Chapter 4: How to Train Your Tank
As she was placing the final touches on the lobby stairwell, Rose jumped as she heard a violent metallic crash drift up from the courtyard. She froze. It sounded suspiciously like a Tank breaking down the courtyard gates. She prayed to Oglogoth that it wasn't a Tank breaking down the courtyard gates.
A young man at the window turned to Rose with terror and yelled, "Lalonde, a Tank just broke down the courtyard gates!"
Well, fuck.
She dashed to the window with trepidation. Sure enough, the gates hung mangled and useless off their hinges, and hundreds of undead poured slowly into the courtyard. At the head of the advancing horde was a pale creature with bulging muscles, slightly taller than an average man. It looked much like a lumpy gorilla. It even moved like one, running swiftly on lopsided knuckles like an animal. The brute hastened across the darkened yard toward the door, ground quaking in its footsteps. Though they were not particularly large, Tanks were certainly heavy. Unfortunately, they were also very fast.
Before Rose could confirm the Tank sighting to the anxious survivors, gunshots ripped through the still night air. Rose smiled; Jade always hit her target. Following their leader's example, the other snipers lined up their sights. More shots rang from above, a rain of bullets peppering the musclebound Infected far below.
The Tank staggered briefly, blood coating its pale skin in splotches, then continued its trek toward the apartment's undefended entrance. In seconds it was at the door, out of range of the snipers.
Rose could only hope they had weakened it enough that her ragtag troops could take it down quickly.
The fire in the courtyard far below burned to faint embers beneath the stampeding feet of dozens of zombies, surrendering the courtyard to darkness. There was no need to sit here and watch; the thunderous pounding on the reinforced metal doors told Rose everything she needed to know.
She turned to the other survivors, who were breaking into a panic. She raised her voice as high as she could, shouting uncharacteristically over the din. "Everyone sit down, shut up, and get your firearms out!"
The din only grew louder. She thought she heard a "Fuck you, Lalonde!" coming from an irate Walton in the back. It was clear she wasn't getting through to them.
Rose sighed with frustration. Jade wasn't here to bail her out this time. Suddenly, she sensed two people flanking her.
"What do you think we should do, Rose?" asked Roxy. "Gonna make an inspirational speech? Leonidas the shit outta these peeps?"
Calliope, on Rose's other side, trembled silently.
"There's not much we can do now, I'm afraid. The people will have to fend for themselves if they are unwilling to listen to reason."
"Fuck that, I ain't givin' up on them!" Roxy said stubbornly.
"Roxy, what exactly are you..." She was cut off by the deafening sound of Roxy's rifle, firing into the air. For a moment her ears rang.
When her hearing returned the room was silent save for Roxy's enthusiastic voice. "Look, guys. I know you're all freakin' out, but shit's gonna get even worse if you all try to handle yourselves. Like, you know in the horror movies, characters are all like 'Hey let's split up'? And you're like 'Don't do that you shitheads, there's gonna be a massacre!' That's us right now. We gotta work together if we don't wanna become zombie chow."
"We're all going to die!" some fool shouted from the back of the room. "Why fight it?"
"'Course you're all gonna die, it's the human condition. But it don't gotta be today! You gotta step it up. Lots of you got family upstairs. Who's gonna stop the Z's from getting 'em if you lay down 'n die now?"
"There's no chance of winning against that thing!" said a woman near the elevator.
"We gotta try, right? I mean, I sure as hell didn't survive this long just so I could die here. What do you got to lose?"
The survivors had no response to this.
"You can either run around like cats with your tails on fire and die, or you can work with us to beat this thing like a Persian rug and have a chance of livin'. I know what I choose!" Roxy concluded her speech.
The only sound was the distant pounding of the complex doors. After a moment, Tony the Guardsman spoke up.
"So, what do you want us to do, Lalonde?"
Rose smiled. She supposed she'd underestimated Roxy's abilities as a leader. A foolish error, considering she'd kept the Alphas together during their session.
"First we listen. Let's find out the route this Tank's going to take to get up here, assuming it even gets inside. When it reaches one of the barricades, I want everyone's guns out and pointed at the door as it is trying to come through. If it breaches the barrier, fire with everything you have. Pass around any lanterns and flashlights so that we can see what we're doing and not shoot each other.
"There will likely be other Infected following it. Unless you are in immediate danger, ignore them. There are too many to make an indent upon their numbers. Focus on the Tank.
"When it's dead, everyone should retreat upstairs. The weaker undead should have difficulty getting through the metal doors off the stairwells, so you will have some measure of safety. Then find an apartment and barricade yourself inside. After that, it's up to fate."
As soon as she was done giving orders, a loud crash resounded from downstairs. Several people screamed, but no mass panic erupted.
"It's in. Listen for which stairwell it chooses," said Rose calmly.
The terrified survivors received their answer shortly as they heard the doors on the downstairs stairwell entrance slam off their hinges with a clang.
Several people whimpered, Calliope included.
"It's coming up the central stairs. Everyone get into position, aim your guns at the lobby door. Here, let's get these lights positioned," Rose suggested.
The survivors were jumpy, but they did as they were told. They dispersed lanterns and flashlights so that they had some uniform sense of what was going on in the room. Then, they got into position and waited.
They listened tensely as the Tank rushed up the stairs. It seemed only seconds before it arrived. Wham. The lobby doors vibrated with its weight as it slammed into them from the other side. Furniture fell from where it was piled against the doors, and no one got up to replace it. There was no point; if the Tank wanted inside, it was going to get what it wanted no matter what.
"Stay calm and aim," Rose ordered. Clicks echoed throughout the room as guns of all types were readied for combat. Several people were on the verge of panic. Rose could hear Calliope hyperventilating somewhere behind her, and Roxy trying to soothe her. "Don't worry, babe. We've gotten outta worse situations," she said.
Wham. The doors budged again under the Tank's strength, but still held. Several pieces of furniture shattered with a resounding crack, further weakening the barrier between the survivors and death.
"Steady..." said Rose. She tried to keep her own panic out of her voice. There was a very good chance she would die tonight, and this universe didn't allow second chances. Several people were outright crying, and Rose could hear a man praying the Hail Mary.
WHAM. With an ear-splitting roar, the Tank finally shattered the barricade. Shrapnel from destroyed furniture flew everywhere, and the two doors slammed against the walls and fell from their hinges. It was here.
It stood slightly taller than a man, hunched over with vertebrae showing beneath the skin. Its arms were absolutely massive, with bulging muscles that would make Lord English jealous. Hands the size of watermelons supported its weight, claw-tipped fingers curled beneath. All of this was offset by a normal-sized head and legs, giving it the illusion that it was even larger that it was. Its pale skin was covered in scars and bleeding lesions, and the only garment it wore was a tattered pair of jeans.
The Tank and the survivors stared each other down for a split second. Then the Infected took action, charging forward toward the crowd.
"FIRE!" yelled Rose, perhaps more panicked than she meant. The room was filled with deafening gunfire, peppering the brute with bloody holes all across its front. By the time it reached the first row of survivors, not a single inch of its front remained unbloodied. It slowed for all of a second before plowing onward. The rage of a Tank could not be stopped.
As the undead juggernaut sprinted toward her, Rose dodged out of the way. The woman behind her caught the full force of its fist. From where she stood five feet away, Rose could hear the victim's ribs shatter with a sickening crack as the unfortunate survivor flew across the room. She hit the far wall with a dull thud, slumping to the ground motionless. She was either dead, or wishing she was.
The Tank turned, heading to the opposite side of the room from Rose. As it went it scattered the lanterns and flashlights the survivors had so meticulously set out, throwing the room into a maelstrom of light and shadow. As it passed through one of the bright sections of the room, Rose took the opportunity to aim her pistol at the creature. Every little bit of damage counted when it came to downing a Tank.
An ear-piercing shriek rent the air. Before Rose could pull the trigger, a 140 pound zombie slammed into her, pinning her to the ground on her back. Rose mentally cursed herself. She'd forgotten about the Hunters.
The creature's pale face was inches from hers. Its sightless eyes oozed blood inches from her brow, and its needle-like teeth were bared in a frightening grimace. Rose struggled to free herself, but the Hunter would have none of it. In a deft movement, it slashed a claw across her stomach, leaving four deep parallel gashes in its wake. Rose cried out and struggled harder.
Bam. Suddenly the Hunter's head was reduced to a gory stump, spraying blood all down Rose's front. From somewhere to Rose's left she could hear Roxy cheering.
"BOOM! Headshot!" she cried elatedly. As she stood there pumping her fist in the air, two lithe, decaying arms shot out around her throat, pulling her backwards. Rose took careful aim at her savior's captor and shot. It, too, was minus a head.
Roxy stood up from where she had fallen and grinned at Rose. Rose only raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What was this about headshots you mentioned?"
"Heh, must be genetic!" conceded Roxy. She reached out to help Rose to her feet. Rose winced at the new wounds she'd acquired, but stood steadily.
They had no time to celebrate. The room continued shaking as the Tank thundered in their direction. Calliope came darting past, magnum held in a death grip, and leaped behind her companions in hopes of safety.
"Don't let it get me don't let it get me don't let it get me!" she gasped with terror.
Rose and Roxy stood side by side firing their weapons, prepared to leap away at a moment's provocation should the Tank get too close. At the last second, it swerved, choosing instead to target a man to its right. They could hear his collarbone shatter as the Tank punched him. This time, instead of hitting a wall, the survivor crashed through a large, floor to ceiling window with the force of the blow. Tragically, the man went falling to his death in the courtyard five stories below.
Now the Tank turned to Rose, Roxy, and Calliope and charged. The three dodged at the last moment. The Tank stumbled straight past, colliding with the doors to the hallway and flattening them as it continued running due to momentum. Rose, Roxy, and even Calliope used the opportunity to shoot the creature while its back was turned. There was no sign of it flagging, though every inch of it was covered in blood.
"Boomer!" a terrified voice resounded from across the room. The three women dodged out of the doorway to look. Indeed, a corpulent Infected riddled with tumors waddled into the room, bile dripping from its mouth.
"Whatever you do, don't-" Rose started, but she was cut short by the bang of a gun. The Boomer exploded into small, bloody bits, getting its bile over half of the people in the room. "-shoot it." Rose finished uselessly.
The horde that was backed up down the stairwell burst into a murderous frenzy at the scent of the Boomer Bile. Howling, they clawed at each other to get at the gooey survivors, who shied back as far from the stairs as they could go.
They needn't have bothered. The zombies that were already in the room bore down upon the panicked masses. Rose tried not to listen too closely to their dying screams as she took aim and tried to down as many undead as possible. By her side, Roxy joined her.
The rest of the survivors fled, running down the halls for the distant south and east stairwells. Those who tried the latter were stopped by the Tank, which came charging back down the corridor directly at them. It grabbed one of the downed survivors, slamming him repeatedly into the wood floor until splinters mingled with its victim's blood. All the while, Rose, Roxy, and Calliope split their attention between the Tank and the horde, trying to save as many lives as possible.
Finally, the Tank tired of its toy, and set its sights on the women shooting it from the lobby. It sprinted towards them with the speed characteristic of its kind, shaking the walls with each step.
The three dodged out of the way just in time. Roxy and Calliope went left, while Rose went right, toward the windows.
Having chosen its new target, the Tank swerved after Rose. She ran until she hit the wall, then dodged right and ran some more. The creature bore down upon her, just at her heels.
After running about half the length of the room, Rose stumbled to a halt near the large broken window that opened to the dark void outside. One of the survivors had dropped a powerful flashlight, which cast its brilliance directly out into the night. With this light, she could see the wall of undead facing her. The Boomer Bile had worn off, and now they reached out with decaying limbs for a new target, mouths agape with resounding moans. Rose glanced behind her at the Tank thundering toward her. She heard Roxy and Calliope shooting, trying to get her our of her predicament, but the Tank would not die, and the zombies were too numerous. She was on her own.
After all I've been through, am I to die here, trapped between a Tank and an undead horde? she thought to herself.
No. If she was going out, it would be on her terms. She pulled out her knitting needles.
Rose dashed toward the Tank. She dodged its devastating punch and, in a single, deft motion, plunged one needle into each eye. The Tank roared and drew back in pain, pulling the yarn taut. Taking advantage of this, Rose used the momentum to swing herself up onto the Tank's back. Here she balanced, fighting the rapid movements of its muscles beneath her feet, yarn held in each hand like reins.
It appears I've still got it, Rose thought to herself.
In the background, she could hear Roxy screaming at her. "Holy fuck, Rose! No!" Ignoring her, Rose yanked the yarn in her left hand, pulling it tight. The Tank roared again, staggering left as it tried to alleviate the pain. It bumped the wall, which groaned under the Infected's weight. She then pulled both strands, and the Tank howled once more, stumbling forward and knocking the lesser zombies out of the way.
In the powerful beam of a discarded flashlight, she could see the yawning hole of the shattered window directly to her left. Beyond was a five-story drop to the pitch-black courtyard below. She heard both of her friends yelling now, frantically begging her not to do it. As per usual, she ignored them. Yanking on the left string, the Tank tottered the few feet toward the hole. It balanced precariously on the edge for a second, flailing its arms to keep balance, before finally dropping into the void below.
At the last second, Rose released the reins and reached out a hand in a last-ditch attempt to survive. To her gratitude, she snagged the bottom edge of the window. She hung limply from the side of the building as the Tank fell. The colossal, earth-shaking ithud/i as the Tank hit the ground was quite possibly the sweetest noise she had ever heard.
Rose swung her other arm upward, grabbing the floor above her with her other hand, as well. Bracing her feet against the outer wall, she prepared to hoist herself up to safety. She was cut short when something tread on her hand. Crying out, she released the ledge, hanging one-handed once again.
The zombie who had introduced its foot to Rose's hand stared down at her, arms outstretched. It took a step into midair, and Rose could feel the air rush past her as it went plunging down behind her into the courtyard below. Soon, another approached. It, too, stepped off the precipice. One by one, the undead came to Rose, arms outstretched in hopes of another victim. One by one they fell.
Suddenly, Rose felt something grab her ankle, digging its nails into her skin. She looked down into the dead eyes of a fortunate Infected which had managed to escape the bone-shattering fall. It snapped its teeth viciously at her, but was unable to lift itself high enough to bite her foot.
As for Rose, the effort to remain clinging to the ledge became unbearable with the addition of the dead weight. Her arm burned with exhaustion, fingers aching with her desperate attempt to survive.
I certainly hope Roxy and Calliope finish whatever they are doing and come assist me soon, she thought to herself. Dimly, she could hear gunfire coming from the room above her, but it did not come anywhere near the window.
Rose felt her strength draining. After everything that had happened tonight, all she wanted was to rest. One by one, each finger released the ledge. Thumb, then pinky, then ring finger. She felt her remaining digits start to buckle.
Bang! Rose heard a splatter beneath her, and the undead released her ankle. Looking up to the top floor, she thought she could see the glint of a flashlight against a pair of round glasses, and she grinned. She could always count on Jade.
With renewed vigor, she swung both hands up to grab the ledge once more. It was clear that she would not be able to pull herself up at this point; she was simply too exhausted. Instead she clung for dear life.
Rose could hear a pair of crows getting too close for comfort, cawing ominously. With two loud gunshots, the birds ceased their ruckus. She reminded herself to knit her friend another Squiddles-themed sweater when this was over.
"Rose? Holy shit, you're alive!" Roxy yelled in awe. "Callie, can you cover me while I get her up?"
"But they are so very numerous; what if I fail?" Rosy could hear Calliope distantly expressing her doubts.
"You'll be great. And we don't got a lotta choice. Please, hold them back!" Roxy shouted desperately.
Calliope must have agreed, because Rose could hear her magnum firing moments later. She felt Roxy's warm hands encircling both of her wrists. They tightened, and she found herself slowly but surely inching her way upward toward the ledge. Finally, with a great heave, Roxy pulled Rose to solid ground.
Face flush against the floor, Rose offered a muffled, "Thank you, Roxy."
"Don't mention it!" Rose could hear rather than see Roxy's grin. "Now get yourself up, missy! Time for school. Today's lesson is 'Zombie Ass Kickin' 101'".
As she pushed herself up onto her knees, Rose could hear a faint roaring. She panicked for a moment, wondering whether the Tank had returned. Then she toppled forward into Roxy's arms.
Roxy grabbed a flashlight, examining her relative. "Holy shit, Rose! Your stomach!"
Groggily, Rose glanced down. A crimson stain spread itself across her front. That is a troubling amount of blood, she thought to herself. She dimly realized that the roaring hadn't been a Tank, but her own vital fluids pumping through her ears.
"Oh, yes. I forgot about the Hunter wound," Rose said simply.
"Goddamnit! How do you go riding Tanks off cliffs like a badass without realizin' you're bleeding out?" Roxy muttered, teeth clenched in frustration.
"I sincerely doubt the wound is as bad as you make it out to be," Rose replied.
"Nope, don't go shruggin' this off. We're goin' to see Kanaya." Roxy turned to her girlfriend, who had managed to provide decent cover so far. "Callie, can you carry Rose?"
Calliope did not respond, instead continuing to fire her magnum at the approaching undead.
"Callie? Babe, listen. We gotta get somewhere safe." With extreme tenderness, Roxy lay a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.
Calliope let out a short cry, jumping in fear. "R... Roxy! Don't do that!"
"Didn't you hear me? We gotta go get somewhere safe!" Roxy repeated.
"Safe... safe... yes, of course," Calliope replied distractedly.
"So, will you carry Rose for me?" asked Roxy.
"Oh. Yes, I suppose that would be fine,"was Calliope's disconnected response. When she reached out to take Rose's arm, the Seer realized just how much the former Cherub was shaking.
Fortunately, Rose managed to remain standing, albeit leaning heavily upon Calliope's trembling shoulder. Step by cautious step, the three made their way across the room to the south hall.
Rose clutched tightly to Calliope, trying to aim through her swimming vision. She was satisfied to learn that even in her anemic state, she could still bring down a Walker in a few hits. Calliope also had her weapon out, blasting the undead almost automatically. Rose stumbled as Callie flinched each time the weapon fired, but managed to stay upright. Roxy performed the role of protector, blasting zombie after zombie with her rifle. Between the three of them, they left piles of Infected behind.
Even with their skilled marksmanship, however, they could not stop the occasional bite or scratch of a particularly determined Walker. With every few feet, one got past their defenses and grasped at them with rotten claws. Rose was fairly safe between her two friends, but Roxy and Calliope picked up a number of wounds.
Finally, the three survivors made it to the door of Apartment 515. They clustered together, back to back, as all of the Walkers who had followed them across the room caught up.
Calliope again provided cover as Roxy pounded on the door. Rose tried to assist, but her head was getting foggy, and her aim was off a bit. Fortunately, only seconds passed before she heard, over the chaos, the faint sound of furniture scraping away from the door.
"Kanaya, Rose needs your help!" Roxy explained. "She picked up some nicks from a Hunter, and she's not lookin' too good."
Rose was focused on her attempts to score a hit against a Walker that was getting too close for comfort, so she could not turn to see Kanaya's reaction. Her voice shook, however, as she responded.
"Give her to me as quietly as you possibly can. If you all entered this room it would draw too much attention. This would place my patients in jeopardy. Leave Rose here and then head upstairs making as significant a commotion as you can manage. Draw them away."
"Sure thing!" Roxy grabbed Rose's upper arm, gently but firmly. "Come on, your woman's gonna help you. We'll meet up after this whole thing's over, 'k?"
"Be careful, Roxy," Rose replied as she was led into the safety of the makeshift hospital. When the door closed, she hoped she would see Roxy again.
Rose slumped to the floor as soon as the others were gone. Woozily, she glanced around. She appeared to be sitting in the apartment's living room. In the dim light of the camping lantern set in the middle of the floor, she could see other patients sprawled here and there on makeshift beds made of blankets, towels, and pillows. Some moaned quietly, while others made no sound at all, not even moving. Rose tried not to think about them.
Kanaya remained at the door for a few minutes, discerning whether the undead were going to take an interest in their hiding place. Finally deciding that they were safe for now, she pushed the furniture back in front of the door. Hopefully the zombies would forget about them and leave soon, or at least thin out enough that they could secure the area.
Rose's wife hastened to her side, pulling out an extra flashlight so that she could better see the injuries. Of course, it did not take a lot of looking to notice the heavy bloodstains on Rose's front.
Kanaya tutted fretfully. "I am going to pull up your shirt. It may hurt if your blood has adhered the clothing to your wounds. Are you ready?"
Rose smirked. "You may feel free to disrobe me at any time, my dear."
The former Troll rolled her eyes. "It seems that your sense of humor is still intact." Before Rose could answer, Kanaya peeled the shirt away from the wound, eliciting a yelp from her patient. Moments later the ruined shirt was forgotten in a pile in the corner.
As Kanaya bent down to look closely at the injury, Rose caught a whiff of her wife's familiar scent. It was so comforting, after nothing but blood and sweat the entire evening. In other circumstances, she may have been aroused.
Suddenly, Rose found her eyelids growing heavy. It had been a long, difficult evening, and all she wanted to do now was sleep. She'd earned it, hadn't she?
"Kanaya, would you be averse to continue working on me while I take a brief respite?" she asked groggily.
"Of course not, my dear. Just keep this in mind: while your wounds are not too severe they will need stitches to stop the blood flow. I may inadvertently awaken you." Kanaya placed the wet towel against Rose's torn skin, and the injured woman barely even felt it.
"I doubt that will be a concern." Rose felt herself fading quickly. "Goodnight, Kanaya."
The last thing she heard before slumber claimed her was her wife's voice: "Sleep well, Rose."
Rose awakened to a gentle touch. "Wake up, dear. I need to change your bandages and it will be much easier if you are awake while I do so."
Opening her eyes groggily, Rose took in her wife's kind face. Behind her, light filtered in from a window out of the injured woman's vision.
"How long have I been unconscious?" murmured Rose, mouth dry with sleep. Kanaya was careful as she helped her lover to sit up, but Rose couldn't help grunting anyway.
As soon as she was certain Rose would stay sitting, Kanaya handed her some bottled water and replied, "You have been out for several hours. Do not worry. We are safe. The undead seem to have calmed now that the sun has been up for a while. The other residents are in the process of eliminating stragglers and rounding up the wounded."
"Is everyone else unharmed?" asked Rose. She took a swig of the water, swished it around in her mouth, and swallowed.
"If you refer to our companions everyone seems well enough. Roxy and Calliope received some unpleasant cuts during their endeavors but otherwise they are fine." Behind Rose, Kanaya began the process of unwrapping the bandages around Rose's middle.
"So, what is the diagnosis, Doctor Maryam?" asked Rose once the bandages had been removed completely.
"The wounds from the Hunter appear to be healing quite nicely. There is no sign of infection. I..." she was cut off as the door to Apartment 515 opened. Roxy stood on the threshold, grinning widely.
"Rosie, you're awake!" the other Lalonde crowed. Rose quickly covered herself with her arms for the sake of modesty.
Kanaya scowled at Roxy. "Could you perhaps give us some privacy? I am attempting to practice my craft and it is difficult to do so while you are leering at us."
"Oh, sorry!" Roxy turned around, looking toward the door behind her instead. "That better? Promise I won't peek! I just really wanted to make sure Rose was okay while I was on break from cleanup duty."
Rose looked behind her at Kanaya. "So long as she promises to avert her eyes, I don't see why she can't stay."
The former Troll sighed. "Very well," she said simply as she returned to her work, carefully cleaning the cuts.
"So, you were totes amazing out there!" Roxy gushed.
"Thank you, Roxy. However, I don't require a play-by-play," Rose replied quickly, hoping to change the subject in front of her wife.
Roxy would not be deterred. "That was some hella dangerous stuff you did, tho! This shit's probly gonna go down in legend or somethin'!"
"Yes. Thank you, Roxy," Rose repeated more severely this time, trying to get a not-so-subtle message across to her sister.
"Oh? And in what 'dangerous activities' has Rose been engaged apart from battling the undead?" Kanaya's tone was stern as she finished cleaning the wounds and began wrapping them with clean bandages.
"Nothing," Rose said, carefully controlling her tone.
"I dunno, the way you stuck needles in the Tank's eyes and rode its torso out the window like a goddamn cowgirl was pretty cool!" Roxy said. Rose could almost hear her smirking.
"She did what?" Kanaya yanked just a bit too hard on the bandages, making Rose yelp. She quickly loosened them, but her grip remained firm.
Rose glared at Roxy. Sometimes she forgot that the woman was technically the same person as her biological mother. Is she trying to teach me a "lesson" about being reckless? Rose wondered bitterly.
"Yeah, just hopped on its back and whipped it like the ugliest pony in Rainbowland," Roxy explained. "Anyway, I better get back to cleanup. Laters!" The culprit made a hasty retreat.
"Rose dear?" asked Kanaya.
"Yes, my beloved?" Rose replied as innocently as she could while simultaneously swearing bloody revenge on her ecto-relative.
"We are going to have some words."
"Of course."