Chapter 22:

"What's got into your dad?" She asked Stan as they tried to focus on their game of Dungeons and Dragons. She noticed the adults looked worried and something was going down. It was all because of Mr. Marsh's sudden intrusion at the cabin and the fighting between him and her mother and father.

"I don't know dude." Stan couldn't even focus on the game as the other adults were dealing with Stan's mom and the others they'd left behind at camp. "He's had a weird obsession with power and your mom for a long time."

She wanted more information since she knew they were holding back. "Do we need to bring the Freedom Pals back to deal with this?"

That might be a good idea. Timmy agreed. It was the first time in a while he'd communicated with anyone telepathically. We can at least use the Freedom Pals to help protect this place.

"I don't want to go back to another suck ass camp now." Kyle Broflovski took his turn as they tried to ignore the adults.

Sparky the dog whined and placed his head in Stan's lap. "My dad can't be a leader. I don't even know what they're going to do with him."

"I can't stay inside." She was agitated and needed something to punch. "Let's see if Dr. Timothy can control some of the dead fucks."

"At least I can stab something." Stan wanted to go as well. They all needed to release their frustrations especially Stan and Shelly Marsh.

She knew her parents would just say no because they were children and it was snowing outside. They sneaked out while the adults were preoccupied with the decision on what to do with Stan's dad.

XXXX

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" She clamoured with disgust. "You don't have the right to decide! This isn't a democracy!"

"Still need a trial." Randy Marsh smirked smugly as he knew he'd got the better of her and she wished he hadn't. "Don't we need to hold onto humanity Mary?"

"Son of a bitch!" She punched the wall in frustration and didn't care that her knuckles were scratched and bleeding as a result. "You can't do this!"

"I demand a trial by combat. Since there is no law anymore this would be the better way to do it." He smirked confidently. He was content to actually fight for his life and win.

Her hands were tied. The other survivors agreed. She would have to discuss this with Sharon Marsh even though she didn't want to talk to her either. "It'd be better if the group was allowed to vote."

"No votes." Randy insisted with confidence. "I want a trial by combat Mary."

"Fine." She threw her hands up in frustration. "I'll get some dead fucks and throw you in the pit with them. Hand to hand combat. How do you like that Marsh?"

"That's not what I meant Mary." Randy proceeded to sulk like a child. Even his ten year old son had more maturity.

"Who the hell wants to volunteer for that duty?" She knew people in her group wouldn't want to volunteer for a trial by combat even if there was a chance Randy could lose. Randy Marsh insisted on a fight to the death. With the impression he would emerge from the fight victorious.

"Since you can't pick your champion I choose the big fat idiot Barbrady!" A sinister grin broadened across his face.

Her face went pale. She knew George was helping with the kids since it was way past their bed time. She didn't want to risk it. "Pick someone else."

His shit eating grin became wider. "Wonderboy. I'll take him on."

She stopped in her tracks. She wouldn't risk her eldest son either. "NO!"

"I want leadership back if I win." He ignored her. He would only fight Barbrady or Alexander. He wasn't interested in anyone else.

"What makes you think you'll win?" She didn't even want to think about the possibility of her champion losing the fight against him.

"What are you doing Randy?!" Sharon Marsh barged her way into the barn her face bright red with rage. She'd heard the news and she didn't know how word got out to Sharon. "A trial by combat?!"

"Me vs. Police Chief Barbrady." He wouldn't drop the idea and she wished the dead got him when she knocked him out at camp the night they left for the cabin.

"I'm not sacrificing my family for this Marsh." She fumed with rage and disgust. "If you get a trial by combat I get to choose my own champion."

"You're not picking anyone so I chose for you." Randy wouldn't listen to reason. He obviously wanted control back. He didn't just want control back. He wanted her back.

"I'm not your puppet anymore Randy!" She let loose because she wanted Sharon to know how she really felt about her ex husband. "This is my house, this is my land and I'm in charge here! I'm not your wife and I'm not your bitch and I'm sure as hell not your problem! You don't get to use me anymore! You'll get a trial by combat and I won't be telling you who my champion is until the trial date!"

She stormed out leaving Sharon to deal with her ex husband. She could hear the distant fighting between them and didn't care. She needed an emergency meeting for all the survivors. Not only did she need a champion she needed to deal with the others she'd left behind in camp. She wasn't even sure if she should let them stay since all they did was spread malicious gossip about her.

XXXX

They couldn't see through the snow. There was nothing but a white background and the blurred silhouettes of trees in the distance. She was beginning to think coming out here was a bad idea. Even though Timmy's wheelchair was fitted with chains he had trouble getting it through the thick snow. Every now and again he'd teleport just to make any progress.

She could see a man in the distance and judging by the way he walked she knew it was a zombie. He staggered along and every now and again the zombie would fall over. Eventually it had given up on walking and was crawling through the snow.

"Should we try it Doctor?" Kenny asked as they remained at a safe distance. The crawling zombie hadn't sniffed them out yet.

She noticed three more in the distance. Two women and another man each at varying rates of decay. For some reason they didn't come any closer despite wanting to. She knew they could smell them since they became restless once the wind peaked.

"This is weird." She wasn't the only one who noticed. Even Stan could see it. "It's like they want to eat us but won't for some reason."

Shelly approached one of the zombified women who immediately lunged at her. Shelly had the upper hand and struck her over the head with a baseball bat killing the zombie instantly.

The remaining zombies tried to follow Shelly back to their group but only stopped at a certain distance.

"Why don't they want to eat us as a group?" She regarded them with confusion because it didn't make sense. This wasn't normal undead behaviour. Despite the thick layer of snow she knew they wouldn't pass up a meal if it were right in front of them.

"Is this a superpower?" Wendy asked and she quickly realised she might be right. "If it is who's doing it?"

She didn't know where it was coming from, but for some reason the dead wouldn't lunge at anyone unless they were right up close.

"New experiment." Scott Malkinson announced. "Find out who has the powers to keep the dead freaks away."

They took it in turns one by one. The four zombies were quickly dispatched with Dovahkiin Hughes taking out the last one. "We need to find more because someone here can keep them away."

"We should probably find out who it is before we tell the Mayor and our parents about it." Stan agreed.

She shrugged. It was at least giving them something to do they could actually focus on unlike the board games they tried to play at the cabin. "Okay. Let's go find some more dead fucks."

XXXX

Everyone had arrived. Even the traitors she'd left behind with Randy at the old camp. She considered this a town meeting and the matter needed to be settled quickly.

"Where are the kids?" Sharon asked before she could even open her mouth to speak.

She looked around and noticed Katherine was missing. "Peter?" She wondered if her Goth nephew knew where she was. "Where's your cousin?"

He shrugged and continued drinking his coffee. "I don't know. I haven't seen that poser since Marsh barged in."

Sharon started panicking. "Stanley? Shelly? Oh god!"

"They can't have gone far." Jimbo Kern took Ned, Skeeter and some of the cops to look for them.

"Find them for the love of god!" She hoped they hadn't wandered off the property. She was sure she'd told the children they were not allowed to leave the property without supervision for their own safety.

"This is going to have to wait." Sheila Broflovski noticed Kyle was missing and Ike couldn't tell her where his older brother was when he was asked.

"I don't know." He shrugged and focused on the book he was reading.

"You stay here and watch the kids Mary." He wouldn't let her protest and reminded her without anyone hearing that she was pregnant and should stay at the cabin with the children for her safety.

"Why can't they just do as they're told?" She knew she'd be panicking until she knew for certain Katherine and the other missing children returned safe. So far Katherine, Kenny McCormick, Stan and Shelly Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Scott Malkinson, Butters Stotch, Timmy Burch and Jimmy Valmer were reported missing and they weren't on the property.

XXXX

"Can I have some water?" He could hear movement outside the barn. He knew he was under guard and he knew Mary didn't want him anywhere near the cabin. He struggled with his handcuffs. He was restrained in such a way he couldn't simply slip out of them. It didn't stop him from trying. He didn't care that he'd shredded the skin on his wrists trying to break his restraints. He could smell blood but it didn't matter. Even though he was a prisoner he knew this place was safe. He had demands and he knew he'd win the fight during his trial regardless of who Mary picked as her champion.

He would be the leader. She would have to submit to him and he looked forward to being able to sleep inside.

"Shut up in there Marsh!" Officer Foley was on guard duty. He wondered if he could weasel his way out of jail as he had done countless times before. Unfortunately this time he couldn't use the Mexican Joker as a scapegoat.

"You can't deny me water." He reminded them of his upcoming trial. "I'm not dead yet."

"Put a sock in it Marsh!" Mitch appeared above him standing on the hay loft. He tipped a jug of cold water on his head and dropped the jug.

"Ow!" He clamoured with outrage. "This is inhumane!"

"Have fun losing at your trial Marsh." Mitch left him to seethe in silent rage. They weren't listening to him and once he won his fight he'd make them wish they'd never treated him as less than human.