Zombies were moaning as they stumbled down the street, with Big Mama going down one road and then swerving into another. Quint suddenly hit one on the head with his hand, confusing it. "Ha! Seven zombies bobbed," He bragged to June. "Beat that, June!"
"Hm. Not bad, Quint," She smirked at him. "But I can top it!" She turned a dial from the front of Big Mama, some zombies turning to the noise. She leaned out the car window and started bopping zombies. "One!"
"June!" Jack started off.
"Two!"
"Be gentle," He warned her, but she ignored it.
"Three! Four!"
"Nice strategy," Quint gave her a smug look. "But the music is not loud enough to attract zombies."
"Especially with so few left in Wakefield," Dirk added in.
"Still got three more," May sung a bit, crossing her arms.
"That wasn't my strategy," She grinned at him, whistling to summon Rover. He ran over and she jumped onto the saddle. "Ha! This is my strategy. Whoo-hoo!"
"Isn't that like cheating?" Dirk called out from his spot.
"It's okay," Jack shrugged with a smile. "We're trying to cheer her up, remember?"
Suddenly they came across a picnic table with a zombie in it, along with another zombie near a grill. She narrowed her eyes, bopping three more. "And you, and you, and you're adorable," The last one was a tall clown zombie. "Oh, and especially you!" She bopped another one, snatching something. "Nice dress." She saw some soda sitting on one of the tables and snatched them. Rover went after the car as he came back to the side. "Ha!" She tossed the pack of soda to Dirk. "Eight!"
"Cheers!" They all exclaimed while holding the soda.
"Prost!"
"And now for my victory dance," June bragged, starting to dance and Rover joined in. "Oh yeah, uh-huh," She scatted happily as Big Mama came to a stop, Jack smiling up ahead.
"We're here!" He announced to June.
"What do you mean here? We were going somewhere?" She asked with a smile.
"Yeah, June, here," He turned to the side and she turned around. "Your house!"
"My...house?" She asked hesitantly and May noticeably flinched, Quint raising a brow at her.
"Surprise!" All the boys exclaimed, but the brunette was silent. Jack took a picture of her, but she didn't look happy, instead she looked angry.
"Ooh, good surprised face," He looked up at her as she still glared.
"Guys, why did you bring me back to my house?" June demanded as they all stepped out.
"You said you wanted to be home again," Jack reminded her with a smile and she stopped him from going further.
"Uh, yeah, as in before the world turned upside down!" She gestured to the abandoned neighborhood.
"Okay, I'm missing something," He rubbed the back of his neck. May just rubbed her arm awkwardly, darting her eyes around uncertainly.
"Yes, you are! You didn't think that this place might bring back a lot of memories? Memories of everything that's totally gone now?"
"Uhhh, no, I thought you'd like it," Jack shrugged at her.
"I know. Thank you, kind of, I suppose. I just-" She heard a noise, turning to Dirk and Quint attempting to open the door with Quint's punch-out invention. "Hey, what are you doing?!" She rushed over to them.
"Getting the door open."
"It appears to be locked," Quint gestured to it, as he left a few cracks in the door. June walked up to the front door with a groan.
"Aw, man, it's all scuffed up now."
"Yeah, it's the eyesore of the neighborhood," Dirk deadpanned since literally everything else was in shambles or falling apart. June just sighed at him.
"Well, as long as we're here, I guess there are a few things I could get," She held up her house key.
"May?" Quint suddenly asked her and suddenly everyone turned to the hesitant brunette. "Everything alright?"
"Fine! I'm fine," She took a deep breath as she didn't look all too comfortable being in front of the house. June opened it and Dirk perked up.
"Hey, hey," He chuckled at the sight. "Two floors and a staircase? Ho ho ho, la-ti-da. Fancy pants."
"Hey!" June chased after them. "Wipe your feet!" Jack was the last to enter.
"Oh, man! I'm in June's house!" He closed the doors behind him, a big smile on his face. "I can't believe it! I'm in June's house! It's so...June-y."
"This is the first time I've lived away from home," June murmured as she looked at the photo wall, caressing one from one of her birthdays. Quint looked up at a metal chandelier.
"Look at all the metal! I could assemble a new drone in no time! And..." He then noticed the big-screen TV. "Ooh." He made a beeline for the console, looking at the wiring instead. "Excellently insulated cording." He removed the cord, a small bug coming out from the outlet.
"Whoa!" June snatched it from him. "Hands off the TV! It won't work if you yank out the cord."
"It won't work anyway. No power," He reminded her.
"Well, just leave it alone then," She replugged it in.
"But wait. Jack said part of this mission was to gather necessities," Quint explained to the girl.
"Oh, you didn't," May placed a hand on her forehead with a sigh.
"What?!" June recoiled back in shock. "Necessities? From my house?"
"Yeah, stuff we all need," He appeared in the room, rubbing his neck. He suddenly got a shoe thrown at him. "Ow!" He looked at May who was guilty of it and she did not look happy as her arms were crossed while glaring. "And one special super necessity!"
"Got some necessities!" Dirk held up some candelabras while laughing. "They're like sais," He started playing around with them, eventually throwing one by accident and it hit the TV. June growled in anger at him. "My bad."
"May, can I borrow your shoe?" June gritted her teeth and Quint grabbed May's shoulders, pushing her away.
"Come on, guys. Let's investigate the kitchen," He directed her across the hall as she shrugged at June cluelessly.
June readjusted the TV. "June, I brought you here for something special," Jack told her, gesturing to a record player. "Look."
She gasped, smiling at it. "My record player!" She dusted it off and realized something. "Oh, but..." There was still no power. She heard a noise and turned around to Jack, who was now holding something.
"A portable generator, madam, for all your post-apocalyptic music needs," He revealed the generator on a tray, bowing to her. "Courtesy of QuintMayCo portable power solutions," He planted it next to the record player, connecting them together.
"Wow. Thanks," June smiled gratefully at him and he raised a smug brow. "I know exactly what I want to listen to." She bent down to a bin full of records. "It's right..."
"Here!" He held up a record and she read it in confusion.
"Petey Pete and the Ding dongs?"
He took the record and tossed it. "Whoops," It shattered somewhere and she found it herself.
"A-ha! Here's the one!" She held it up with a smile, but Jack stopped her.
"Wait! Loud music, zombie beacon," He offered her some headphones and she plugged them in. She placed in the record and started bopping to the music. Jack leaned against the doorway, pleased to see her so happy. As she danced, she noticed something and stopped, gasping.
"Oh..." She walked up to the wall where she would get her measurements taken. She touched it, remembering all those times with her parents.
"Uh-oh!" Her dad sang playfully. "Somebody's growing fast," He chuckled as he measured her again. She giggled and jumped up happily.
She had a wistful smile on her face as she looked at the wall.
May stood there behind the chair while the other two looked around the kitchen. "Whoa, a dishwasher? This is like the White House," He gushed to Quint.
"Less sightseeing and more metal-finding, if you please, preferably things June won't miss."
"May, come-" The two noticed that she seemed lost in thought, and she didn't seem to be interested in looking around. "Earth to May!" He called out and she blinked, noticing their looks. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem...on edge," Dirk pointed out to her.
"I'll be alright. I just have a lot on my mind," She confessed, rubbing her arm.
"Like what?" Quint raised a brow at the girl. "Are you thinking about what happened at the stakeout?"
"No, and you checked me this morning, I'm still fine. It's just...nothing important," She said hesitantly, the two boys glancing at each other and shrugging. Dirk went over to the fridge and pulled off the handle.
"How's this?"
"Hmm, pretty good," Quint complimented with a smile. "Carry on." Meanwhile, May just looked lost in thought, not paying attention to either of them. Something really seemed to bother her...
Jack walked up the stairs, looking at all of the family photos. "Huh. Wow." He stopped at one in particular where June held a stuffed animal, surrounded by her smiling parents. He smiled fondly at it.
"Another trip across the town~" June sang while still rocking out. She hummed as she entered the dining room, touching the table. Another memory came to mind for her...
She hid underneath the table, giggling while holding a stuffed unicorn. She looked out and her mother grabbed her.
"Gotcha!"
She giggled as she was pulled away.
June hugged herself, sighing deeply as she missed her parents so much...
"Ah! Toaster," Dirk grabbed it.
Quint ripped out the toaster oven out of its plug. "Toaster oven!"
Dirk then lifted the oven away from its spot. "Oven oven!" The two boys high fived with laughs, and the area where Dirk pulled out the oven had bugs crawling out of it. Unfortunately, neither of them noticed.
June danced into the hallway, looking into the kitchen.
"Warm tasty chocolate chip cookies for my little June Bug," Her mother placed them down and she ate them happily.
She smiled again as she loved her mom's cookies...then a bunch of stuff was thrown onto the table, shattering the memory. She flinched in alarm and realized what was going on. "Hey!" She protested as she stepped forward...but too far away from the record player, causing loud music to play. That caused May to snap out of it.
"Oh no!" She turned around as the zombies could hear it from outside, starting to come over. Quint cheered as she came in.
"Guys! I told you not to touch anything!" She screamed at them. "May, you let this go on? Hey! Where's my fridge handle?"
"June, that's not the only problem we should be worrying about! The music!" May pointed to the record player and she gasped in realization. She rushed over and turned it down, sighing in relief as Jack returned.
"What happened?"
No one answered as a zombie was heard from outside and they looked out the window. "Great! Twenty zombies left in Wakefield and they're surrounding my house!"
"And we just bopped them in the head, so they're probably rather upset!" Quint said in worry.
"Don't think that's their main priority," May bit her lip. Suddenly a zombie broke in through the window, causing him and Dirk to scream. He grabbed Quint and Dirk shoved the toaster in his mouth, causing him to let go. May flipped upwards to kick him onto the grass. "Quint, you okay?" She bent down to help him up.
"Guys! That's our toaster!" June protested to both Dirk and May.
"Which we used to save your Quint!" He pointed to the boy, who looked slightly traumatized.
"Hold me," He hugged May's waist and she flinched, looking a little flushed.
"Umm."
Another zombie broke a window, interrupting the moment as they all gasped. "We gotta board this place up!" Jack pointed at the zombies.
"With what?"
Dirk held up the kitchen table. "This is a start!" He smashed it against the window, Quint holding up his little punching machine. June stood between him and Dirk.
"Hey! Find something else to destroy."
"There's no time to be picky!" Jack informed her.
"If we don't board it up, we'll get eaten by zombies instead!" May gestured to the window in annoyance. One of them started to slip through and Dirk yelped in alarm. May touched his shoulders, elevating herself so that she could kick the zombie back.
"Sorry, June!" Quint stepped up and started nailing the table to the window. "We need more wood!"
"Here!" Dirk held up a chair marked June Bug with hearts.
"Not my-" He put it against the window, to June's horror. "Chair..." Quint boarded it up. "Ugh, give me that," She took a chair from Jack and held it up. Once it was boarded, the table and chairs already started shaking. Another window was broken into by zombies, getting their attention as some of them jumped through.
"Let's get out of here!" June pointed at them and she rushed for the front door. She opened it, but it was blocked by zombies. "Or not!" She slammed the doors shut.
"Everyone! Upstairs!"
A zombie appeared right next to May and she screamed. Quint grabbed her hand and dragged her upstairs, Dirk following behind. June glanced to the living room. "They're gonna destroy everything!" She gasped as she realized her record player was still in the room. "My record player!" Jack pulled her away, placing her at the stairs.
"I'll get the player! It's my turn to play Bop the Zombie," He smirked as he took out his slicer. Her eyes widened as she nodded, racing up the stairs. The zombies started to go towards the stairs, Jack leaping and swinging from the chandelier. "And uh, one and two!" He landed on two zombies' heads. He jumped to knock them down, sliding against a table. He looked up at two more. "And three! Four!" He used the back of his slicer to knock them to the floor, jumping to a chair. "And five!" He swung one down, landing on the couch with a laugh. He jumped and landed behind three, knocking them all down with the slicer. "Six, seven, eight." He ran over to get the player. "Ha! Feat complete!" However, he dropped the record and it rolled away. "Aw, no!" It rolled under a zombie and he slid underneath him, knocking another zombie on the way. "Nine!" He snatched the record with his teeth, sliding in front of the stairs. Zombies headed for them and he made a break for it. He looked down as he reached the top, Quint pulling him away as they boarded up the stairs with a couch and shelf. The zombies all fell down the stairs.
"Dude! What was that?" Quint asked in confusion.
"A zombie-bopping record!" He grinned, holding up the record.
"Okay, pretty impressive," June smiled a bit.
"Really? Cool!" He offered the record to her. "Here, June."
She took it and wiped it off since he bit into it. "Umm...thanks, Jack," She smiled gratefully at him and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"You're welcome."
The moment was then ruined by zombies who had climbed up the staircase and were now trying to push through. "This won't hold 'em for long!" Dirk called out as he and Jack both pushed back.
"Alright, guys, we gotta move!" He looked towards a purple door marked June Bug and smiled. "June's room!"
June stood in front of it, some bugs crawling away. "No! We're not destroying any more of my house, and we're definitely not destroying my room!" She protested at him.
"Ah," He put down the record player. "Come on, June Bug," He stepped forward, giving her a pleaded look.
"Please do not call me that," She warned him, holding up a finger.
"June, I hate to tell you this, but your house is gonna be destroyed anyway," He leaned against the staircase and she got defensive.
"Jack!"
"Not because of us or the zombies," He quickly corrected himself. "Look around," He gestured to all of the bugs. "This joint is totally infested with termites."
She took a good look at the walls, finally noticing all of the bugs. "What?!"
"Um, I don't think those are termites," May said in worry as they looked at the opposite wall, the bugs all gathering behind the wall and a big bulge appeared.
"I'm afraid May's right on that one, friend," Quint replied in fear and the wall broke through to reveal a giant bug monster. They all screamed at the sight and it snarled at them. It looked at the five as they all looked scared for their life.
Dirk took a painting from the wall. "Hey, bug eyes! Eat this! Hi-ya!" He threw the painting and it hit the wall, the bugs having separated from the spot. June yelled in disbelief and anger.
"It's an antique," She cringed and the bugs surrounded the painting, turning it into dust.
"Not anymore."
The bug monster loomed over the ceiling, smiling wickedly at them. June jumped away as the bug monster dove forward, standing in front of Quint. "Oh, dear," He backed a little, looking at his weapon and using it against the monster. As he went right through it, he put some holes in the wall and fell while running into a table.
"Ah! Mom's vase!" June caught it in her hands, putting it back on the table.
"Hey, bug breath!" Jack called out as May glared, her shovel claws ready. The two charged forward, but missed, slashing through some photos. June gasped in horror at this, and then they broke some more things. "Stop dodging, you stupid bug!" It then grabbed his slicer and May's shovel claws, chomping on them. The bug monster spit the weapons out and they ducked, but unfortunately, they hit the vase, cracking it to pieces.
"Ah! Mom's vase!" June cried out in dismay. She looked towards her room as the other door had no doorknob, so it was the only room they could go to for shelter. "Argh, fine! Everyone in my room!" She stood up and Quint used his fist gun to break the weapons free.
"Jack, May!"
"Thanks, Quint!" He smiled as he caught and May held up her hands so that her claws could fit right over her hands. Quint made a break for it, May grabbing Dirk and pulling him towards the room. June opened it as they ran inside, Jack grabbing the player just as the zombies broke through. He panted as the bug monster slipped right in front of the door, June slamming it shut. The monster gave up for now, some bugs still on the door. As they took deep breaths, Jack looked around in awe. "Whoooooa." He imagined it to be a girly room and June snapped his fingers.
"Yo, Jack, what are you doing?" She asked suspiciously as he looked around, seeing that it was a bit girly as she had some stuff that was pink, and pictures of boys on her walls.
"Terrence McClintlock?" He deadpanned at a pop star's poster. "Really?"
Dirk and Quint started laughing at her. "Well, I'd like to see your rooms," June defended, crossing her arms, but the trio just continued laughing. May just rolled her eyes at them.
"You're not laughing?" June raised a brow at her.
"I mean, the name's dumb, but I stopped listening to him, so I don't really care," The girl just shrugged. Jack looked to the side, seeing a picture of May and June covered in paint as kids. And both of them looked really happy together.
"Hey, look!" He held up the picture, both girls flinching. "Girls, did you used to be friends?"
Quint looked away as Dirk gasped, looking over his shoulder. June noticed Quint's look, whipping around to May. "Did you tell Quint?!"
"Dude, you knew that?" Dirk turned around to him.
"Oh, don't blame him, I told him without him asking. I knew he wouldn't tell. Besides, secret's out, so why do you care anymore?" May defended, crossing his arms.
"I don't! But we both silently agreed that we would never speak of it," June held up a finger.
"June, it's been years. And no one else is gonna know about it besides them," She jerked a thumb to the boys. "But why do you still have that picture?"
"No reason," June denied quickly.
"So you two just...stopped being friends? You looked like you were close," Jack pointed out to them.
"We were. Until we grew up. We fell into different friend groups, and she decided to stop hanging out with me because I wasn't popular enough," June retorted, earning a glare from May.
"That wasn't why. Not that you're on a need-to-know basis," The brunette huffed at her assumption.
"Alright, May, you know what-" The bug monster crawled in through the bottom of the door, getting their attention as it formed into a tentacle.
"Ah! Tentacle!" Quint cried out. Jack sliced it, laughing.
"Couldn't dodge that time, sucker!" They started crawling up his body and he screamed, trying to shake them off. When they crawled into his mouth, he coughed. "Get 'em off! Get 'em off!" June and Dirk smacked them off him and Quint used a small blanket to cover the door.
"What do we do?" He asked the others. "Even if we could fight past that bug creature, we'd be right back in Zombie Central!"
Dirk pushed a desk to the door. May looked out the window with an aggravated sigh. "Even if we manage to get out, we can't fight all of them off," She grumbled as she could see the zombies out on the yard.
"All this to get some dumb record player," Dirk looked to Jack, who groaned.
"I told you that's not the only reason! Wait. The window!" He went over and pulled at it. "If we can get it open..."
"We can fall into a pit of zombies?" Dirk questioned as they walked around.
"No! We scale the gutter, shimmy onto the roof, then call Rover over and hightail it out of here," Jack explained and they started pulling together.
"Well, don't break it!" June warned and they all gave her a deadpan look since...her house had been already damaged. Plus the window was their only way out. "O-Or do," She chuckled nervously. "I'm cool. I'm breezy."
"Uh huh," May remarked before the four went back to pulling, but it was like the window was jammed.
"Better save what I can," June bent down to her bag, noticing her teddy bear and gasping. "Freddy Teddy!"
"Use my legs and you use your freakishly large arms!" Jack cried out as they continued pulling.
June held out her arms as her teddy bear was given to her by her parents. She smiled happily as she hugged the bear tightly. "Glad you like it, June Bug."
She hugged it fondly and put it in her bag. "Your ankles are part of your legs, dude!" She took a music box and looked at the door.
"June Bug," Her mother placed the sign on the door. "There we go."
June beamed up happily at it.
She looked at the bag and then glanced at the others, who had their backs turned. "Pull with it, not against it!"
She pushed away the table blocking the door. "What does that even mean?" Dirk grunted at Jack in annoyance. June braced herself as she knew that outside was the bug thing and the zombies.
"You can do it. Just open it and grab the sign," She told herself, gripping the doorknob. However, that was when Jack turned around and finally noticed what she was doing.
"June! What are you doing?!"
"June, you can't open the door! We'll-" June opened it anyway and she fell to the ground as the bug monster crawled in and some of them landed on her. It went over to the window, opening its eyes and growling. They all screamed and June opened up her bathroom door.
"In here!"
They all rushed for the closet and she slammed the door, the five panting in fear. "June! What were you doing?!" Dirk exclaimed at her. "Why did you open the door?"
"I was trying to get my...June Bug sign," She held it up awkwardly.
"What?!" They all shouted that she risked their lives for a sign. She silently put it away and Dirk sighed slowly.
"How do we get out of here?"
"I don't know, okay?!" She retorted back, looking away in guilt.
"First trapped in the house, then the bedroom, now the bathroom? This keeps getting worse, guys! Not better!" Quint panicked and May held his shoulders.
"Calm down, Q. We'll find a way out. It's not over yet."
He smiled weakly at her comfort and then blinked at the nickname. "Q?"
"Uh...that slipped out," She darted her eyes nervously. "You don't have to go along with that if you don't want to."
"No, I...I like it," He told her bashfully and she rubbed her neck as they both blushed.
"Man, June, you have a lot of dirty clothes for a uh..."
"Human?" She snatched it away. "Yeah, I know." She bent down and grabbed some more. "Here! If it makes you feel more comfortable," She threw some down the laundry chute. "I'll throw them down the laundry...chute. Wait, guys! The laundry chute. That's the way out! Ish."
The door banged and they flinched. "Better than here."
"Worth a try!" Quint grabbed May's hand and they both jumped, screaming as they fell down and then bounced off a laundry basket.
"Heads up!" Jack dropped the record player down there and Quint caught it in his hands. "Okay, my turn," He went down next. Dirk playfully gestured to the chute, June crossing her arms.
"Seriously? Ladies first?"
"No. You're just acting bananas today, and I don't trust you to jump after me," He told her, the girl getting a little annoyed. She sighed in defeat and jumped next. The door banged and Dirk looked back just as the bug monster stormed its way in. "Incoming!" He called out as he jumped, falling through and getting stuck. He wiggled his legs, trying to move his body and unable to. "Ah, I'm stuck!" He looked up as the bug monster loomed over the chute, whimpering as some bugs fell on him. "They're falling on me! Hurry!"
"On the count of three!" Jack called out.
"Ah, forget two and three!" Dirk shrieked as the bugs were all over him. "I got bugs crawling on my eyeballs!"
"One!" The four exclaimed, leaping forward and grabbing his legs. They all pulled and got him free, the bugs all over the place now. The four tried to get them all off as Jack jumped on the washer and dryer.
"Quint! Hammer!" Quint tossed it to him from his backpack and Jack slammed the door, nailing it shut. He blew on it, spinning it and dropping it. Quint thankfully caught it as May sighed in relief. "Now, how do we get out of here?"
"If by out of here, you mean the living room, it's up there," June pointed up the stairs...but unfortunately, they still had the zombies to deal with. Right now, they were banging on the door.
"So you mean we're still trapped?" Quint asked in disbelief. June nodded with a human. "No way out?" She then shook her head no. "Okay," He backed away in fear. "Mmhm. Okay." He grabbed a bunch of clothes and screamed into them.
"Dude, I think those are the dirty ones," Jack pointed out to him. "Here," He handed over some clean clothes, and Quint screamed into those. May walked up and patted his back with a sympathetic look on her face.
"That fabric softener is very nice, but coming here was the worst idea of all time!" He threw up the clothes in frustration. "Of all the dumb ideas, Jack, you've ever had, this one takes the cake! AND ALL THE ICING!"
"Okay, okay," May held up a hand to Quint as she stood between the two. "Quint, take a moment to calm down." He panted and she directed him to breathe, which he did. Dirk just chuckled while everyone else stared in shock.
"Whoa," Dirk commented, glancing to Quint. "Nerd-mungulous went Hulk."
"Ah!" May threw up her head in exasperation at his comment. "Really?!"
"Well, I can't be constantly smart and calm when we're all gonna croak just because Jack wanted to impress June!" Quint retorted back, confusing everyone except Jack.
"Uh, which worked! She said she was impressed."
"WHAT?!" The others exclaimed in anger at his statement.
"I mean..."
"You mean to tell me you had us come here just to get some brownie points from June?" May asked in seething anger. "When the whole time, we could've avoided all of this?!" This was surprising to everyone as like with Quint, May never got angry to this extent.
"Well...I...you would've done the same thing with May!" Jack pointed to Quint and everyone turned to him now.
"What! This isn't even-" Quint coughed awkwardly to May.
"Please don't ever do all this just for me," She warned him as she pointed at him.
"I wouldn't have done all that! At least because I know better!" He protested, glaring at Jack. "And this isn't about me or her! This is about-"
A loud clank was heard, interrupting him as they all turned to the faucet. Bugs started flying out of it and they screamed in horror. "Plug everything! Sink, vents, cracks!" June ordered them and they all ran off to do so. She took a sock and tied it to the faucet. The others took some clothes as well, Quint covering up the vent with a handkerchief and a plastic flamingo.
"Don't think this is gonna get you out of this conversation, Jack. Or bringing up May either!" He planted another flamingo. "Because this is happening!"
"What? What conversation?" He took a pair of underwear and plugged it into the faucet.
"The one about how you just put us all needlessly in danger," Quint took a painting and hammered the window with it.
"Yeah! Like the time you hid the entrance to the mall for your own selfish need!" May pointed at him while plugging up another vent.
"Oh, you mean like you've been doing to me?" Dirk retorted to Quint, placing in a tennis ball racket in a wall crack.
"What?" Quint questioned in confusion, using tape on a wall crack.
"As crash test dummy for your zombie traps?" Dirk pulled out a Christmas tree. "Ha ha! Use the dumb big guy! Nobody cares about him!" He used the tip of the tree for the ceiling.
"You're just the only one around!" Quint plugged up a hole using a Christmas garden gnome. "Since Jack is always skipping around with Thrull instead of us!" He used a foot to plug up more bugs.
"Hey!" Jack pointed an umbrella at him. "Thrull and I don't skip!" He then closed it. "We trot very manly...ly," He slammed the umbrella into a crack.
"Quint's right!" June agreed with him. "You abandon us for Thrull all the time!" She plugged up an air vent with clean clothes.
"I do not! And, and if I do, maybe that's because Thrull is all in, June. He actually wants to hang out with me, and he wants to help us! And that goes for May, too."
"What?!" May yelled at him from across the room.
"What is that supposed to mean?" June defended as May glared at him, balling up her fists.
"Oh, come on," Jack turned away, arms crossed. "You don't think we've noticed you're not happy, like, ever?"
"Or that May has been acting weird ever since we got here? If something's really bothering her, you'd think she'd trust us enough to tell us at this point," Quint frowned deeply.
The three glanced to May, who kept her glare but her eyes did sadden a little. "Happy? Why should I be happy? It's the apocalypse!" June screamed at Jack.
"And why should I have to tell you? It's none of your business," May pointed a finger at Quint. "Sorry if I don't feel like disclosing every single detail!"
"Cause I want you to be happy!" Jack shouted up at June, and she recoiled back from his outburst.
"And maybe because I need to feel like you actually care!" Quint added in, May gasping sharply as she and Quint stood there, staring at each other.
"Whoa..." Dirk murmured in shock at the four. June jumped down from her spot.
"I...do not owe my happiness, Jack," She responded thinly, turning away and crossing her arms.
"And I do care, Quint. But you don't have any say in what I can and can't tell you," May murmured with an edge to her voice. Jack sighed at this.
"That's not what I mean. It came out wrong. I meant that you always seem like you're half here."
"Okay, that makes sense," Dirk gestured to him. "Uh, for the record, I also noticed that." He saw the faucet with bugs crawling out, taping it shut. "And also May seeming to hold something back from us."
She pinched her nose with a small sigh. "I-I didn't mean to say that you don't care. It's just that sometimes it feels like...like you don't appreciate what I do. I only expect honesty, May. And you haven't been giving that lately," Quint told her quietly.
"That's why I wanted to bring you here. Not just to impress you. I wanted to cheer you up and finally make you psyched to be with us. But then you got super weird about us touching anything in the house, and you almost got us killed!" Jack spoke up to June. "And why are you so freaked out about this place being perfect anyway?" He approached her, touching her shoulder. She immediately shoved him away, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her fists.
"Because I'm gonna live here again when my parents come back!" She screamed with tears from her eyes. Jack recoiled back in shock, the others staring at her in silence. "Don't you understand?" She tried wiping her tears, but they just kept coming. "Don't you want to get back to your family?" May froze up at that question as June looked away.
"No! Don't you understand?" Jack argued back to her. "I don't have a family!" He looked away with a sigh. "Except you guys..."
"...Wait, you three are related?"
"No!" Jack slapped his forehead. "I mean, ugh..." He leaned against the wall. "I know it's the apocalypse and all, but this is kind of a dream come true for me."
"Well, I didn't know," June felt bad for getting angry with him...though not entirely.
"I mean, that's why I was so upset that you had, like, one foot out the door. And probably why Quint feels the same way about May is because maybe it feels like...we're not entirely that if we don't know what's going on with her."
May looked towards the ground, looking upset at his explanation. "Oh..." June murmured and they stood there in silence...
"And I'm mad because you ditched my bestiary for Thrull's!" Quint screamed and everyone stared at him. "And June? Wash your socks!" Dirk stood on the machine as Quint realized that no one else was screaming. "Oh...are we not still airing grievances?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I still wanna know what's up with you, May. What aren't you telling us?"
She sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "Look, I don't need to tell you everything right away. But I just don't think I'm ready to explain...I'm sorry if I'm concerning you. But whatever it is, you just need to trust that if I'm comfortable enough to say something, I will be in time. And I probably haven't said it enough, but I am grateful for what you do for me. All of you. That's a grievance you have to put up with for now."
"Well, I've got one," Dirk turned around after taping up the chute. "All your yelling is attracting the zombies and the bugs, and we still don't have a way out!" He pointed to the door that led to the living room. "This basement is gonna be our tomb!"
"Yup," Jack blinked at the staircase.
"Well, that's a solid complaint," June shrugged a little.
"Probably the best one," Quint stated and May shook her head.
"Well, I disagree. There's gotta be a way out of here."
June glanced to the side and gasped, seeing a table. "Wait! I've got an idea!" She smiled, running over and grabbing the sheet. She tossed it away to reveal a pool table.
"Ha! You have a pool table?" Dirk had laughed, but stopped as they all gave him looks. "That's cool, a pool table..."
They all turned it around, Jack and Quint nodding at each other. "We're ready," Jack grinned at the others.
"You sure this will work, June?" Dirk asked skeptically.
"Absolutely not," She said with no hesitation. "Ready, set, door!" Jack reeled in a fishing pole that connected to the door. The door opened and June pointed to Dirk. "Music!" Dirk adjusted the record player to blast the rock music. "Bugs!" Quint and May pulled together with their own fishing poles and the vent pulled open, releasing the bug monster. The zombies walked down the staircase as they peeked behind the table. "They're down!" The zombies stood right in front of them. "Now push!" They all pushed the table so that the zombies were getting closer to the bug monster and June pointed to the cleared staircase. "Go, go, go!" She ran up first, Quint looking down at the zombies getting consumed by the bug monster.
"Oh, yeah!" Jack bent down to the music player.
"Jack! I don't need the record player!" June protested to him. The music stopped as the monster was now right behind Jack.
"Jack! Look out!" Quint cried out and he turned around.
"Crud..." He screamed as the monster grabbed him and Dirk ran down the steps immediately. June held out a hand in front of him.
"I got this. Go!" She told them and they ran up the stairs. "Hey!" She tossed her teddy bear at the monster, causing it to drop Jack. It turned to June as Jack fell, catching the player. "Jack, upstairs! Now!" She ordered him and he did so, looking back in worry. "Hey! This is my house! You wanna fight someone, fight me!" She threw a trophy, but the it just went through the monster's open mouth. "Eat music box!" She tossed it and it fell to the ground as she backed away towards the steps. "And diary! And kooky pen!" She threw both of those things, but the monster just slithered forward and she looked at the sign. "Well, eat..."
"Eat TV!" Jack suddenly appeared with the television, tossing it at the monster. Of course, it had no effect and it broke.
"And toaster!" Dirk threw it at the monster.
"And toaster oven!" Quint threw that too, but the monster just dodged it.
"And Terrence McClintlock!" May tossed the poster of him.
"Should have thrown the oven oven," Dirk commented and it roared, charging forward. Jack pulled June out and they quickly shut the door.
"I told you guys to go!" June narrowed her eyes at the four.
"Family doesn't leave family," Jack argued to the girl and she smiled.
"Now let's go!" Quint shouted as they all ran for the door. The bug monster broke out and started following them as the door was in their sights. Dirk shut the door and used a candelabra to block it inside. The five ran for Big Mama, Jack whistling and Rover came over. They piled into the car, screaming as the house shook. Jack drove off with Rover behind. June, May, and Dirk looked at the house.
"I'm sure the house will be okay though, June," Quint stated as he and Jack looked...and the house crumbled to pieces. June opened her eyes in horror.
"Maybe it was termites," Dirk commented and she sighed heavily, looking heartbroken.
"Got you one last thing though," Jack held out a bug to her.
"Umm, thanks, but you can just keep that."
He saw the bug and realized what he got. "Oh, wait, no, wrong pocket. That's for the bestiary," He planted the bug on the page and Quint closed it. "Here!" Jack held out a photo to her and she took it. She smiled softly as it was a photo of her with her parents. "Not to impress you or make you happy or whatever. I just...wanted you to have it. The Del Toros seem really cool."
"Thanks, Jack," She smiled gratefully at him.
"Hey, wait!" Jack blinked in realization, glancing at May. "May, don't you live on this block?"
Quint winced as the girl flinched in alarm, giving him a suspicious look. "Yeah, you mind explaining to me how exactly you know that piece of information that I never shared with anyone? Like at all?"
"Umm, lucky guess!" Jack rubbed the back of his neck, though in reality, he got it from Quint. "I'm really good at guessing!"
Quint silently sighed in relief as she decided to drop it for now. "Uh huh...well, as interesting as that is for me to learn today, I have no interest in going," She crossed her arms.
"But it's your house," Dirk raised a brow at her in confusion. "Don't you...I don't know, wanna relive at least one memory?"
"I don't need to visit," She defended, holding up her head up high. "Let's just go back to the treehouse. I've been in this neighborhood long enough," She deflected, and everyone except June was confused on why she didn't wanna go back for at least a few minutes.
"Okay," Jack just shrugged it off with a smirk. "We'll go home...psych!" He then swerved to the left, surprising her.
"What?!" She shouted as the others grinned widely. Jack then parked right in front of her house. "Guys, hey!" She protested as they stepped out, Jack and Quint especially looking excited. Mainly because she was known as the coolest girl in school, and they'd be stepping into her house. "Ugh..." She groaned as she got out, shaking her head slowly. "Fine, but only for a few minutes, okay? I don't want that bug monster finding us here."
"Yes!" Jack and Quint cheered and she rolled her eyes. They looked at the outside as it looked similar to June's, but more like a townhome from the outside.
"It's so...quaint," Quint commented as they expected like a mansion or something. She sighed and unlocked the door, and they stepped in to see wooden floors, a foyer, and a staircase in front of them. They all looked around to examine her place as it felt extravagant on the inside rather than the outside.
"Yeah, okay, you saw my place, now can we leave it?" May gestured while still standing in front of the open door.
"Look at that TV!" Jack gushed at the 65 inch TV in the living room.
"Look at this kitchen!" Dirk shouted at the gourmet kitchen, with a double oven and everything. "We could throw a party here!"
"No way! No party!" May waved her hands.
"Look at all the consoles and games!" Quint looked at a full shelf of games and consoles.
"This place is actually pretty cool," June commented as she looked around; she expected May to have all this stuff since she had done a lot of accomplishments in school.
"Yeah, sure, call it that. I'm out of here, I don't wanna be here any longer than I have to," May held up her hands, about to leave when Jack stopped her.
"Why do you wanna leave so bad?" He wondered and she stopped while gripping the doorknob.
"I don't know, maybe because I don't wanna be here?" She answered after a few seconds, glancing back at him. June, Dirk, and Jack joined him, all of them staring at her. Unlike June, who relived good memories, it didn't seem to be that way for May.
"What's so bad about this place?" June wondered to her, and noticeably May shivered. She then squeezed her eyes shut while shaking her head.
"You wouldn't get it."
"Try us," Jack challenged her and she didn't answer. The four glanced at each other and then back at her.
"We're all friends, May," Quint gently approached her. "What you say stays with only us."
She released the doorknob, dropping her hand. She sighed as she hung her head, turning around and walking past them. "Come with me."
"Where are we going?" Dirk asked in confusion and she looked back at them.
"You said you wanted to know why I don't like being here, right? And why I was acting quote on quote weird today?" May asked back, walking down a hallway. They looked at each other and followed her. She led them all the way to a brown wooden door that looked a bit damaged. She then opened the door that led to a staircase. "Down here." She flipped a switch and they walked down the creaky staircase, examining the room in front of them. It felt so grey and dreary compared to upstairs, and there was a green chalkboard. All there was for furniture was a desk and chair, and a bunch of books in a corner. There was a window, but it was too high up for anyone to see anything.
"...What is this place?" Quint murmured in slight worry and May stepped forward.
"What my dad used to call his pupil preparing room. Really it was just tutoring sessions for me. Intense tutoring," She narrowed her eyes at the memories flooding back.
June shivered as she felt a breeze, followed by the others. "It's cold in here," She hugged herself.
"No one else comes down here?" Jack asked her and May shook her head.
"My dad would just tell people that it's a storage room. As for the temperature, he used to say that gifted children need care and attention to grow, like a flower," She touched the chalkboard and Quint realized why.
"...Because growing a flower would need a heated environment to help it grow. But in the cold, they would wither and die. Kind of...testing your focus?" He stared at May.
"Hard to flourish with heat. Cold stimulates the mind. It was one of many ways he worked to shape me into the perfect daughter he wanted," She grabbed a long ruler from the chalkboard. "Perfect grades, student president, cheerleader captain," She listed off to them and they looked a bit unnerved by her distant voice. "Being part of the Mathlete team. Two lines are perpendicular if and only the product of the slope is a negative one!" She slammed down the ruler hard on the desk, but not enough for it to break, all of them flinching. She threw down the ruler and slid up her right glove to show them something. "Let's just say I learned that the hard way."
On her right wrist was a red vein from several years ago it looked like. They all looked up at her in shock, turning to each other as they realized now why she didn't want to be here.
Dirk turned to the side, seeing a pile of rice on the floor right next to the desk. "...Did you eat down here?" He asked quietly.
"No. He had me kneel on it when I got an answer wrong or if I seemed too distracted. He'd drill me on questions until the right answer was all I could say," She explained as they looked down at it in horror. She clenched a fist. "It wasn't the worst thing in the world...until the grain gets into your skin, and...you end up with this," She gestured to the tears in her leggings. There were some faded scars on there as well, but by looking at them now, clearly the tears weren't there when she started wearing them...
"Your...your dad did all of this to you at home?" Quint asked in anger to her.
"I actually ran away when I escaped from the zombies at school when the apocalypse started," She explained to him. "I haven't heard or seen him since. We're living in a world with monsters and zombies, and this is the thing that scares me," She gestured to the house in general. All of them stood in silence, especially June. All this time, she thought May was doing all this for attention, but...no, she was doing it because she was under pressure from her dad. And that...that probably did a lot to her that she wouldn't tell others. No wonder why she was so angry when she wasn't editor of the school paper. Because she didn't live up to the expectation of her dad...
"What about your mom?" June asked solemnly, May closing her eyes.
"She doesn't know. She's a management consultant, so she's always working. She was so busy that she never stepped down here. And Dad did a really good job or hiding it. A bunch of colleges offered me a lot of scholarships just to have me because of all my accomplishments," She leaned against the desk. "Dad never finished college. He kept failing his own exams until he got kicked out. Mom made money, but it wasn't enough. He blew my college fund, all of the money we had. All of it wouldn't have gone away if I was smart enough to earn it back in his eyes..."
They all stood there, unsure as what to say to her. "I need some air," She murmured as she left and they glanced at each other in worry.
May sat in front of the treehouse door, looking out to the stars sadly. That was the first time she had disclosed her past to anyone...even though it was out in the open, it didn't make her feel any better. All of that pressure on her...being someone that she didn't want to be. She felt invisible to the world until the apocalypse started...
She could still remember how it all happened when she left home...
May was in the living room, playing Piano Concerto No. 2 by Bartok. Her father sat next to her while she played, watching her every move. She had been practicing for hours on end, not even taking a break. By then, the sun was setting and she was getting tired. The same melody over and over again was draining her, not to mention not having eaten since breakfast. And since it was one of the hardest piano pieces ever, it was almost driving her to her limit playing a complicated piece almost all day. Her eyes looked dreary, but her father either didn't notice or didn't care. But because her eyes were drooping, she was playing slower and slower...
Until she hit a wrong note.
She winced at this as she stopped and then her dad stood up. She looked back at him in concern. All of those hours playing, he had warned her to play it perfectly for him and she had messed up. "Dad-"
"Did you forget everything I taught you?" He suddenly turned on her. "You must have to have gotten that note wrong! This is why rigorous preparation is done, so that I can salvage your future! And this family!" He glared at her.
"My future?! What about my feelings?" She stood up, gesturing to herself. "It was one note-"
"And one note can make you or break you! I know what's best for you. If that school is making you unprepared, all the more reason for you to graduate early. We need the money, Maylin. We can't afford your failure."
She gripped a fist as his back was turned to her. She didn't have an entirely perfect school life, but she still preferred it because that was when she was free. Free from all this. He was like this almost every single step of the way. Always blaming everything on her instead of accepting his responsibility for his mistakes. She shouldn't have to fulfil his own dreams. "What does that mean? What are you talking about?" He didn't answer her and she stood up bravely, getting angry. "Well, Dad?! Are you too scared to tell your daughter all of a sudden?"
"...We won't have this discussion in this house. Do it again, and this time, better."
"No!" She stomped down her foot at him. "You won't take away my school life! Or my freedom! Do you just plan to use me to fulfill your own dreams and greed for the rest of your life?! Do you really think that I would put up with that? Why am I to blame for your own stupid decisions?! I'm sick of it and from now on, I'm doing what's best for me!"
Suddenly he turned and raised his hand, slapping her hard against the face. She fell to the ground as he stood over her and she held her cheek. She panted in fear as she looked up at him, seeing him furious at her. "Don't question me! You have true potential. I only know what's best for you if you just shut your mouth and listen to me!"
She looked up in horror, tears forming in her eyes. She looked towards her backpack and some money, grabbing them in a panic. She couldn't believe he actually did that... "Go ahead! Run! You're still my success! You'll come back the next day because you need me! You hear me?!" He shouted as she threw open the door and started running as fast as she could. "You need me!" He yelled after her, her heart beating fast in fear as she had no idea where to go...but she knew one thing...
She never wanted to go back.
She gripped her fists while placing her face in her arms, shaking a little. Suddenly warmth was put over her shoulders and she looked up to see that Quint was putting a coat over her. The others surrounded her with frowns. "May? Are you okay?"
"...No," She sighed a little. "I was thinking about the last time I saw him. The day I ran away from home..."
"So when you said things got weird..."
"As in, I didn't wanna go back there so soon after everything went down," May finished for Dirk. "Dad was already gone. But I didn't wanna stay there longer than I had to, so I was living out on the town before I saw Jack six weeks later. Mainly hunting for food, looking for shelter. Eventually I went with an abandoned RV I found near a grocery store and camped out there."
"I feel really bad," Jack rubbed his neck. "I didn't know your home life was so...terrifying."
"No one does. I keep my personal life away from my school life. Mom was away on business again that day...she must be so worried. My phone is destroyed, so I don't know how to contact her. And I still can't even bring myself to tell her..."
"Well...you do really care about her, don't you? She deserves to know what happened during all those times she..." Dirk faltered as May looked like she was about to cry as she remembered all the times she was scared for her life when her mom wasn't there. "I'm sorry, made it worse."
"It's not that I don't want her to know. I just...I don't want to lose her if I tell her."
"But he's a jerk! He deserves to pay!" Quint shouted angrily. "And I wish I knew where he was so I could...AAAH!"
"Quint," June gave him a warning look, turning back to her. "I...I don't even know what to say. It must've been hard to keep all of that in. To go to school every single day and then come home to that."
"It had been...but I don't think I can call him my dad anymore. I don't even know if he's still a human."
"I hope he got turned into a zombie," Quint grumbled while crossing his arms.
"...When we visited your place...it was the opposite of how I felt...wasn't it? You never had anything good you could remember?" June rubbed her arm and May shed a single tear, looking at her hands.
"...No," She answered quietly. "Dad had been doing it for as long as I can remember. To the point where I can't recall a time where I did feel happy. Any time I try to, it just gets blocked out."
Quint just looked even more angry than earlier as he growled, Dirk holding him back.
"What about the people you hung out with at school? They never questioned it?" Jack wondered to the girl.
"Ugh, I only hung out with them because I was on their level. They weren't really my friends, they were too shallow for me."
Their eyes saddened as they realized that she had no one to go to...if she even had told someone, she probably would've gone into foster care. And then her mother's heart would've been shattered to have lost her child because of him. She had no other relatives in Wakefield, unfortunately.
"Well…you have us now," June offered as she placed a hand on May's shoulder. She realized that she had been...well, herself around them. She didn't need to worry about how she looked or what she did. She was her own person, feeling like she had her own identity. And that she had nothing to worry about with them around.
"…Yeah," She smiled weakly after a few minutes.
After the boys left to get her some food, June and May sat there alone.
"May…why didn't you tell me at least? I could've helped you," June frowned at her, holding her arm.
"…We weren't friends before," May revealed to her. "Plus I was too ashamed to tell anyone, let alone someone I fell out of touch with. And...I was afraid that if I did tell...it'd destroy my mom. I didn't wanna be away from her, even if I barely got to see her before all...this happened."
"I'm sorry I was such a jerk to you. I didn't…I didn't know—"
"June," The brunette interrupted, holding up her arms. "It's okay. At least you got to relive good memories with your home. That's all I could ask for."
"Is that why we stopped talking? Because you were too ashamed to tell me?"
"Well...that, and the pressure was too much that I didn't really talk to other people a lot of the time," She looked back out to the sky.
"But...you always looked so...happy in school."
"Because I thought I was doing the right thing for a long time," May bit her lip as she struggled to continue. "My dad monitored everything, clubs, grades, studies. I just thought it all would stop if I just do what he wanted. But...I eventually realized that it wasn't healthy. I got depressed because I couldn't express who I really was to anyone. I always hid it at school so that no one would know. I didn't mean to make you feel like I abandoned you. You were my best friend, June. But the guilt was just too much for me, and I didn't want you to get caught up in my problems. I'm sorry that I didn't trust you..."
June smiled at what the girl had done to make sure June didn't have to get involved. If she had known back then...she probably wouldn't know what to do aside from telling her parents. She probably wouldn't have ever become a part of their group if things were different, despite how awful her experiences had been. "...You know what? You really did earn being the coolest girl at school. Never letting anyone know how you felt, always being there for others. You were always a good friend...and I hope that now we've addressed this...we could start over?"
"...Sure," May gave a tiny smile, offering her hand. "Maylin Joon."
"June Del Toro."
The two smiled at each other, glad that they could bury the hatchet. June rubbed her chin in thought.
"...You know, something's missing from that photo Jack gave me," June commented, May blinking at her in confusion.
She hung up a photo of her with the others, as well as the family photo over her June Bug sign. "Perfect." She placed her hands on her hips as it was now in the treehouse.
"Hey, June?" Quint looked a bit nervous as he approached. "It-it's hard for me to talk about, I'm not, but I..." He held up his own photo. "C-Could I?" It was a picture of him and his family. June took it and smiled, placing it on the left. "This too." He gave her another photo and May looked at it, flinching in shock. "I-if it's okay, I took it and thought you'd want it," He rubbed his neck at the brunette, who nodded with a small smile. June planted the last photo...of May's mom.
"Now it's perfect. My folks are gonna love you guys," She turned around to them.
"And my mom would love you too," May added with a small smile.
"Sorry if I sounded pushy about what you were going through," Quint rubbed his neck. "I never knew you were going through that."
"It's okay, I forgive you. If I have a problem about it, I'll talk to you when I'm ready, promise," She told him and he smiled happily.
"Ahem," June gave a small smirk.
"Oh! I mean any of you," She rubbed her neck awkwardly. "But my...baggage, don't start pitying me for it. I just wanna be me."
"Deal," Jack said and they all smiled.
Rover woke up as he sniffed around, heading outside. But ultimately, he saw nothing and went back to sleep...
However, Bardle was watching the treehouse from a tree, glaring up at it...
