Doobie Doobie Doobie Doobie Disclaimer! Same fanfic time, same fanfic channel! Nope I don't own anything but Emily. But my love and respect for the wonder that is Simon Pegg still grows, if that's possible. (sigh)
Sorry it's taken so long to update. Thank you all so very much for your reviews! Darn reality is taking me away from my beloved Shaun and that's just not nice. By the way, I have a Spaced fanfic I'm posting on my LiveJournal. It stars the equally beloved PeggLeggs and the cast of Spaced as zombies invade their part of London. If you are interested feel free to take a gander. Wackiness with Tim and Daisy plus the living dead, what's not to love? On to the saga that is Shaun of the Dead 2: Deadhead Boogaloo.
They got back to Shaun's flat in record time. Emily collapsed on the couch while Shaun started pacing. "Okay...so we know this much." He muttered as he walked; running his fingers through his short, ginger colored hair. "There's at least one more out there loose..."
"Her boss..." Emily let her head fall back on the cushions, and then looked up. "We need to go to their office. That's where she saw him last. And maybe we can find out more about this place she saw in those pictures." She stood up and then her eyes widened. "I just thought of something."
Shaun stopped and turned to look at her. "What?"
"How would they get those pictures? Some place like that has to have some kind of security or something right?" She moved took a step towards him, chewing her lower lip.
"Yeah, it would have to have some kind of policing...they wouldn't want it out that they were keeping what used to humans in cages." Shaun's face grew grave. "For fucks sake, a lot of people think they put those poor things out of their misery. Who knows what they are using some of them for?"
Emily gave him a funny look. "But you guys use them for labor don't you or entertainment?"
He laughed harshly. "Oh yes of course. And all of us Britons just love it don't you know." He turned his back to her and looked out the window at the lonely little shed that Ed used to have as a home, his eyes growing misty. "We're all fucking ghouls to everyone."
"Shaun I didn't mean..." She said, wishing she could take it back.
He turned back to her and gave her a sad smile. "I know love...it's just a sore spot. The ones you see being used are supposed to be those without family or people to claim them. I doubt that that is the case for a lot of them, but even if it is I still don't think it gives them a right to exploit them like that. They should be put to rest for good. Ed was the only one I have ever seen that was able to be...calmed. He was different and I'm not sure why."
Emily smiled at him. "He had you."
Shaun actually blushed at that, his gaze falling to the floor. "Nah, it wasn't me. Ed's just a stubborn bastard I guess." He cleared his throat and turned serious. "You're right though...it wouldn't have been easy to get those pictures. They must have gotten an inside source or something. We need to find out in case, well in case someone else may have been bitten."
Emily nodded. "We've got to be careful though. How many people can link us to what happened at the apartment? All we'd need is to be busted by the cops before we could figure out what's going on."
Shaun looked a bit strained. "Well, I'd guess anyone who saw me running like a lunatic down the street...either way we need to hurry." He pulled out his cell phone and punched in a number. "Hi Dom. It's Shaun, Shaun Riley. Yeah...I need that favor you owe me." His laughed nervously. "No..nothing like that. I need to borrow your car. Yeah, like now."
Less than an hour later they were zooming towards Deb's office in a mini cooper. Emily used to want one of the things, back when she thought they were cute. Now with Shaun driving like it was a scene out of the damn Italian Job she never wanted a car that could fit into her closet again.
As Shaun maneuvered the road like a man possessed, Emily decided to talk to him to keep her mind off of how car sick she was getting. "So who would be the ones in charge of this place they are keeping the zombies?"
Shaun swerved around a slower moving car and nearly threw her into the window. "I don't know...most likely some kind of government thing. I'm not really sure. All I know is we need to find this reporter..."
"Lon, that's his name." Emily said.
"We need to find this Lon and stop him before he does anymore nibbling." Shaun turned a quick right and Emily grabbed hold of her seatbelt for dear life.
They managed to make it to the office building in one piece. Emily considered this an act of God because there was no way they could have pulled off some of the maneuvers Shaun had done without divine intervention.
They parked and got out of the car. Shaun had dug out his old black trench coat before they had left the flat. It was a far better cover for the shotgun than his jacket, which was fairly obvious since half the gun stuck out from beneath it.
When he'd put it on and saw that it still fit he'd grinned widely at her. "Left over from my days as a Goth." He'd said be way of explanation. "Haven't worn it in years." If anything it made him look even more suspicious, but oh well. The coat fluttered around him like a cape in the chilly breeze that was blowing down the street, causing rubbish and leaves to move down the sidewalk as if carried by unseen hands.
Emily tried not to drool. She'd not told him about her obsession with men in black trench coats. In her opinion, and much to the chargin of the office girls back home, Keanu Reeves only saving grace was how good he looked in one. But then he always seemed to have to open his mouth and that just ruined it. Shaun on the other hand was damn distracting. She pulled her eyes away from him to look at the front of the office.
"So how are we going to do this?" She asked.
"Well, I guess we bluff our way in?" He sounded a bit uncertain, and taking her eyes off the building she saw him stroking his goatee thoughtfully.
"What do you have in mind?"
Shaun turned crafty blue eyes to her. "I'm guessing news about Deb hasn't reached here yet. We could lie and say you're here to pick some work up for her since she's sick at home and look around for Lon and whatever info we can find."
Emily nodded. "It's worth a try."
Each of them took a deep breath and walked into the lobby.
There was no one at the reception desk when they walked by, as well as no metal detectors, a fact that Shaun was very thankful for. He kept the shotgun held to his side as they walked over to the list of building occupants to find the floor they needed. He ran his finger along the gold lettering that covered the black piece of plastic while Emily nervously peered around for anyone who might wonder who the two of them were.
"Found it." Shaun said softly, he grabbed her elbow and led her over to the elevators. He pushed the up button and they waited.
"What do you think we are going to find up there?" Emily was starting to wonder if this was going to be another repeat of what they had just been through, and she didn't know if she was up for it this soon.
"I don't know pickle," He replied. Seeing the worry in her face, he reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Just stay by me and we'll be alright."
"I trust you Shaun." She said, and gave him a smile as she squeezed his hand back.
He felt his chest tighten at those words and at the way her eyes looked at him as she said them. He wanted to be worthy of that trust more than anything in the world. He wanted to keep her safe and make sure that nothing like Z-day ever happened again.
If it hadn't been for the simple fact that he knew she'd follow him anyway, short of tying her up with duck tape to the car, he wouldn't have let her come with him. But two pairs of eyes were better than one and she had saved his ass back at the apartment. The girl may have been able to take care of herself, but it didn't mean he had to like it.
The elevator arrived with a dinging noise that was louder than it should have been. Both of them jumped at the sound, Shaun nearly pulling the gun out and took aim. Thankfully the car was empty. Shaun went inside first and looked around. Not finding anything out of the ordinary he gestured for Emily to come inside.
With a silent prayer Shaun pushed the button for the floor that was home to the Nightly Reader. The doors closed on the two of them and they started the journey up.