This one is kind of a sequel to my ficlet for Day 18 - Valkyrie. -Akumu
CLAIREMBER 2022
Day 21 - zombie
Moira was leaning, arms crossed, against the door frame of Claire's office. "Aw, come on, Claire. It's Halloween!"
"Thanks, but I don't do Halloween anymore," Claire replied as she straightened her stack of remaining case files and set them on her To-Do rack.
"What about the parties?"
"Nope."
"The candy?"
"Hmm-mmm."
"The booze?"
"Definitely not."
"Just this once? For me?"
Claire looked up from the newsletters she was organizing. "Look, I appreciate the invite. But Halloween's been a no-go for me since I first got up close and personal with some real monsters and zombies in Raccoon City. I'm glad what happened last year hasn't prevented you from going out and enjoying yourself, but I'm not quite that resilient. Besides, these letters to our sponsors aren't going to mail themselves."
"Alright. Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at Coterie's."
"I will keep that in mind."
Moira left. Outside, some interns were walking by dressed as a witch, vampire, and demon clown. Claire could hear their conversation word for word, so she closed the door. She rested against it, sighing, and took off her reading glasses.
Someone screamed.
She raced to the window. The night was in full swing with parents escorting groups of costumed kids carrying buckets and bags from store to store. A couple of the kids were chasing each other around. They were the ones screaming.
Most of the time I love working downtown beside friendly business owners who'll give you 10% off on a whim if you're a frequent customer. Now is not one of those times.
Her phone buzzed. It was a notification from one of her movie apps about the latest zombie flick.
No thank you.
She deleted it. Another notification popped up – an e-mail from Cecilia. It read:
Hey Claire!
I wanted to update you before Emily and I head out to a Halloween party one of our friends is throwing. (Check out our costumes – 25 years on and your Valkyrie costume still inspires me!)
Michael's doing well. Staying with Mom while he looks for something full-time. She still gets around fine – remarkably spry for someone near 70. Thanks again for looking after her while she was sick when you had some time off over the summer. I wish I could be there more for her, but we're still shortstaffed at the hospital. They haven't said anything, but I expect us to stay shortstaffed. You know how stingy management is.
How is Chris? It's been ages since I've seen him. I hope he is better now.
I know you haven't celebrated Halloween for many years now. I understand why. But even so, I hope you find something to celebrate tonight. May you laugh, be merry, and dance the night away as Emily and I will. :)
Much love,
Cecilia xo
The attached photo was a selfie of Maggie dressed as Loonette the clown and Cecilia as a warrior princess, her skirt ripped and armor battle worn with a touch of fake blood and bruising to cinch the look. Claire smiled.
Outside, kids were screaming again. Laughing too. The "Monster Mash" started blaring. She looked at the letters she was to sign and mail by Friday.
I should have enough time to sign and mail these tomorrow.
Slipping on her red jacket, she made her way to the front lobby. The receptionist had set out a bowl of Halloween-foiled Reese's Cups. Claire grabbed one, shoved the foil in her pocket, and chewed it as she hit the lights and locked the door behind her.
The "Monster Mash" was still playing. She hummed along, dodging groups of horror movie characters, until she reached Coterie's. Inside it was pitch black, lit only by neon lights that pulsed underneath the tables and bar. A loud techno mix of the "Ghostbusters" theme song drowned out the voices of all the bodies crammed together. She pushed through until she spotted Moira standing at a glowing red table.
The same three interns from before were with her, along with a gray-painted zombie girl. The clown was chugging a beerstein while Moira and the other three cheered him on.
"Hey!" Claire said when she reached the table.
"Holy fuck, you came!" said Moira. "Claire, you know Megan, James, and Ahmed from work."
The witch, vampire, and clown nodded at Claire. She nodded back.
"This is Stephanie. Stephanie, this is Claire, the badass I told you about who came to rescue me with a fucking rocket launcher last year."
Stephanie the zombie said, "Oh, hey!"
"Hey!" Claire hesitated. "I like your costume."
"Thanks, it took hours to put on all this make-up. My sister Alyson and I – hey, where is Alyson?"
"She's in the bathroom. Said she wasn't feeling well," said James.
"Drank too much of the good stuff," said Ahmed.
"Anyway, my sister and I took turns putting on each other's make-up. She's a zombie too."
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" started to play. The crowd erupted in excited screaming. In the small space that cleared, bodies gathered and began dancing the Thriller.
"Oh my God! We are so doing this!" Moira grabbed Claire and pulled her into the space. While Moira shuffled in beat to the song, Claire stood still. "Come on, Claire. You taught me this dance, remember?"
"I remember. It's just been a while."
"Then follow my lead."
Claire copied what Moira did. Instinctive cues, years long buried, resurfaced. By the time the chorus hit, it had all come back, and she and Moira were dancing in sync just as they had when Moira had finally mastered the dance 15 years before.
"Hell yeah!" Moira said.
Claire laughed.
A blue spotlight shone on them, lighting the room. She glimpsed a small, dark hallway and a lone, hunched figure that shuffled therefrom. It was a girl caked in zombie make-up.
Stephanie went to the girl, Alyson. She put her arm around her and led her toward the glowing red table.
"Hey, why'd ya stop?" Moira asked.
"Wait here," Claire said. She went to the table.
Stephanie still had her arm around Alyson and was trying to coax her into sipping a cup of water.
"Is she okay?" Claire asked.
"Yeah. It's just her first time drinking tequila," said Stephanie.
Alyson laid her head on her sister's shoulders, her eyes closed, her face scrunched in misery. Stephanie tucked a piece of her sister's hair behind her ear. Alyson blinked. Her eyes gleamed white like pus-coated pearls.
"Oh no," said Claire.
Alyson dove on Stephanie, knocking her to the floor. Stephanie shrieked. Ahmed and James pulled Alyson off her. Megan went to Stephanie, who was crying and clenching her neck, blood pooling around her. Alyson snapped at her. Red stained her mouth.
"What the fuck?" said James.
Alyson threw herself on him and pinned him to the wall. He screamed as she bit through his cloak and ripped free a chunk of his shoulder.
A wave of screams, so loud they drowned out the music, flooded the bar. All the cramped bodies packed against the entrance. Ahmed ran to join them, followed by Megan shouldering Stephanie.
James collapsed in a bloody heap. Alyson turned toward them.
"Holy shit on a stick, not again," said Moira. "Please, not again."
"Come on." Claire grabbed Moira and pulled her onto the bar.
Alyson ran for the bodies. James stirred then clumsily stood, groaning. His eyes now gleamed white.
