Disclaimer - I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios. Names of BG zombies are mine, characters themselves aren't.
Hey, guess what? New ship! I'm now shipping Izabelle with Zeke instead~! Some good old enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. We've gotten through the enemies stage with the last couple of Limelights about them so it's time to get into the friends stage. But that's just one part of this one-shot, this is mostly about Izabelle's relationship with Bonzo. But Zeke, Hazen, Riza and Zadie do still have some important roles ;)
I have a lot of Limelights planned atm to get through, some Zebelle, some Chanzie and a couple odd ones of other characters. And anyone who still hasn't read Tattooed Mistakes, if you like the BG zombies, especially Zephyr and Alonzo, and you also like angst, go check that out too!
A couple of new BGZ here
FRITZ: the zombie in the sleeveless coveralls at the cauli-brains stand who Zed throws the cauliflower to at the start of My Year
DIAZ: the zombie in blue coveralls sitting on the car behind Eliza during Bonzo's rap
Izabelle
Homecoming
The Z-alert had finally stopped blaring and Izabelle slowly took her hands away from her ears and lifted her head. She could still hear the harsh ringing and the blurring of her vision was yet to fade. It certainly didn't help to have these humans on either side of her, shuffling about and shouting, instead of any of her friends or her cousin.
Her cousin.
The patrol had taken her cousin. They took Bonzo. He was gone.
The pounding in her head seemed to grow worse and the bright spots in front of her eyes that had started to dissipate instead only grew more unbearable. And Bonzo wasn't there. Bonzo was always the best to help her with sensory overload, seeing as he knew what it was like. Without him, though, she could usually rely on Riza or Zadie. But they were elsewhere in the stands – Iza had opted to find a spot closer to Bonzo to keep an eye on him. So much for that.
All she could do was force herself to stand on her shaky legs and push her way past the humans who were booing and hissing. The other zombies were also running for the steps, not wanting to stick around now that the humans were turning on them again. Izabelle, her hands pressed to her temples, could barely register who else was there with her as she hurried away from the noise but then she slowly began to recognise the zombie in front of her. Hazen clearly hadn't noticed her there yet, wanting to get as far from the angry humans as possible.
"Haze...?" she tried to call out but she was hyperventilating. It was enough to make him turn around, though, and his eyes widened when he saw her. He wasn't used to the sight of Izabelle in such a vulnerable state.
"Izabelle?" he pulled her closer and lead her off to one side, out of the way of the zombies and out of sight from the humans, "Oh, Z, what do I do...?" he muttered under his breath.
"Bonzka...!" Izabelle gasped, "Bonzka zav..." Bonzo's gone...
She pushed against him, craning her neck to see the zombie patrol driving away. As they drove out of view, she almost tried to run after them but Hazen grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Don't! Come on, just wait here, the others will come find us..."
Where the heck is Ze-
"Hazen!"
He looked up to see Zeke running towards them and sighed in relief, "Zeke...! Where are Riza and Zadie?"
Zeke shook his head as he came to a stop, "I don't kn-" then he noticed how concerned Hazen looked, and how heavily Izabelle was breathing, and how Hazen was gripping her shoulders while she struggled. Zeke's brain instinctively switched to protective mode, "What's wrong? What happened?"
"I think she's having a meltdown."
"Meltd- Wait, she's autistic too?"
Hazen nodded in response, "I-I don't really know what to do, just that she needs some kind of pressure. Riza and Zadie will know."
"Bonzka!" Izabelle snapped, trying to shove him off, "Quag Bonzka. Grog!" I want Bonzo. Now!
"Izabelle," Zeke's voice turned more soothing as he gently took hold of her and Hazen stepped back, moving away to look for the girls, "Bonzo's not here. I've got you, though, and Riza and Zadie will be here s-"
"There they are!" Hazen said, nudging him.
Riza barrelled right into Izabelle, pulling her close and out of Zeke's grasp. She reached one hand up to stroke her hair and Iza leaned into the touch, squeezing her eyes shut. Zeke could do nothing but watch. Zadie wasn't far behind and she went straight to questioning the boys.
"What happened?"
Zeke, for once, didn't know what to say. Normally, he was the one who knew what was wrong and how to fix it. But at least Hazen had managed to get a few words out of her before.
"I think the siren and all the panic had her in an overload. But she wanted Bonzo and..." he shrugged, "He's gone."
Izabelle broke out of Riza's arms and her hands immediately came up to squeeze her head as she started pacing back and forth.
"Gozrea Bonzka? Agru zav. Ag zrag Bonzka." Where's Bonzo? He's gone. I need Bonzo.
This time Zadie grabbed her, also stroking her hair, and Riza turned to Zeke and Hazen.
"We'll take her home. The only thing we can do is wait it out, we can't get Bonzo back for her. She'll come out of it once she's somewhere safe."
Hazen nodded while Zeke just stood there, lost in thought, as Izabelle was ushered away by her friends. Zadie gently lowered Izabelle's hand when she raised it to her mouth to try and bite her Z-band and Riza walked back over.
"Hazen, you got any candy or something in there?"
"Uh," he removed his bag from his shoulder and looked inside, "Taffy tongues...?"
"Perfect. Hand 'em over," Riza took them, waving them in the air when Zeke gave her a questioning look, "Better than chewing her band. Thanks, guys." She gave a two-finger salute and was gone.
So that's why she bites her band when she's stressed, Zeke thought. It wasn't just another random act of aggression when there was no-one around to take her anger out on, it was a way of calming her senses.
"Zeke? What's up?" Hazen's voice brought him back to reality and Zeke blinked, shaking his head slightly.
"It's nothing, I just..." he paused and frowned, "How did I never realise? I'm supposed to know how to help any of my friends whenever they need it."
"... You'd call Izabelle your friend?"
"Well, yeah, I mean, I know we fight over stuff all the time but... she is my friend, isn't she?"
Hazen shrugged, "You'd have to ask her that. But good luck, it's not easy getting her to admit she likes anyone."
– LIMELIGHT –
Izabelle was beginning to relax by the time she got home but she was exhausted; the meltdown had drained every last scrap of energy she had and she flopped, face down, onto her bed. Riza and Zadie had followed her up the stairs to her room. Zadie sat down beside her and Riza perched on the end of the bed.
"You gonna be OK?" Zadie asked and Izabelle rolled over, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring at the ceiling.
"I think so," she sighed, "I'll be fine once Bonzo's back."
Riza cringed, "He'll be in there for a few days, Iza," she tried to be gentle, "This is bigger than any time we've been in zombie containment."
"I'm not leaving my room until he comes back."
"That seems a little extreme..."
"You're calling me extreme?" Izabelle barely even moved and Riza narrowed her eyes.
"Touché..."
Izabelle slowly sat up, leaning back on her hands and staring forward, "... I don't feel like I can do anything."
"You had an overload and a meltdown," Zadie pointed out, "It totally wiped you out. You'll be back to wreaking havoc in like, two hours, tops."
"Mmm..." Izabelle groaned and lay down again, "It's gonna take more than a couple hours, I am dead to the world."
Zadie patted her shoulder, "Just don't stay cooped up in here for three days straight."
"Or we'll drag you outside ourselves," Riza added.
"By your ankles," Zadie finished with a sharp look at Izabelle and she laughed.
"No promises. I could sleep the rest of today. Who knows about tomorrow?"
"If you're going to sleep, then sleep," Zadie stood up and reached across to give Izabelle's hair one last stroke, "'Night."
"Night..." Izabelle lazily waved a hand and she shuffled along the bed to pull the covers over herself. Riza and Zadie waved back and headed for the door.
– LIMELIGHT –
In the end, Izabelle did leave the house before Bonzo and his friends returned to Zombie Town, only once or twice, but still. It was three days later when Riza came pounding on her door and Iza flung it open ready to yell at her, but then she saw the excited expression on her face and she stopped.
"What is it?"
"He's back! I just saw him talking to Zed outside his house!"
"What?" Izabelle pushed her aside, "Out of my way."
She took off down the street, leaving Riza shaking her head with a smile on her face.
Hazen stood watching as Zeke, Diaz and Fritz raced back and forth, over fences and across walls, until Zeke was almost knocked over by someone running right past him. He easily steadied himself and turned to see who it was.
"Izabelle?"
She looked back and he was surprised to see a wide grin on her face. She'd been especially moody since the homecoming game but something big must have happened to lift her spirits so high.
"What's up with her?" Diaz wondered out loud and Fritz shrugged. Zeke just kept staring.
Izabelle paused just long enough to answer. She was bouncing with glee, unable to stand still for even a second in her happiness.
"Bonzo's home!"
Watching her bound off again, Zeke couldn't help letting the corner of his mouth quirk up.
Fritz nudged him, "What are you smiling about?"
"What?" Zeke furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling defensive, "Am I not allowed to be happy for my friend?"
Fritz and Diaz both looked doubtful but Hazen's expression was more reassuring, and it was Hazen's opinion that mattered most to him.
– LIMELIGHT –
Izabelle could spot Bonzo from a mile away. Evidently, Zed had left in the time it took for her to get there and now, her cousin was kneeling on the ground wearing his mask as he spray-painted the box in front of him white. He pulled the mask down so it hung around his neck just in time for Izabelle to come crashing into him, dropping to her knees and hugging him. Bonzo stumbled back, catching himself with one hand on the sidewalk behind him while his other arm wrapped around Izabelle. They both laughed.
"Gralzig...!"
"Ru gralzig, Izaka." You're the shrimp, Iza.
"Gry!" Shut up! She pulled back and scowled at him but couldn't help smiling again and held him tighter, "Ag gralzig janook... Ag zazig zorog..." My baby cousin... I was so worried...
"Regur grog."
I'm back now.