AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter has a bit of zombie dialogue in it. It's mostly just latin with a few letters switched to z's and g's, and I tired to put it in context so the jist of the conversation was clear. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving Break
Friday
***Knock, Knock, Knock…..
Knock, Knock, Knock….
Knock, Knock, Knock...***
After ten minutes of constant knocking, Eliza couldn't take it anymore. With a loud growl, she threw the covers off and stormed towards her bedroom window.
"Zed! Why are you knocking on my door at 9 am on a day that we do not have school?" Eliza yelled in between a few rather colorful zombie words.
"Pops booted me out and Addie's been Black Friday shopping since 4. Want to grab Bonz and knock some shopping out of the way?"
Eliza rolled her eyes. "Does it look like I want to go shopping?"
"Come on E!" Zed whined, "How else am I supposed to tell Bucky what to get you for Christmas?"
Eliza was silent for a minute. "Fine. I'll meet you at Bonzo's in a few minutes."
"Love you, Eliza!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love you too Z," she rolled her eyes once more and shut her window.
Zed shook his head with a laugh as he took off down the street to Bonzo's house. When he walked up, Bonzo's mom was outside tending to her small garden.
"Morning Aunt Zuri," he said leaning down to kiss her cheek.
"Zed! What an unezpected zuprize! Guiz ezg Zevon?" she asked looking up at him and slipping into Zombie Tongue.
"Ipze denigue ezt. Taezeg regrezendzo iz omzi zemorge," Zed said with a laugh, basically telling her that his father was fine, but tired of Zed checking up on him constantly.
"Zomnez gaezi benze," she said, happy his father was doing well. "Bonzo, guztanz zatizgue ezg."
"Thanks, Aunt Zuri. I'll go upstairs and get him." Zed walked into the house and up the stairs to Bonzo's bedroom. Bonzo was sitting on the floor stapling a large canvas onto a frame when Zed walked in.
"Hey, Bonz, E's on her way over. We're going Christmas shopping. Want to come?"
Bonzo looked up from his spot on the floor and shrugged, "Mizi oguz az colligunz zommeaguz ingenzoire."
"Awesome. We can definitely stop at the art store," Zed said as he sat on the edge of Bonzo's bed. "So, how was Thanksgiving with Bree's family over in the Valley?"
Bonzo let out a small laugh as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Bonuz, zeg juzga zondigzum rezezgar az gauzeo." letting him know that it was good, but that he was glad to be back.
Zed smiled, "I'm sure. How was the language barrier?"
Bonzo groaned and rolled his eyes.
"That bad, huh?"
"Za."
"Have you thought any more about trying English again?"
"Za. I'm worgin zon git," he said with a small shy smile.
Zed looked at him in amazement. That was the most he had ever heard his friend say in English since they were small. "Bonz, that was awesome, dude!"
"Zank youg. Breez been helpzing."
"Bonzo!" Eliza said in shock as she walked into the room.
"Ze gonzeueuzint ag zeam. Gamen iz 'oguz ig zo," he laughed.
"Well keep working on it, you're doing great," Zed smiled at him.
"Alright boys, you've got me awake and dressed before 10 am the day after Thanksgiving. Let's go shop," Eliza said as she clapped her hands together and motioned for them to leave.
"So...Zombie Town or Seabrook?" Zed asked when they got back outside.
Eliza let out a small laugh. "There's something really appealing about the idea of having Bucky come to Zombie Town to shop. Let's hit up Plaza."
Zed laughed as they walked back towards his house. "That is kind of funny. Plaza is good though. We're less likely to run into Addie and her mom and aunt."
"I've had all the Kitty Tordjman I can handle for a while," Eliza said, rolling her eyes.
"Guoz faczum ezt?"
"Oh nothing much, she accused me of trying to steal Zed away from Addison after I seduced her poor son away from Lacey. She apologized after Mayor Missy and Bucky both went off. I think she was trying after that. It was still all kinds of uncomfortable though." she sighed.
"Zow."
"Yeah, you could say that again," Zed laughed. "Alright, I'm going to go grab Pops car keys. There's no way we are walking to Plaza this time of year."
"Aww, are you cold, Z?" Eliza laughed, standing on her tippy toes to pinch his cheek.
"Yeah, I'm cold. I'd like to stay as warm as possible before I have to go to work this afternoon. Believe it or not, board shorts and a sweatshirt don't do much to keep the cold at bay."
"Ugh, you have to patrol today?"
"Yup. Three more shifts and then I'm off for basketball season," he said before running inside.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Really, Zed?!" Eliza exclaimed as they walked out of yet another store. They'd already visited almost every store in the old zombie mall.
"I'll know it when I see it, E. I want to get her something special," Zed said with a laugh. "What about you? What are you getting Bucky? And did you find something I can tell him to get you?"
Eliza scoffed. "I've known what I was getting him since Halloween night. Let's just say I'll be paying Zayne a visit. Do you think Bucky would bite me?..."
Bonzo rolled his eyes.
"I highly doubt it... And don't jack my tat!" Zed laughed.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And to answer your other question, no. I didn't find what I was looking for. It was a long shot anyway."
"There are still a few stores to check out. Don't get so down."
"Yeah, Franz Muzic was my only shot at finding what I was looking for, and I already know no place in Seabrook has it. They don't have second-hand anything."
"Care to explain? And I doubt Bucky would buy anything second-hand."
Eliza rolled her eyes. "See, that's the thing. What I want is only available second-hand. And buying it from a Z-store is the only way to get it at a reasonable price."
"Again...care to explain?"
With an exaggerated sigh, she stopped walking and turned towards Zed and Bonzo. "I want an 808. It's really the only thing I've wanted for years. Every single year I check at Franz to see if they've stumbled upon one."
"808? As in 808 and Heartbreak? E, I have that album. I'll make you a copy. It's good, and I don't remember paying over $15. I wouldn't think it'd be hard to find."
"No, I'm not looking for the Kanye album. But thank you," she said with a laugh. "I'm talking about a Roland TR-808 drum machine. It was only in production from 1980-1983, but it's responsible for some of the most amazing beats in the history of music. God, the things I could do with that machine," she said with a wistful expression across her face. "Someday..."
"I love 'Someday'," Zed said with a smile as he pulled his two best friends into the next store.
"Jewelry?" Eliza said grabbing onto Zed's arm. "Please tell me this hasn't all been an elaborate plan to have us help you choose an engagement ring, Z!"
Zed let out a laugh at the expression on her face. "I promise you, I do not need your help picking out an engagement ring. I've already got it."
"WHAT!" Eliza yelled, earning her quite a few stares from the customers and employees in the store. "I'm sorry, I think I temporarily blacked out. What did you just say to me?"
"Dizit augem hoz goz pozgulo geztry auzigium..."
"Bonz, that was rhetorical..." she said rolling her eyes. "Zed..."
"What? It's not like it's some surprise that I want to marry Addie."
"I know that! But what do you mean you already have the ring?! When did you buy a ring?!" she whisper-yelled in a poor attempt to not attract more attention.
"Eliza, take a deep breath," Zed laughed. "and I never said I bought a ring..." he said hoping she'd catch on to what he was saying.
Eliza stared at him for a moment before the pieces started clicking together in her head. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Zed shook his head in confirmation.
"And Zoey and Pops are okay with it?"
Zed let out another laugh. "Are you kidding me? Zoey is so excited that I'm surprised she hasn't asked Addie herself, and Pops is holding on to it so I don't do something crazy and impulsive and ask her in the heat of the moment."
Eliza smiled and shook her head, "Yeah, that sounds like something you'd do." Suddenly she punched him in the arm as hard as she could.
"Ouch...What was that for?" Zed said rubbing his shoulder.
"For not telling me sooner."
Zed laughed and wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Fair enough"
"Guz zuger zug," Bonzo called from a few display cases over. Zed and Eliza walked over to the long display case and looked at what he was pointing to.
"Bonzo!" Zed said slapping his shoulder and pulling him in for a bro hug, "That's it!"
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
From atop guard tower 4, Zed stared at the horizon as the sun began to set into the water. It had been an extraordinarily quiet afternoon at the beach, leaving him with lots of time to sit and think. His mind couldn't help but go back to a particular morning last month….
Tuesday morning, at exactly 6:30, Zed's alarm sounded. Despite being exhausted from returning to work the previous afternoon, he had barely slept. He missed falling asleep with Addison in his arms. Now that it was morning, he also missed waking up with her. It was more than just missing her. He felt incomplete. He knew from the moment after she punched him in the face and their eyes truly met, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. They'd talked in the abstract about someday and forever, but as Zed laid there staring at his ceiling, ways of making those abstract conversations concrete began to run through his mind. Suddenly he bolted upright and a smile spread wide across his face. He knew exactly what he wanted to do.
Zed quickly threw on a pair of jeans, an old zombie t-shirt, and grabbed his letterman before running downstairs to the kitchen.
"Pops, can we talk?"
Zevon put down the newspaper he was reading and laughed. "Uh oh, you've got that 'I'm about to do something crazy and there's nothing you can do to talk me out of it' look."
"You know me well, Pops….Can we maybe do this upstairs, or something?" he said as he nervously
glanced at his sister.
"I get it, I get it...I'm going to go get dressed for school anyway," Zoey said rolling her eyes and walking up the stairs.
Zed waited until he heard his sisters door close before he sat down at the table and continued. "Pops, I know it might be crazy, but... I want to marry Addison."
Zevon let out an amused laugh as he stared at his son. "Must have been some weekend."
Zed groaned and dropped his head onto the kitchen table. "Really Pops?"
"All I'm saying is less than a week ago we were having a much different conversation. Forgive me for thinking the two are connected."
Zed lifted his head from the table and let out a loud sigh. "I have been head over heels in love with Addison since I met her the first day of school freshman year, and by some miracle, she fell in love with me that day too. You know how hard we had to fight for our relationship. This past weekend did play a part in this, but it's not what you're thinking."
"Really?"
"Okay, maybe a little...but this weekend just confirmed for both of us that we want to be together every day for the rest of our lives. I loved falling asleep with her and waking up next to her. I even loved folding laundry and doing dishes with her. I have never felt so content and happy in my entire life."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're not asking for my permission to marry her?"
"Because I'm not. You said so yourself, she's my other half. I'm going to marry her."
"Well then what are we talking about, son?"
Zed took a deep breath. "I want to propose with Mom's ring."
Zevon let out a sigh and shook his head. "Zed, your mom never said who would inherit her ring. It was one of only two things she had from her human life and you already have her shirt. I'm sorry son, but if you want to propose to Addison with your mother's ring, you're going to have to talk to your sister."
"YESSSSSS!" They heard Zoey exclaim from the top of the stairs as she started to run down. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" she said, throwing her arms around her brother's neck and kissing his cheek. "My answer is yes. You can have mom's ring!"
Zed laughed and ruffled his sister's hair. "I'm guessing you were eavesdropping?"
"I don't know if anyone has told you this, big bro, but zombies have excellent hearing. I barely had to try. So….when are you asking her?"
Zed laughed at his little sister's enthusiasm. "I don't know. I want to do it the right way. I know I need to ask her dad's permission, which is probably going to be the most dangerous thing I ever do in my life. And, I want to make it romantic."
"Awwwwwwww," Zoey shrieked as she kissed her brother's cheek again. "Well, whatever you decide, make it soon! I don't know how long I can keep this a secret!"
"Now, Zoey," Zevon warned, "You are not under any circumstances to speak about this. Am I clear?"
Zoey pouted. "Fine."
Zevon laughed at his daughter's sullen expression. "Go grab your backpack. It's time for school."
"Yes, Daddy," she mumbled, sulking off to her bedroom.
"Well, son. I guess you have your answer."
"I guess I do," Zed smiled even wider.
"Two things though. One, I'm holding on to the ring for the time being. If you want to do this you're going to do it the right way and put some serious thought into it. If I hand it over to you now, you're going to run to school and ask her the second you see her."
Zed threw his head back and laughed, "Probably. What's the second thing?"
"Try to tone down that smile today."
"There's my favorite Zombie," Addison called up to Zed, snapping him back to the present.
Zed smiled even more as he jumped down and swung her around in a tight hug. "My favorite Cheerleader," he said placing a sweet kiss on her lips.
"You looked awfully happy up there...What were you thinking about?"
"You….always," he said kissing her once more.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hope everyone enjoyed some flashback fluff! Drop me a review and let me know your thoughts!