Author's Note:
Hey everyone. I know that I have been MIA for the past three months, and I'm exceedingly sorry about that. I lost my dog of eleven years very unexpectedly in March. She was the best dog ever, and I loved her with all my heart. It has been a difficult couple of months, and I still struggle some days, to be honest. But I finally sat down and made myself do some writing, and I will do my best to get back in the saddle again and continue writing.
As always, y'all are wonderful, and I love you and this fandom!
Also, Z3 is airing on July 15th on Disney Plus! Soooo excited!
Zed yawned as he pressed the large, square 'start' button on the microwave. The sleek new machine hummed as it whirred to life, rotating the frozen pizza he had placed inside in a slow circle. On the counter, the discarded pizza box lay forgotten next to the dishes that sat unwashed in the sink.
He sighed, not sure he could muster up the spare energy even to wash a couple of plates. Zed and Zoey always tried their best to help Zevon keep the house clean, especially now that their house had been renovated. Tonight, however, sleep sounded far more appealing than chores.
Maybe he'd just clean up the mess tomorrow.
Right now, all Zed wanted to do was to scarf down some lukewarm veggie pizza and crash.
It had been a late night at the yogurt shop, with customers forming a line that nearly made it out the door and into the cold night air. The influx of people had helped the time pass, and he had actually gotten some good tips in the tip jar.
It was nearly midnight when he had finally gotten home, after a closing up the shop. He had then made the short walk back home in the increasingly heavy snow. Thankfully, it was a Friday night, so he'd be able to sleep in a bit before his next shift tomorrow afternoon. He picked up as many shifts as he could, nowadays.
The busier he stayed, the less time he had to think about… everything.
Of course, Zoey was in bed at this hour. And his dad wasn't home.
Zevon had recently begun picking up a few night shifts a week, to help out the third shift workers who were currently short-staffed.
At least, that was what he had said.
Zed wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that his dad was keeping something from him.
Zevon had definitely been acting a little odd the past few weeks. He had recently begun to put a little more effort into his appearance, ditching the old coveralls for new pants and button-up shirts. And he'd started wearing cologne, which everyone else in the house disapproved of, including Puppy.
Even stranger, he had begun leaving the room whenever he got a text or phone call on his cell phone. Which he had begin to receive with more and more frequency, Zed had noticed. Whenever Zed had brought up these strange changes in behavior to his dad, he had awkwardly brushed it off.
What was he up to?
Zed had no idea. But whatever the case, he figured that Pops would come clean sooner or later. They were a pretty close-knit family, and his dad was bad at keeping secrets. He would tell them eventually. Right?
Beep-Beep. Beep-Beep. Beep-Beep.
The microwave dinged cheerily, jolting Zed back into the present.
He shook his head, immediately losing his train of thought. After tonight's shift, he was way too tired to focus on anything for very long.
Yawning again, Zed opened the microwave door, quicky scooping up the plate and its now-steaming contents. Walking through the little doorway and into the tiny dining area, he quietly set down the plate onto the old formica table.
When the fire had happened almost four months ago, he had worried that their beloved family table would be unsalvageable. But with a little elbow grease, and some help from many Seabrook volunteers, the old girl had cleaned up quite nicely.
As he sat down, he hungrily took a huge bite out of the large slice of veggie pizza. It immediately burned the roof of his mouth, but he was too hungry to mind it much. It burned its way down his throat as he swallowed, and instantly took another bite. He ate quickly, turning to face the window in order to watch the increasing snow fall.
The snow was coming down hard, so much so that he could barely see across the street. If the weather kept up like this, it was going to turn into a full-fledged blizzard. There was a good chance that they would be waking up to several inches of snow on the ground. Zoey would be thrilled. Zed had the feeling that he would be making a snowman or two with her before he went to work. And shoveling the sidewalk outside the house.
Looking down, he realized that his plate was now empty, the veggie pizza having been swiftly devoured. He hadn't even noticed he'd eaten the last bite. His feet felt like they were weighted down with lead as he stood and made his way back to the sink to deposit his plate with the other dirty ones.
Yup. dishes were definitely a problem for tomorrow morning.
As it was, Zed wasn't even sure he could be bothered to go upstairs to his room. Zoey was a sound sleeper, and the stairs no longer creaked when they were walked upon. Still, he didn't want to disturb her, and his room felt impossibly far away to his tired legs.
Instead of making his way upstairs, he instead wandered into the living room. Grabbing a worn quilt from his dad's chair, he made his way across the room and to the sleek grey sofa against the wall. The living room furniture was all new, thanks to the Zombietown fires and the kindness of their community.
The room was simultaneously comfy and modern, a perfect mash-up of Zombietown and Seabrook decor. Two orange wingback chairs faced the electric fireplace, which glowed dimly with cheery artificial flames. Between the couch and the chairs was an old overturned door, which had been refurbished into a unique coffee table.
Like always, his eyes were drawn to the little framed photo on the coffee table. It was a copy of the photo he and Addison had taken together at Prawn last year. Addison and his old self smile back at his joyfully, looking happy and in love. They were both facing the camera and grinning back at Eliza, who had been the one taking the photo.
Stretching his long legs out on the couch, he hastily tossed the old quilt over himself as he continued to stare at the photo.
Addison had been so beautiful, both inside and out. He reached out, gently running a finger across the glass over her image. The ache in his chest, the one he spent most of his waking moments trying to ignore, throbbed painfully.
He had been told that "time heals all wounds," by several well-meaning acquaintances over the past few months. They told him that it would get easier as the weeks and months continued to march forward.
But to be honest, he was pretty sure that they were wrong.
Zed missed Addison with every fiber of his being. His other half was gone; and he would be forever aching for her presence. No amount of time could possibly fill the hole in his heart where she used to live.
He was pretty sure his future was going to consist of a long, lonely life of solitude. Well, okay, not really. He may not have a mate anymore, but he still had his family and his remaining friends. He had plenty of good reasons to keep going, reasons to keep moving forward.
And he would keep moving forward, because he was certain that it was what the heroes would want, if they could be here to tell him.
Abruptly, he huffed out a short breath, and tore his gaze from the photo. He gently grasped the corner of the photo frame, and laid it down flat against the table, obscuring it from his view. He needed to try and think about lighthearted things.
He needed to go to sleep.
Settling back into the cushy couch, Zed decided that he would just crash in the living room tonight. He was too comfortable to move, and he didn't want to wake up Zoey wandering around upstairs.
Not that she would wake up. He knew for a fact that she had spent her afternoon and evening at junior cheer practice, and would be sleeping extra-hard tonight.
He reached behind him, fluffing the pillow and adjusting it to a more agreeable position for his head and neck. Staring up, he looked at the exposed wooden beams that ran along the living and dining room ceilings. The wood was old; an original part of the house that the home renovating team had painstakingly restored after removing decades of damaged paint and old wallpaper.
Zed wasn't sure what kind of wood it was, but it had a lovely assortment of spirals, knots and patterns throughout the long beams.
Almost like a miniature galaxy, inside a tree. His eyes closed, and he let out a long sigh as he began to drift off. His hand was still resting on the back of the photo frame.
It was beautifully, blessedly silent, aside from the artificial crackling of the flames. A soft smile graced his face as he continued to drift off.
Peaceful. For once.
Suddenly, he jerked upright as he took in a gulping, panicked breath.
A sound like a blaring, mechanical shriek suddenly echoed throughout the walls of his home. It took him a second to realize that he was hearing the sound of Z-alarms going off throughout Zombietown.
Was there a rogue? What was happening out there?
He got up, maybe a little too quickly, and immediately tripped over the large coffee table. As he attempted to steady himself, he accidentally knocked the photo of him and Addison off of the wooden surface. It clattered to the floor with the tinkling sound of breaking glass.
"Zhur!" Zed cursed, but didn't scoop to pick up the broken frame. He needed to make sure the house was secured first.
Stumbling to his sock-clad feet, he quickly walked through the house with inhuman swiftness. He pulled closed every curtain, and rushed to the back door to ensure it was locked. The snow was falling thick outside through the darkness, but he didn't see a single soul out there.
As he walked from place to place, he also ensured that every light was switched off, in order to prevent their house from gaining any unwanted attention.
He wasn't sure if there was more than one rogue, or if there even was one at all. But he wasn't taking any chances, especially with his little sister sleeping upstairs.
The house phone rang from the kitchen entryway, making him jump. Zed rapidly strode across the hall and reached out, grabbing up the old green phone from its spot on the wall.
"Hello?" He gasped into the phone.
"Zed?" His dad's voice asked instantly, worry weaving its way through the phone line and into Zed's ears."
"Pops," Zed said, exhaling a short breath of relief. "You're okay."
"Yeah," Zevon replied, as several voices shouted back and forth in the background. "We're all safe and accounted for here. But they've got us on lockdown for safety. I can't get home to you right now."
His dad sounded frustrated, clearly wanting to be with his children.
"It's fine, dad." Zed replied, trying to sound confident. "Everything's locked up. I turned off the lights and the curtains are drawn. We're safe here."
There was a short moment of silence on the other end of the line, as his dad absorbed what Zed had just said.
"Good work, son." Zevon replied, sounding slightly less tense. "I know you can handle things there. Just be careful."
"I know." Zed replied, nodding to himself. "I've got this."
"Just stay inside, away from the windows," Zevon continued. "And don't open the door for anyone. You locked the front door, right?"
Zed felt his eyes grow wide and his limbs grow cold, as he tried to remember if he had remembered to turn the latch when he got home. He had walked in the door, kicked off his shoes, and immediately made his way to the kitchen. He had locked the door - hadn't he?
Knock, knock.
Zed felt a chill like ice run up his spine as the gentle sound of someone knocking softly on the door reverberated up the hallway.
"Zed?" His dad was asking, as he stared wide-eyed towards the front door. "You still there?"
The doorknob started to jiggle, ever-so-slightly.
"Uhhh, yeah Pops, everything's good here!" Zed blurted, already reaching out to hang up the phone. "Gotta go!"
"Zed-" Zevon's voice cut off as Zed slammed the phone down onto the receiver and sprinted up the hall to the front door. Just as the doorknob was starting to turn sideways, he grabbed onto it, holding it in place as he held the door shut with his shoulder.
The doorknob stopped moving, and for a second he wondered if the person on the other side of the door had left. He was breathing hard, and tried to quiet himself as he pressed his ear up against the door. Zed closed his eyes, listening intently, but all he could hear was the blaring of the Z-alarm.
Zoey really can sleep through anything. He thought randomly, as he started to loosen his grip against the doorknob. Maybe whoever it was had left. He felt a slight stab of guilt. What if the person on the other side of the door had simply been someone needing help, or a place to hide from whatever was happening outside?
Should he have let them in? He wasn't sure.
Then, with the sound of wood cracking under pressure, he was thrown backwards.
With great force, something had splintered the wood around their new door, cracking the frame and forcing the door open and inward. Splinters of the doorframe and thin sliver of metal from the locking mechanism flew through the air as Zed hit the floor hard. His head bounced painfully against the wooden floor, and spots burst in front of his vision for a moment.
On top of him, he vaguely saw the forms of two oddly clad, silver-haired figures as they fell forward through the opened door and on top of him. Snow and bitingly cold air swirled around the little entryway.
"Ahg!" he yelled belatedly, holding a hand to his head and instinctively swinging his other arm out in front of him. His arm hit something cold and smooth, but the silver haired assailant made no sound in reaction to being struck. Instead, they both rolled away from him on either side, shivering violently with their faces obscured by waves of disheveled hair.
Freezing air blasted inward from the open doorway.
Zed shook his head, trying to shake away the white spots that still danced in his field of vision.
On either side of him, the figures seemed to be covered head to toe in ice and snow, as the continued to shake and huddle against the walls. The slighter figure, to his left, kicked out its foot towards the door. The door swung closed in a drunken, wobbling motion, shutting against the cold wind and snow that continued to blow through the little hallway.
The alarm, which was horrifically loud with the opened door, quieted slightly.
All three of them lay sprawled against the wooden floor, panting hard, though no words came from the two mystery figures as they lay in place. He could hear the sound of their teeth chattering violently, and winced as he sat up and surveyed the situation.
A little unsteady on his feet, he quickly scrambled to his feet and took a few steps away from them, and towards the living room and stairs. Whatever these two figures were, they didn't seem to be threatening him. Their glittering, silver hair hung down in snow-covered sheets, looking like the strands of hair were frozen solid.
He gritted his teeth has he stared. They certainly weren't rogues. But they also werent human, wolf or Lunite. His ears buzzed distractedly, filled with the sound of the still-shreiking alarm outside. He quickly rushed between them, reaching out and securing the door with the chain lock.
What in the world was going on?
"Hello?" He asked in a voice laced with uncertainty. He took a short, hesitant step towards the figures on the ground. Whatever they were, he didn't sense any hostility. They just looked like two people who were trying not to freeze to death.
"Hello?" He asked again, more gently this time.
Slowly, the figure to his right raised their trembling head, turning to look up at him. He felt his breath catch painfully in his throat as soft brown eyes gazed towards him.
Bree?
Zed let out a strange, strangled yelp as he stared down at the person who looked almost identical to his lost friend, save for the silver hair. She looked pitifully up at him, teeth clattering together. The other figure was still covering their face, looking as though they were rubbing the spot on thier shoulder where he had hit them with his arm.
Gulping, his hand seemed to move of its own accord towards the the screen on his Z-band, quickly speed-dialing Bonzo's house phone. It rang only twice before someone picked it up.
Silence greeted him on the other end, but he knew his friend was listening.
"Bonzo," Zed gasped out, barely able to formulate words. "You need to come to my house. NOW."
There was a short beat of silence on the other end, and then he heard the sound of a phone slamming back onto the receiver. His friend would come. Zed was certain. Bonzo may not have spoken to a soul in months, but he would still come if he thought Zed needed help.
As he considered this, the other figure, the one to his left, raised their head as well to gaze in his direction. Zed felt his slow heart stop completely as brilliant, sea-blue eyes finally found his.
Not just any blue eyes.
Addison's eyes.
Zed stumbled back and into the door, raising a hand and feeling the back of his head, as he had surely suffered some sort of terrible head trauma as his skull had bounced against the hard floor.
Then, another, more reasonable thought occurred to him, and he felt himself relaxing with realization.
"Oh," Zed said as he closed his eyes briefly and acknowledged what was clearly happening. "I'm dreaming."