“I think I can handle them,” I said, rolling up my figurative sleeves as I stood.

  “Hold on there Anna the Riveter,” Denaux cut back, tugging me down by the sleeve. “This is a recon mission, and--”

  “A history lesson, I know.” I crossed my arms in waiting.

  “You'll grow into your powers...they aren't all the same for everyone and you're...a special case.”

  “So I've heard,” I grumbled, disappointed that a fight against some slow zombies didn't lay ahead of me.

  “Tonight, we fight as a last resort...we're here to gather...till the fields, ya know, chère? Besides...” he motioned me to join him in peaking over the bushes at the zombies who had returned to their duties already, “they clearly ain't the smartest bunch around.”

  “Duly noted,” I nodded. “So what's the plan?”

  Denaux rubbed his chin pensively. “We gonn' need a distraction.”

  “Oh,” my head almost rolled off my neck, “so I'm the bait, huh?” My brow raised suspiciously.

  “Chère, you puttin' words in that mouth...but that does sound ideal. You're the one with the power anyway...”

  “And you're a voodoo man!”

  “I did earn my doctorate in voodoo studies from the City College of New Orleans,” he grinned.

  “Alright,” I thrust my hands to the sky uproariously, “this conversation is enough to get me out and away from you.”

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  “Ya know ya love me, chère,” Denaux winked.

  I rose to shuffle away and turned back for a last word. “Denny.”

  “Gasp!” Denaux said audibly, brandishing a smile.

  I cheekily grinned as I slipped away, while realizing that we didn't actually concoct a plan either.

  “Draw them away from the house,” Denaux whispered, almost reading my thoughts.

  “Already on it!” I yelled, as I started sprinting down the hillside toward the fields. “Wake the dead!” I shouted, “wake the dead!”

  The zombies slowly turned their heads upwards, their decomposed corpses and odorous stench was enough to follow me by itself, but that appeared like much too arduous a task for such creatures. I came to a stop near one zombie plucking a sapling and squeeze dripping milky white secretion from it into a small glass vial.

  “Hey,” I stopped, “whatcha' got there?” I continued, talking down to the vacant minded zombie that slowly looked up at me.

  RARGH! It shrieked, baring its the blackened sinews between its sharply rotted teeth, as it became a quadruped, falling to the ground and clutching the earth.

  “Oh,” I said, watching on, “This is not what I had in mind,” as I turned tall, hearing its pack animal friends transforming throughout the fields.

  Dashing away, I heard the zombies clomping along in chase, as I scurried throughout the winding crop fields.

  Hooking left, I wove through other entanglements, passing by other zombies entering sport mode. It wasn't supposed to be like this! I breathed heavily, cycling air in and out as I ran endlessly, the zombies keeping up pace behind me.

  I could fight...well, I wasn't too confident in that...at present time.

  Another several zombies leaped through the vines, snagging them to some degree, as I turned and dove through another patch myself.

  Spotting the house, I motored toward it, and noticed the vial that the zombie had dropped earlier. Snatching the vial as I raced past and pocketing it, I turned on the throttle all the way up the back steps to the farmhouse door.

  Barging in, I slammed the door shut, sliding the bar lock across and and not beginning to think if anyone else could be in there as well.

  Whatever.

  “Denaux!” I whispered harshly, pushing a nearby bookshelf up against the door..

  “Hush!” Denaux hollered back, waltzing in from a side room of the broken down and abandoned home. He carried a dusty leather bound photo book under one arm, and a confused expression with him. “What happened to the distraction?”

  BANG! BANG! BANG! An endless barrage of fists pounded upon the door.

  “I thought zombies were slow!” I caught my breath.

  "What gave you that idea!?" Denaux's mouth fell open.

  "The movies!" I exhaled.

  Denaux facepalmed, rubbing his hand over his eyes.

  “Is the front door locked?” I followed up.

  Denaux dropped his hand as his face contorted. “Uh oh.”