#DeadLives4Ever

28 - Rosa

"So, how did it go?" Ryan asked me as I came out of the interview room.

"How do you think?" I replied. "He didn't want to tell me where the rest of his group are. What did the team we sent to the church have to say?"

"They came back empty," Ryan replied. "When they got there, it had been cleared out. Looked like it hadn't been occupied for years. They cleaned out the place."

"Well it was worth a try," I sighed. "What about Chief?"

Ryan held up two pieces of paper. "I have his confession," he said, "and mine."

"You sure you want to go through with this?" I asked. "I mean, we can say that you were coerced into it and you didn't realise-"

Ryan held up a hand. "Those bodies in the Dead Zone are on my hands as much as Malcolm's. I was raised to believe you should take responsibility for your actions, and I will. Don't get me wrong, I still believe in Dead Rights, and I won't stop that. And, assuming I'm not in prison, I'm voting for Sharkskin."

"She's running?" I asked.

"She announced it earlier," Ryan replied.

I smiled and tapped Ryan on the shoulder. "You know, you're a good guy, Ryan," I told him – and I meant every word. "I'll actually be sorry to lose you."

"Even though I'm a pain in the ass?" Ryan asked. "It's ok, I don't blame you. I guess I wasn't cut out to be a cop."

"You're all right," I told him, "you got morals, that's what counts."

Ryan chuckled. "Can I let you into a little secret? I actually never wanted to be a cop. My dad forced me to do it."

"What did you want to do?"

"Ballet dancer."

I guessed my eyebrows must have accidentally raised as I noticed Ryan's brow narrowed as well. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with men wanting to do that."

"I never said there was," I protested.

"Holy shit!" I heard Officer Charlie cry. "Look outside."

Everyone rushed to the window, looking out into the street. Once they saw what Charlie had seen, they shared in his blanched horror.

Down the darkened streets, lit up only by the burning torches that they carried, were a group – and judging by their cries, they sounded angry. They were carrying torches, looking like the angry mob at the end of Frankenstein. I couldn't see how many there were, but I could see what they were.

It was an army of the Dead – no doubt from the Dead Zone. Even this far back I could sense the rage emanating from them. Some of them even carried signs, and whilst most of them were the basic Dead Lives 4 Ever, a few of them had Living First logos crossed out in what looked like red paint. She even saw a few posters that read We Will Fight For The Dead. Others read Fuck The Living. A few said Fight Hate With Hate. And she even saw one that said Burn Down Oppression.

The Dead were walking in the Lands of the Living.

"Jesus," Charlie gasped, as if a lump was stuck in his throat. "There must be hundreds of them."

"They're coming this way!" gasped Francine. "What are they coming here for?"

"Must be coming for Thomas," I said.

"How do they know he's here?" Charlie gasped.

"Because the papers told them so," Ryan said. He held up his phone, showing the latest article from The Protector. It stated everything, from the attack to Thomas being the culprit, to him being at the police station.

Glass was heard being smashed down the road, and when I looked back out, I saw that the Dead were smashing anything that was in their way; cars, lampposts, post boxes, anything that could be smashed was.

"What are we going to do?" Francine cried.

This was one of those moments when I just froze up. Back in the day, I could have turned to Chief for help – something I couldn't do now. Even though I knew this moment was coming, and I promised that I would be ready for it – I just wasn't. I didn't know what to say or do. Everything seemed so black, like all the light had been dragged out from us and only doom remained.

Malcolm seemed to have won.

Then I heard the click of a gun. "We do our job."

I turned round, seeing Ryan holding a gun. "We grab what we can, riot shields, tear gas, anything we can and hold them back."

"Ryan?" I gasped. "But, I thought you said you still believed in Dead Rights."

"I do," Ryan replied, "but this isn't the way to get justice. Besides," he pointed to his police badge on his blood-stained uniform, "whilst I wear this badge I am an officer of the Law. Thomas might have been responsible for tonight, but EVERYONE is entitled to a fair trial, and he is innocent until PROVEN guilty! If we neglect that, and let the mob decide who is guilty or not, we're no better than the witch hunters of old."

I couldn't help but smile. Ryan continued to surprise me. "You heard him! Grab whatever you can and create a perimeter. We might be able to hold them off until we get support!"

The officers, though sweating with fear, did as told and ran to the armoury. We would join them soon.

"You know, Ryan, I think you might just have a career in the police force after all," I told him.

"If we live through this," Ryan whispered back.

"Well, we died once before," Rosa replied, "what's one more time?"

We both enjoyed a little chuckle – which seemed odd, but if you couldn't have a laugh when facing oblivion then when could you laugh?

"Well, what are waiting for?" Ryan cried.

Both of us ran to the armoury. It was going to be a long night.

I know what you're probably thinking, did I survive that night? Did we fight back the hordes? Did me and Ryan end up married in a cottage and live happily ever after?

Well, sadly I'm not so sure myself – because this was the last thing I was going to write down. So, if I leave you with anything, it's this.

Maybe I was an outsider. Maybe my views didn't meet with the prescribed opinions of others. Maybe I was wrong in believing in a better world. I'm not saying my beliefs are right, but they are mine to have. And regardless of anything that's happened, I still believe in the Law.

Yes, the Law ain't perfect – but without it, we're no better than cavemen.

I had to believe the Law works. Everyone else might have given up on it, but I never would.

I also believed that one day we will get a world where Dead and Living can live side by side.

I had to believe that. What else was there to fight for?

Who knows, maybe one day I would see that.

Or not.

But then, if there's one thing I learned fromboth Dead Lives 4 Ever and Living First, if you believe a causeis worth fighting for – you owe it to yourself to see it to the end.