Chapter Thirty:
She knew she shouldn't have given the New South Park Police Department time off to watch Randy Marsh's trial by combat in its entirety. It was a mistake on her part because it meant that no one was watching the perimeter and since they barely started on the construction of the wall and only the support struts had been erected the rotting dead fucks could still wander onto her property. It put everyone at risk. Just as she had taken her power back a small group of wandering corpses staggered into the equestrian arena and promptly lunged at bot Randy Marsh and Peter Charles Principal respectively. Unlike the living the dead didn't discriminate.
She quickly gathered up any squealing children she could find and ushered them outside. Since night fell during the ridiculous trial by combat it was pitch black outside. Falling snow and wind only made visibility worse. She knew her property well and urged the children towards the house.
"I don't know where we are Mayor!" Bebe Stevens cried out fearfully. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"Just keep running straight ahead kids and don't look back." She told them urgently as she herself struggled to run. "The main house is straight ahead."
Chills went down her spin as a wolf howled. She didn't think about having to contend with wild animals despite the fact that her property was surrounded by forest.
"Kenny!" Stan Marsh cried as she too saw the dead man snatch the young boy away.
She knew he would come back. She didn't have to tell Katherine anything yet. Kenny McCormick was immortal and he would come back. She stopped Stan Marsh from going after him as the dead swamped him. She scooped him up in her arms and urged the other kids towards the house. "The house is straight ahead!"
"Oh my god they killed Kenny!" Stanley Marsh screamed. She ignored it and continued making her way towards the house.
"You bastards!" Kyle Broflovski cried with both fear and fury.
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She quickly realised that as everyone else ran towards the main house the dead would not come near her. She approached a zombie straggling around the equestrian arena and got close enough to tug at the dead man's tattered clothes to get his attention. He looked at her with soulless eyes and snarled. He didn't lunge at her like she expected he would. He fled from her. She walked towards him again and even started chasing the walking dead man around the equestrian arena.
Holy shit! It's me! I keep the dead fucks away! She thought triumphantly. She didn't even need to leave the cabin or the property to prove it. The zombified man would not come near her no matter how close she got to him. It's because I'm the Grim Reaper isn't it?
"Oh god!" She shrieked aloud. She told him time and time again to be more careful. She knew he was capable. Kenny McCormick appeared before her freshly turned. He was one of them. It wasn't the first time she'd encountered a zombified Kenny McCormick since this whole mess started and quickly became a global threat not just a zombie plague confined to South Park as the old South Park had experienced many times before.
"Hell little homie!" She noticed the sword through zombie Kenny's skull before she noticed her god mother Classi and a large grey and white wolf beside her. "I thought I told you tiny cops to be more careful!"
"Classi!" She couldn't believe it. Her god mother was alive. She hadn't seen her since she got arrested for no reason back in the old South Park. She always knew she'd survive this disaster. Classi's name never appeared in The Book of Names. She noticed the wolf and carefully approached. When he bowed his head and let her pet him she knew they could be friends. She just wasn't so sure her cats would like him when she had trouble getting them used to Stan's dog Sparky and her adoptive father's old dog Barney. "Who's your friend?"
"Wolf. His name is wolf." She brought out her scythe and she along with her god mother Classi and wolf they took out any straggling dead fucks on the property.
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"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She couldn't stop apologising. Hot and heavy tears streamed down her face. Yet again she wanted to throw up as her stomach lurched. The floodgates opened and even though it was on display for everyone to see she couldn't make it stop. "I'm so sorry!"
"What the hell happened?" Keisha McDaniels – her daughter in law – came downstairs after checking on the babies in the nursery. "Mary?"
"I'm so sorry?" She slumped in a leather chair and buried her face in her hands. She had just taken her power back and already she screwed up.
"Is everyone here?" Her aide Bob Johnson asked as he and Freddie Janson her other aide conducted a head count to make absolutely sure everyone was accounted for.
"No." Freddie Janson checked the list of names they'd created to keep track of people living at the cabin multiple times. "We're missing Kenny McCormick and…" It was like he didn't want to say it.
She lifted her head to ask. "Who Freddie! Who else is missing?" She hadn't had the chance to collect herself and regain composure before breaking the news of Kenny's death to his mother.
"K-K…" The front door swung open and Katherine emerged with her God mother Classi and what looked like a large grey and white wolf.
"Katherine?" She was stunned. She almost left her own adopted daughter behind at the equestrian arena. Amongst the chaos she couldn't even see her.
Everyone gaped at the wolf. Even she did. He was large, but seemed placid enough to be around the town's people especially the children. Katherine noticed them gaping at beast. "His name is Wolf."
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She went through the Book of Names three times over. Kenny's name appeared and disappeared mid way through the heavy tome. She couldn't be sure why this was. She wondered if it had anything to do with his inability to die.
"I'm sorry kid." Her adoptive mother sat on the bed next to her. She had a bottom bunk bed in the girl's room and she liked the privacy she got from the curtain she made just for it.
"For what?" She knew her adoptive mother carried a lot of guilt especially over Cartman's scheme to send her to foster care and the other Freedom Pals to jail. She blamed Cartman and Mr. Adams for it. She knew Mayor McDaniels wouldn't have willingly signed the papers authorising it.
"I thought you were with the other kids. I didn't see you." Her mother had brought in a tray of cookies and hot chocolate for her. She was surprised there was any left even after feast Mr. Marsh ruined to get back at her mother.
"There's nothing to be sorry for." She needed to tell her what she found. "It's me."
"What?" She only looked confused and didn't know how to respond.
"You know how I said one of us kids keeps the dead fucks away right?" She wanted to do more research into it. There might even be a way for her to protect the supply runners whenever they leave the cabin.
"You promised me you wouldn't go out without supervision." Her mother reminded her tartly.
"I know." She picked up her black kitten Salem and put him on the bed. He never just jumped up on furniture. He would tap her leg with his paw and ask for permission to be on the furniture. "But it's me; I'm the one that keeps them away. They wouldn't go near me in the arena. I actually had to chase them. Not even zombie Kenny would come near me."
"Is this because you're the Grim Reaper?" She initially thought it would be better not to tell her family when she first got stuck with the job. She was glad they knew. If it was ever hard and she felt like she wanted to quit she could always vent about it to them.
"Maybe." She had a feeling her mother was right. If she weren't the reaper of souls the zombies would just see her like they say any other human. They'd see her as a walking piece of meat. "Can I go on the next run?"
Her mother's face fell. She knew Mayor McDaniels was over protective of her children. She had seen her embarrass her older brother Alexander by being over protective of him. "I don't want you joining the supply run team you're only a child."
She knew she wouldn't let her go and asked any way. "I can keep the dead away from the supply run team."
She knew her mother's decision was final. No amount of puppy dog eyes would sway her. "Please? You let me go hunting."
"I'm sorry kid, but the answer is no. You still need more training in combat and weapons. It's not just the dead now. Other people could be a threat too." She helped her to check the cabin for her cats. They were all accounted for with her chubby Black and White cat Grumpy showing Wolf who was boss. She heard the hissing from the living room and noticed Wolf with his head down, legs shaking and his tail between his legs.
"You took out good old Yates's men the other day what's got into you?" Classi seemed surprised that Wolf was petrified of a small fat cat to the point he soiled himself.
"You're cleaning up after him Classi." Her mother told Classi that survivors clean up and take care of their own pets if they want them to stay. She stopped in her tracks just as Johnson finished the head count. "Yates? You mean Harrison?"
Barbrady spat out his beer in shock. "He can't be alive? All we found was a hand."
"He's alive alright." Classi confirmed this to be true. "That bitch just tried to kill me. And you better watch your ass Barbrady."
"Me? Why?" Barbrady regarded her with shock and she knew her father was becoming nervous.
"Petty revenge." Classi told them everything she'd been through since the apocalypse started. "He's got a whole town behind him and a Big Bad Government Guy. Some little bitch dude with an eye patch."
She knew who Classi was talking about. It was the same guy that was hunting her for her super powers. It was the same guy that tried to blow up the old South Park and cover up the UFO crash along with the Nazi zombies and the toxic green goo. It wasn't entirely her fault. She couldn't land the UFO and had no choice but to crash it. She lost control of it quickly and it destroyed the old South Park Mall.
She knew she would have to start training as soon as possible. She didn't want to go up against Government Guy without being able to fight properly. "Maybe we should start training. Like right now."Her mother had fainted when Classi mentioned the Big Bad Government Guy and her father was a nervous wreck. She might be just a little kid, but she took charge anyway since she knew her older brother would be focused on locating Mr. Marsh who'd escaped the arena and his trial by combat when the horde broke in. "Training for everyone starts right now."