Dead Man's Party

By

mama4dukes

Summary: When the Pacific Northwest is overrun by zombies, the residents of Forks and La Push are ready and waiting. They will not go down without a fight.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author-mama4dukes. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: NC-17, Non-Canon, OOC: Out of Character. Humor/Action/Supernatural. Billy Black is not in a wheelchair in this story. Sam and Leah are on friendly terms. They never dated. There is gun violence, blood, and gore in this story, but only towards zombies. If this type of thing bothers you, please do not read.

This story was written for The Darkest Falling Star, inspired by her zombie mood board and prompt, "Some people come back to haunt you no matter how deep you bury them."

Dead Man's Party

Chapter One

Deep in the forest of La Push, a great wolf roamed the land, his large paws gripping the forest floor as it padded through the woods. He did this, day-in and day-out, to protect his people—those of the Quileute Nation from the Cold Ones. Bloodsuckers. Vampires.

Vampires killed indiscriminately to satiate their hunger—their hunger for blood. They needed the blood to survive, and they preferred human blood. They didn't care who they fed on; as long as they were human—man, woman, child—none were safe once a hungry, cold one decided to hunt.

The wolf was no ordinary wolf. Instead, he was a shapeshifter, able to change at whim from man to wolf and then back again. He had inherited this incredible ability due to a gene passed on from one of his forefathers—the Great Taha Aki. He was the original shapeshifter, formed to kill vampires who came to decimate their tribe.

The wolf suddenly stopped. His olfactory nerves sent a sharp warning to his brain by scent. The pungent odor of bleach attacked his nasal passages. The wolf wanted to gag. But instead, he tampered down on his feelings and rushed towards the scent, ready to do what he was trained to do, albeit that training came via a bit of light reading from a manual of sorts. He stopped when he realized the scent belonged to one of the Cullens.

The Cullens were a vampire coven who lived in Forks. The wolves were not allowed to touch them due to a treaty formed in the 1930s with a previous pack. The Cullens only fed from animals and claimed to be humane vampires, but the wolf didn't trust them at all.

The wolf was about to turn back when he detected another scent—one more tantalizing and delectable. The bouquet called to him as if he were being summoned directly. He shifted back into his tall, human form, walked towards the scent, and listened.

"Bella, we need to talk. After considering things, especially after the incident at your birthday party, we really can't be together."

"But it was an accident. It wasn't Jasper's fault. All I did was get a paper cut."

"Can't you see that things like this can happen at any time? You don't belong in our world, Bella. Collectively, as a family, we decided that we were moving. I don't want you to come with me," the vampire said. "I don't want you."

"You don't want me?" the girl asked.

"No," the vampire paused, then tried to soften the blow, "but don't worry, your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind."

"And your memories?" she questioned.

"I'll soon find another distraction," the bloodsucker replied.

"Seriously, Edward, that's how you're going to break up with me? You're going to demean me?" Bella Swan placed her hands on her hips and glared at her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend in anger. "You have some nerve telling me that my memory is no more than a sieve and that you'll soon find another distraction. Exactly how is my memory so fallible? Do you really think it will be easy to forget that I dated a vampire? And how are you planning on distracting yourself? Are you going to fool around with another human girl? Say sweet things to her and then leave her? Or do you plan on spending hours on end distracting yourself by playing the piano in an attempt to forget?"

"I… I don't know." Edward Cullen was at a loss for words, too stunned at being taken to task by his ex-girlfriend. Finally, he decided to change the course of the conversation. It was not going as he imagined it would. The vampire thought she'd be forlorn, begging him not to go. In any case, he needed to say something to ensure her safety. He didn't want her to get hurt, and his human girlfriend tended to carelessness. He considered how she managed to get a papercut, exposing everyone in the room to blood and tempting them. "Just promise me something, Bella."

"Promise? You want me to make a promise to you after the hurtful words you just spewed." She shook her head in disbelief. "Okay, fine," she huffed, "what is it you want me to promise?"

"Don't do anything reckless… For Charlie's sake."

"If you seriously think I'm going to go off the deep end just because you broke up with me, you're sorely mistaken. I've seen my mother suffer through enough break-ups to learn what is healthy and unhealthy in a relationship. I've sat with her night after night as she cried, wondering what went wrong in a relationship. I've seen her put all the blame on her shoulders when it takes two to muck up an affair. I will not put myself through unnecessary pain and suffering simply because you chose to break up with me."

"Oh… I thought… I thought you loved me," the vampire said.

"Perhaps I did at one time, but this changes things."

"May I kiss you goodbye?"

"No," Bella stated firmly without backing down. "It would be a terrible idea if you did. I think a clean break would be best. Goodbye, Edward."

"But… I… I…" Dejected and rejected, Edward Cullen ran away from Bella Swan to nurse his bruised ego at top speed.

Bella Swan could not believe the callous words her now ex-boyfriend had easily spewed forth. She sighed. It was partly her own fault. She should have never become involved with a vampire. Why had she even allowed herself to get into such a position? She took a look around at her surroundings and realized she was lost. Really lost. Super-duper lost. "Oh, crap! I probably should have had him take me home before I gave him a piece of my mind. Where the heck am I?"

The shapeshifter, who had been listening in on the conversation, was stunned by the girl's actions. The vampire, rather than simply breaking up with her, demeaned her. He used hurtful words in an attempt to put the break-up on her shoulders. But, instead, the girl had turned those words around and taken matters into her own hands. By the end of the conversation, the vampire had been completely confused, forcing him to run away from the girl feeling sorry for himself.

The shapeshifter decided to take a chance and show himself. He was still intoxicated by her scent. It was as if it were a balm to his soul. He absolutely had to meet her. "Hi! Are you lost?"

Bella Swan's eyes widened. Where did this person come from? Alarms went off in her head. He was a predator. Holy cow! She was going to be assaulted in the woods, kidnapped, possibly murdered. She stared at the man's naked form. Her mouth popped open when she saw his… equipment. "Oh my God!" she cried and averted her eyes by looking up straight into his eyes.

Sam Uley was mesmerized by the girl in front of him. Her eyes captivated him and drew him in—as if her soul called to him. An odd, magical feeling began taking over his body. It was as if invisible chains wrapped around him and the girl, bonding them together, fusing their souls together. It was as if… "Oof!" he cried as he dropped to his knees.

The girl's foot had landed squarely at his groin. She started screaming wildly, "Help! Help me!" before running away—in the wrong direction. "There's a naked loon ready to attack me!" She continued running. Stumbling on an enormous tree root. "Daddy! Uncle Billy! Somebody, please!" she pleaded. "Honestly, why aren't you here now hunting? You guys hunt all the time! Great! Just great! There's a naked pervert desperate to relieve me of my virginity. You guys are probably lolly-gagging around eating Uncle Harry's famous fish-fry in front of the TV!"

Sam Uley grabbed his crotch to ensure all his parts were still intact. Then he looked down and realized he was stark naked. "No wonder she thinks I'm a freak! I'm stark naked."

Bella had run in a large loop around the forest by then. "Uh, no. You came out of nowhere with a big, cheesy smile on your face and asked me if I was lost. Only a creepy person would do something like that." She held her hand up, breathing hard. "Can you let me rest before beginning your pursuit of me again? I need to catch my breath."

"Oh, sure, sure." Sam slapped his forehead and said, "I wasn't chasing after you. You circled back after running away from me. I truly want to take you home."

"Nice try, buddy. You aren't going to get me to trust you to take me home, then do whatever you intended to do here at my house instead. No way."

"I'm sorry. I should have found a better way to approach you." He held his hand out. "My name is Sam Uley. I live over in La Push. I... I heard the entire conversation between you and the bloodsucker, and I think you're fabulous. I like the way you handled him."

"Really? And how do you know he's a… What did you call him? A bloodsucker?"

"I know all about him. I'm a wolf."

"How old are you?" Bella asked suspiciously.

"Nineteen."

"How long have you been nineteen?"

"Nineteen years and three months, give or take a few days."

Bella scratched her head. "Are you sure? Because Jacob said that you were around when the Cullens came around the first time in the 1930s."

"No, no. That was my great-grandfather, Levi Uley." Sam's eyes widened. "Did you say Jacob told you about our legends?"

"Oh, sure. We've been friends since we were kids. We tell each other everything."

"Really? So, Jacob knew you were dating a vampire?"

"Yes, and I swore him to secrecy. We pinky-swore." Bella nodded her head decisively. "And you're not going to run off and tell on him either, right?"

"Of course, I won't." He wouldn't have to. Jacob would spill all his secrets himself once he phased, and the chances were good that he'd be the next to do so. "Do you trust me now? At least enough to let me walk you home?"

"How about you take me back to Jake's house? That way, I can call my dad, and he can pick me up. I'm still not sure if I trust you."

"Okay, we'll do it your way. I need to tell you something first, though."

"Go for it."

"When you looked in my eyes earlier, I imprinted on you."

"Imprinted? What is that?"

"Didn't you feel something?" Sam asked.

"Uh, no. I was frightened and in fear of you taking my virginity prematurely."

"Really? I felt it happen. Why don't we see if the eye-juju thing happens again?" he suggested. "Just look into my eyes." So, the pair gazed reverently into each other's eyes. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then suddenly, they were both overwhelmed by a feeling of contentment. The invisible cables wound themselves around the couple, binding them together for life.

"Wow!" Bella gasped. "What was that?"

"That was imprinting. You're my mate."

"Your mate? Mates like Emmett and Rosalie? Or Carlisle and Esme? Or Alice and Jasper?"

"Yeah, but the shapeshifter version is called imprinting." Sam smiled at her happily. "Anyway, we're pretty far from La Push right now. I'm going to phase into my wolf form. How about if you climb on my back so I can take you back to Jake's house?" It was the perfect place to go. He'd have to explain everything to Billy anyway, now that Bella was his imprint.

Sam quickly phased into his wolf form then got down onto his haunches so Bella could climb on his back.

"Jesus! You're humungous as a wolf!" She calmly circled him, taking the time to stroke his fur. Finally, she stopped in front of him. So, do I just hang on to your neck? I'm not sure how it's done. I've been horseback riding before, but there were reins and stirrups. I suppose you don't have any of those lying around somewhere." Sam shook his head in the negative. "Okay, then here goes nothing." Bella climbed onto his back, and once she was secure, the black wolf started heading to La Push.

XOXO

When they were close to Billy's house, Sam returned to human form and took Bella's hand. When their hands connected, there were sparks. "Did you feel that? The electricity? It's one of the signs of a mated couple."

"Is that what it is? I felt it everywhere we touched when you were running through the woods. I thought your fur was just static clingy. I was trying to figure out if we should douse you in fabric softener and hose you off before we do this again."

"Fabric softener?" Sam scratched behind his ear.

"Oh, I know! Maybe you should moisturize your skin. Yes, definitely, you should moisturize your skin and use a good hair conditioner," Bella decided.

Sam wondered what the hell his imprint was going on about. What did fabric softener have to do with imprinting?

The couple continued around the house to the Black's front door; Sam knocked. Billy Black was a tall man with a robust appearance. He kept his long, straight jet-black hair topped with a cowboy hat. The Chief of the Quileute Nation looked curiously between Bella and Sam for several moments. Then, finally, he crooked an eyebrow at the one more likely to cause trouble. "Bella?"

"Oh, hey, Uncle Billy. Can I stick around at your house for a while? I need Daddy to pick me up here."

"Of course, you may, and you don't have to call him. He'll be by after work to watch the game." He noticed that Sam and Bella were holding hands. What happened to the Cullen vampire she had been dating? He waited until the couple settled themselves on the sofa to ask, "Weren't you dating that vamp… b… boy."

"They broke up," Sam explained. Bella sat beside him and nodded her head vigorously. "Bella is my imprint. I told her everything."

Billy placed a hand over his heart in relief. "I was about to find a way to break you and Cullen up if you didn't do it soon."

"If you knew what he was, how come you didn't warn me to stay away from him, Uncle Billy?"

"If I told you to stay away from him, would you have done so?"

"I don't think I would have been able to. Edward was so persuasive. It was almost like I had no control of my mental faculties when I was near him. Does that make sense?"

"Vampires are naturally able to lure humans in. He probably did not know he was doing it. Consider this, Bella, humans are a vampire's natural food source. They have the ability to compel you to do what they desire. I'm curious because you seem to be completely over Edward Cullen. What happened?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, really. Over the past few days, I had been thinking about my mom. You know how my mom is, Billy. She becomes so wrapped up in her relationships that she forgets herself. It occurred to me that I was headed in that direction and realized I didn't want to be like her.

"And then today, after a few days of not seeing Edward, he broke up with me. During the conversation, I realized how similar his words were to some of the men who had dumped my mom. So, I decided to give him a piece of my mind instead of letting him control the conversation."

"Then she sent him scurrying off into the forest with his tail between his legs," Sam added.

"And how did you come to imprint on her?" Billy turned his attention to Sam.

"Oh, she was lost, and I told her I'd help her find her way back."

"I thought he was a pervert at first," Bella told Billy. "He was stark naked. He didn't have any clothes on."

"I was patrolling the woods when I smelled leech. I realized it was Cullen, so I was about to turn away when I was compelled to stay by one of the sweetest scents I'd ever encountered. It was Bella."

"I'm not surprised at all. The archives all state the natural scent of an imprint calls to her wolf," Billy explained.

"That explains things. Anyway, I introduced myself, Bella ran away after kicking me in my nuts—and then she circled back."

"I got lost. I didn't know I was going around in a circle."

Sam continued, "When Bella returned, I introduced myself to her, convinced her I wasn't psycho and looked into her eyes one more time. Thankfully, we imprinted. It was like invisible lassoes bound us together. And all I wanted to do was keep her safe."

"Yeah, it was a weird feeling, like our souls were being cocooned together." Bella nodded her head. "I guess Edward was correct when he said I didn't belong in his world. It looks like I belonged in this one all along," Bella concluded.