CHAPTER 22: The Death of a Friend
I woke up inside the infirmary of the base, a bandage on my head.
"We should probably change your name from "Elyssia Antonia" to "Industrial Accident"!" Peater joked as soon as he had seen that I was awake.
I sniffed at his corny and slightly insulting joke.
"Ha-ha. I'm totally dying of laughter." I groaned.
"Wait ― how the hell did you know my middle name?"
"Lucky guess . . . I guess . . ." Peater chuckled as he dug around in the drawer beside my bed, and pulled out a clipping from a newspaper called La Libre Plante.
The newspaper dated to April 27, 2001. The year in which I was born. I looked at the front page article, and its headline said, Young Elyssia Makes Waves. I narrowed my eyes into slits. "I... what... give me that!" I demanded. "Wait―" I didn't give Peater a chance to finish his objection. I just grabbed the newspaper sheaf and started reading the short article attached to a picture of me, as a young sprout. The words chilled me to the core.
"The girl lives! The girl lives!" Those are the words that echo through Centenary Hospital in North Etobicoke, Toronto.
The story behind the cries of joy is a sob tale indeed. Elyssia Antonia was shown very little love, for she was some kind of accidental birth. Because of this lack of friendship, and an undermining disease, Elyssia was on the verge of dying. But after a change of heart, and a massive operation, she ended up having a life to live. Many say that this news is very joyful, not just because a sprout lived, but because many are speculating that this girl-plant is the Coponeva Insuperabilis. . . .
My eyes practically popped out of my head when I read this.
"Peater, ther it goes with this Coponeva Insuperabilis thing. Give me the rest of the newspaper! What the hell is it?! Is this why every time I introduce myself, plants stare at me like I'm, like, the Prime Minister?" I sputtered.
"It's ―"
Before Peater could answer, there was a loud sound from outside the window. It was a commanding yell, to be more exact. And it sounded like an undead man was yelling that war command.
"Charge!"
"Just . . . great." I muttered as I ran down the stairs and out of the building, only to find Annika firing tiny blasts of sun at a huge horde of zombies.
"Where the hell did this come from?" I asked as I started firing small, icy jets at the zombies.
"From City Hall, that's where!" Temi panted as he tried to shoot arrows at the zombies with a crossbow.
"Careful with that, ye landlubbing weed!" a zombie drawled.
From what I could see, he was insane; insane enough to be decked out as a pirate when Halloween was two months away.
"And do we care?" Martin retorted as he started firing his own arrows at the undead "pirate".
"Poke me eye out, and ye'll see me wrath!" the pirate growled.
"Not before we shoot off your head!" I muttered as I sent a jet of ice hurtling towards the zombie, which was neatly deflected by a Buckethead who jumped in front of the pirate.
"Heads up!" I hollered, and we ducked just in time to save ourselves from defeat as the jet came ricocheting right back to our side.
"How many more do you want to take on, freak of nature?" an Imp sneered as he came over with chainsaws and knives in his rotting, decaying hands.
Where'd he get those things? I asked myself.
"My boss gave 'em to me! Says I'm trustworthy, unlike some. And I know that you're wondering how I can read your mind, Elyssia. I was blessed by Zomboss himself!" the Imp snarled, before I could even say anything.
"Suuuree . . ." I growled as I looked right into his eyes.
I could feel myself grow a few centimetres in height, and all time seemed to stop for those fleeting seconds. My stare intensified, when finally, the Imp had let out a shrill scream and ran away. I held up my leaves innocently.
"You haven't seen the last of us!" a Conehead growled as he found a rock and threw it at me before retreating with the rest of the army.
"Oh yeah!" Annika screamed as she jumped right in front of me and took the stone to her head.
"Shoot!" I hissed as I tried to heal her.
Remembering what I had been taught in the third grade, I moved my leaves over Annika's wound. It closed, but she appeared to have a concussion.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph . . ." I muttered as I picked her up and carried her to the infirmary.
"Thanks, Elsi. For everything." Annika mumbled as she closed her eyes. Although she dodged death by a fraction of a centimetre, I knew that she was going down.
Soon.
Later that evening I decided to take a walk around the alleyways of downtown. Just then, an argument reached my ears.
"You'd better keep your big mouth shut, you nosy slut!" I heard an undead corpse rasp.
"Don't hurt my friend!" I could hear Roosevelta growl.
I was wondering where that Cactus had wandered off to. I crept over to the corner, only to find Annika and Roosevelta having an irate tête-a-tête with a football zombie.
"Keep my mouth shut about what? Your fat butt?" Annika yelled.
"Spill any secret of ours to that dingy little base, and you'll see the light of heaven!" the zombie replied, cracking his knuckles as he went.
"Try, Fred Alexis!" Roosevelta scoffed.
I gasped as I heard that name. Fred Alexis was a terrorist who specialized in attacking Kingston before the zombies ate his brain.
"Oh you daughter of a fricking bastard . . ." Fred muttered as he charged towards Annika.
"Anni, charging zombie at twelve o'clock!" I cautioned.
Annika smirked as she jumped out of the way and left the zombie to charge headfirst into the wall.
"That's not the end of it!" Fred growled as he took off his helmet and tossed it at Annika.
This toss succeeded in killing her.
"Anni, no!" I screamed as I ran over to the poor girl's side.
"Elyssia, don't worry. It'll be fine. Thanks for everything. I'll always love you . . ." Annika whispered before she closed her eyes.
"She's gone." I mumbled.
"God rest the poor girl's soul." Roosevelta murmured.