A Welcome to Wakefield sign looked really inviting...until it was revealed that it was near a building, surrounded by black vines. "I'm sorry!" A boy's voice cried out as he was thrown to the ground, his weapon falling. He groaned in pain as he slid to a stop. "I shouldn't have called you ugly," He stood up, gasping as he was facing a big purple horned monster with a bunch of fangs. "Uh, how you doing, big guy?" The boy smiled nervously, but the monster just roared and dived for him. The boy screamed as he ran off, the monster crashing into the building. He roared so big and loud that he sprayed saliva. "Come on, bud, I just wanna go to the store," He backed away anxiously. "I just need to get one thing."

The monster roared again, inching forward. "Okay, fine." He tightened his gloves, tightened his shoelaces, adjusted his backpack, and then held his baseball bat behind his back. "Let's dance!"

The monster roared at him and then he pointed to the side. "Dude, your mom's here!" The monster then fell for it, giving him the chance to run away. "Psych!" He ran off and jumped, only to get caught by the monster. "Ow!" He was brought to face the beast. "Uh..." He smiled in fear. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Jack, and you are...?"

The monster just roared in his face. "Um...Blarg? Nice to meet ya. Uh, now that we're buddies, couple rules—friends don't eat friends," Jack shrugged a bit, but Blarg just growled at him, not seeming to be swayed. "Okay, fine, but you asked for it!"

He swung his baseball bat at Blarg's teeth, but all this did was actually break the bat enough to make it into a sword. "Uh...heh heh. Well, I'm gonna die." Jack then yelled before stabbing at one of Blarg's eyes, leaving a scar and causing him to fall. His backpack got caught by debris. "I can't believe I'm still alive! I can't believe-" Since his backpack wasn't enough to support him, it breaks and he falls into the store. He landed on a bunch of toilet paper. Jack looked up at Blarg as it was too distracted with his injury. He then snuck off to go find something.

"Okay, okay, tiny screwdriver, tiny screwdriver, tiny...yeah!" He smiled happily as he found what he was looking for. "Ka-ching!" He rushed forward to it, grabbing it. "I got it! Finally!" He said while holding it above his head. Blarg roared and he ran off, but not before grabbing his baseball sword. He threw open the door, running out of the store. "Yeah, I'll pay later!" He then slid across a car, stopping midway through. He chuckled awkwardly and moved himself forward, jumping off. "Uh-oh!" He ran off as Blarg ad now noticed him and started chasing after him. "Whoa!" The land was so hard that it threw him above the road a bit. Jack got onto his feet soon and made a break for it. He slid around a bus stop area, panting and catching his breath. He glanced behind him to look at Blarg.

"Okay, show me your good side, if you have one..." He recorded Blarg on his phone. "Blarg; 40 feet tall, stinks like three-day-old flu barf, razor-sharp claws." Blarg sniffed around just as a girl ran up to the same store Jack was just at. She was a Korean-American 13-year-old girl with long brown hair tied into a braid hanging over her shoulder. Her braid was tied with a small flower accessory. Her lips had red lipstick on them and she had blue eyes. She also had freckles, and wore a white v-cut ½ sleeved blouse, black leggings, which looked shredded at the knee section, black sneakers with white laces, and a dark green plaid jacket tied around her waist with pockets. She had dirt on her clothes as she pressed her back to the wall, glancing around before she was about to enter. However, as soon as she touched the doorknob, she heard roaring and looked to the direction of where Jack and Blarg were.

Blarg sniffed something and Jack took a picture. "Is he smelling my backpack?" Jack raised a brow. "Never seen that before." Blarg roared and slammed his hand, flipping over a car. "Oops, overstayed my welcome. Gotta go!" He rushed off. As soon as the girl arrived, she peeked around the corner right behind Blarg. He turned around to see nothing, her back pressed against the wall as she held in a breath. Thankfully Blarg ran right past her without noticing her presence and she let out a slow sigh of relief. She then looked back to see no one else there and shrugged it off.


Jack stood in front of a treehouse as he filmed. "Monster apocalypse, day 42. This is my home. It used to be my foster brother's tree house, but the whole foster fam took off on day one. So now it's just mine and just me, Jack Sullivan, postapocalyptic, action hero, tough guy survivor. Never scared and-" He heard a loud roar and shouted in fear. "And inside we go," He quickly moved to the treehouse to hide. He positioned the camera to face him in front of a desk. "Current status—the world is cuckoo bananas. Zombies and giganto monsters have taken over my town," He held up a bunny plush and two little dolls meant to look like zombies. "And also maybe the world..." he knocked the bunny plush and globe away. "You probably know what zombies are, but just in case...spooky eyes, freaky moans, and if they bite you, you're one of them. Undead. But if monsters get you, you're just dead. Finito. Done-zo," He showed a bunch of pictures of monsters.

"So, why am I making this video blog thing?" He wondered while standing near a window. "Well, one, 'cause I haven't talked to another living person in six weeks. But also, so there's a record of all the awesome things I've done." He bumped right into a wall. "Jack Sullivan, zombie hunter! Monster slayer! A kid with the time to play all the video games he wants."

He played a game by himself, and then lost. He sighed at the bunny plush as he had it set to multiplayer. "It's like you're not even trying." The plush just fell to the side and he sighed again. It wasn't as much fun without any friends.

"See, I'm like, genetically superhero-type equipped for solitude. I'm an orphan, which...means I don't have parents. I've lived in a lot of places with a lot of different people." He beamed near some people...but it was just a poster from a van that drove away. "But I never had a family." He was left with two parents that didn't look too happy, and a little boy focused on a toy car.

"So, now my life is basically the plot of a video game. I even have my own feats of apocalyptic success," He held up a cardboard or wood drawing of an achievement symbol. "For example..." He hung from a tree, surrounded by hats. He took one from a zombie passing by. "Yoink! Mad hatter. Steal the hats from five zombies." The tree branch broke off and he fell to the ground. He looked up at a big, tall monster walking by. "Monster rider. Hitch a ride on a beast," He hung onto the fur from the leg, letting go for some reason. "Look, Ma, no hands!" He then looked in a mirror while flossing. "Maintain basic cleanliness after the end of the world."

"Now pay attention. There is one ultimate feat of postapocalyptic success..." He opened up a yearbook, showing one particular girl. "Rescue the damsel in distress. June Del Toro, my crush...she's dainty and sweet."

A whistle blew as June played lacrosse with an aggressive look on her face. "Let's go, you weeines! Out of my way!" She bumped into an opposing player. "Move or be moved!" She then bumped into a coach so hard that she broke his arm.

"My arm!"

"Sorry!" She then swung towards the goal.

"She was the editor of our school paper, so I joined the paper as a photographer. I figured she'd see how charming I was, and it worked perfectly."

He threw down some pictures in front of June, who did not look pleased with them. "You call this photojournalism, Sullivan? I need hard news!" She slammed down a photo of a boy, turning around to the others. "This issue isn't gonna write itself, people!" Two people bumped into each other out of fear.

"One time, she hugged Danny McCutchin, so I ran over and hugged him, and I got a secondhand hug!"

After June left, Jack ran over and hugged Danny, who fell to the ground. "Weird, but totally worth it!" Danny tried inching away from Jack as the bell rang. The same brunette with the braid walked around in a green beret, her hair in pigtails. She had on a white top underneath a green sweater, black jeans, brown boots, and her backpack over her shoulder. She raised a brow at the two on the floor.

"I know—I know in my gut that she is still in town somewhere." While on the roof of his treehouse, a few zombie hands reached out from behind and he got a stick to fend them off. "Uh, not—not as a zombie. As a regular. And she'll see how cool I am, and totally worthy of being crushed upon. And with that, I will...complete the ultimate feat of apocalyptic success!" He imagined himself in a video game saving June as a princess. A smiley face was there and then it turned into a frown. "Feat not yet completed."

"But first, I have to fix this walkie so I can reach my best friend, Quint, hopefully," He tried using the tiny screwdriver at night to fix it, but it shocked him. "Bajingo! Captain Danger to Corporal Tiger-Pants. Quint? Are you out there? Hello?" All he got was static in return. "You're probably doing an experiment, or on the toilet, or thinking about Maylin Joon, the coolest girl in school. Or all three," He looked away a bit awkwardly. Only at the first two options, not the last one. "So, um, just call whenever." He tapped his fingers against the table, still waiting for answer. He then sighed in defeat a few seconds later.

"I'm not worried that you're not responding. I'm not worried at all. Anyway, I'm here...alone. Just...me," He looked outside his window, whining a bit. "Okay, talk soon, buddy. I hope you're enjoying the end of the world," He placed the talkie on the table, sighing again and turning away. He reached out to the device and then decided to stop trying for tonight. He laid down on his bed that consisted of junk, looking up at the ceiling. Six weeks and he still hadn't found anyone to talk to...anyone that could still be alive...it was just him here.

"42 days ago, when the world changed...forever."

Jack sipped on a drink on the school bus. "Jack, marvelous news!" Quint spoke up with a sandwich in hand. He held up a piece of paper with a punch of pictures on it. "Bottle-rocket launcher plans, complete."

"Rad!" Jack smiled at him.

"Double-rad!"

"Triple-rad!" They said in unison.

"Wanna test its explosive capabilities after school?"

"Quint, that is 100 percent all I wanna do," Jack answered with a grin.

"Hey!"

Quint gasped and Jack stopped drinking as they saw the bully of the school approaching them. "Kid, your 'sammich' stinks like squirrel butt," He then took the sandwich and started to eat it. "It stinks, but it don't taste too bad."

Jack growled and squeezed his juice so much that it squirted out the rest of it. He stood up in anger. "Why don't you-?" He tried snatching it back, but struggled to. "Pick on someone your own size, huh, Dirk?" He then fell onto the ground, Dirk taking another bite.

"Find someone my size, and I will," Dirk challenged back.

"Hmm, like a rotund panda bear?" He remarked, only to get the front of his shirt grabbed by Dirk.

"Jack, we have a problem here," Quint whispered to him. "Dirk won't be able to find a panda bear to pick on. They're an endangered species."

Dirk licked his fingers from the sandwich. "My fist is about to make Jack an endangered species!"

"Dirk."

He turned around to see the brunette raising a brow at him. "Really, this again? Wouldn't it be better to not get in trouble picking on them?" She placed a hand on her hip. Jack and Quint both gasped at her.

"No way! It's Maylin Yoon, the coolest girl in school!" Quint whispered to Jack and she thankfully couldn't hear.

"Head cheerleader, most competitive mathlete Maylin Joon!" Jack whispered back in awe that she was standing up for them.

"What? He had a squirrel butt sandwich," Drik protested back to her and she rolled her eyes to the back of her head.

"Squirrel butt sandwich or not, put him down. Or do I have to remind you of your already-bad track record?" She placed a hand on her cheek innocently. He blinked and then growled, putting down Jack in his seat.

"Whatever. I hate it when you're right," He grumbled and she stared after him, shaking her head. She then turned to the boys with a small smile.

"Sorry about him. He's something else entirely," Maylin glanced at him and then dug into her backpack, taking out her lunch. "Here. It's no sandwich, but it's really good," She assured as Quint opened up her lunch to see some cupcakes and some scones.

"Whoa! Wait, I can't take your food," Quint frowned up at her.

"Well, it's my leftovers, so I can give those to whoever I want," She told him with a grin. "Your friend can have some too. I always get too much from my parents, so come back to me if he ever steals your lunch again."

Without even waiting for a response, she walked off and they stared after her. "I can't believe she gave you her lunch, dude! And she helped us! So cool..."

"And she's so fearless..." Quint sighed happily, Jack smiling in amusement. Like with June, Quint had a crush on Maylin, but he wasn't necessarily putting her on a pedestal. He just silently admired her from afar, though Jack really pushed for him to tell her sometimes. Suddenly the bus shook and Maylin fell to the ground.

"Huh?" Dirk looked back as everyone else looked towards the windows. Quint bent down to Maylin and helped her up. Jack was pushed from behind to look as people were screaming and running around. Jack noticed that people were running away from something, and a shadow flew over the bus.

"Quint, you know stuff. This must be a joke, right? Some prank show?" Jack wondered, and the bus shook again. Jack looked up and Dirk gasped before a large claw grabbed the bus. They were lifted up to face a giant monster's eye, the monster shaking the bus. Everyone fell to the ground except for Jack and Quint, who held on for dear life. His juice box hit him in the face before falling. "This is fine. I love when buses do this."

"Buses don't usually do this!" Quint shouted before they fell onto the ground. Jack looked up, seeing Maylin guiding everyone away from all the chaos in one direction. She looked back and saw zombies approaching, surrounding the street.

"Uh, Jack?" Quint wondered as they closed in on some people, a woman screaming. "Uh, Jack, what's going on here?"

"I don't know, buddy!" Jack screamed before they had to duck from some flying monsters. They looked up and saw a green portal in the sky above them.

"I don't think that was there yesterday, because I'm fairly certain I would have remembered!"

June fell near them, looking up and gasping. "June!" He watched as a zombie approached her. "June, behind you!"

She turned around and screamed, running off from it. Maylin suddenly jumped in and spun around, kicking it to the ground. And then both of them seemingly got stomped on, frightening both Jack and Quint. The foot moved away, revealing that June had made it to the school, looking around. Maylin had jumped out of the way and was on the ground. Jack sighed in relief as she looked concerned before closing the door.

"Both of you, follow me," Maylin rushed past the boys, grabbing their hands. As they ran, they grabbed their backpacks and made a run for it. One of the monsters threw something and they hid behind a car, only for it to get snatched.

"Hey! That's our cover!" Jack protested before they ran into the parking lot. "Excuse us! Pardon us! Coming through!" Quint skid to a stop and yelped.

"Wrong turn!" They faced a zombie, backing away. Quint saw that someone left their keys in the car and then threw the door open to hit it. However, that car also held a zombie and the boys screamed as the zombie swiped. Maylin ducked her head and backflipped, kicking the zombie into the car before flipping and landing next to the duo.

"Sorry. Feel better, guys. We gotta go!"

They stumbled as Maylin fended off the zombies. "We must find someplace safe," Quint said to them.

"Joe's Pizza? It's Wednesday," Jack suggested, Quint picking up speed. "Two-for-one slices." A car rolled in front of them. Jack yelped as he fell to the ground.

"Are you seriously thinking about pizza at a time like this?" Maylin gestured to what was going on around them.

"Dude, focus!" Quint yelled at him. "Do you have your walkie?"

Jack searched his backpack for it, only for a zombie to grab the backpack. "Excuse me, sir, ma'am, zombie person," He struggled to get it back from the zombie. "That's my backpack!" He snatched it, the zombie's arm snapping right off and clinging onto his backpack. He looked at it and screamed, tackling Quint and Maylin to the ground. They all scrambled onto their feet and hid behind a car. Jack pulled out his walkie talkie. "Got it!"

"Superb! We'll go to our houses, you go to yours," Quint explained to him. "No matter what, we stay in touch," He urged Jack, shaking him a bit.

"Deal!" The wo clasped hands before a monster smashed the car. The two boys screamed as they ran off, Quint grabbing Maylin's hand and she yelped in alarm as he dragged her along. The monster roared and Jack looked up, turning back to Quint. He saw his hand slip from Maylin and she fell to the ground. The zombies started to surround her and he gasped.

"Maylin!" He shouted as he couldn't see her anymore, fearing the worst. He looked at Jack in horror, breathing deeply before they both went in opposite directions. Jack ran up to a fence, going through a hole and looking back as another monster stomped past. He then ran back home as the portal was still overhead...

He peeked from a bush, looking up ahead to see his house. The car parked there was already packed with a bunch of belongings. "Whew! There they are," He smiled in relief. "Huh?" He raised a brow in confusion to see them just take off without any word. "Hey! Wait up!" He shouted, gritting his teeth and shaking a fist. "Lousy new foster family. I'm here!" He waved his hands, looking annoyed. A zombie came up to him, snarling. He turned around in alarm and then ran off. He stumbled into the backyard, looking back as the zombie came across him. He snarled and the door closed in front of them. Then the door opened again, being closed once more. Jack glared as he kept kicking the door back and forth, but it wasn't enough to keep the zombie out at all.

He looked up at the treehouse in front of him, getting up as quick as possible. "You don't wanna eat these brains. I'm not as smart as I look! Aah!" He looked down at the zombie grasping his leg and he kicked it. While trying to fend off the zombie, his walkie talkie fell and hit the zombie's glasses before falling onto a rock and breaking into pieces. "No!" He shouted as that was the only way to contact Quint. He climbed up the ladder and then pulled it up before the zombie could get to him. The zombie gave up, but the walkie talkie was still broken. He groaned and opened up the door, glancing around. Just like his house now, the place was deserted.

"Anyone undead in here?" He asked, and no one was there. All he could hear was the whistling of the wind. He went over to the corner and slid down to the ground. He placed a blanket over himself as the world outside was now...madness...

"Okay, so that happened," Jack commented after remembering how he got here in the first place. "And every day after that was like living in a whole new world! New world, day one."

Jack whistled, patting his tummy while laying across a table.

"Day 3."

His stomach growled and he groaned. A caterpillar came up to him and he gasped. "Hmm..." He took it and opened his mouth, about to eat it. But then he saw it wiggling around and backed off, since...it wouldn't taste very good. He then beamed as he saw something in the ceiling. "Loot box! Courtesy of my lame-o foster brother," He flicked away the caterpillar and jumped up towards the string. Once he got a grip on it, he fell to the ground. He then sniffed the vox.

"Cheese singles. Chocolate creamies. Onion Ring-a-lings. Slightly expired Sour Ranch Tortitos," He got excited at the thought of eating them. "I will be hungry no more!" He cheered, and then started to pick the lock with a paper clip. When that didn't work, he bit at the lock for some reason. "Delicious foods, you will be mine!" He smacked at the box with the baseball bat, and still didn't get it to open. He sighed in defeat as he dropped the bat.

He fell to the ground in dismay, putting his cheek against the lid. Suddenly the lock opened and he smiled. "Yes!" As he opened it, gold color came from it and he smiled at all the junk food. "Okay, there's enough here to last me months. I just gotta be responsible..."

Then he started to down all of them without thinking about it saving some for later or for the next week or so.

"Day 16."

Jack grunted as he pushed a cart full of junk food up a hill, since he ran out of the stash. A zombie swiped at him from behind a fence, and he yelped in surprise. In turn, this caused him to lose his grip on the cart and it went rolling down the hill. "No, no, no! I need that to live!" He shouted as he chased after the cart.

"Day 23."

He rode around town in a bike, ringing the bell. "June Del Toro! Hello? Are you around? It's Jack Sullivan. I'm trying to do a rescue thing." He came across a monster with fangs and tentacles, yelping as he ran off and it ate his bike.

"Day 27."

He pushed up another cart of food as he wasted the stash once again. The same zombie from over a week ago surprised him. But this time, he revealed that he had the cart attached to him by string. "Ha ha! How do you like me now?" He bragged to the zombie. He then laughed as he rode the cart down the road. "Woo-hoo!"

"Day 39."

He smirked as he held the bat over his shoulder, jumping off a building to avoid a swing from a monster's claw. Oh, yeah! Woo!" He jumped towards the road, ducking underneath a zombie. "Woo!" He laughed as he leaped over one, saluting to them.

"Day 42."

Day 42 was when he faced off Blarg and everything, needing the screwdriver to try and contact Quint.

"Day 43. Today."

He silently slept and then suddenly the radio came on. "Corporal Tiger-Pants to Captain Danger!" Quint's voice could be heard, and it immediately woke him up. "Jack, are you receiving?"

He gasped and fell over in a panic, tripping before grabbing the walkie-talkie. "Quint! I'm here! Jack on the mic."

"Jack! Yes!" Quint shouted happily upon hearing his voice.

"You're not dead!"

"Neither are you!"

Both of them cheered at home, relieved that the other was okay and not a zombie. "I'm...really happy you're alive, Quint," Jack smiled into the walkie-talkie.

"I feel the same way. I'm really happy I'm alive, too."

"I'm on my way," Jack hung up to look at his map, which had a bunch of safe zones...or zones with monsters or zombies marked. "Okay. Now, to get to Quint's house," He flipped over the board, suddenly in a Captain's uniform with a spotlight on him. "Men, this won't be easy. The path is perilous. Zombie hordes. Dozer lairs. Monstrous, vine-thingy jungles. And the big guys—Octogrute, Tentaclefiend. And who knows what else? Time to suit up."

He threw a small stink bomb into his hand, tossing them into a bag. He took his hockey stick, and then a bottle of water to chug. He coughed as he drunk too fast, but continued drinking anyway. He adjusted his gloves, tying tape around his bat. He then stood bravely once the doors were opened, giving a thumbs up. "Let's boogie." He grasped a zipline and slid down it, landing roughly outside his backyard. "Ha!" He stood up and then was about to go right before going left.

He came across a bridge and took out a coriander hat. He ran off, but a monster was in the area, looking around. He hid in the grass, acting as if he was a spy as he advanced forward. He then heard a thump and looked up ahead. "Uh-oh. Dozer," He noticed a giant green monster, which slammed down his hands. "Crazy strong. Thick skin protects the internal organs. They eat zombies. And possibly still-breathing dudes like me," He slowly backed away. "Luckily, they're slow and dumb, so I'll just be turning and fleeing, and living to fight another day..." He bumped into something, falling backwards to see another monster in front of him. He slowly inched backwards as Dozer and the other monster reached out to him.

"Get down, friend!" A few fireworks occurred, distracting both the monsters. Jack looked up to see Quint firing them. "Move quickly, while the enemy is disoriented!"

"His timing is impeccable!" Jack rushed past them while Maylin came onto the scene, being chased by another giant monster. She looked back and slid to a stop, revealing she had claws over her hands attached to gloves, but made out of material that wasn't normal.

"Maylin Yoon?!" Jack and Quint exclaimed in unison. "The coolest girl in school?!"

She glared up at the monster and Quint gasped, firing at all three before Maylin could even fight back.

"What was...?" She gasped and looked up as Quint waved. She snapped out of it and ran off after Jack, both of them climbing over the fence. Jack slid in front of a door, opening it to reveal a bunch of zombies. "Whew! You guys are horrifying, but it's not your fault you're undead..." He looked at his hockey stick in his hand, Maylin running up to him. "So, I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna politely ask you to step..." He pushed several back away from them. "A...side." He looked up at another one in front of him. "Please!" He leaped over it while Maylin ran in hot, slashing at it with her claws. She ran past several other zombies, doing the same thing while Jack leaped over a tire swing. He looked back at the defeated zombies before noticing something else. "Whoa."

Maylin slid to an abrupt stop as a huge zombie was in front of them both. "Coming through!" Jack announced as he and Maylin attacked at the same time, but it did nothing. He panted as he stepped back, the zombie reaching out to them. Jack yelped and threw the balloons, distracting the zombie long enough for them to run into the kitchen. Quint closed the door as the two of them fell. Maylin panted heavily from the ground.

"Quint!"

"Jack!"

The two hugged each other, Maylin looking up as they did a secret handshake. "Feat complete. Buddies reunited." The two then looked at Maylin, who shook her head and looked up at them, flinching as she saw them aweing over her.

"It's Maylin Yoon, the coolest girl in school!"

"What?" She murmured in confusion since she never knew that she had a title. And she wasn't sure if she should be flattered or annoyed. The brunette slowly helped herself up, dusting off her clothes. "Anyway, thanks for the save, Quint, Jack."

"She knows my name..." Quint fanboyed, hands over his cheeks and she darted her eyes around.

"Mine too!" Jack gushed and she blinked as she stared at them.

"Okay, we're back to that."

"Um, can we go up to your lab?" Jack pointed towards outside, Quint gasping as the big zombie was...licking at the door. "He's giving me the heebie-jeebies." The three left awkwardly, leaving behind the weird zombie.


A pinball hit a mechanism and then slid down a slide, hitting a spatula and going down a tube. "I've begun classifying the strange beings that now inhabit the area by genus and species." A soda went into a pot and then steam poured down, the cap being popped off to pour into a cup. He grabbed it and offered it to Maylin. "Next, I'll grade their skill sets and abilities! But here you go, Maylin Yoon, coolest girl in school. Just like when you gave me your lunch, remember?"

"Uh, yeah, I remember," She awkwardly took it while he just looked happy that she was in his lab. She took a sip and started to examine his stuff.

"Cool, cool, fun, fun," Jack took a sip of his soda. "Can't believe Maylin Yoon is in your lab, dude!" He winked at him and Quint shushed him.

"She'll hear you!"

Maylin turned around to the two while taking another sip of her drink. "Your lab's pretty cool, Quint," She said casually and he beamed.

"Maylin Yoon-"

"It's just May, okay?" She interrupted in annoyance, holding up her hands to calm him down. "No more coolest girl in school addition."

"Everyone looked up to you!" Quint gushed at her.

"I wouldn't go that far," May looked away knowingly. She definitely had her enemies back at school...

"Are you kidding? Straight As, head cheerleader, student body president, and dominator of the Mathlete Club! And...well, you were nice to a guy like me," He rubbed the back of his neck and she blinked.

"Oh...well, I don't like people picking on the innocent or the whole 'nerd' title. It's about time someone does something about that," She took another sip of her drink. "Time to change the status quo, you know? Although that's kinda meaningless with the whole...apocalypse thing," She looked out the window.

"No! No, I actually admire you even more because of that," Quint flinched in embarrassment. "Did I say that out loud? Oh, you did, Quint! Now she thinks you're uncool..."

She gave a small smile at him, but he didn't notice it. "Uh, so, buddy," Jack spoke up even though he didn't wanna interrupt them. "Where are your parents?"

"They were on a cruise, remember?" Quint pointed out to him, though looking a little annoyed. "So I must believe they're still out there safe."

"But-"

"It is what I choose to believe..." Quint interjected, taking another sip of his drink.

"And what about that weird babysitter?" Jack questioned, the boy blushing deeply since May was in earshot of that.

"Not my babysitter! My...hired companion. But she got zombified straightaway."

"That's right," Jack grinned widely at May. "He's way too cool for a babysitter." The babysitter was inside his closet, which was barricaded as they could hear her inside. He then laughed nervously as he hoped that she fell for that.

"Uh huh..." May didn't seem too interested in their explanations. Jack went up to Quint.

"Bud, this place is spooky quiet. Let's blow this joint, head to the tree house for video game time."

"Impossible. My research is here," He pointed to his lab.

"Yeah, and I think I've overstayed my welcome here," May rubbed her arm.

"Quint! May! I've perfected my own neon summit-drip slushie formula." Quint raised a brow at him. "Extra sugar, triple caffeine, guaranteed eye-spinning gamer rush," He smirked at the boy, but it didn't seem to entirely convince him. "And May, it's totally cool! Where have you been all this time, though?"

"Oh, well, after I fought off all those zombies, I went to go get some stuff from home. I was gonna hide out there, but then it got...weird, so I've just been from there I come, there I go," She explained to him. "Though I don't know about this slushie formula. Seems too sugary for me."

"Well, I can always make you a mango smoothie," Jack placed his hands on his hips proudly.

"Oh, my favorite!" She smiled a bit, unaware that he only knew that because of Quint. "If you put it that way, I guess I could come over for a little bit-"

"I'll gather my things," Quint interrupted quickly, surprising her.


Once they had boxes full of Quint's stuff, Jack led the way into the garage. He looked over his shoulder as Quint dragged a wagon and May held a few boxes herself. "Quint, I trust you in all things," Jack started off.

"Thank you," Quint smiled at him.

"But how are we getting all this to the tree house? It's a long walk," He finished in concern because walking all of this up a hill and through a street...would be impossible. Not to mention that they might have to fight off zombies or monsters with all their things.

"Yeah, I need my hands if I come across a zombie. My hands are equipped with shovel claws," May said while biting her lip.

"Oh, we won't be walking," Quint smiled knowingly, flipping the switch. A huge van was in front of them, making May and Jack drop their boxes. Quint smirked at her expression, leaning across the door. "Jack, May, meet Big Mama."

"Whoa..."

"This...is so cool!" May smiled at it.

"Allow me to go through the features. Arrow turret. Bottle-rocket launchers. Butter-slick slingers. Fuzzy mice for science. Fuzzy dice for looking cool."

"Dude!" Jack exclaimed at something up front. "Is that a human skull?"

"It's only a candle," Quint told him.

"Oh. Not sure if I'm disappointed or relieved," Jack admitted to them. "What's it smell like?"

"Cookie dough."

Both of them sniffed it at the same time. "Love it!" Jack smiled and flinched, smiling awkwardly at May since she could see them. "Not that we're uncool!"

"Yeah, we're totally cool," Quint leaned against the car...which then broke down behind him. He frowned at this.

"Aw, man..." Jack pouted, but May stepped forward.

"I can try and fix it," She offered, opening up the hood. "Hand me a wrench," She held out a hand. The two boys glanced at each other with raised eyebrows before Quint gave it to her. She took out her phone and put on the flashlight, the wrench between her lips.

"Well, Big Mama is kinda old," Quint started off to her as she inspected the inside. "So don't worry if you can't-"

"Yup," She took out the wrench from her mouth. "Got a clogged radiator. That's what happens when you've got an overheated engine," She stated to their surprise that she was able to pinpoint it so easily. May looked back to the shocked boys. "You got any radiator fluid?"

They watched as she flushed the radiator and then poured in radiator fluid. "Alright, let's see..." She jumped in halfway through the window with the keys in her hand. She turned in the key and the engine roared, to her delight. "Yes! All set for a trip to that treehouse," She smiled, hands on her hips. They stared at her with their mouths open. "What?"

"How...how do you know so much about cars?" Quint pointed at the girl.

"Oh, my uncle is a mechanic," She rubbed the back of her neck. "He used to love reading me books about car maintenance." She then picked up a box and went to the trunk.

"She gets cooler every single minute..." Quint gushed, Jack giving him a small smile. Together they loaded up the car, getting in. Jack went into the driver's seat, adjusting the mirror. Quint flicked the fuzzy dice. Jack smirked as he had on sunglasses while Quint...had sunglasses meant for girls. May also had girl sunglasses over her forehead. Jack put in the key, starting up the car. "Oh, blast. I didn't hook up the electricity to the garage doors."

"Doors?" Jack smirked at him. "Where we're going, we don't need doors."

"Please don't do what I think you're about to do..." May shook her head. Jack pushed up the lever.

"Yes!" He then drove the car through the garage doors, breaking them entirely. The three looked back at the giant hole in the garage. May pinched her nose at this.

"My parents will be home eventually, and I will be blaming you for the doors," Quint pointed out to him.

"Fair enough." He then drove off, the door removing itself entirely. The car went through a mailbox, revealing a baby monster inside. Quint and May both screamed, but Jack was enjoying it as he laughed. "Guys, I am driving a car! And I'm really good at it!" He drove into a fire extinguisher and thankfully he drove easy after that. "So, you remember June Del Toro?"

"Hmm," Quint rubbed his chin. "The June Del Toro you've been crushing on since school started? The June Del Toro you can't stop talking about?" He removed his sunglasses, narrowing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. "No."

"Oh, so I guess you want your own crush to know right now that-"

"Never mind!" Quint exclaimed quickly, May raising a brow in confusion as she didn't get the hint that they were talking about her.

"Well, first thing tomorrow, we're going out looking for her. That's nonnegotiable," Jack grinned widely.

"Ohh, that June Del Toro," Quint faked knowing about it since he had known for a long time.

"Ugh," May looked away in annoyance at the mention of her name. Jack looked at her from the rearview mirror, watching her look out the window, not seeming to care about their conversation. Quint looked back at her as she had a hand on her cheek. He sighed happily at her, looking at her shovel claws.

"Your claws are pretty cool," He told her, causing her to look up.

"Oh, they're not that impressive," She looked them over.

"Sure they are! It's just like you to be in close combat with monsters and zombies!"

She gave him a small smile. "Well, thanks, Quint."

He blushed at earning a smile, rubbing his neck. "No problem..."

Jack skidded around the corner, knocking down a lamp post in the process. They arrived at the treehouse and climbed up the ladder. The boys played video games, snacking out on junk food and eating s'mores. Soon day turned into night. Jack laid on the floor while Quint laid down on a hammock. May laid between them, snoring softly as her chest rose up and down. The two boys laid there on the floor, looking up at the ceiling.

"Quint, buddy. You awake?"

"...Yep," He whispered softly to Jack so that they wouldn't wake up May.

"Dude, the world, like...ended," Jack lamented with a frown.

"I know."

"I'm glad you, May, and I...we're all in it together, you know?" He smiled a little at his best friend.

"I know," Quint turned to him, frowning. He then let out a fart, laughing out loud before covering his mouth with his hands.

"Oh, man. My mouth was open," Jack complained, both of them thankful that May was asleep right now.

"Good night," Quint told him.

"Good night," He then fell asleep, leaving Quint to look at May. She suddenly whimpered, clenching a hand as she seemed to be having a nightmare. He frowned as he could tell that she didn't forget their situation too...he looked around and saw the blanket on the couch. He took it and then put it over May, earning a smile from her face. He smiled and went to sleep on the hammock.


As soon as the sun rose, Jack, May, and Quint went out in Big Mama to look for June. They drove past all the zombies, one of them holding a coffee that disintegrated. "June, are you out there?" Jack hollered from a megaphone. "'It is I, Jack Sullivan, postapocalyptic action hero, come to rescue you." He got nothing in return. "Hmm, something's not right."

"Air temperature?" Quint wondered from the passenger seat.

"No."

"Velocity?"

"No."

"Direction?"

"Nope."

"Music!" The two smiled at each other, May pumping a fist.

"Yes!"

"We need some cool, man-on-a-mission, searching-for-June music," Jack put on a rock track, bopping his head to the beat.

"Jack, look out!" Quint pointed forward in alarm as someone was walking out on the road. He screamed and skidded to a stop. May and Quint both looked back.

"Was that a monster or a person?"

"Both," Quint answered him. "It's Dirk Savage." Dirk looked back before walking off.

"Mother of crudballs, he's alive!" Jack took off his seatbelt.

"What are you doing?!" Quint wondered in dismay.

"Little friendly chitchat," He answered, Quint frowning.

"No, wait!" He grasped Jack's hand, skeptical since Dirk used to bully the both of them after all.

"Quint, we can't leave him. He's a survivor, like us," Jack stated in defense, gesturing to himself. He then stepped out of the car.

"Fine! But if he kills you, it's your funeral."

"If it'll make you feel better, I'll go with him so that he lives," May scooted over to the left, jumping out of the car. "Jack's right, it's better to have strength both literally and in numbers. Besides, he's got no reason to pick on you now," She walked past him and he whimpered in fear. Dirk looked back as both May and Jack approached him. He put his shovel behind his back, fully facing them as he clenched a fist. The trio stared each other down.

"...Sup?" Jack offered a hand and Dirk gasped, rushing forward to them. May recoiled back in shock at this. "Aah! I'm sorry about the rotund panda bear line!" He shouted in fear.

"Behind you, dummies!" He pointed behind them to see a monster flying towards them. "Winged wretch! Get down!" He pushed them out of the way, jumping and grabbing the ankles of the wretch. The two gasped as Dirk spung it around and then tossed it into a building. Quint gasped, the duo shocked that Dirk actually saved them. Especially since the last time they saw him, he wasn't exactly friendly. He looked as the wretch emerged from the building and then flew away. "You're welcome. Huh."

"Whoa," Jack murmured, still surprised.

"I guess some people can really change," May commented, looking at Jack. Dirk ripped off a pipe and drunk water from it. Quint ran over to join his friends, the three briefly glancing at each other. Dirk splashed himself with water.

"So, um, Dirk, what are you-" Jack struggled to talk to him because of the whole bullying thing. "I mean, do you wanna, like, hang out?" Dirk didn't answer so he continued. "We have a tree house. There's room if you wanna-"

"What would I want with you two dorks?" Dirk dismissed them.

"If you really think that way about them, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to save him," May placed a hand on her hip, jerking a thumb to Jack, earning a grunt from Dirk.

"You can still do the whole tough guy, loner thing, just do it with us," Jack offered him.

"Uh-uh. Can't be a loner unless you're alone," Dirk pointed out, earning an eye roll from May.

"Well, that's...a point. But I still think you'd be better off with us," Jack placed a hand on Quint's shoulder, the latter not feeling too sure about this. Dirk walked up to them, staring them down.

"Please don't eat me!" Quint begged him.

"Huh," He remarked before walking off.

"Okay, whatever. We're going. Enjoy your solitude," Jack respectfully gave up.

"You know, it's really fascinating how much you wanna keep up this image and yet you still went out of your way to save us. Being alone forever solves nothing, but if that's what you want," May waved to him, following after the boys. He looked back as he watched them leave.

"Guys, you thinking ice cream for dinner?"

"Yeah, I could go for some ice cream. Maybe we could get cheesecake flavor?" He smirked a bit at May, who gasped.

"My favorite ice cream!" She said giddily, blinking. "How'd you know that?"

"Uh, lucky guess?" Quint smiled awkwardly and she decided to let it go for now.

Dirk then realized that he couldn't be alone forever since he needed companions, people to talk to. "All right," He rushed up to them. The three stared up at him. "But only because you three would totally die without me."

Jack grinned widely at Quint, May scoffing at his statement. Quint then yelped as he looked up at the sky in horror. "I believe we may, all four, die together," He winced as he pointed upwards...at three wretches. "Look! He's back, and he's brought friends!"

They screeched as two landed on buildings and the last one flew after them. "RUN!" Dirk shouted and they took off towards Big Mama. One of them grabbed Jack, and Quint hugged his waist to make them fall.

"Thanks, buddy!" Jack said in relief.

"Anytime, friend!"

"Come on!" May threw open the door as Dirk drabbed them both by the back of their shirts. He threw them into the front and then got into the back with May. Jack drove off past the wretches, May looking back out the window.

"So many! It's like they've been drawn from all over town!" Quint exclaimed in a panic.

"Gee, I wonder why," Dirk said sarcastically while holding up the megaphone.

Jack groaned at this. "Of course. What was I thinking? This is perfect!" He grabbed it from Dirk.

"Jack, wait-"

"Okay, all winged monsters," He hollered into the megaphone and interrupted May, the others covering their ears in pain. "Please disperse. Go away, please."

"What are you doing?!" Dirk grabbed it and then snapped it in two.

"Aw, I need that to find June Del Toro," Jack whined to him.

"What? What do you want with her?" Dirk asked in confusion. "Last I saw her, she was over at Lumber Party."

"You saw June?" Jack laughed happily, May recoiling back in alarm. He then started to daydream about her. "She's alive! June Del Toro is alive~ She's alive~"

"Jack, come back!" Quint shouted as Jack was still driving.

"Hey, Dingus!" Dirk yelled as a wretch was flying right towards their car.

"You need to watch the road!" May screamed as he swerved to the side.

"You saw June? How was she?" Jack questioned Dirk. "Did she ask about me? Why was she at Lumber Party?"

"How should I know?" Dirk questioned back, Jack giving a wide-eyed look.

"She might still be there, trapped! In mortal danger! In need of rescuing and saving. This is great!"

"Sure, yeah, great," Dirk dismissed while looking out the window. "But we may not survive long enough to celebrate!"

Quint frantically wrote something down as the wretches closed in on them. "Wanna bet?" Jack narrowed his eyes, hitting the brakes. Two wretches crashed into each other, Dirk laughing while Jack looked happy. Quint seemed to be terrified, but May looked impressed. Jack then pulled the lever to accelerate, the last wretch knocking into them. They swerved and drove away from it. "To save June Del Toro, I will let nothing stop us!" He came across a gas station with a slope.

"You gonna turn?" May looked at him wide-eyed as he didn't seem to be doing that.

"Uh, Jack? That's too low," Quint stated but they were still heading towards it. "You're gonna hit the—you're gonna hit-!" The three braced themselves and Jack drove right underneath the awning, allowing the wretch to crash into it instead. An explosion occurred right behind them and they screamed before landing on the road. Jack cheered as May and Dirk were shocked and then they heard a sound. Jack looked to see they were running low on gas.

"Uh, looks like we're low on gas."

"Hmm, where might we procure some around here?" Quint asked knowingly, Jack frowning.

"Oh wait! Maybe if we drive to the one you just blew up," May crossed her arms, causing Jack to wince.

"Ugh, I never should have agreed to hang with you two," Dirk groaned to the boys. He would've said the same thing about May, but he wasn't going to.


Jack walked down the road with a drone following. "I gotta document this cause today is major. Because as soon as I get some gas for Big Mama," He patted the gasoline can in his hands. "We're gonna complete the ultimate feat of apocalyptic success—rescuing June Del Toro. And I know exactly how it's gonna go."

Thunder struck as June was surrounded by monsters. "Won't some tall, attractive middle schooler save a damsel in distress?" She asked, but Jack was imitating her voice.

"Never fear!" Jack held up a sword in the distance. He jumped and landed in the area, wearing knight armor. "Jack Sullivan is here." One of the monsters roared at him and he flung his sword at it, causing it to disappear. He caught his sword back, but the monster remaining was holding June.

"Jack!" She cried out.

"Aaahhh!" He jumped up and winked at her before slicing the monster in half. It exploded and June fell, but he caught her in his arms.

"My hero," She hugged him happily.

"Yup, definitely gonna be like that."

He opened his eyes and realized he was hugging a mascot. He smiled awkwardly and jumped backwards. "Sorry, sir," He turned around and gasped to see a gas station. "A gas station I haven't exploded yet!" He grabbed the pump and put it in the can. Once he had enough, he put the pump back and sealed off the can. He then looked into the can, seeing an air freshener. "Ooh, free cologne!" He snatched it and sniffed, rubbing it over his armpits. "Gotta smell good for the big day."

A photo fell in front of him and he picked it up to see a picture of a happy family. He then turned it around. "Blake family reunion. Love you guys," He looked at the photo and sighed. "Oh, man." He placed the picture over his head. "Those people in the picture," He slid to the ground. "I envy them, even though they're probably zombies by now," He rubbed the back of his neck. "At least they had a chance to be a family, a real family. I never had that. Although now, with May and Quint and Dirk and..." He then realized that the drone was still recording him. "Oh, uh, note to self: edit out all this emotional stuff later." He then ran off. "Gotta maintain my cool, action hero exterior. Boom!"

Something then crashed into him and he screamed. He looked up to see a big dog-like monster snarling down at him. He gave a nervous look, the beast opening up its mouth...and licking at his face. "Ugh. Blech. Ugh. Saliva overload! Now get off of me, you overgrown mutt monster," He pushed away the beast playfully. He stood up, the beast sniffing him. "Is this what you want?" Jack held up the air freshener. Here, go fetch, boy," He tossed it and the beast chased after it.

Jack turned around to leave, picking up the can, but then the beast came back with the air freshener, taking him by surprise. "Whoa. Uh, no, you can keep it," He threw it again and then tried to leave once more. The beast whined at him and he sighed. "Ugh..." He turned around to see the beast holding the drone in its mouth, shaking it like a toy. "Hey, give me that," Jack snatched it from him. "That's how I document my coolness."

The beast whined again and licked Jack as he gathered up his things. "Stay back!" He ordered, the beast whimpering at him. "I don't have time to play, okay?" He heard a thud, looking at the beast as he was on his back. "Sorry, boy, you'll just have to get your belly rubbed elsewhere," He then left the beast behind. "Oh, and thanks again for not killing me!"

He watched Jack leave as the boy went around the corner and bumped right into a zombie. He backed away, looking around in alarm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The whole area was flooded with them, and he looked back to see several others behind him. He saw that he was completely surrounded by the zombies. "Okay, zombies, you give me no choice. Batter up!" He took out his slicer...which slipped out of his hand and went too far away for him to grab it. "Dog monster slobber," He shook the saliva from the beast off his hand. He winced as he had no way to defend himself now.

The beast jumped from behind and landed in front of him, roaring. He knocked them away with his tail, knocking the last one to the bus. He turned around to Jack. "Whoa, tail tornado. Tail-nado!" The beast looked happy and Jack went over to him, rubbing his chin. "Thanks, buddy. Maybe I do have a little time to play."


"Ugh," Dirk complained at the treehouse. "Nothing but nerdy magazines," He closed one as Quint kept a look-out for Jack with his binoculars. May sat next to Dirk, drinking a soda.

"Jack's had plenty of time to acquire the needed fuel. Where is he?"

"Ugh, do you do this every time he goes shopping?" Dirk asked in disbelief. "Cause that's gonna get old real fast." May elbowed him and he rubbed his arm as she stood up.

"Look, I'm sure he's okay," Quint turned to her and she gave a small smile. "Jack was taking care of himself for six weeks, remember? He knows by now how to handle zombies and monsters. And I'm sure he'll appreciate you worrying about him."

"Yeah...you're right," He admitted while rubbing his neck. "It's just that...well..." He looked behind him and then noticed Jack. "Jack! Wait, not Jack!" He noticed the beast chasing after him. "Behind you, friend! Danger level: delta!"

"No, no, no, it's okay," Jack assured them as he opened up the fence. "Danger level...whatever's below delta."

"That would be alpha," May called out to him with a hand on her hip.

"He's with me. His name is Rover!" He introduced the beast.

"Rover?" The three asked while looking at each other. Rover looked at some tires and used it as a chew toy.

"Sharp teeth, downy fur, slobbers like a rain storm. Not a dog, but close enough. And the first friendly monster."

"Jack," Quint called out while Dirk and May slid down a rope. "If you're not acting against your will, say the name of the first movie we ever made."

"Duh. Attack of the Killer Yo-yo!"

All the movie was consisted of them screaming and pretending to be...attacked by yo-yos. "That is lame-o, but this is awesome!" Dirk cheered as Rover ran around him and May. "Look at you, ah!" He gave Rover belly rubs.

"Ah!" Quint flinched as he admitted that out loud to May. "W-We never made a movie called that!"

She didn't seem to pay attention as she laughed from Rover licking her face. "It's not just awesome, it's a feat! Get an awesome pet. Feat complete!" Jack cheered while pumping a fist. "And I got the gas, so we can head out and find June right now," He headed towards Big Mama.

"What's so important about June, anyway? Is she a doctor or ninja or something?" Dirk wondered as he hadn't gotten an answer as to why Jack needed to find her.

"I think he likes her, as in like-likes her," Quint whispered to him.

"I can hear you, you know? But I'm sure everyone would like to know who you like-like too-"

"No! No! I don't, I don't like-like anyone," Quint immediately denied, laughing nervously at May.

"Okay?"

"Rescuing is what heroes do. And I'm a hero now, so let's go," Jack pointed to the car.

"Uhh," Dirk rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, it's been weeks since I seen her. So..."

"And the odds of someone surviving out there alone for this long are-"

"Don't tell me the odds," Jack interrupted with a glare. "Never tell me the odds."

"Yeah, it's better if you just let him do it," May whispered to Quint, though Jack still looked hopeful.

"Guys, I know she's out there. I feel it in my gut," He insisted to the three of them.

"Well," Dirk rubbed the back of his neck. "Last place I saw her was Lumber Party, so-"

"So let's go," Jack put his stuff in the car.

"Huh," Dirk shrugged a little. "Beats reading your nimrod mags. Let's do it!" He smiled, walking forward, but Quint seemed to stay behind as May followed.

"Yaaaay," She faked enthusiasm for some reason. Dirk looked back at Quint.

"What's the hold up, Einstein?"

"I'm staying. I have tasks to perform here," Quint jerked a thumb behind him.

"Right," Dirk walked up to him skeptically. "More like you're too scared to go."

"Dirk, that is in fact false," Quint held up a finger. "While you're out joyriding, I'll be here, safeguarding the tree house," He remarked, Dirk rolling his eyes.

"Quint's our Corporal Tiger-Pants," Jack stated, Quint gesturing for him not to say that in front of May and facepalming.

"What?" Dirk looked to Jack in confusion. May placed a hand on her hip, raising a brow.

"The courageous guardian of the Galactic Fortress, a character from Cosmic Burger Patrol."

"Our comic book," The two said in unison.

"You two spend way too much time together," Dirk got into the passenger seat, closing the door. May looked to Quint and then Dirk opened up the window.

"I'm gonna stay here with Quint. Keep him company, you know?" She suggested, Quint flinching as he'd be alone with her. Jack wiggled his eyebrows knowingly at Quint.

"Whatever," Dirk rolled his eyes.

"Hey, the more protection the better, unless you wanna start living with the zombies," She retorted back, earning a grunt.

"Every single time," He grumbled as she stepped back, Quint raising a brow at her.

"Suit yourself," Jack shrugged casually as Dirk closed the window. "Operation Lumber Party is-"

"Knock it off," Dirk interrupted, a hand on his chin. Jack started the car and then pulled the lever. They drove off out of the area and headed down the street. Rover, May, and Quint looked after them, Rover barking. Quint screamed and closed off the fence, coughing as May stood in front of him. He tried to look cool in front of her.

"So...May. Coolest girl in school-"

"Dude, I thought we were done with that," She sighed a bit. "I'm not the coolest girl in school...I'm just like everyone else."

"Sorry. Sorry..." He held his arm anxiously. "But you wanna know why I think you're so cool? Because you always seem so focused and driven. You have this...motivation, this need to help others." This earned a smile from her. "By the way, how do you know Dirk so much?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, we used to date," She said casually while looking over her shoulder and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?!"


Jack swerved and ran through a sign. "What's with that kid anyway?" Dirk spoke up to Jack.

"Quint? He's my comrade in arms, partner in crime, my best friend." The bigger teen glanced to him. "Well, only friend, I guess. Unless...you know, you and I. Or May and me. I mean, eventually," He shrugged awkwardly before looking towards the road.

"So, Quint?" Dirk changed the subject.

"Uh, right. He's awesome. He just sees things a little different than you, me, or May. Or anyone, really. And maybe that's why he likes May so much because she's kinda like that too. But that can come in handy when-"

"Watch it!" Dirk shouted as he pointed up ahead at a zombie in the road. Jack swerved to the right to avoid it and they crashed into a diner. Some hot dogs fell over them and they glanced at each other with wide smiles. Soon they were back on the road again while eating hot dogs.

"I like to think of things like that as happy accidents," Jack told Dirk while eating.

"They don't even taste that old with enough mustard-" Dirk was about to sauce up his hot dog when Jack skidded to a stop, causing him to bump into the dashboard.

"And here we are." Dirk had mustard over his face, wiping it off. He looked up ahead to see Lumber Party, but the whole parking lot was swarmed with zombies.

"Oh, man! Lumber Party turned into zombie party!" He looked at the various ones walking around, and there was no one place they could go to without getting attacked. "There's no way."

"Nothing's stopping me from getting to June!" Jack declared with a wide smile. "Just need a little Quint magic."

"Huh?" Dirk turned to him in confusion. Jack then opened up the trunk.

"Ta-da!"

"What's that?" Dirk raised a confused brow.

"Got zombies?" Quint asked while being recorded. "Then you need the Scream Machine!" He gestured to a big speaker with an egg timer attached. "Simply set the egg timer and run. When the timer dings, the speaker broadcasts screams from your favorite horror movies." He got those by watching said horror movies, looking away while recording the sounds. "Thus attracting every zombie within earshot. Order today. We accept most postapocalyptic currencies. Atomic Cola caps preferred."

"The Scream Machine!"

They planted it in the parking lot, turning the timer. They then made a break for it as the timer went off, followed by the screaming. The zombies all turned around, flocking over to it. Jack drove Big Mama behind them, smiling happily.

"Whoa," Dirk grinned widely that it worked.

"Quint magic." They rushed over to the entrance and quickly went inside. "Scream Machine evacuation, feat complete. Thanks to Quint."

Dirk looked outside and then to Jack. "Guess he's not as lame as I thought." He then saw Jack walking with shoes that lit up with each step. "You, however..."

"Uh, hand-me-downs," Jack sagged his shoulders knowingly. "The tape is coming off. Hey! Luckily, we're right by the duct tape, and it's on sale. I'll look in electrical. You flush out plumbing. Heh, get it?" He smiled while grabbing some tape.

"Hilarious," Dirk deadpanned before leaving. Jack taped up his shoes before walking forward.

"June. June Del Toro." He gasped as he saw the back of her ponytail. "I'm here to rescue you," He ran forward, seeing that it was only a mop. "No." He ran forward with a ladder, climbing up to the top. "Tall, attractive middle-schooler, at your service!" He came to a stop as he didn't see anything. "No." He walked with goggles and a drill. "Come with me if you wanna live...in a tree house," He sighed as he was talking to a bunch of pool equipment. "Not here."

He stopped after coming into another hallway and gasping happily. "Ping-pong!" He saw a ping-pong table. "Quint loves ping-pong. He always says it's like a video game, but you move your body," He took the paddle and the ball. Someone touched his shoulder and he shouted in alarm, but it was just Dirk. "Oh, hey. Any sign of June?"

"Ugh. No. Sorry, man."

"Ugh, so where is she?" Jack lamented as he walked off. He then got a scent of something.

"Do you smell that?" Dirk seemed to smell it too. "Yeah, something here smells bad."

A loud crash was heard, and a purple tail was seen in a hallway. "Oh no," Jack's eyes widened in horror as he realized who was here. "Not him..." Blarg came up into view as they slowly backed away, hiding in one of the aisles. Blarg stomped on something and the eye that got hurt now had a scar over it, and it looked orange-ish. He narrowed his eyes, stepping forward as the boys looked up at him.

"You know this thing?" Dirk whispered to Jack.

"We've met. I call him Blarg," He informed quietly.

"Why?" Blarg roared so big that he sprayed saliva and knocked them back. "Gotcha." Blarg saw them and snarled, growling as they backed away. Jack narrowed his eyes at the monster. "He's looking at you, Jack! Why is he looking at you?"

Blarg spit something out, which was Jack's old backpack. He looked to Dirk with a nervous smile. "I...think he's been hunting me."

"What?!" Dirk exclaimed loudly. Blarg roared again and they ran off screaming. Blarg pushed away the shelves, the two skidding around a hallway.

"Not good!"

Blarg raced after them on all fours, the two panting in fear. "You're being stalked by a monster?!" Dirk shouted at Jack. "Why the heck did I join you?!"

"Because I'm a delight," Jack grinned widely while running. Blarg snapped open some aisles while chasing them. They turned a corner as Blarg crashed into some shelves, roaring and getting trapped behind some orange wires. He pushed down the shelves, and in turn, caused some zombies to enter. "Yes!" Jack cheered while they looked behind them. "I think we lost him."

They turned a corner again, skidding to a stop. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! And gained a ton of zombies!" The zombies growled at the duo, Blarg coming up from behind.

"Oh, come on!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief at this.

"Throw me that ping-pong table," Dirk pointed at it.

"What?!" The shorter boy asked in confusion. Dirk just took it anyway and started ramming zombies with it, Jack taking them out with his ping-pong paddle. He let out a yell while Jack hit the zombies. He looked back as he threw up the ball and hit it into a zombie's eye, which just fell through his mouth and onto the floor. As soon as they were out, Jack closed the door behind them. They looked to see a zombie heading for them with a crane, both of them preparing themselves. Suddenly Blarg crashed in and ate the zombie.

"Whoa!"

They rushed to Big Mama, Jack putting the key in the ignition and starting it up...or at least trying to because the engine sputtered. Blarg tried to get out, roaring at them. "Go, go, go!"

Jack rapidly tried to start the car, but it wouldn't. "Are you kidding me?! Of course it won't start because my entire life is like a bad action movie now!" They saw Blarg break out, roaring as debris fell around him. "Maybe it's an awesome action movie." Blarg loomed over them as Dirk grabbed his shoulders.

"Dude, focus!" He shook the boy as he jerked a thumb to the monster outside turning to them. Jack finally started the car and backed away just as Blarg lunged towards them. "Oh, man, that thing is huge," Dirk pointed up at it. "We're in serious trouble!"

"Ya think?!" Jack retorted back while backing up.

"Why is he after you?" Dirk asked as Blarg went after them.

"Either he envies my hair, or it's because I stabbed him in the forehead with a broken baseball bat." While running, Blarg tripped and roared at them.

"Probably the second one," Dirk interjected as the car was still backing away. They turned and slipped on oil, both of them screaming as they spun around. Jack managed to steer it back forward. "Step on it!" He pulled the lever, Jack looking at another lever. He pulled it and released butter from the car. Blarg slipped on it and skidded to the side, allowing them to get away as some rubble fell on him.

"Man, that was close," Jack adjusted the rearview mirror.

"What'd you do?" Dirk wondered while looking back.

"Butter slick slingers. Another cool Quint concoction."

"Wow. His butter just saved our butts," Dirk smiled, crossing his arms. "Maybe I don't give that kid enough credit."

"Aw, maybe you don't, but you could." Dirk grunted as he glanced at him. Jack laughed nervously. "I mean, Quint loves extra credit. Butter slick escape. Feat, say it with me-"

"Nope," Dirk said with a blank look.

"Complete."

"Not saying it."