Author's Note: Personally, I think Oingo Boingo's classic song "Dead Man's Party," sets the tone and tempo for this chapter. XOXO mama4dukes
Dead Man's Party
Chapter Seven
A plan was quickly made, and the town's emergency alert system was activated. All Forks residents were ordered indoors except for a select handful who reported to the police station or other designated locations. The residents were told to remain as quiet as possible and not operate radios, televisions, or anything that made noise. In La Push, the guard along the perimeter was told to stay in place and block entry to any stray zombies.
Old Mr. Bates, who owned the now-shuttered Forks Horseshoe Motel at the edge of town, offered up his property as a staging ground. It was the perfect location because, if all went as planned, all they'd have to do was to block in one side of the building. The motel had stood empty for over a decade. It was two stories high and was in the shape of a U. It surrounded a parking lot, which doubled as a courtyard. There were remnants of a small patch of lawn in the center of the lot. But, unfortunately, it had been overgrown with weeds long ago.
Mr. Bates wanted to raze the building because he'd have a better chance of selling the property if it was ready for construction. However, the building had been constructed in the 1940s by the present owner's grandfather and had seen better days. So, Charlie negotiated a deal with him. The town would tear it down for him free of charge if the motel wasn't destroyed during the battle.
Amongst the supernatural set, Jared, Leah, Paul, and Sam were the only wolves participating in the maneuver because they were eighteen or older. Carlisle and Esme stayed at the high school managing the triage center, with Sue and Tiffany assisting. There had been a steady flow of injuries throughout the day. Peter, Jasper, and Garrett were helping with the operation at the motel.
Alice remained at the Swan home, making sure Embry did not escape. She kept him busy by having him help her reorganize the closets in the Swan home so they were organized and up-to-date with the suitcases of new clothes she had purchased for them. Then she forced him to clean his room. Embry decided that Alice Cullen was a worse slave-driver than even his mother. The vampire stood in the doorway glaring at him until he finished. And when his mother finally came home the next day, she actually thanked Alice. He wondered what happened to familial loyalty.
Rose and Peter were securing snow plow attachments to the maintenance trucks at the maintenance yard as they had been removed for the season. The plan was to box the zombies in the parking lot, between the buildings, and blast them apart. Emmett, Garrett, Jared, and Paul were at Old Mr. Hinkley's junkyard looking for more oversized steel items like vehicle hoods to use for a barricade. They used Bella's beat-up pick-up truck to haul everything to the motel and parked it behind the building for safety. Jasper, Sam, and Leah's imprint Jason were setting up several large speakers on the roof of the building and connecting them to a receiver. Charlotte and Leah were in charge of making sure all the motel rooms were unlocked. In addition, they hooked up several bright spotlights on the motel roof. Charlie, meanwhile, kept Bella busy by tasking her with gathering up grenades and dynamite to be used on the zombies. He also had her collect all the combat helmets she could find.
It took a few hours, but they got everything in place. Forks was pitch black, the sun having set hours ago. The only lights were from some dimly-lit homes. The police chief had ordered most of the street lamps temporarily extinguished. Zombies still roamed the streets, confused by the lack of people on the streets, their hunger for brains and entrails increasing by the second.
Everyone was at their assigned locations. Chief Swan gave the okay to power up the motel lights. The tall, neon sign flashed like a beacon throughout Forks. The glitzy sign post would have fit in more on the Vegas Strip rather than in a secluded location in the sleepy town of Forks, Washington. The spotlights on the roof blazed brightly like a guide, hailing the zombies to their destination. Music streamed from the rooftop speakers beckoning the zombies to gather at the motel.
There were twenty-four rooms on the second floor. Every other one was occupied by two people: one manning the front and the other the back. Bella and Sam were in one room with their guns at the ready. He wandered over from the back to wrap his arms around his girl. She was splattered with blood, just like he was, but the important thing was they were still alive. He nuzzled his cheek gently against hers then pressed his lips to hers before wandering off to the back window to stand guard again.
The zombies were coming. Sam could hear their hungry groans and moans as they approached. The putrid stink of their decaying flesh became more prominent by the second. He wished they'd hurry, but they dragged along slowly, literally dead on their feet. He wanted them permanently dead so his life could go back to normal. He turned and drank in the sight of his imprint, who was keeping her eye on the courtyard. He was proud she had the guts enough to fight. He wouldn't want someone like Jared's girlfriend, who was cowering in fear in La Push. Fear was only a hindrance in a situation like this.
"Bella, are they in the courtyard yet?" Sam asked.
"Not yet." Bella kept her eyes focused on the grounds. "How many do you see on your side?"
Sam shook his head. "They're coming in droves. Come and take a look."
XOXO
Downstairs, in the reservation office, Chief Swan was looking out for zombies with Lieutenant Gene Lahote. He decided to check in with everyone using the walkie-talkie.
"Remember, no firing until I give the okay," Charlie reminded everyone. "Plow drivers, are you standing by?"
Several voices chimed in, "We are."
Charlie zeroed in on one of the drivers. "Andy, tell me how the zombies are reacting on Bogachiel Way?"
"They're not paying any attention to my plow truck. I'm driving without any headlights per your instructions. It appears the zombies are more attracted to the bright lights and the noise at the motel. It's like they have tunnel vision and are desperate to get there."
"Same with my truck," Greg chimed in. "I'm on Forks Avenue. There must be at least six groups of twenty or thirty zombies. They're all heading straight towards you."
"Ditto on Division Street, Chief Swan," Rosalie Hale stated. "Em and I are in the bulldozer. When the numbers dwindle, we'll try Bella's idea of mowing them down. But, for now, we're letting them drift toward you."
"Good. Don't agitate them. Motel Team, be on the ready. They're here. I'm out." Charlie said as he crouched down to watch the zombies.
"Charlie, I think some of them are walking up the stairs. Listen." Gene pointed up to
"Shit, we didn't block off the staircase. The kids are all upstairs, and so are most of the rookie cops."
"Daddy. Um, Daddy." Bella called in a whisper on the radio. "Chief Swan!"
"Hey, kiddo, what's up?"
"There are about ten zombies milling about upstairs on my side of the motel and none on the other. Most of them haven't figured out how to use the stairs and are piling into the courtyard, but still, there are a few who have managed to get upstairs. If we don't fire at them, they might just walk downstairs at the other end." Bella was cut off by the sound of gunfire. "A hundred percent, Daddy, that was not me! I'm not stupid enough to draw attention to us like that!" Charlie's daughter hissed into the phone. "And it wasn't Sam either."
"It was one of your rookie cops," Paul stated from another radio. "He's from two doors down from me. I just wanted you to know it wasn't me either because I would be the next one to be blamed. Shit! The shots drew attention upstairs. We're being swarmed."
"I want to know which idiot fired the rifle that put everyone upstairs in danger! I want to know now!" Charlie shouted.
"It was Malloy, sir, but… Holy shit! He's a zombie. Oh, fuck! Hey, Chris, don't you recognize me? We're friends. You're my partner. We started on the force together two years ago."
"Get rid of him now. You know the rules, Collins!" Charlie growled.
"But, Sir. Chris is my partner. I can't shoot him."
Two muffled gunshots were heard over the radio, followed by Bella's voice bellowing, "Man the fuck up! Are you a cop or not?"
"Um, Sir, your daughter handled Malloy for us. I think I'm going to puke."
"Is it my imagination, or are the hiring standards becoming lower?" Charlie asked Gene.
"That's an understatement if there ever was one." He took a deep breath. "We need to get upstairs and help our kids."
"I agree. Major Whitlock, what's the situation upstairs?"
"We're hurling zombies off the balcony. Bella and Sam are in the stairwell by you, popping off zombies as they try to enter. Leah, Jason, Lieutenant Marshall, and Mr. Cameron are attempting to barricade the two staircases on the other side of the building."
"Bella, Sam, clear the way for us. Lieutenant Lahote and I are coming upstairs now. Let us know when it's clear."
The clunk of something metal connecting to a human skull was heard, followed by the body of a female zombie flying out of the stairwell.
"Clear!" Sam shouted.
Charlie and Gene used baseball bats to smash their way through the crowd of zombies because they didn't want to draw too much attention to themselves or the staircase. Then, they rushed upstairs, where most of the kids tried to rid the second floor of zombies without calling too much attention to themselves.
The police chief peered down at the parking lot from the balcony. The zombies were hissing and snarling in confusion. The music blared from the rooftop, keeping the zombies in place. But, oddly enough, hardly any of them paid attention to the upstairs balcony where the struggle was taking place. Instead, they teetered and tottered with their arms waving to the horizon, and their faces pointed heavenward, searching for the source of the light and noise. Charlie thought they would look at home at an evangelical worship or a Christian revival concert. But, instead, this was clearly a dead man's party.
"Dad, duck!" Charlie dropped to the ground as his daughter popped off a zombie who had been directly behind him. He quickly jumped to his feet to assess the situation. The zombies seemed to be on one side of the balcony only. Oddly enough, only one of the police rookies, Collins, assisted with the situation. The rest, it seemed, were hiding out in their rooms.
"Charlie, we were able to barricade the stairwells on the south side. We need to seal off the two on this side," Lieutenant Marshall stated.
"Do it. Where are the rookies? I only see Collins."
"Cash, Gomez, Stevens, and Washington are taking apart door frames in the rooms to be used as barricades. I have no idea where the other four are."
"If the other four don't come out to assist, I want them off the force. Hiding out in motel rooms when these kids are fighting with every ounce of strength they have in them is… Get down!" Charlie batted at a zombie sending him spiraling off the balcony. "As I was saying, if these kids can fight, trained officers of the law should be able to."
"I can't agree more."
"I've informed the kids to limit the use of guns because we're in close quarters here. We don't want what happened to Angela Weber happening here," Ken stated.
"That's a good plan. What happened to Angela Weber?"
"She was nicked by a stray bullet."
"My God! Is she still alive?"
"According to my wife, Bella patched her up and Angela went back to the field."
"My Bella removed a bullet?"
"Yeah, my wife is working at the triage center with your wife. She said that Angela came in later to make sure Bella did everything right. According to her, she did a bang-up job. I had no idea she had first aid training."
The police chief whacked two zombies with his baseball bat, sending them spiraling down the stairs. Then he smiled in satisfaction, his chest pumping out in pride. "It has to be those episodes of MASH we watched together." He was sure his plan of Bella becoming a doctor would come to fruition.
"Charlie, we have two more zombies left!" Joe Cameron informed him as his son used a machete to behead a zombie. "One more!" He gave his son a pat on the back. "Good job, Jared."
Beyond them, Bella, Sam, and Paul were rhythmically beating on a colossal zombie with a wrecking bar, a metal bat, and a sledgehammer.
"Why isn't this guy going down?" Paul asked, whacking his sledgehammer especially hard. It did the trick, sending the zombie's head flying. Unfortunately, his body landed on top of the railing. Bella, whose back was to the banister, went tumbling down with the zombie.
"Bella!" several voices called. Instead of landing on the ground, she touched down on the outstretched arms of the zombies. She found herself being passed over the zombies' heads, with their hands supporting her weight. They were clearly moving her through the crowd, so she didn't block the light.
"We have to do something," Sam yelped, terrified for his girl. He was attempting to jump down to help, but Paul and Jared held him back.
"Sam, you'll make things worse if you go down there!" Charlie warned. "Now, stay here while we figure out a way to bring her back upstairs. I mean it!"
"You two make sure he doesn't move," Jasper ordered Paul and Jared, who was wrestling with him to keep him from budging. Sam was fighting them at every turn. He was so worried about Bella. Jasper ended up having to stay to send him a continuous feeling of calm; otherwise, Sam would have phased in the middle of the motel, endangering everyone.
"She'll be okay. Find a rope. We need something to hoist her up!" Peter urged. They couldn't find a rope, but Garrett found an emergency fire house. He made sure he had a firm grasp of one end, then dropped the hose down to her. Bella immediately grabbed hold of it, securing it to her wrists. Together, Garrett and Peter pulled her up to safety. Sam reached for her immediately, checking her for injuries.
"I'm okay, Sam," Bella assured him, "I truly am," stroking his cheek with her fingers. "I've never been crowd surfing before. It was actually fun."
"You partied with the zombies, Bella!" Paul chortled.
"I know, right." She high-fived him. "It's too bad we can't risk doing it again. It was a hoot."
"Ah, well, we can't all be lucky like you, Bella."
For the life of him, Sam couldn't understand her nonchalant attitude. A normal imprint… Hell, a normal anyone would be freaking out at falling into a hive of zombies. Well, maybe not Paul or Chief Swan, but surely most people would be catatonic after an experience like that.
The radio chimed with a female voice on the other end. "Chief Swan, this is Rosalie."
"Go ahead, Rosalie."
"We tried Bella's idea of plowing the zombies. It works, at least with the bulldozer. We can run them over, too. Emmett took out the ones who weren't completely destroyed with his gun. Otherwise, we're making progress."
"Did you hear that? Start mowing down the zombies with your plows. Plow drivers, make sure you do a clean sweep of all the streets. Barricade them with four trucks when you get to an intersection and drop a grenade. That should take care of a chunk of them. Reach out by radio if you have any questions."
Charlie turned to the vampires and shapeshifters next. "Put the barricades in place and then get yourselves to a safe area. We're going to start launching grenades at the zombies in the courtyard. Lieutenants Lahote and Marshall, Joe Cameron, and I are the only four allowed out on the balcony at this point. Everyone else, get inside a room."
Everyone obediently barricaded themselves in a room except for Bella, who came waltzing out of one, looking excited, and holding a long cylindrical object. "I was wondering, Dad…."
Charlie rolled his eyes, shook his head, and glared sternly at his daughter. "Put the fucking rocket launcher back inside the room now! And stop pouting! That thing will level the whole building with us in it." Bella's father put one hand on his hip and pointed to the room with the other until his daughter retreated back inside.
"I don't know what's worse, my Katie, who wants every new makeup item at Sephora. Or your Bella, who wants to test everything out at Weapons Warehouse," Lieutenant Marshall said.
"What the hell is Sephora?" Charlie asked.
"It's a store that sells makeup, skincare, and the like. You know, girl stuff."
"They have places like that?" Joe Cameron questioned, horrified at the thought.
"Oh, yeah, they do. The place is expensive, too. Put it this way, you can buy two or three boxes of ammo for the price of an eye shadow palette."
"What the hell is an eye shadow palette?" Charlie asked.
"It's like an artist's paint palette but filled with different shades of eye shadow instead."
"I'm glad I only have boys." Joe sighed in relief.
"I'm glad I only have the one boy," Lieutenant Lahote agreed.
"Yeah, me, too." Charlie nodded in agreement.
All three fathers turned to him. "Bella is a girl, Charlie," Gene reminded him. "A pretty one, too."
"And the prom queen. Katie was upset about that," added Ken Marshall. "She wanted to be prom queen."
Charlie didn't want to hurt Ken's feelings, so he did not address the prom issue. How can anyone imagine their daughter would become prom queen with a Swan at the school? His Bella was gorgeous because of his genes. Her mother was a good-looking woman, too, although he'd never admit it to his ex-wife.
He decided to discuss the reason Bella was a tomboy instead. "After Renee left me, I didn't exactly know how to raise a daughter. So whenever Bella came to see me during the summertime, I just brought her along and did everything my father did with me."
"Is that why she's a crack shot? I think she's more accurate than Billy, and he's good."
"It might be because she has spent a lot of time with Billy and Jake. I'm not sure how, but one summer, she came home, and she was as accurate as a sniper."
"That makes sense. You know, I regret not teaching Katie how to shoot. She should be out here. Heck, I heard even Reverend Weber's daughter was out there kicking ass earlier today, and so was Lauren Mallory. If anyone is more girly than Katie, it's Lauren."
"You've got a point there."
The conversation was interrupted by Sam on the radio. "The barricade is up, and we're at a secure location. There are zombies outside still trying to get in, but they'll have to wait for the next round."
"Okay, wait until I give you the signal to open the barrier back up." Charlie turned to his team. "Let's start with two grenades. I'll drop one. Who wants to drop the other?"
"I'll do it," Joe Cameron said. "I probably have the most experience, and if you want my opinion, I would drop three grenades instead of two. One from each corner and one from the middle. We can increase from there."
"I'm going to defer to your expertise, Joe."
"Alright, who is throwing the third grenade?"
"Can I drop it?" Bella asked excitedly from the window. The three police officers and the Marine turned to her with exasperated expressions. "Please?"
"No! You're going to let the professionals handle this. Now go back into the room, Bella. Stay there until after we blast these fuckers apart," Charlie commanded. He had never seen his kid so excited about anything since he took her to Disneyland when she was twelve. He recalled she loved the roller coasters—the scarier the better. She couldn't get enough of them. Then there was the time they tried their hand at rock climbing at an indoor climbing park in Seattle. She enjoyed that, too. It suddenly occurred to him that his daughter was an adrenaline junkie. He wondered why it took him so long to realize this about her.
"I'll drop the third grenade," Gene Lahote volunteered.
"And I'll do the countdown," Ken Marshall offered.
"So, it's decided, then. Gene, you're in the left corner. Charlie, you drop the grenade from the right corner. I'll be in the middle. When Ken counts to three, pull the pin and drop the grenade. Duck and cover close to the wall as soon as the device is dropped," Joe instructed. "Ken, you can begin the countdown as soon as I tell you."
Joe Cameron looked over the courtyard and assessed the conditions. During his twenty years of service in the Marines, he had come across various situations. He had been in conflicts, skirmishes, and peacekeeping missions, but not once had he come across such unnatural creatures. Zombies. He'd had a year full of surprises. He had not planned on retiring; however, news had reached him from Billy Black that his second son Jared had turned into a shapeshifter. He had not believed the legends he had been told as a child were true until his friend Gene Lahote confirmed the fact. Gene's son Paul had changed immediately after Jared had. When the time had come for him to re-enlist, Joe opted to retire from the Marines because he knew his son would need direct support.
Upon his retirement, he had thought his days of conflict were over, but then the call for help with the zombie situation came from Charlie Swan. Joe knew immediately he'd assist. He couldn't help himself. The innate duty to keep everyone and everything around him safe was ingrained in him. Besides, there was no way he would let these monsters take over the world.
Joe watched as the zombies continued staring at the spotlights on the roof. It was as if they were mesmerized by it. Finally, he spoke into the radio to his oldest son Jason and his fiancée Leah, "Kill the lights and the music." Immediately, the surroundings became dark and bereft of music. The zombies, however, became anxious, their raspy growls becoming louder. The gargling caws from deep within their throat became more frequent. "Begin the countdown," he whispered to Ken Marshall.
The pins were pulled and the grenades dropped. They detonated within seconds. "Turn the lights on," Joe ordered as he got to his feet to gauge the effect of the explosion on the zombies. The majority of them had been blasted apart, but between ten or fifteen were still standing. They were again focusing their attention on the lights.
"You know, we should take the living zombies down from up here while the barrier is still closed," Bella Swan suggested to him from the side.
"Weren't you supposed to remain in the room?" Joe asked, wondering where the hell she came from.
"That was before you threw the grenades. Dad said I could come out after they were thrown." She aimed her rifle at the still-standing zombies and began popping them off individually.
Joe decided to help her. "How did your aim become so true, Bella? Did Chief Black teach you?"
"Uncle Billy? Nah! He only owns a hunting rifle and a shotgun. When I was in the seventh grade, my mom dated a guy who owned a gun club in Arizona. He had two kids around my age, Maurizio and Angelo. On the weekends, he'd have one of his relatives watch us while Mom and Vinnie went to have dinner. He had a lot of family members. Anyway, Angelina, who was Vinnie's sister, was in charge of keeping us busy. After feeding us at a fancy Italian restaurant, she'd bring us to Vinnie's gun club after hours, where we were allowed to run around. Lorenzo, who ran the club, let us practice shooting targets with BB guns and rifles. It was pretty awesome. The machines were super automated. The targets moved back and forth and would run us through drills."
"My God. I hope you were being supervised."
"For the most part. A lot of Vinnie's relatives hung out there. They were super jolly. Some of them even let us fire real guns and would teach us how to reload quickly and shoot from tight spaces. Lorenzo didn't mind as long as we didn't shoot each other. In any case, Vinnie broke up with my mom as soon as he found out my dad was a cop. Dad wasn't police chief yet back then, but just the thought of a police officer being my father scared him. In hindsight, I have a feeling that some of the activities at the gun club were illegal." Bella shrugged her shoulders. "Out of all of my mother's ex-boyfriends, Vinnie was my favorite. He made sure his kids and I were well fed and had fun."
"Thanks for sharing the story with me," Joe stated kindly. He looked beyond Bella to see Chief Swan and Lieutenants Lahote and Marshall with gaping mouths, looking appalled. Clearly, they had heard the whole story and were as horrified as he was. One thing was definite, the mobsters had certainly taught the young lady how to shoot accurately.
Charlie Swan soon cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I think the operation went well. All the barricades are still in place, even those blocking the stairwells. We'll need the main barricade opened up again." Charlie checked in with everyone. According to all the maintenance workers and extra helpers, they were nearly done with their first sweep of the 242 streets in Forks, Washington. So far, all was going as planned.
They only had to repeat the process twice more. The residents of Forks and La Push had done an excellent job during the day of eradicating the zombies. The maintenance workers and extra drivers had used snow movers and bulldozers to plow through any remaining creatures, making sure the streets were clear.
Just before dawn, the last of the zombie stragglers dragged their feet into the courtyard. Charlie noticed that the motel was still standing. "Damn it! I was hoping the grenades would at least take down part of the building, but all it did was break a few windows. Now the town will have to finance razing the building."
"I think we can take care of the remaining zombies and the motel in one go," Joe Cameron noted, wagging his eyebrows. "It'll involve your daughter, of course."
"How is she going to… Ah, the rocket launcher. And I'll bet she has more than one." Charlie called his daughter. "Oh, Bella, can you come here for a second?"
His daughter was exhausted but still eager to assist. "Yeah, Daddy?"
"How many of those rocket launchers do you happen to have?"
"Oh, I have a whole wooden crate full of them. The rocket launchers are official Army issue AT-4s. Peter put them in my room. He said I'd need them. And he said you're not to ask where he got them from."
"Well, if Pete gave them to you, I'm sure there was a purpose." Charlie quickly learned that betting against the vampire was a bad idea. He indeed was dead-on accurate. The police chief was also pretty sure that one of the Army bases in Washington was probably missing a few rocket launchers.
"Can I launch one? Please?"
"I'll supervise her. I have experience training new recruits. Besides, if anyone deserves to pop off the last shot, it's Bella. She put her heart and soul into destroying the zombies and keeping our area safe."
"You're right, Joe." Charlie eyed Bella sternly. "You stay with Mr. Cameron and follow his instructions exactly."
"I promise, I will."
"Good girl."
"Dad, one more thing."
"What is it?"
"You might want to throw a couple of grenades to destroy the rest of the zombies first; otherwise, we won't be able to leave the building. We can't exactly fire the rocket launchers from here if we're in it. You, yourself, said these things can level a building."
"How did you become so smart, kiddo?"
She grinned, throwing her hands up in the air. "Possibly, I got it from my dad because it sure wasn't from my mom."
Charlie chuckled loudly before sending her away. After dropping the grenades and destroying the remaining creatures in the courtyard, the police chief reached out to everyone via the walkie-talkie to explain what was happening. The plow drivers did one last sweep of the roads to look for lingering zombies. At the same time, everyone else cleared the motel rooms of any remaining weapons. They also woke up the four cowardly rookie cops who hid out in the rooms without assisting. They were sent home for the night because they were useless anyway.
When they finally left the Forks Horseshoe Motel, it was with a feeling of vindication. The small towns of Forks and La Push had come together to protect themselves. Now they had one more task to complete, the destruction of the building that provided both a safe haven and a means to rid the town of the terrible walking dead.
They were about to move to a safe distance to fire the rocket launchers when two zombies came limping into the courtyard. They were both squawking, and the female had a death grip on the male's arm. It was Riley Biers and Emily Young again. They each had half their faces missing, but it was still them. While the spotlights and speakers had been removed from the roof, the dazzling marquee sign for the Forks Horseshoe Motel still illuminated brightly. The zombie couple stared in wonder at the illuminated sign as if they had just arrived in heaven.
"I swear, I thought I got those two," Charlie groaned.
"Yeah, but clearly, you didn't destroy their brains," Bella pointed out. "Part of their heads are still attached, and Emily still has her pink scrunchie on."
"I can't believe the bitch stole my pink scrunchie, and that sweatshirt is mine, too!" Leah Clearwater suddenly drew out her rifle and popped two bullets through Emily's brain. "Well, you won't be stealing any of my shit anymore, will you?"
Riley Biers suddenly turned and cawed, extending his arms into the air as if he was cheering. It was an odd sight because Emily's hand was still attached to his arm even though she was dead. The remaining zombie's screeching moans became louder by the second. Then, suddenly, he stopped, his body dropping on top of his ex-girlfriend.
Everyone looked up to find Bella still pointing her gun with the silencer at the zombie. "Just so you know, I'm not giving this one back."
"You tell them, prom queen," Peter laughed. He knew she'd win this one, too. When all the weapons were eventually collected, she'd be holding onto her favorite new toy and a few other souvenirs.
"Didn't I tell you that Emily was clingy?" Sam was nodding his head while pointing at the two dead zombies. "She haunted poor Riley until the day he died. Man almighty, she was psycho even as a zombie!"
"I know!" Leah agreed. "Her hand is still gripping his arm. Look!"
Bella shook her head and approached the two corpses. She gently removed Emily's hand from Riley's arm. "There you go. You're free now."
As she was walking back, Bella noticed everyone staring at her with aghast expressions on their faces. "What? Riley deserved to die without a stalker attached to him. Besides, do you honestly think he wants to take Emily with him to wherever he's going in the afterlife?"
Charlie Swan decided to bring the focus back to the task at hand. "Alright, are we ready to roll? We can't fire the rocket launchers from here." He started the engine to his cruiser, and they all moved to a safe distance.
Charlie and Bella climbed onto the bed of Mr. Cameron's truck, where they would fire the devices from. "Okay, listen to me carefully. The wider side faces the rear, the narrow side points in the direction of the target. First, you're going to aim the rocket launcher towards the motel. Now we're going to set the range on the device. A good distance is 300 meters, roughly the length of three football fields, which is about how far we are. You're going to press the safety on the side here and hold it down. Now, when I count to three, I want you to push the red trigger up on top to fire the weapon." Mr. Cameron paused. "I want you both to repeat what I just instructed, and then we're all going to insert our earplugs. This thing is loud enough to cause hearing damage."
After Joe was satisfied the Swans understood the directions, Charlie fired the first weapon. It made a whirling sound and quickly hit the left side of the building, crumbling most of it to the ground. The motel was now shaped like an 'L' instead of a 'U.'
Bella then fired her rocket launcher. It hit the right side of the building, but the bend in the middle still remained. "Geez! How come in the movies, one rocket launcher does the trick?" Bella asked. "Like in 'In The Army Now,' one rocket launcher pretty much takes out an entire base, and here we've used two, and the motel is still standing."
"Because it's Hollywood, Bella," Mr. Cameron laughed. "In that particular movie, the AT-4 hit some barrels of oil. The resulting fire causes a chain reaction and hits other weapons, destroying the base. Also, the structure on the base wasn't permanent. In fact, it wasn't even a structure. It was covered by a camouflage tarp. The Forks Horseshoe is made out of solid stone and concrete. We've purposely removed anything from the building that could cause a ripple effect, so it's going to be more difficult to take down." Finally, Mr. Cameron himself fired the last rocket launcher. The final strike took down the remaining part of the structure. There was a further explosion beyond the property that they would have to check on once it was safe. Still, they knew it wasn't anything that would threaten the surroundings because the motel was isolated.
Purple flames from the three blasts erupted into the air. No one had ever seen anything like it. "It's because of the vampire venom," Peter explained to Charlie. The zombies all have traces of vampire venom mixed with the other chemicals from the research study. It's what they're transferring to each other with each bite. So there should be nothing but ash left of them after all is said and done.
After the fire department put out the flames, they surveyed the damage. Oddly enough, the vampire venom neatly contained the fire within the boundaries of the motel. The secondary explosion was caused when the gas tank in Bella's red truck, which had been parked behind the building and forgotten about, exploded.
XOXO
The battle had been long and hard, but they had won. When it was over, Sam brought Bella back to his home in La Push and simply loved her. They had both fought like warriors, realizing all they cherished and loved could have been lost in a moment.
They stayed in La Push for about a month, after which they returned to Charlie's house in Forks. They begrudgingly admitted that Bella's father had been correct; living on their own wasn't a cakewalk. Even with Bella and Sam's jobs, and the stipend he received simply by being a wolf, they realized that it was too expensive to support themselves. They couldn't even afford to go out on a date, and they both wanted to further their educations. It wouldn't be possible if they lived independently.
So, the couple returned home to the care of the Swans, who helped them plan for their futures and achieve their goals. And they truly did realize their dreams, but more about Bella and Sam later.