Hey zombie fans! I had a little internet connection issue again, but I was determined to keep adding the written chapters of this mini-story up. Aren't you guys proud? :D So a little inspiration hit me when I watched this really strange movie—it wasn't totally great or anything, but it was interesting. Anyone ever hear of Forget Me Not? Well, if you haven't it centers around a tradition of playing ghost in the graveyard, which kind of spiked a little cemetery theme craving. Just a little insight of where the ideas for this story kind of came from….kind of…hehe!
I DO NOT OWN ANYONE BUT JENNA AND MARY, THE REST OF THE RESIDENT EVIL CREW ARE NOT MINE!
"Heeey Mary! There you are!" Jenna squealed out as she craned her neck over her shoulder to look up at me. Chris and she sat together, an open Skittles bag resting between them, green ones in Jenna's hand and red ones in Chris's hand. Seeing their closeness reminded me why I came, why I promised I wouldn't bail and leave my best friend, why I put on such a ridiculous outfit in the first place and tried to find a place amongst the crowd. All of it, the make-up, the dress and the effort she spent on me not going to waste, was all for Jenna.
Who am I to tell her that I want to just leave and forget this night ever happened? Of everyone she knows, out of all of our friends, I'm the one who knows just how important this moment means to her in her plan to make Chris Redfield realize how perfect he is for her. Who am I to ruin it all with a problem I'm not even sure really exists? I could never do that to Jenna.
"H-Hey guys." I put on my best smile and tuck all the other emotions inside for me to drown in later. "I-I, uh, just came to see if, um,…" I flick my gaze everywhere to scratch up an excuse. An idea hits me and I leap for it. "…if you both wanted to go to that haunted house near the cemetery." I put as much excitement into my voice as I can to make it seem like that's what I really wanted to talk to them about.
Jenna's eyes narrow, as if she can see right through my lie, which she probably could. As soon as Chris jumps up, tripping in all his mummified glory until a few patches of buzzed brown hair stick out on his head from where the wrap slackens, he cheers and Jenna's suspicion is replaced with glee.
"See? I knew you'd find your Halloween spirit! But wait, would Claire get mad if we just up and leave? I mean, she did invite us over after all so I don't want to be rude y'know?" Her green eyes look from me to Chris, hands promptly held on her hips. Chris grins and pulls at his mummy wraps until his face and head are visible.
"Don't worry about my sister so much, she's got her hands full with everyone else. She's got more than enough hands to help her if she needs it so we won't really be missed if we disappear for a bit. I'll go see if anyone cool wants to come along and change from this stupid outfit." The tall, buff military agent pulls us both into his arms in a big teddy-bear hug—because that's how my first impression of him was and forever will be—before he disappears into the house. I'm instantly aware of how I'm stranded alone with Jenna and how she's still suspicious of my sudden request.
"You going to tell me what's up or do I have to take drastic measures?" Her arms are crossed over her chest, head cocked at an angle as she studies me from the bottom porch step. My voice catches in my throat so I shake my head with another forced smile. She puffs out a long breath and the chill in the air makes it visible slightly. "Don't be difficult Mary, I know you. Your shoulders are stiff, your fingers are twisting around each other which is a known sign you're anxious. Now, the last time I saw you was when you had turned and went to the back yard. Mind telling me what happened?"
I can only gawk at how easily she picked me apart and figured it out. Well, not so much the surprise because we know each other like the back of our own hands, just the shock at how quickly it took to break it all down. I still shake my head though, refusing to reveal anything until later. So instead, I take a few steps towards her house, throwing my hands up to point at the front door.
"Can I see your keys so I can change? It's cold Jen, I've lost feeling in my toes and legs, not to mention I'm afraid my nose is no longer attached to my face." I go cross-eyed to peer down the bridge of my nose to find out if it really is still there. Jenna snorts, trying to calm down her laughter while she digs out her keys and tosses them to me. I grin.
"Whatever, you will tell me eventually. The night is still plenty young my dear Mary, I'll figure it out eventually. You can't hide anything from me!" I've already crossed the yard to her door and unlocked the door as she called after me.
"Don't worry, I'll tell you later. I promise." Only I murmur it out softer so not even my own mind can depict if it was the wind or not. The darkness of the house swallows me whole as I shut the door but I welcome it with a deep sigh of relief. In the darkness, I can hide. I can close my eyes and believe that no one will ever find me and I can just be in a sense of peace. But of course I know that's not right. I'd miss the world too much and Jenna would miss me. Would anyone else care? …would Leon? What a strange thought, of course he wouldn't…right?
As I change into my favorite jeans and borrow a pair of her fuzziest socks, I think about Leon and how maybe I should find him and apologize for running away. To tell him I've never been told anything or felt anything like I had around him, tell him I didn't know how to feel or handle it would be too much to ask from my nerves. I pull on a tan sweater, one that swallows my arms and figure whole, wipe off all the makeup but leave my hair as it is, and decide that maybe I will tell Jenna and get her opinion. She's good with advice, I would know, I go to her all the time.
I cringe physically and mentally with instant guilt.
Of course I go to her all the time, she's my best friend. She's been so since kindergarten and so I've just told her everything before I realized what I was doing and it became a habit. I wonder if she grows tired of it. If she has to force herself to listen to every problem and complaint I have. I decide, for now at least, I'll try and figure out some things on my own rather than rely on someone else's confidence.
I step out of the house, pulling the door closed behind me and lock it quickly. I don't shiver so much now with actual clothes on; as soon as I step away I curl my fingers back into my sleeves and squeeze the silver ring of keys tightly as I turn towards Claire's. A small group has gathered in the drive way, a handful at most which consisted of Jenna, Chris, Jill Valentine—a tall curvy woman with sunshine blonde hair and blue eyes; she's the same age as Chris and went to the same military training camp as him—a well rounded man covered in fake blood and face paint whom I didn't recognize; a smaller, lanky guy wearing a festive orange bandana whom I also didn't know; and wouldn't you know it, Leon. Jenna and Jill are talking and break out into giggles by the time I cross back to Claire's house.
"There you are Mary," Jill smiles warm heartedly as she squeezes my shoulders tenderly and pulls me into a hug. "It's nice to see you again." I feel a small flutter in my heart at the closeness in her voice. Nice to see me again? I've only talked to Jill on few occasions but I feel so happy knowing she thinks of me as a friend. A known fact was Jill Valentine was not the most friendly of women so to even get her to look at you was an accomplishment all on its own. Having her hug me? A sure sign of friend status.
"Yes, same." I meekly reply with a growing smile. Jenna loops her arm around my neck in a loose choke hold with a wide grin.
"Well now that we're all here, let's get going hm?" She asks with an impatient tap of her foot. Chris laughs and shakes his head while lifting up a set of keys.
"Hold on girl, not everyone here has been introduced." Chris looks from her towards me and then the others. "Mary meet my good friends—"
"—Our good friends." Jill interjected. Chris coughed awkwardly while the others chuckled. I also tried to hide my smile.
"Right, well, Mary meet our good friends Barry Burton," He slapped the big guy's shoulder who, in turn, grunted. I looked him up from head to toe, admiring the effort he had put into his costume. Thick leather boots were tucked under shredded sweats, dark grey with splattered red drops of fake blood, and a shirt with unevenly cut sleeves ripped along the stomach and neck line. It was also a dark grey with blood splotches. His face, what of it wasn't a shadow of a dark beard, was pale with face paint and a delicately painted on head wound. Clearly he was dressed as a zombie.
"Nice to meet you Ms. Belle." He grinned politely while holding out his hand. I immediately felt my cheeks scorch with heat at the formal choice of words and shyly slid my hand into his big one to shake it. He looked older than the others, around my father's age which was in his mid to late forties. Barry's hand was quickly replaced with another one, a more boney one, and I blinked in surprise at the guy with the bandana.
"And my name is Joseph Frost beautiful." He gave a quirky smile full of energy before he brought my hand to his lips and placed a chaste kiss across the back of my hand. Startled, I yanked my hand back with wide eyes and a sure to be red face. Jill smacked the back of his head, knocking the bandana off to expose a mess of uncombed black hair.
"If you so much as look at her the wrong way, let alone touch her again, I will personally see to it you can never have children," She twisted his arm behind his back with a fluid motion of ease, "Do you understand me Frost?" She whispered so dangerously low that the beautiful woman before me turned into the darkest and evilest of women on earth in a second.
"Let him go Jill, he can't help how he is." It was Leon who spoke up with a sigh. I watched wearily as Jill pulled back, glaring slightly before returning to the smiling beauty she was moments ago. It was beyond scary and I knew, without a doubt, I would never allow myself to get on her bad side. The awkward silence that filled the air lasted only a short pause before Jenna bounced impatiently again.
"Ok, guys, really this is bumming my mood. Let's just get in the van and go already, ok?" And just like that, the tension was gone. Everyone was all smiles, except Leon who just gave a roll of his eyes. We locked eyes for a brief second, one second, which caused my heart to rival the wings of a humming bird the moment his smile aimed my way. This feeling of something stirring within me was new but not unwanted; like butterflies in my stomach, I oddly enjoyed the feeling and because of this, because of the fact he was still going out of his way to reach out to me by any means, I found myself smiling back as widely as I dared to.
"Oh Mary~" Jenna purred curling her arms while moving behind me so she had me in a hug from behind. "I can see why you were so flustered earlier, Leon's a major babe." She giggled with her signature snort slipping out. I tried to deny it but my words wouldn't form right so I gave up, nodded, and took a seat in the middle row next to Jill. Chris was driving, with Barry in the passenger's seat—for some reason Barry wasn't driving the green van that belonged to him—with us girls in the middle and Joseph and Leon in the back.
"Nice soccer mom car Barry." Jenna giggled while she clipped her seat belt on. Chris snickered while starting up the car.
"You try having a family of three with the love of your life and work around the PTA meetings, soccer games, T-ball and baseball games, doctor visits, camping trips and road trips with anything but a van," Barry chuckled, "You'll see how wonderful this thing really is."