Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The beginning

Ashes, Ashes...

Elizabeth blinked absolutely stunned at the position she had found herself in. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before asking "What is your name?" The brunette winced in pain as she replied "Matlock... Lady Diana Matlock." Elizabeth took a step back in surprise "Matlock? Any relation to the earl of Matlock?" She asked before quickly moving back through the house and closing the front door that she had left ajar. She came back to see the woman scratching the dog's back before suddenly slapping her hand over her mouth as a painful contraction swept through her body.

When the contraction was through she turned to Elizabeth with a tired expression and replied "Yes, I am the wife of the Viscount D'arcy, the earl's son if you were unaware- Ahhh! And this is Ramona." She gestured to the hound before she cried out in pain making Elizabeth slam her hand over her mouth. They were both silent as they listened for any signs of the undead, when there was no sign of them they both released a breath. Elizabeth cleared her throat "Well my lady, the reasons for you being boarded up in a old house is something we will discuss at a later date. Right now let's bring the child into the world and get you out of here. Oh, and my name is Colonel Elizabeth Bennett of Hertfordshire. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The next two hours were some of the most agonizing of Elizabeth's life. Diana was in the middle of delivering her child when the sound of zombies pounding on the windows and doors drew her attention. The hound began to bark in warning as Elizabeth moved cautiously to the window. She peered through a crack and had to hold back a gasp as she found more than a dozen unmentionables waiting outside. She moved back to Diana just in time to catch the child as it graced the world.

The child was wailing and Elizabeth grabbed a random blanket that had been on the sofa and quickly helped Diana wrap the baby in it. " it's a girl." smiled Elizabeth as she tried her best to clean it with a hankie. "Aww she is beautiful... I have always wanted to have a girl." cooed Diana holding the baby gently within her arms. Then the creek of pressure on the front door drew her attention, Elizabeth frowned pulling her saber from its sheath at her side. "Can you walk?" She asked stiffening as the zombies began to relentlessly pound against the weakened windows and doors.Diana nodded and hissed as she stood to her feet, Elizabeth passed her a cloth and stated "Clean yourself up, I am going to try and find a way out. Keep the little one as quiet as possible." 

Elizabeth searched every room in the house trying to find a safer escape route but every angle of the house was covered with unmentionables, all eager to taste the flesh and brains of those hidden within. Elizabeth returned to see Diana had changed into a dress that was a size or two bigger than herself, but at-least it was clean and made her look less like one of the stricken. "Did you find a way out?" she asked holding her daughter tightly to her chest. The colonel shook her head "Unfortunately it appears that we will have to fight our way out. The darkness is both a blessing and a curse, do you know how to fight?" She asked in a after thought. She rose her eyebrows as Diana replied "I fear that it has been a few moons since my brother in law Richard taught me the basics."

Elizabeth sighed before pulling a dagger from her boot and handing it to her "I will do my best to keep you and your child from the teeth of the maggoty dreadfuls. But if we should become separated, use this to defend yourself." Diana took the dagger with a shaky grip and moved directly behind Elizabeth who was about to open the door when Diana said "Wait! What about Ramona? We can't allow her to be captured and fed upon!" Elizabeth cringed before looking her straight in the eye "You gave her a mighty name, it means protector, fighter, and destroyer of evil. I will do what I can to keep her safe but I believe she knows how to survive."

Moments later the two women emerged from the house and into the crowds of unmentionables. Elizabeth moved as if she were dancing and slashed at any undead thing in her way, Diana was right behind her holding the wailing baby to her chest. Right when Elizabeth was finishing off the last unmentionable in site, Diana screamed drawing her attention to the unmentionables crawling up from the sewers. The female Colonel reacted instinctively and pulled her friend away from the chaos and quickly down several roads.

Hours passed and as the sky began to lighten Darcy found himself anxiously awaiting his friend by the gates of the second tier for it had yet to be breached by the unmentionables. Soldiers stood at the top on high alert, canons and muskets at the ready. "There is movement to the north!" shouted one soldier sending Darcy running. At first he found no one and was about to return to his post when the sound of a feminine cry met his ears.

The sound of a desperate hound barking had Darcy sprinting around buildings as quick as possible, his determination building as the sounds of fighting pushed him to go faster. He rounded the corner and saw the most horrifying site. A woman whom he could not fully see was screeching as she held a bloody cloth to her left arm. Elizabeth was fighting but seemed to be slightly hindered by what appeared to be a sack securely wrapped around her chest. To the right of her was the barking hound that seemed to be causing the unmentionables to run into each other trying to catch the clever animal.

Without further observation he fought his way to Elizabeth's side as she defended the crying woman. When he got to her side she met his eyes for the briefest of seconds before continuing to fight as she gasped out "Mr. Darcy! How felicitous you have arrived, I thought I would be forced to dispose of all these unmentionables on my own." Darcy smiled lightly before within a matter of minutes the two Colonels had temporarily cleared the area of any zombies. Darcy turned to the crying woman finally able to see her properly and his eyes widen in shock "Diana?!?"

Diana's head whipped to the side to see her husband's cousin standing before her in all his glory. "Fitzwilliam! Oh thank God." She cried out nearly falling to the ground in relief. Darcy moved to hug his cousin's wife when he once again took notice of  her bloodied limb. "Good God, what on earth happened!?" he exclaimed carefully pulling her left arm into his hands. Elizabeth frowned sheathing her saber as she rubbed the sack in front of her "She was bitten, I reacted instantly and cut off the source of the disease in hopes that it would not spread and turn her. I used one of the torches to cauterize the wound and stop the bleeding."

Darcy carefully pulled off the bloody cloth and grimaced at the sight of it "We need to get you to a physician immediately you look extremely pale." He stated with a look of pity. Elizabeth  sighed before the sound of a babies cry drew both Colonels attentions "Do I hear a child?" asked Darcy looking between the two woman for some confirmation that he was indeed not just hearing things. Elizabeth looked around cautiously before pulling Diana's daughter out of the safety from within the sack.

Darcy stood slack jawed before turning to Diana and raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Diana smiled innocently as she leaned into Elizabeth for support and replied "Fitzwilliam, I was pregnant last you saw me. This is my daughter, Colonel Bennet helped me deliver her into this world. She followed Ramona to where I was trapped and has since been protecting us every step of the way." Elizabeth watched the two fondly before the sound of gurgling drew her attention and sent Ramona into a barking frenzy "As much as I would hate to interrupt, could we perhaps all catch up when we are within a relatively more secure position?"

Darcy turned around and saw the approaching horde before he reacted instantly and picked up Diana who was swaying on her feet. Elizabeth secured the baby before pulling her saber and whistling for Ramona to follow. The two Colonels had just reached the safety of the second tier walls when the sound of a great explosion sent chunks of the wall in every direction. Elizabeth gasped in horror as Darcy cried out in a panic as Diana passed out in his arms. The two Colonels locked eyes sharing each other's concerns before Elizabeth whispered "London will fall."

Authors note - So what did you think about this new character? Do you like her? Hate her? Comment and vote  below and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!