Perfectionism in Pink | A Zombies FanFiction

6

According to her mom, cheer initiation was important. It changed with the captain and was used to measure a cheerleader's commitment to the team. So, Friday night was a big deal for the family. Strangely enough, her mom and dad took a later shift so they could see their daughter after school on Friday before the initiation.

Did they think she might not live through it?

"As adults, we discourage you from doing anything illegal." Her father said as he finished tying his uniform tie and inspecting his face for a need to shave.

"But as cheer parents, we want you to know that we support you in your decisions."

Josephine wanted to laugh. Her parents were simultaneously great and terrible at the same time. Encouragement to do the right think but break the rules too.

"When I was a freshmen we had to steal a lightbulb from Zombie Land." Her mom told with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "The further you went in, the more respect you were given."

"But then her senior year they changed to no Zombie Land initiations because someone got bit." Josephine's dad remind his wife gently, a kiss on her cheek as he helped her with her jacket. "That is still in affect to this day. You know how terrible zombies are, Josephine. They're evolving to pretend to be one of us, but they're still the ravenous, flesh-hungry creatures they always were without that band. Do not go to Zombie Land."

"Yes sir."

Josephine went to Zombie Land.

On one hand, her parents said 'don't do anything illegal' but then they said 'we'll support you cause cheer is more important anyways lol.' So here Josephine sat in the back of the van with Addison and Bree driving into the one place her dad said not to go.

Stealing a lightbulb didn't seem so bad, there were plenty of them around. But why were they getting an escort into the town? Shouldn't part of the fun be sneaking in?

The small town felt like a zombie 40 years ago heard the quote "another man's trash is another man's treasure", replace the word man with human, and took it to heart because instead of perfectly manicured lawns and gardens, each house had a different theme of trash. From coffee cups to shovels to old rusty bikes, the houses were imperfect to the core.

The ride was quiet, probably to instill further fear. Which, to be fair, Bucky didn't have to do. Josephine was already pretty scared of what her dad was going to do when he found out about this. And her dad always found out about what she's done.

"Alright, newbies." Bucky got their attention and stopped the van in front of a brick house that seemed to be near falling apart. "Get out."

A race back to Seabrook? Who can steal the most lightbulbs? A battle to the death where they had to beat each other with their own fists? Josephine's mind raced with ideas as she stepped out of the van and beside an equally as confused Bree.

Eggs.

Egg the house and get in.

Egg the house and become a cheerleader to show the zombies that we don't like their kind.

Addison grabbed the carton with hesitation and started to reason with her cousin, but Josephine was already grabbing eggs from the carton. Her parents told her to do what it takes, it was going to be scary, but that's okay. Because cheer is worth it.

Plus, what did it matter anyways? The house was already ugly and imperfect. The eggs would blend in with the rotting smell and disaster decor.

"Bucky, this isn't... I don't think-"

The first one hit the window. The second one on the door. The third one hit the upstairs window.

Her aim was true with each throw, putting as much force as she could so that the egg properly cracked and stuck to the home. There was no hesitation as Josephine lobbed each one after the other and held her breath at the end.

Josephine felt like her body wasn't hers as she watched the egg drip down the house. Even when the cheerleaders clapped and Bucky congratulated her on officially being part of the team, her eyes were stuck on the upstairs window where a hauntingly familiar jacket hung with an embroidered 'Z' showcased to the world.

"Get in, Josephine, 'cause you are in!" Bucky grinned near chaotically, the Aceys gave Josephine a high-five each and the brunette sat on the edge of the back door entrance with her feet on the road. She played with an egg in her hands trying to ignore the shocked looks on Addison and Bree's faces. "Alright, cuz and co. Your turn."

Her mind thought about Zed and his continued kindness, optimism, and compassion towards her no matter the racist or offending thing that came out of her mouth. All he seemed to want was to be accepted, heard, to make friends. What was wrong with any of that? But she was reeled back to safety as her dad confirmed her fears early that they were only evolving to better entice their prey. She was prey.

She was weaker. She was slower. She was smaller.

She was a Friday night snack.

"Hey! You guys look lost. Need any help?"

The screams began and Tracey in his panic pushed Josephine out of the van. Bree and Addison hid behind a trash can, which left Josephine out in the middle of the street with an egg in her hand.

Zed ran out of the house like a line backer but was stopped on the porch by the sight of Josephine. "Jett?" He asked with a smiled, taking a slower step before his eyes fell to her hands. Then he looked over at his house and looked at the eggs that now decorated his home. His grin turned to disappointment and sadness.

Josephine couldn't bare the face of betrayal any longer and took a step back, then another, before fully turning around and racing down the street. The last time she had timed herself, Josephine had run the 40-yards in 5 seconds. This time she was almost positive she ran it even faster to get off of the street and away from Zed.

Some leader Bucky was for leaving the three of them stranded in one of the most dangerous spots in the world surrounded by zombies. Was she any better for leaving Addison and Bree like that? To be fair, they hid and left her to have the blame...

Where even was she at this point? Josephine risked a few minutes and slowed down so she could figure out where she was, but it didn't seem to help. Nothing looked familiar and there was no one out. It was quiet, way too quiet.

Josephine reached into her pocket for her phone, but frowned when it was no where to be found. Great, all she had was the brightest outfit possible, running shoes, and an egg. At the very least Josephine was able to run after throwing an egg at the zombies face. Maybe they were afraid of eggs too or something.

It felt like an hour of walking around Zombieland and Josephine was starting to get fidgety. Every little noise sent her running away in fear and she just wanted to break down in tears. This really sucked.

Eventually, headlights lit up in front of her and Josephine felt the fear shoot through her like ice cubes. Who could that even be?! It had to be Zed and the other zombies coming to run her over to smoosh her like a pancake for breakfast tomorrow. Or maybe it was Bucky?

No, not Bucky. The car got closer and her eyes squinted through the lights and her heart dropped when it pulled up next to her.

"H-hi dad."