Chapter 2
Addison walked into the Cheer Room, she saw everyone getting ready doing their makeup, putting bows in their hair, and adjusting their uniforms, Bree saw her first and ran up to her.
"Addison there you are, where have you been? I was getting worried." Bree asked.
I'll tell you later, but the short version is my parents met Zed and it did not go well at all." Addison said.
"Oh Addie, I'm so sorry." Bree said.
"It will be alright." Addison said as she saw Bucky and the Aceys walking up to them.
"Addison, I heard what happened. Uncle Dale said you aren't allowed to cheer anymore, but I think I could convince him to let you stay if you give up your freaky Zombie obsession." Bucky said with a smirk on his face.
"No Bucky I won't. Here is my uniform, since I won't be wearing it anymore." Addison said, Bree looked back and forth between them in shock.
"Is that Zombie really that important to you, you would give up cheer? You have some impressive skills Cuz, though not as impressive as me. I was even thinking about making you captain after I graduated. You are way too good of a cheerleader to throw your life away." Bucky continued.
"I don't care Bucky, Zed is much more important to me than cheer ever was, and now that I'm off the team I can finally cheer for him as loud as I want and we can be our true selves at school. So thank you for letting me off the team. I won't miss it with you as captain." Addison replied.
Bucky's face hardened, "Fine, I hope you don't have to see the monster he really is."
Addison glared back, "Zed is not a monster, and he is a much better person than you will ever be." She turned and left the cheer room, with everyone staring after her, shocked.
Bree ran out to follow her, "Addison if you are off the team then I am off it too, you are my best friend and need my support."
"No you won't Bree, you're my best friend too, and I am telling you, you are not quitting. Maybe you can take my place. Besides there needs to be one person on the cheer squad that I like." Addison said with a smile.
"OK, but let me know if you need anything alright." Bree said.
"Thank you Bree." Addison said
Both turned to walk in separate directions down the hall, while Bree was out of the room, Bucky whispered to the Acey's, "The plan is still a go, Seabrook needs to be reminded who the monsters really are."
At the game, the clock was running to the final seconds, Seabrook was down by 5 points, and Coach called a time out. After a quick pep talk, Zed walked over to the bench, holding his wrist which was still raw from his Z-Band. Addison saw him and ran down from the stands. "You OK?" she asked him.
"Yeah, he answered. "Almost there, if I do this then we win."
"Let's go, think of the slacks!" Coach yelled out.
"I have to go, but I'll be cheering for you." Addison promised, placing her hand on Zed's shoulder before running back up to the stands. Both smiling at each other.
Back in the stands, Addison stood up front, still smiling. "Give me a Zom!" she yelled out
"Zom!" the crowd answered
"Give me a B"
B!
"What's that spell?"
Bucky grabbed her foot from below. "What do you think you are doing?" he hissed.
"I'm cheering for a change, Bucky." Addison answered
"Don't do it." Bucky said.
"Give me a Zom!" Addison turned and shouted to the crowd.
Zom!
"Give me a B!"
B!
"What does that spell?"
Zombie!
"What does that spell?"
Zombie!
"You aren't on the team you freak!" Bucky yelled out.
Suddenly Bree joined in, "Let's go Zombies!"
"You're off the squad too!" Bucky shouted out.
Most of the other cheerleaders looked confused or frightened. None willing to stand up for what many knew was right.
Back on the field, Zed was ready for the final play of the game. He tried to swipe his Z-band but it didn't work.
"It's not working," Zed said to himself, he looked towards Eliza in the stands. "I can still do this, even as regular old me I can do this."
Zed ran forward, dodging around the Eel standing in his way. He ran forward and caught the pass. Head down he continued sprinting forward, tucking the ball under his arm. He stopped short to juke out one player, then jumped over the next. He continued sprinting towards the endzone. One player grabbed onto him but he leaned forward with all his strength and just managed to get the ball over the line before he was tackled by half the opposing team.
"Touchdown!" The announcer shouted, "Seabrook wins the game." The crowd continued to cheer wildly.
Suddenly Zed felt a pulsing in his veins, he had time to think Oh No, before he began to lose control. He stood up with a growl, breathing heavily. His veins and eyes turning black as he went full Zom. He threw off his helmet and turned towards the crowd. The Z-Alarm started going off causing the crowd to panic.
Addison saw Zed, and then looked for Bonzo and Eliza, they were already out of stands when suddenly they stopped, started breathing heavily, and snarling.
"What's going on?" Addison asked herself.
"I don't know Addie," Bree answered, sounding terrified.
"You stay here, I have to get to Zed." Addison said, running down the bleachers.
Zed was slowly walking towards the stands, attracted by the sound of living heartbeats, his inner Zombie completely in control craving human flesh. Letting out growls and roars. Eliza and Bonzo were slowly chasing the cheerleaders, almost catching the Aceys before they ran away.
Bucky ran underneath the bleachers when Zed found him looking ravenous. Zed slowly walked towards him. Bucky fell onto the ground and when Zed was almost on top of him, Zed grabbed one of his arms with the other, fighting against himself to stop.
"NOOO!" Zed roared out. His hand shaking as he fought for control.
Addison suddenly ran in behind him. "Zed it's OK, take my hand, everything will be OK just listen to me." She grabbed onto his hand and shoulder, trying to keep him calm.
When she grabbed onto him, all Zed could focus on was hearing her heartbeat, he could feel his inner Zombie fighting even harder. "Addie." Zed snarled slowly, "please... get...away...I...don't...want...to...hurt...you." But his eyes were locked on hers.
"Zed I told you before, I know you will never hurt me. Just like I could never do anything to hurt you. You are not a monster, you are a kind, loving, adorable, funny person who cares so much about everyone he meets. We belong together. I love you Zed, Gar Gar Gaza. Addison said, never letting go or moving an inch away from her zombie.
Zed's arm stopped shaking, he let go of it and grabbed onto Addison's hand, his breathing started to calm down a little, his heartbeat slowing to match hers, but his eyes and veins were still black. "I Gar Gar Gaza you too Addison." His voice returning to normal.
Addison smiled in relief and hugged him, Zed's arms automatically following suit. Both began to melt into the hug, taking comfort and strength from each other.
Bucky could only look on in shock at what he just witnessed when suddenly, Gus ran up behind Zed and shocked him in the back with a Z-Pad. Making Addison fall out of his arms, and him letting out a gasp of surprise. He felt himself going back to normal, but he felt exhausted and scared as the reality of the situation suddenly hit him full force.
"Let's go" Gus said, placing handcuffs on Zed's wrist and beginning to drag him off.
Addison grasped him again immediately looking at Gus, "No, no, no. Why are you taking him? No, please, Zed, please. No please." Addison began to run after them, but her dad got in her way, grabbing her.
"Addison," Dale said, sounding relieved, "Stay Back."
"No," Addison said, running off.
As Dale turned to follow her, Bucky was still laying on the ground shell-shocked at what he witnessed.
Bonzo and Eliza were handcuffed too, and the Seabrook crowd was booing them all.
"Hey, hey guys. Hey, these are my friends." Addison shouted.
"We don't have human friends." Eliza said with tears in her eyes. She looked absolutely terrified. Her normally confident, sarcastic demeanor shattered by all the leering humans around her. Bonzo was silent beside her, his constant optimism and artistic eyes downcast toward the ground in shame.
Addison looked around at the crowd booing the Zombies when only a few minutes earlier they had been cheering for Zed.
"We told you Addie, zombies are not safe." Dale yelled.
Bonzo, Zed, Eliza, all had pained looks on their faces, accepting that this was their life. That nothing could change the situation they were now and forever trapped in.
"Give them an inch." Dale yelled.
"And they'll bite your face off." Missy finished.
"They'll bite your face off." Dale repeated.
"Hey! That's my son you're talking about." Zevon yelled as he was walking through the crowd.
Principle Lee silenced him with a look. "I suggest you move along Mr. Necrodopolus. I'll make sure they look after them, I'm sorry."
Zevon continued walking away, Zoey holding tightly to his hand both eager to go home and wait for Zed to return from containment, and get away from the crowd.
"Zed please—" Addison started.
Zed interrupted her, "Addie I'm sorry, maybe they're right, maybe we shouldn't be together."
"What? No no, don't say that. Stop!" Addison yelled out with tears in her eyes. She continued to follow them as they were taken to a Z-Patrol van. She saw the other zombies running from the stands, trying to avoid the booing crowd, all of them looked terrified, all the Seabrook people just looked angry. She looked back at Zed, and he was still trying to look at her as he was being taken away.
Addison's resolve was set. "Hey!" she yelled out, "You did this to him. All of you. He was your monster. You made him feel like he had to risk his life to belong. Because you couldn't deal with someone different. But you had no problem using him to win your stupid games!"
Most of the crowd seemed to be ignoring her though, so she turned around, and wiped the tears from her eyes, saying to herself, "I want to scream, top of my lungs, not sitting back, won't hold my tongue. No. Some things are different than we thought, there's more to life than what we're taught. I'm speaking up, enough's enough. Cause I can't go on this way, gotta wake up and be brave, cause I know I'll face the fire if I stay." She paused a moment, thinking about all her memories of Zed and his friends, then realized what she had to do. With a smile on her face, she turned around and pulled off her wig.
I'm gonna stand strong, nothing's stopping me, I'll be loud you'll hear me now
I'm gonna stand tall, take it to the top, I'll be free can't bring me down
So I'll rise, won't turn back, I won't hide who I am. I'm gonna stand
I'm gonna stand, Yeah I'm gonna stand, Yeah I'm gonna stand, Yeah I'm gonna stand
She revealed her true hair, white as snow, short, and choppy. Before her mother had always cut it just enough to hide under her wig, but now she smiled wide and showed it off proudly, running her hands through it. Finally free of the constant reminder that she had to hide her true self from the world. She was ready to stand strong, both for herself and for what she knows is right.
She saw her parents looking disappointed. Bucky looked shocked. The Aceys looked confused and surprised. Bree looked at her with pride.
"I'm gonna stand yeah!" Addison continued, throwing her arms out proudly. "I'm gonna stand yeah! I'm gonna stand!"
She looked over at Zed one last time before he was taken into the van, and his face was full of one thing, unending love and adoration for his beautiful girlfriend. That look was all she needed to know she made the right choice.
When she stopped, the crowd immediately booed her off the field. She walked off calmly, but inside she was disgusted by everyone and everything Seabrook stood for. and avoiding her parents, continued home.