Author's note: Sorry again for the slow updates. This crazy year needs to calm down so I can actually write for more than five minutes at a time! Please like, follow and review! Y'all are amazing; please take care of yourselves out there.

Fun fact: I used to live in a funeral home, thus my inspiration for Zombrewz. Enjoy!

ZzZzZzZ

Eliza absent-mindedly rubbed her thumb along the slightly calloused knuckles of her girlfriend's hand. Willa's hands weren't rough by any means, but they were the hands of someone who spent a large amount of time outdoors. Which, of course, she did. Willa's claws lightly caressed her back as she moved in closer to rest her head against the top of Eliza's. Eliza, Willa, Wynter and Wyatt were all standing in a row, staring pensively up at the ZomBrewz's menu.

ZomBrewz was a new and hip all-night coffee shop, where many Seabrook High students came to study or hang out. It was built out of what had once been an old funeral parlor. The building was a large, Victorian style house, with all of the original rooms on the ground floor renovated into one large, open space. Other than the old stained glass windows, which all depicted doves flying upward into the heavens, nothing about the space indicated that it had ever been used to house the dead. Plush couches and comfy chairs littered the large space, and bright canvases displayed the works of several local artists. In the corner, a female zombie with a shaved head and oversized maroon sweatshirt was quietly strumming a guitar.

"What's a cappuccino?" Willa asked, with another tilt of her head. It was the wolves' first time in a coffee shop.

"And a..." Willa paused. "Macchia-toe? Does it actually have toes in it?" She looked down at Eliza, questioningly.

"Coffee has toes in it?" Wyatt yelped, looking at the two females standing in front of him. He sniffed the air around him in suspicion.

"I mean, I'll give it a try." Wynter commented doubtfully. "But I don't know how they keep it from smelling like feet."

Eliza stared at the three wolves, completely at a loss for words.

"Um," She sighed as she suppressed a grin. "why don't you guys just let me handle the coffee order? You can go find a place for everyone to sit. Bree said Bonzo, Zed and Addison were meeting us too. And Mayar, Qamar and Aruna, right Wyatt?"

He nodded.

Eliza bobbed her head across the large but cozy space. "I think there's a few couches over next to the fireplace."

Since ZomBrewz was a zombie establishment, of course, there was no actual fire. Instead, there was a large electric heater in the old fireplace hearth. It flickered pleasantly, with artificial flames that danced along a glass screen.

It had actually cooled off quite a bit in the last hour or so, and the fake fire was crackling merrily. Fall finally seemed to be beginning to make it's appearance, as a cooling breeze wafted in from the sea and gently chilled the occupants of Seabrook. Outside, she could make out the beginnings of color at the tips of leaves on the trees surrounding the coffee shop.

Eliza watched as her friends made their way over to the grouping of couches, stifling a laugh as she watched Wynter actually turn in place three times before collapsing into a plush maroon couch.

"Four cappuccinos, please, with an extra shot of espresso each."

Since the wolves had never had coffee of any kind before, she decided to let them try her personal favorite. Eliza could be, admittedly, a bit of a caffeine addict.

The zombie behind the counter nodded their head as they punched in the order, accepting the wad of bills Eliza offered to them with a grin. They had messy, chin-length green hair, which was mostly obscured by a maroon beanie and grey infinity scarf. They also had a small nose ring, which encircled their nostril in a small gold hoop.

Was hipster zombie a fashion type now? Whatever the case, Eliza was thrilled to see that zombies were already beginning to express themselves more through fashion, now that the zombie dress requirements had been relaxed.

While she waited for the cappuccinos, she fondly watched as Willa bounced lightly on the maroon couch next to Wynter, discussing some amusing topic with her two packmates as they all chuckled together. It had been rough, the first few months, helping the wolves to fit in. They had spent a lifetime always on edge, always ready to defend their kind, and it wasn't easy to help them adjust to a more normal, less stressful lifestyle. It wasn't exactly something Eliza was great with, herself. She was always looking for the next injustice to fight, or finding the next book to read in between organizing protests and printing out "monster rights" pamphlets at the library.

"Four cappuccinos with extra shots of espresso, for Eliza?"

Looking back to the counter, the hipster zombie offered her a pleasant smile, which she happily returned. Things were going well for Zombiekind at the moment, despite recent setbacks, and the optimism was palpable amongst nearly every zombie in the shop.

Eliza reached across the counter, scooping the tray up and turning to face the fireplace. As she carefully made her way past the tables fellow patrons, she glanced over to see Addison and Zed striding into the coffee shop, smiling so widely it looked like they'd just won the lottery. They also seemed to be covered in sand and wearing partially dried clothes. Confusedly, Eliza met their eyes and jerked her head towards the fireplace, indicating where they should sit after getting their drinks.

Behind them, a very dusty duo followed their path into the entryway. Bree and Bonzo had arrived, covered in dust bunnies as Bonzo clutched a large book to his chest.

I have the weirdest friends. Eliza noted inwardly, and turned to join the wolves at the well-used seating area.

"Three double shot cappuccinos, coming up!" Eliza announced, setting the tray down on the large coffee table that rested in the center of the three couches and the fireplace. Rather than the standard leaf or heart designs, these cappuccinos each had a small, creepy hand rising up from the corner of each cup, all looking like little zombie arms bursting forth from the ground. The old her would have said that it was insensitive. But now, she had to admit it was pretty clever. Lots of zombie businesses were really leaning into the 'creepy' stereotypes lately, in order to cater to the monster-oriented tourism industry that had sprung up seemingly overnight in Zombietown.

The wolves each picked up their large mugs, sniffing curiously at the liquid within.

"This isn't the one with toes in it, right?" Wynter asked.

"Nope. No toes were used in the making of this coffee." Eliza assured her with a chuckle.

Laughing, she watched as the wolves each raised their cup to their mouths, and took a hesitant sip.

"Oh my gosh, babe!" Willa gasped, taking another long draw from her drink. "This is amazing!"

Eliza watched as the wolves began to drink with fervor, blinking in surprise as each tipped back their cups.

"Hey, take it easy guys," Eliza chuckled. "That's a lot of caffeine."

"Never heard of it." Wynter shrugged. She took another large gulp.

The bell over the door chimed again, and Mayar, Qamar and Aruna walked in, arms linked together. Unlike at the city council meeting, this time all three were wearing their traditional Lunite attire, with large hooded shirts, harem pants, and bare feet. As they entered, several zombies, humans and wolves turned to stare at them. Conversations were momentarily quieted. The zombie who had been playing guitar in the corner didn't stop playing, but she did strum a few halted, sour notes in the midst of the tune.

Apparently the Lunites had decided they were done keeping a low profile. Good for them. Eliza wasn't sure exactly how or when the Lunites were planning to announce themselves to the people of Seabrook. But making a public appearance like this was probably an indicator that it would be happening sooner rather than later.

She leaned back into the couch beside Willa, as most of the patrons of ZomBrewz returned to their studying or discussions. While Addison, Zed, Bree and Bonzo had walked to the counter to order coffee, the Lunites instantly made their way over to the cozy set of couches Eliza and the wolves had claimed.

Eliza watched as Mayar took a seat next to Wyatt, leaning in to offer him a quick peck on the cheek. A light blue dusted across her cheeks as she did so. Qamar and Aruna offered greeting to the group, as they took their seats in the couch across from them. She was just about to ask if anyone knew what Bree wanted to tell them, when Addison, Zed, Bree and Bonzo walked over with cappuccino mugs of their own.

Except for Zed, who always got a vanilla latte. Extra vanilla. Eliza rolled her eyes.

"Hey guys!" Bree chirped sweetly, though there was a small crease between her eyebrows that was normally absent. They all took their seats as well, completing the circle of friends. As they sipped their coffees, everyone seemed to look to Bree and Bonzo, who looked like they were ready to burst with new information. They all leaned in expectantly, waiting for Bree or Bonzo to speak.

"Well" Willa said. "What's the buzz?"

ZzZzZzZ

"Well, what's the buzz?" Willa asked, persistently tapping the edge of her mug with one blue and glitter-polished claw. Addison watched as Bonzo silently handed a old, large tome to Bree, who smiled as she hefted the book into her lap. It looked faded and dusty, and had a giant letter "Z" printed on the front of it.

"Um," Bree started, flipping rapidly through the pages as she spoke. "Well, we found a few abandoned buildings that sound like they could be good places to look. But then, we came across this."

She turned to the last filled-in page, flipping the book and resting it upon the worn coffee table. It was simply titled "Building Z," and an address on Zodiac Road was written beneath it in neat, handwritten cursive.

"First off, did anyone know that Seabrook Power had a second location?"

There was a moment of surprised silence, where the only sound was the scraping of Wynter's foot, as she repeatedly padded it against the rug beneath the couch on which she sat. The wolves all looked decidedly hyperactive, all fidgeting or moving in some way as they continued to sip their coffees. Everyone met one another's eyes, shock evident on every face at this newest revelation.

"Obviously, it didn't have a moonstone or anything there. Building Z was used for administrative purposes prior to the Zombie outbreak." Bree continued, scrolling her finger along as she read the faded print. "Then, in 1968, the explosion happened. Like everything else in Zombietown, Seabrook Power Administration was closed. Or at least it should have been."

Bree turned to the back of the page, tapping at a list of crudely scrawled notes and what looked like a series of lists, which looked like they contained a few hundred names. "The notes don't really make a lot of sense, but from 1988 until 1993, the building was definitely being used."

"What for?" Wynter asked, scanning the hard to decipher notes.

"It doesn't actually say. The notes just say 'testing.' Then there's these lists of names, with several dozen printed under each year."

Testing. That sounded ominous.

Addison suddenly felt a jolt of shock from Zed, who instantly pointed down towards down of the lists, resting his finger next to a name.

Zedekiah Zion.

"That's... That's my uncle's name." He said, voice uncharacteristically quiet. "'Zion' was my mom's maiden name. Her older brother was Zedekiah; that's who she named me after." Zed paused. "Uncle Zedekiah didn't survive the dark years. He was already gone before the z-bands were ever invented."

Or did he? Zed thought haltingly, as Addison squeezed his free hand.

"What does all of this mean?" Asked Wyatt, fidgeting restlessly.

"I don't know." Bree said, "But regardless, something tells me that we should look for the moonstone here. It was a part of Seabrook Power, so maybe Charon would think it was a good place to hide the stone. As for the other mysterious stuff, maybe we can learn more when we get to the building."

Addison looked glanced around the group, turning to face the Lunites.

Did you guys know anything about this? She asked.

"No," said Mayar. "That section of Zombietown hasn't got any tunnels. That land is too close to the water, so any tunnels dug there would just flood."

"I have no idea what's there," Aruna added, looking worried yet fascinated. "But I can't wait to find out."

The rest of the group were emanating different variations on the same emotions, filling Addison with mild anxiety. The wolves seemed particularly restless, their emotions jumbled and jittery.

Maybe giving them caffeine wasn't the best idea.

"It's too late to try and figure this out tonight," Eliza said, glancing out of the window into the now fully-dark street. "I say we meet back tomorrow at the barrier after school. This address is right along the wall. It won't take long to walk there."

"That's still during the daytime," Qamar interjected, looking worried. "We can't be out in the sunlight too much, or we'll get sick. Mayar and I already spent too long in the light yesterday."

Now that Addison took a moment to look at Qamar and her sister, she noticed that they did, in fact, look a little ill. There were light blue circles under their eyes, and their skin looked less pale pink, and more greyish in color. Some of the shine in Mayar's curls even seemed to have faded slightly. That wasn't good.

"We can help with that!" Willa said excitedly, drawing the attention of the collective group.

"There is a chest filled with charged moonstone necklaces back in the den." Willa's expression saddened slightly. "We... Back before we recovered the moonstone, we lost a lot of wolves, as their necklaces gradually lost their charges. But we kept the necklaces. After getting the stone back, all of them were re-charged. Now, there are more necklaces than there are werewolves. We'd be glad to give you a few of them to use when you have to go outside."

Mayar, Qamar and Aruna looked touched, and Addison could feel their genuine surprise and gratitude.

"Thank you, Willa." Mayar said, sincerity flowing from here as her hair glowed faintly. "That would be amazing! I'd love to go outside during the day without feeling exhausted the next day." She reached over to grasp Wyatt's hand, smiling tiredly at him. "Plus, I'd get more time with Wyatt and the rest of you!"

"Thank you, packleader." Qamar said in a more somber tone. "Your gift is greatly appreciated."

Since Addison had an after-school cheer practice scheduled, it was decided that they all meet at the barrier about two hours after school. That would give them plenty of daylight, and that way she could bring Bucky along as well. Despite the mystery of Building Z, Addison was cautiously optimistic.

"Alright everyone," Addison announced to the assembled group. "Rest up tonight, because tomorrow, we're getting that moonstone!"

They all agreed jovially, raising their cups in agreement.

Addison thought about telling her friends about her engagement. She had been keeping the ring mostly hidden from sight, waiting for the right moment to bring it up. But looking at Zed, they silently agreed that perhaps now was not the right time. For now, she wanted to keep that bit of happiness between just her and Zed. They would share the good news with their friends once the moonstone was secured.

Which, hopefully, would be tomorrow.