ahead, Blondes staying behind to mumble something and slick his hair back with his comb. "Yeah, sure. Right after I neglect getting killed by a zombie while looking for my girlfriend in the process," came his sarcastic reply.
Cara made it to Hyper and Will. "Hey, Hyper, have you seen Bobby?"
Hyper gave Cara the once-over, spotting what surely had to be blood on her friend's brow and in her hair. "I think the question you're looking for is, 'Have you seen a doctor?'" She pulled at Cara's tight, yellow, midriff baring top. Hmm. Showing off her abs was not Cara's style, at all. Never had been. "`Cause Cara... I'm talking, 'Huh?'" she added for emphasis.
Cara shrugged. "Never mind me. I need Bobby."
Will regarded Cara with a warm smile. "Hey, Cara. Long time no see."
Cara sneered in his direction, and Will got the point.
Hyper sighed. "Okay, have you asked Gicko?"
"Yeah, but you know him. He's always speeding in one direction or another -"
Just then, Gicko was thrown into the air, hollering as he crashed into the branches of the nearest tree. The zombie creature smiled up at his handy work, then discarded its cloak, revealing huge biceps, and a thick red chest; its legs were just as big, but were covered by ripped jeans. Its face was half human...but the other half looked as though skin had been peeling from it for days, partial skeleton showing through.
The monster growled back up at Gicko.
Seeing the beast, people started to run and scream, tumbling over each other. "What is that?" yelled one horrified boy.
Will turned around and spotted the big zombie. Then ran off screeching like a little girl.
Hyper called after him. "Will! Will, come back."
Cara stifled a giggle. "And people say Mr. Tanner's the sissy."
Cara finally looked at the creature. And Blondes felt vindicated, approaching them both. "Now do you believe me?" he asked Cara.
Hyper shrugged. Who was this little kid? But, still, she was unimpressed. "Looks like my Uncle Booger."
Blondes was perplexed by such a reply. "And you aren't frightened?"
Cara clarified, "She has a really ugly family."
They all nodded as if that explained everything.
In the tree area, several feet away, Gicko moaned.
"Gicko," Cara breathed, all three running to where he and the zombie were.
The big zombie stared Cara down. Soon, two more zombies joined his side; they were smaller, but looked just as fierce. Big Zombie laughed, then dropped something shiny on the ground, before running off with his pals in the opposite direction.
Cara moved forward, eyes on what the zombie left behind.
Gicko was working his way down the tree. "I'm okay. Yeah. Sore as hell. But I'm okay."
Cara picked up the shiny object, revealing it to be Bobby's necklace - the one she had given him.
Hyper and Blondes finished helping Gicko down, then rushed to Cara's side. Gicko limped behind them. "Cara, what is it?" questioned Hyper.
Cara, never taking her eyes away from the zombies' direction of escape, held up the necklace. "They got Bobby," she uttered.
ACT 3
At the zombie graveyard, bones and skulls were scattered about. The earth was gray, and the environment looked as though it could suck your soul out just by stepping n it.
The big zombie entered, just as King Zombie looked up to the dark, night sky. He stood a little ways off, his back turned. "We've found what you've been looking for, King Zombie."
King Zombie did not budge. "You've found it? You mean - both of them?"
"Yes," came the reply.
King Zombie closed his eyes. "Raising Ground. With an army, we will conquer. Raising Ground."
The big zombie continued, "Once you have them, the destruction of the power center can begin."
King Zombie snapped his fingers and a holographic screen appeared before them; on it, there was a layout of the town, a few areas highlighted green. "The highlighted areas are to be the only ones harboring our force... It's not enough."
"I'm headed back out to assist my lackies in obtaining them. Out to obtain the most important - The one they call Gicko."
"Ah, Gicko, is it?" King Zombie pondered. "Bring him. You must bring this Gicko to me."
The big zombie started to head, off, but -
"Bron?" questioned King Zombie.
Big Bron looked back around, and the king continued, "Not to be confused with Geico."
Bron nodded his understanding.
King Zombie knew Big Bron was slow, and he certainly didn't need him bringing back a sign as he did last time.
IIII
In the street, Cara, Blondes, Hyper and Gicko walked. Cara led them all. She squatted down to pick something up and examine it, sniffing it a second later. "They went this way," she told the others.
"Just when you thought that Girl Scout training would never come in handy," remarked Hyper.
Blondes protested. "Cara, you must stop. Surely, you know you're being led into -"
"-A trap?" Cara finished. "Yeah, I do watch T.V., Blondes. I just have to be certain as to where they..."
Cara suddenly looked up to see Firesridge Morgue standing tall before them, about fifteen feet away.
"...Went," Cara continued her train of thought.
Gicko made a confused face. "Why would they go to the morgue?"
Hyper rolled her eyes, "Hello! Dead people," she remarked to Gicko, who could be so dense at times.
Blondes agreed. "And that's just one of the four morgues in this town."
Gicko gave Blondes a "You gotta be kidding me" face. Blondes didn't miss a beat. "An unusual amount of people die here in Firesridge - not to mention more move to this place everyday, only to wind up dead."
Cara clinched her jaw, staring straight ahead. "This is it, gang."
They all headed for Firesridge Morgue.
IIII
Inside one of the cold chambers, they looked around in every direction.
"That's just great, Cara. Lead us into the one room full of all the dead people," remarked Gicko.
Hyper nodded. "Yeah, Cara. I see the trap - here. And I see the bait - us. But I see no Bobby.
Cara frowned. "Those monsters. Whatever they are. They must be torturing him somewhere. God, he must be suffering."
IIII
On a road somewhere, Bobby drove his black Porsche further into the night. The retractable top was down, and his male friends, three of them, gulped down beer in the back.
"Whoo! Bobby, you know how to party, boy," Leon screamed. He reached over the front seat, offering Bobby some beer. "Want?"
Bobby sighed, eyes still on the road. "No, Leon. I already told you. I don't drink and laugh. That could cause a world of trouble."
Leon snickered, Bobby chuckling.
Another boy leaned against Bobby's seat. "Hey. What happened to that pretty necklace Cara gave you?"
Bobby frowned. "Oh that. I gave it to some crusty, cloaked man back at The Ditch." Bobby knew it had been cruel to do so, but he was furious with Cara. How could she not show up? He'd given her the best three months of his life - of her life, and this is how she'd repaid him? He had even abstained from pressing her for sex because she'd said she wasn't ready. And, really, he needed 'some.' Every man needed 'some.' Did Cara not see all he had sacrificed for her? How could she stand him up like that, without even a phone call?
Bobby adjusted his rear-view mirror. It must be those "new" friends of hers, he concluded. "I was just so pissed at Cara for not showing up," he soon told his friends. "And you know what? It's probably for the best."
IIII
Cara's hand wrapped tightly around Bobby's necklace.
Suddenly, Big Bron and three fellow zombies entered the cold chamber. "Yeah, that necklace was a good touch, wasn't it? I know it belongs to your bitch. Sorry he ain't here."
Cara narrowed her eyes on the zombies, her friends cautious behind her. Big Bron admitted, "He was never here. But your boy didn't seem to want the necklace anymore, so we used it our advantage." He moved a bit closer. "I know who you are," his gaze held Cara's. "What you are."
Hyper angered. "Look who's talking," she spat the zombies' way.
With that, one of the zombies moved forward a little, ahead of Big Bron. "Watch out, boys. She's a screamer. Trust me."
Hyper's face shot up in pure shock. She would recognize that voice anywhere. "What the - Will?"
Gicko nearly gasped. "Oh, you are not telling me that bony zombie is Will Turzing."
Even Cara looked perplexed. "The one who just screamed like a little girl five minutes ago?"
Another zombie remarked, "He does that at the sight of all of us."
All the zombies laughed, Blondes coming to stand beside Cara.
Hyper was fairly annoyed, pinning her own gaze to Will. "So that's why you came all this way. Not to see lil' ol' me, but to eat lil' ol' me?"
Will grinned devilishly. "In more ways than one."
Three of the zombies started to move toward them. Big Bron watched.
"You guys, stay back. I got this," Cara assured her friends.
Cara moved forward quickly, the three zombies instantly surrounding her. Wanting to stress the upper hand, Will came up behind her. Cara, without even looking his way, kicked him in the groin, then elbowed him to the face.
Will fell to his knees, groaning and cupping between his legs.
Hyper looked to Gicko. "Martial arts skills still intact as well, I see."
One of the other zombies ran at Cara, and Cara jump-kicked him to the floor; he stayed there, unconscious.
Blondes stood with a hand under his chin, as though analyzing the situation. A normal person would be unable to render a zombie unconscious with a single blow. There was no doubt that this was indeed the Mord-Sith Cara Mason. Now…flamer of zombies.
The third zombie was smarter, however, and moved to trip Cara. He moved over her, smiling with evil intent.
Cara sat up, her lighter falling out of her back pocket, as she moved backward on all fours. Licking her lips, she reached behind her and grabbed it. The zombie steadily moved closer.
Hyper noticed, and, looking over her own shoulder, saw flammable bottles of liquid lining a shelf. Quickly, she grabbed one of the bottles, holding it up in Cara's direction. "Cara!" she yelled.
Cara looked behind her, seeing the bottle and nodded her understanding. They had talked about moments like this various times during their childhood - the type of action scene that ended with a lighter and the enemy burning to a crisp.
Hyper threw the glass bottle of liquid as hard as she could at the zombie looming over Cara, and the content broke against his face. The zombie immediately winced in pain and rubbed at his ugly mug, as the liquid seemed to burn him worse than any fire could. Cara lifted the lighter, flared it up against the creature's face, and immediately removed her hand; the monster's head instantly burst into flames.
The zombie screamed to the sky, and started to fade as he did, becoming this disintegrated form that swirled into a small tornado, and then sucked into the floor.
Gicko and Hyper both uttered, "Whoa."
Blondes just leaned against a table.
Cara stood up, disbelieving. "I don't know how. But it seems fire is your weakness." Feeling daring and quite smug, she walked to Big Bron. "So I guess that means you're just a puny -"
Big Bron slapped Cara into a wall; that alone was a powerful blow. "Take the others. Get what you need. This one - will die by my hand."
Will and the other zombie were still recovering. But they managed to get up and grab the other humans. Gicko, Hyper and Blondes tried to fight against their pull, but it was useless. The monsters were simply too strong, and exited with them out the door.
Cara looked up at her friends being taken. "No."
Big Bron moved toward her. "Silence."
Cara slowly stood, and, breathing heavily, landed two spin punches to Big Bron's face, taking him off guard.
Big Bron smiled wide. "Goody." He punched Cara hard, sending her all the way back across the room, where she crashed into the opposite wall, leaving a dent where she slid to the floor. "A challenge," he added.
IIII
Outside, on the steps of the morgue, Hyper, Gicko and Blondes grabbed at each other, clearly frightened as Will and the other zombie sharpened knives on steps in front of them.
IIII
Inside, Cara stood up. Big Bron roared. "You are weaker than I expected." He punched Cara to the floor again. But this time, she was able to come quicker to her feet and landed a blow as she backflipped away from him.
Cara spotted her lighter on the floor, a little off to her side. She moved to reach for it, but, like lightning, Big Bron grabbed her by the arm and twisted upward. Cara yelped in pain. "And you have more strength than I would've guessed also." He kicked Cara in the stomach, her body going up a little with a deep cough before falling flat to the floor. "But we are power."
Cara slowly tried to raise herself up on all fours. Big Bron continued to speak, "The first time men tried to stop the monsters…"
IIII
Outside, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes backed against the wall, Blondes's watch now displaying a small holographic screen in front of them. Ancient men with flaming sticks in their hands battling ancient zombies could be seen on the screen. And Big Bron's voice was heard narrating it all: "Though this time, they needn't try. For Raising Ground will provide..."
IIII
At the zombie graveyard, King Zombie stood in front of his own holographic screen; it displayed Will and the other zombie, as well as the three humans. Then, there was Big Bron pulling Cara's head back by her hair to look up at her. He heard Big Bron's voice: "...King Zombie with enough force to destroy all their lives before they can even chance that effort."
IIII
The morgue seemed so small to Cara now, this huge zombie grabbing her by her neck and raising her high into the air. "Then we - the supreme race will demolish this center of which their may be power to stop us."
Somehow, Cara was able to flip free from his hold, landing just a few feet in front of him. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. Save me the lecture."
"Kindly," Big Bron moved toward her.
They fought, and Cara was surprisingly able to hold her own, countering each and every one of the creature's punches and kicks with her own blows. She felt some sort of primal power creeping within her, just below the surface, and Big Bron was no longer able to throw her around like
a ragdoll.
Big Bron grabbed Cara by the arms, holding her in position. He then slammed her into the freezer drawers to their right, a drawer with a dead guy popping open a second later. Cara did not have time to register such a sight, because Big Bron was now punching her head from left to right, right to left.
Cara jump-kneed the monster in the chin, and Big Bron flailed backward for a bit, providing Cara with just enough time to flee. She limped all the way to the door.
Big Bron looked up. "Running away?"
Cara stopped. No, she couldn't run. Feeling the power surging within her, she lifted the entire table to her left. "Throwing it your way." She swirled the table in the monster's direction.
Big Bron smashed the table, mid-air, however, with one blow and grinned. "You're growing stronger."
Cara ran at Big Bron, and Big Bron punched her in the gut. Then the face, which caused Cara to slide across the opposite end, to a cabinet.
Cara looked behind her at the cabinet and stood. Opening it quickly, she smiled. "Well, what do you know. Look at all the different kinds of acids for me to play with." She grabbed a handful of the bottled acids and threw them Big Bron's way.
One by one, Big Bron was hit, growling with every burn to his face and skin. "You'd think this was a science lab," Cara chuckled.
Big Bron had enough! With one flip, he landed in front of Cara and unleashed his fury. He punched her repeatedly, aiming for every part of the woman's body he could make contact with. Cara became sluggish, barely able to stand any longer, and Big Bron laughed heartily.
Cara coughed up blood, then swung left, missing Big Bron. Big Bron pushed at Cara gently, laughing even harder. She then swung right...to no avail.
Big Bron raised Cara high, above his head, then walked over to the center of the room, throwing the woman up into the ceiling; Cara crashed into the long light above with an agonized scream, and fell to the floor. In another moment, she managed to sit up on her knees. "What are you gonna toss my way now?" teased Big Bron.
He raised his hands in front of Cara's face. "Oh, the part of my story you didn't let me finish? "To you all - we will say goodbye."
And with that, long razor-like fingernails emerged from Big Bron's hands, and he used them to stab Cara in the gut. When she writhed in pain, he removed them to then slash at her throat; Cara's hand instinctively went there, trying to stop the blood gushing out, but, gagging, she soon lost the fight and collapsed to the ground...dead.
"Goodbye," grinned Big Bron. He then exited out the door.
The symbol on Cara's hand faded, right before disappearing.
Cara's eyes were open but empty; her life flashed before them - being born in the hospital, playing with Gicko and Hyper as small children, moving away, mourning her father's death, learning to live with her mother, flirting with boys, cursing herself for desiring girls, becoming an honor student, and then Kahlan... Kahlan Amnell?
IIII
Cara awoke to find herself in her room, in her bed. The light was on, and she stared at the ceiling. How had she wound up here? The last thing she remembered... She was searching for Bobby at The Ditch. She had been desperate to find him. To forget someone... That's right. Kahlan Amnell, the amazingly beautiful brunette who had stirred something in her. Something she wasn't supposed to feel. She had wanted to forget Kahlan. Kahlan's penetrating gaze, Kahlan's touch on her skin.
Cara turned on her side, to her left, and faced the small mirror on her desk. Huh? Her face was completely clean. No more blood on her brow or in her hair. Had being at The Ditch just been a dream? Had she come straight home and cleaned up? She looked down at her clothing. She still had on the tight yellow shirt she borrowed from Blondes. Maybe she borrowed the shirt but didn't go to The Ditch after all? No, that couldn't be. Being at The Ditch felt so real. As real as Kahlan's hands on her body.
Arrgh! She was thinking of Kahlan again. Why? The woman didn't mean anything to her. Right? Her dirty little secret had almost been uncovered by Kahlan, and she hated the other woman for it.
Cara turned fully on her back, and closed her eyes. She was aroused again, thoroughly so. She could feel the slickness between her legs, and it sickened her. Damn it! She'd been fighting so hard all day long not to have these kinds of thoughts. And then Kahlan Amnell had shown up, all
beautiful and silent. Silent but deadly, Cara chuckled.
Unable to fight this desire any longer, she moved a hand to the front of her pants and slipped it beneath the fabric. "Kahlan," she whispered.
"I'm here," came the alluring reply.
Cara looked to her right to see Kahlan sitting in her window frame, her left leg bent against it, the other pointed to the floor, revealing knee-high boots and partial thigh as the cloak she was still wearing bunched between her legs. "Kahlan!" Cara screamed, scattering backwards out of her bed and back against a wall. "You speak."
Kahlan moved out of the window and stood in the room, eyes on Cara. "Not the mute you thought I was, no?"
"What are you doing here? How'd you even -"
"- I," she merely started to take off her gloves, "am here to finish what we started earlier."
Cara gulped. "Excuse me?"
Kahlan threw the gloves to the floor. "In the grass, near the tree. You and I were about to make boom-boom, but were interrupted."
"Boom-boom?" Cara frowned. "No, there was going to be no boom-boom. And who talks like that anyway?"
Kahlan smiled. "Just trying to keep up with all the new slang, teen-speak." She then started to take off her cloak, revealing an incredibly short, black skirt and tight white top. "Quit the pretenses, Cara. You want me... Or else you wouldn't have been attempting to pleasure yourself with my name on your lips."
Cara's eyes went wide. "What?"
Kahlan arched a delicate eyebrow. "Were you or were you not just uttering my name with your hand down your pants?"
Cara immediately felt blush rush to her cheeks, and remembered where her hand was. Arghh! More embarrassed than she ever thought possible, she removed the hand slowly, then met Kahlan's unapologetic gaze. "I...," Cara started, "said Kanan. Kanan, from my physics class. He's hot. So sue me."
Kahlan cocked her head to the side, clearly amused.
Cara quickly stood. "And anyway... It's none your business who I think of when I... And you aren't supposed to be here." She frowned, still blushing furiously. "Get the hell out or I'm calling the po-po on your ass, you freakin' stalker."
As if not even hearing her, Kahlan bent down, starting to take off her boots.
Cara angered further and strode to her, yanking her back up. Their eyes locked. "Will you stop that? I don't want to have sex with you! I'm not gay, alright. Not bi... Just plain old straight."
Kahlan stared into those green eyes, as if trying to discern the truth. "Straight?"
"Yes, straight," Cara stressed.
"Heterosexual?"
"Yes, hetero."
Kahlan narrowed her eyes, then stepped back. "You're harder to read than most."
Cara furrowed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean by that?"
Kahlan gave her the once-over. "Just that...back at the tree, I could tell you wanted me. I was somehow able to read your silent wish for me to continue undressing you... But now."
Cara shrugged, turning her back to the woman. "There was no silent wish, believe me."
Kahlan put a hand to her head, as if thinking. "But the Youngster told me..."
Cara snapped around. "Youngster? You mean a race of people and not just an expression for youth, right?"
"Yes," confirmed Kahlan. "He told me you were to be my mate."
"He what?" Cara gritted her teeth together. "Was this Youngster blond and in a suit?"
"No." Kahlan looked at the floor. "He explained everything to me... How in my past life, I was Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor, and how I fell in love with Richard Cypher and befriended the wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander...and the Mord-Sith Cara Mason. That, for some reason, only you and I were reincarnated in this life...and that you would be my mate, my lover." She looked up to face Cara. "He said consummating our bond in bed would greatly benefit your powers."
Cara folded her arms across her chest. "So you got the reincarnation speech too, huh? Your Youngster sounds like a pervert to me."
Kahlan moved to Cara, touching a gentle hand to her arm. "He wasn't lying." She watched her hand play with the blond's muscles felt through the fabric. "I have been around much longer than you, Cara. Sure, I was only just told of everything. But I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for you." She used her other hand to grasp Cara's waist and pulled them closer. Cara's breathing stilled as she stared into those blue "pools" of want and open desire. "When we touch, it's electric... Tell me you feel it too."
Cara pushed her off.
Kahlan just moved toward the bed, past Cara. "We must hurry." She started undressing.
Cara turned to her and threw her hands in the air, waving them exasperatedly. "No, no, no. Stop that!"
She moved to try and stop Kahlan, but Kahlan pulled out a dagger from her knee-high boot and pointed it in Cara's direction. "I am going to undress, and you are going to like it. And then we are going to make boom-boom, and you are going to like that too."
Cara frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't have to watch this." She marched off toward the window to look out it. "And if you have to say anything relating to sex, just say sex!"
By the window, Cara heard Kahlan undressing and it made her nervous as all hell. She folded her arms across her chest. Who was this woman? Why did she insist on making boom-boom - having sex with - her? And how was she going to get rid of her? This had to be the weirdest day ever, Cara sighed.
Suddenly, the sound of Kahlan undressing stopped. "You may turn around," said the brunette.
"Not interested," Cara retorted.
"Cara, the Youngster also told me how you're sexually repressed. You needn't fight your desires this night. It's a woman's body you crave, is it not? And it's a woman's body you may have tonight."
Cara slowly turned to face Kahlan. She knew she had stopped breathing, but she couldn't seem to find her breath. Kahlan was lying on her bed, dressed in the sexiest black lingerie she had ever seen, one knee bent upward. "Come here," she told Cara.
Cara, arms still folded, finally managed to breath and moved toward the bed. She gazed down at the raven-haired stunner, tracing her eyes over every part of that glorious body. "To your liking, I see," noted Kahlan.
Kahlan reached up and pulled Cara down on top of her, Cara's arms immediately going to either side of Kahlan. The two stayed still there, looking into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Kahlan gently ran a hand through Cara's hair. "Oh, Cara...you've been brainwashed for far too long - believing this type of intimacy is wrong."
Cara's face was stern, unmoving, as if making any sort of expression would mean she approved of this. This intimacy. Kahlan realized these feelings, and shifted so that she could roll on top of Cara, which elicited a moan from the other woman's lips; Kahlan's body crushed into hers, and she watched the blond's face, seeing the nervousness there. The vulnerability. And yet the unmistakable gaze of lust. "It'll be okay, Cara."
Cara's head was spinning, and too many thoughts were raging, blending together all at once. She knew she should push Kahlan away, but... Ah, it felt so good - breasts against breasts, silky smooth skin at her fingertips. Kahlan felt so good... Smelled so good... No, but it's wrong. She had to push...push Kahlan away. But Kahlan's voice was so soothing. Cara finally relented, giving into this protective cocoon of desire which would shield her from all the bad thoughts. The thoughts trying to deny her this peace.
Kahlan moved to suck at Cara's throat. Cara groaned, hesitantly wrapping her arms around Kahlan's waist to hold her closer. Kahlan used her free hand to play with Cara's left thigh, squeezing the muscles there. "That's it," she whispered against her ear. She placed kisses to Cara's collarbone, Cara moaning louder than expected. "You are so unbelievably sexy, Cara... When I saw you in class... Mmm... I knew I had to have you." Cara moaned even louder, closing her eyes at these long-awaited sensations. Kahlan licked at the other woman's chin. "I know you're a virgin..." She placed a soft kiss to Cara's cheek. "But I'm certainly not. I'll take care of you, Cara." She sucked at Cara's earlobe, and Cara moaned again.
Knock! Knock! There was soon constant pounding at Cara's bedroom door. Kahlan looked behind her, to the source that dare disturb them this time. "Cara... Cara! You had better not be watching that late night porn again."
Cara was still in a lust-induced cloud, as she tried to sit up against Kahlan. The knocking became louder. "Cara?"
"Yeah, ma?" Cara finally replied, touching a hand to her head as if trying to shake this feeling which had been brought on by Kahlan.
Kahlan moved swiftly off Cara, to the floor, taking a sheet with her, as if to cover up.
"I heard moaning. You're not watching that porn again, are you? You know I don't like that stuff played in my house."
"No, ma. It was just...just a love scene. It's gone off now."
"Good." Footsteps retreated.
"We must not consummate in the presence of parents." Kahlan quickly stood, grabbing her boots and other clothing. "It is the way of things." She moved to exit out the window.
"Wait!" Cara yelled. She moved quickly off the bed to approach Kahlan by the window. Kahlan was fairly patient for the blond's response. "If you ever do that again," Cara growled, "I'll have you up on rape charges so fast you won't know what hit you."
Cara knew, of course, that it was a far cry from rape. But she had to save face. Had to put this dyke in her place. She was not allowed to just march into her room and touch her like that.
Kahlan smirked. "Keeping up pretenses, I see." And with that, she waved a hand over Cara's face.
IIII
Cara was suddenly back in the morgue, lying in the spot she could have sworn she died in. Wait, she did die. She remembered everything now. She had been here fighting a big zombie and he'd killed her. So how was it that she was alive? And what to make of her most recent time with Kahlan?
Cara sat up, smiling wide. It had been a dream - her time with Kahlan. Thank God! Cara breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't a dyke like Kahlan after all. She knew she should be happier about being alive, but she couldn't help it. It felt good to know she was still normal. There was still the matter of the fact that she'd had such a dream about another woman in the first place, but she'd worry about that later. After all, such dreams were not foreign to her.
Cara immediately touched her stomach, then her neck. She was indeed all healed. In the next instant, she got up and ran out the exit.
IIII
On the steps of the morgue, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes sat. Cara came out the entrance, running to stop in front of them.
Hyper looked up, relieved. She'd clearly been crying her eyes out. "Cara! They told us you were dead. When you didn't show up for several minutes after they left, we thought... And we couldn't bare seeing you - "
Gicko, who'd also obviously been shedding tears, cut in, " - They didn't want us, man. They wanted the jewels."
"I died," Cara said finally. "Back in there, I died. That much is true." They all looked up at her. "I don't know how I'm still alive, but -"
"- The mark of life that once scarred your hand," Blondes interrupted. He held up his watch. "Did my holographic research." He sighed, then briefly rubbed his chin. "It was originally instilled into Mord-Sith only, and was called the Breath of Life. At some point, many, many years ago, the power was somehow extracted from the Mord-Sith and marketed as the single 'Mark of Life.' Turns out that during the time when the earth was most covered with zombies, that was the most efficient way to fight against them. Staying alive, ensuring high numbers. People were always wary of their deaths. Anyone honored by the mark of life - if killed - would be brought back to the land of the living... All marks and blood gone from their body… But it can only be used that once. Unless you are lucky enough to obtain such a mark again."
Hyper suddenly cheered up. "Ooh, I want one."
Blondes ignored her, suddenly standing. "Yes, we have a lot to do. A damn lot to do."
Cara, Gicko and Hyper just watched him. "And we must do it now, goddamn it." All three issued a collective gasp at what they were witnessing. Blondes's shadow was growing larger and larger and before they knew it...
"That's right," Blondes finished. "Before anything else happens."
"Um, Blondes?" questioned Cara. She pointed to his current state.
Blondes was now a dark-haired man, 30-ish, tall and lean. He looked down at himself. "Oh - crap," were his only words.
ACT 4
The gang didn't know what to make of this new Blondes. He raked his hands through his now black hair. "I was afraid this would happen. Mother warned me... You see, Youngsters are a very temperamental race. I guess like a lot of kids, but we aren't supposed to be. It takes the focus away from our job to a Flamer. Us Youngsters must keep this anger under control or we can lose the appearance - that which makes us as energetic and youthful as we seem. My downfall was the cursing - a bad habit I tried to keep hidden from you all."
Cara arched an eyebrow. " So -"
"I may look thirty-five, but I'm still the six-year-old prodigy you met earlier today...or yesterday, depending on whether or not it's midnight. Only now...I ache as an old man would. My punishment."
Gicko laughed. "Thirty-five isn't old."
"It is to me," Blondes retorted.
Hyper seemed concerned. "But when are you gonna turn back?"
"I just told you," Blondes frowned, "There's no turning back. I'm still Blondes. What you are seeing is not my true form, but rather a cover to it. Sort of like a mirror as to what I am on the inside."
"But isn't the inside the true you?" asked Hyper.
"The point is...," Blondes was annoyed, "...I don't know when - or if - I will look as I did before."
Gicko seemed suspicious. "But how do we know you're really Blondes and not some shape-shifting demon posing as Blondes?"
Blondes sighed, taking out a comb to slick his hair back. At this, all three nodded and agreed in unison, "It's Blondes."
Hyper took out a small compact mirror and handed it to Blondes, Blondes taking it and immediately using it to assess his new appearance. "But what are we gonna call him now?" asked Hyper. "Look, he's not even blond anymore."
Blondes looked up at her. "I am not bleaching my hair."
Cara had been silent. This had been an extremely weird night for her, and it seemed it was only going to get weirder from here on. "No matter if we like it or not," she said. "This is the new and improved Blondes... New anyway."
"Got that right," Blondes barked. "Now we just have to see what my family thinks about it."
IIII
At D'Hara High, in the playground area, Cara, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes sat in front of the holographic screen watching the nightly news. "...His family - said the six-year-old – of the ones who used their hideously-disfigured faces to scare the local teens partying at the youth spot, The Ditch, last night," the newswoman reported. "The boy said his brothers must be stopped, and that he will work further with the authorities to help catch them in any other sadistic acts."
Blondes pulled at the jungle gym bar, the holographic screen going blank. The other three looked to him as though he were the lamest person ever. "Well, I had to tell them something," he reasoned. "Hyper's ugly family explanation seemed the best route to take. Couldn't have people running around fearing that there are really monsters out there willing to eat their brains."
Gicko raked his hands through his brown hair, looking over at Blondes. "Wait a minute. I thought you said zombies only ate the brains of the living - if ordered to by their zombie masters."
Blondes briefly held up a finger. "Though not originally. When a zombie feasts on the brains of humans, they can actually take on the personality of that victim. To a point - they become smarter. But this only lasts for twelve hours. Definitely a short time. After that, they return to their usual dumbfounded selves."
The other three made confused faces. Blondes clarified. "A zombie, you see, is as human as us during the day, but at night - they're as grotesque as anything you've ever seen. This being, in main part, because of the zombie master. People who have died at night are raised from the ground by this creature. And because of the night - because that's when they died - at this time, they are monsters. They day releases them from this fate...since their demise occurred otherwise."
"Now you said they only stay smart for twelve hours," pressed Gicko. "This would mean twelve hours of the day, right? Since they can only display their human form at this time?"
"Most of the time," stated Blondes. "But there are some who can get a hold of a brain fast enough to recharge at later night. Still, during the day, they're as normal as you or me – sometimes even remorseful."
Hyper smiled. "Good thing they're evil, slow and dumb by night then, huh? Can kill 'em without feeling bad about it."
Cara stood. "What about zombies that are raised during the day?"
Blondes took his comb out and slicked back his now black hair. "Well, now that's the thing. Zombie masters have and always will only raise ones who died at night from the ground - this being because they feel dusk is an easier time of attack. Although...there was one case of a zombie who had developed during the day, but it's thought to be a myth."
Gicko stood. "And zombie masters?"
"Are scattered throughout the earth, but mating isn't easy for them," explained Blondes. "The female can only bear one child. Therefore, their population is as scarce as ours. They are said to be some breed of a missing link, like Flamers are to humans, traced as far back as prehistoric time. One for every city. They've been around for ages."
IIII
King Zombie kicked at the pile of human bones as Big Bron approached. "King Zombie, we have fetched them for you." He pulled out the two red, diamond-shaped jewels and handed them to his master.
King Zombie held the jewels before his eyes. "Ah - the jewels of Tantantinta," he said. "At last for Raising Ground."
"And there is something else, King," urged Big Bron. "That Flamer - as you said - she is here."
IIII
Cara, Gicko and Blondes all asked Blondes at the same time, "Who is here?"
Blondes put his comb back into his pocket and straightened out his suit. "King Zombie. That is the creature you were just talking about, isn't it Cara?"
"Hell, yeah," Cara pursed her lips together. "And that zombie who killed me said they need some power for Raising Ground. Whatever they're up to, I need to find them." Cara looked to the ground for a second. She didn't know where this certain need to take on such great responsibility was coming from, but she suddenly felt like Spider-Man, and was loving it.
"Normally, I would say check the local morgues or cemeteries, but there's only one place in this town that a zombie master such as King Zombie could already have a great number of force," said Blondes.
Cara looked up. "Where?"
IIII
King Zombie moved in front of Big Bron just as Will entered. "This Flamer," spoke the king, "did you fight her?"
"We both did," replied Will. "And I was like kung-fuing her up and down the place. I was bad, man, I was -
Big Bron knocked Will in the back of the head. "He got his ass beat," Big Bron clarified.
"True," Will admitted.
King Zombie looked displeased, and Big Bron moved closer. "She was unworthy," he said. "Nothing to worry about."
King Zombie growled, grabbing Big Bron by the neck and lifting him high. "But I do worry."
"She's dead," breathed Big Bron against the pressure.
IIII
Cara nodded to her friends. "The zombie graveyard? Then that's where I'm headed."
Blondes placed a hand to Cara's shoulder. "Tomorrow... Until I can come up with a decent strategy. You are at a great advantage, with them thinking you're dead. Let us use that."
Cara narrowed her eyes but agreed.
IIII
The next day, at D'Hara High School, Cara moved down the hall. She was on her way to Mr. Tanner's class, and was dreading it. Not only was she late, due to lectures from her mom and Bobby about reckless driving, as well as words from a few police, she would have to see Kahlan. She definitely needed to get revenge on the brunette for tying her up like a rotisserie, but the thought of facing the other woman after having had such heated thoughts about her - a dream even - was both frightening and exciting. I'm hardly ever scared of things, Cara told herself. So why does this Kahlan scare me so? "Because you want her," her mind involuntarily supplied. "No, I don't!" Cara fought against the unwanted thought, accidentally speaking aloud. She barely noticed the people watching her in the hall as she approached Mr. Tanner's room.
Cara stopped in front of the door. "You can do this," she told herself. But as she started to open the door, she heard laughing...many people laughing in fact. She yanked open the door, to see Kahlan standing by the dry-erase board, giggling over her shoulder at Mr. Tanner, who sat at his desk.
"Oh, Kahlan, you are such a delight," he beamed her way.
Kahlan worked out some kind of math problem on the board. "The pleasure's all mine," she smiled back. Then drew a happy face beside the finished math question. Suddenly, there was applause, as if Kahlan had just delivered a performance worthy of a standing ovation. What in the hell?
Cara entered the room, and slammed the door behind her. But most eyes stayed fixated on Kahlan, though the clapping soon stopped. Cara looked to the back of the glass to see Becky, who shrugged, as if to say, "I don't get it either."
This was a nightmare. Half - or most - of the students in her quantum physics class smitten with Kahlan? Everyone was supposed to look her way when she entered the room. Not just a handful! Just when she thought she would explode with anger, the bell rung. Class was over. She was later than she had thought.
Just about everyone in the class came up to Kahlan, patting her on the back, shoulder or even the head as they remarked how brilliant and cool and hot she was. Cara just stood there watching, a few feet away from Kahlan, utterly flabbergasted. The woman was again dressed in a tight, short skirt and high heels. Both gray this time, while the tight, V-neck top was black. So the woman had to steal her V-neck style too? Cara looked down at her own clothing, the tight jeans and tank top with small, black boots, and knew she would have to 'up' her wardrobe if she was going to compete with Kahlan. She saw that now.
The class was nearly empty, as Cara stood there watching Kahlan move to her desk and pack up. Becky was the last to leave, patting Cara on the back as though offering condolences. And then...even Mr. Tanner stepped out for a moment, leaving Cara and Kahlan alone. Show time, thought Cara.
Cara marched to Kahlan. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
Kahlan continued stuffing things into her huge purse. "I believe it was you who said follow or try to lead." She then looked up at Cara, mischief sparkling behind those deep blue eyes. "I wouldn't say I needed to try."
Cara frowned and set her jaw tight. "Screw you!"
Kahlan moved close, right against the blond's ear. "Ooh, I'd love to... But we gotta keep up pretenses, remember?" Cara's eyes went wide, her whole body frozen in place. Kahlan just smirked, then grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
Cara, mouth agape, looked in the brunette's direction. Kahlan was peering at her from the doorway. Then winked, right before leaving. Cara shook her head. No, no, no. It can't be true, she told herself. But, in her heart, she knew that it was. It hadn't been a dream - last night in her room with Kahlan. "Keeping up pretenses, I see," the other woman had said. And just now, she had echoed the very same thing. Cara stared at the door. That woman had been in her bed. She'd let that woman touch her...kiss her. Cara threw her books down frustratedly. How had she pulled it off? And more importantly...who was this bitch?
