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dogs!!
#i gave him floppy ears since bull terriers ears dont stand up until they’re a little older#i love that pepito picked up the dog head thing from leo#pepito is just a puppy#qsmp#qsmp fanart#qsmp art#qsmp eggs#qsmp pepito#qsmp leo#qsmp leonarda#qsmp leo fanart#pepito the egg#pepito fanart
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The idea of tiny puppy pepito is so cute it makes me insane 😭, it actually really reminded me of the anime movie "wolf children", specially the early parts when the kids are so young and they dont really know they're different from other ppl and they keep just turning into wolves and back into humans at random. Ah to be a tiny pepito...
Tiny little Puppy Pepito likes to crawl all over Roier when poor Roier is asleep both when he’s human and wolf because Pepito wants to be close and doesn’t quite understand the idea of claws or fangs yet. All Pepito knows is that Apa Roier is SUPER warm and he’s very cozy and that Pepito hates sleeping as a Human Pepito in a bed because the blankets are all itchy :(
Poor Pepito can’t really control when Pepito transforms yet, but that’s fine because Pepito loves being special!!! >:D Sometimes people are Human Pepitos and sometimes they’re Wolf Pepitos, but Pepito is special because Pepito is both!!!
(Roier keeps trying to explain the idea of discretion to this three year old child, but it’s basically like talking to a brick wall)
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your puppy tilin and bobby have literally changed my brain chemistry. i'm not even a dog person irl (they scare me) but your qsmp puppy drawings make my brain explode.
like i can imagine puppy bobby getting his parents a dead snake as a''gift''
or puppy tilin trying to also get q a ''gift'' but not being able to get him anything other than a cockroach (it's the only thing she managed to kill. every other animal he tries to kill either ends up almost killing him instead or getting away from him. she barely managed to catch that cockroach) she keeps it safe in her hand the entire day until she sees q again. and they wag their teil when they give it to him.
i can totally imagine bobby wagging his teil whenever he sees jaidan or whenever he's playing with roier (he also wags his teil after setting off explosives. roier watches in horror while jaiden basically coos at him/laughs)
you know how most puppies need to be taught how to be gentle with their bite too hard? well in my mind tilin learns early on to not bite too hard and felt really bad about it afterwords (also q did threaten to put her back up for adoption after she bit him so-) but bobby literally never learns.
he'd feel bad about it one day, go to sleep, wake up, bite someone's arm off while ''playing'' and then repeat.
the only time the guilt of hurting someone by biting too hard has stuck is with Jaiden. he has only bit her hard once which led to roier sitting him down and teaching him to love and respect women. he doesn't bite her as hard anymore; he barely bites her and when he does, they feel more like nips than anything. unfortunately, he only has this behaviour with jaiden. he doesn't show marcy to anyone else.
roier's arms and legs are littered with bite marks, mariana has to fight for his life whenever he comes over. he doesn't even try to be gentle with tilin (at least not early on to their relationship) and q is constantly screaming at roier and jaiden to ''control thier kid'' (he suggested they get bobby a muzzle, but took it back because he wants tilin to beat bobby's ass fair and square, unfortunately that's probably never happening)
tilin on the otherhand would feel bad if he bit too hard and lick the bite wound as an apolgy (little does he know, that can make the wound worse)
extra note: puppy pepito would probably try to attack pepitos own teil.
is this cringe? it's probably cringe. my brain is rotting and i'm so very cringe. I'm sorry.
AHDJDHD AWWW no i think it’s cute!!! omg, that drawing is so old i’m kinda surprised anyone remembers it….. honestly i’m so glad because i really liked it ahdkdj, i think little baby werewolves are just so cute :( wolf children had a big impact on me as a kid idk if it shows haha
you’re literally so right though, on all accounts, like Yeah that’s them. fluffy little goofballs. bobby’s definitely nearly taken off one of quackity’s fingers before, and roier definitely laughed his fucking ass off about it
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what to expect when you’re expecting || c.yj.
alternatively known as: the one where youngjae gets a significant other because coco got knocked up pairing: youngjae x dog owner!reader genres/AUs: fluff, humour, crack, strangers to (brief) enemies to friends to lovers (so basically all the tropes ldkfjsk) warnings: animal pregnancy and consequently animal labour a/n: do I know what this is?? no. am I subjecting the internet to this anyway?? yes. enjoy!! also this was heavily inspired by @gtsvnbys bc her au’s have the cutest titles + plots
ok so first things first, we all know youngjae would literally die for coco
like the man literally dedicated a youtube channel to making her food and bath bombs
a 13/10 devoted father to his princess
and you happen to know youngjae!!
not bc he’s ‘choi youngjae, vocalist of got7′, but because he’s miss coco’s dad
and because you always ended up at the dog park at the same time as them
your new menace pup, bagel, was coco’s resident bff!! that also managed to get her pregnant oops use protection kids
this probably wouldn’t have happened if youngjae hadn’t smiled so brightly you thought he was the sun and got drawn in
and it definitely wouldn’t have happened it your laugh didn’t literally sound like a whole symphony to him
and it 100% could have been stopped if you guys weren’t basically flirting so hard the rest of the dog owners were placing bets on when you two would get together
so it’s definitely a shared blame but like,, for good reason
n e ways
ur chillin at home doin whatever it is u do and then youngjae texts you the randomest thing???
“u owe me CHILD SUPPORT”
so obviously you call him because what the heck does that even MEAN
and he is P I S S E D. like you thought he was sunshine?? get this man angry and he will give you a goddamn sunburn
turns out,, when owners are distracted,,,,,,, ur dogs can get up to some Interesting Things(tm)
so any chances of wooing youngjae?? are gone
“who doesn’t get there dog neutered?! you can’t just do what you want, life has consequences!!” “me???? you’re the one who brought your FERTILE DOG to a dog park in the middle of her heat!!” “well at least my dog is a LADY and knows how to keep it in her pants unlike some heathens” “JOKES ON YOU HE DOESN’T EVEN WEAR PANTS”
and okay youngjae in protective dad mode is really hot bUT he also just called your baby a heathen so FRIENDSHIP OVER >:(
“He thinks he’s so high and mighty because he treats his dog like a prissy princess like who does he think he is??” - you, ranting to bagel as you watch soap opera reruns at night
“I can’t believe they would be irresponsible and not neuter their dog, this is exactly why I tell you that you deserve more than anyone can give you” - youngjae, holding coco up to his eye level and ranting about bagel
This feud goes on for a while
Dogs are only pregnant for two and a half months and you two have spent the last month throwing snarky comments about anything and everything
And I do mean EVERYTHING
“Oh look, it’s the impregnation prince” “hey bagel, how would you feel if I decked your baby mama’s dad hm?” “That’s setting a GREAT example for the kids” “maybe coco will learn some self defence skills since your only experience comes from naruto” “HEY”
And this doesn't just happen with words
You end up finding out you two shop at the same stores
Youngjae, looking straight at you while grabbing the last box of your favourite cereal: whoops.
In retaliation you put a 3kg box of cucumbers in his cart when he’s not paying attention
Both of you arguing over the last bottle of soy sauce and the poor store worker is like “I don’t get paid enough for this shit”
The only reason you even stopped is because,,,,,,you miss him
You miss the way he would smile at all the puppies in the park and how he would get excited with you about fake dog drama
“can you BELIEVE that pepito cheated on kimchi with sagwa?? The AUDACITY smh”
And youngjae wants to hear your laugh again after he makes dumb jokes to break the ice
“What do you call a dog magician? A labracadabrador!”
So the next time you see him as you’re walking bagel, you tell him that you want to call a truce
“I will admit that it’s partially my fault for not keeping a closer eye on him but I’m tired of fighting all the time. Look at how happy they are together!”
And you finally see his smile and it feels like the sun is shining again and all is right in the world
But Youngjae still believes you owe him child support!!
So for the next month and a half, you end up really getting to know not only coco but Youngjae too
You guys go to coco’s doctor’s appointments, spend time at his apartment looking through puppy names, and you guys even make home made doggy treats!!
“this looks like coco’s poop” “oh my god ew you’re right”
“coco-yah, give appa a kiss!!” “she just wants the sweet potato” “sssshhhh”
It’s a ton of fun, and then in walks.........mark tuan. also known as coco’s absentee dad
Youngjae invites Mark to one of your park outings and he brings Milo who is so energetic and cute!!
And mark introduces himself to you like “hi, I’m mark! You must be youngjae’s s/o, he talks about you all the time” while youngjae and you just break out into denial
“omg mark ur so funny hahahahahsleepwithoneeyeopentonighthahahah”
Mark: “you guys literally go on dog park dates” youngjae: “it’s called being a responsible parent, you wouldn’t know that though” mark: looks into the camera like he’s on the office
Honestly you think nothing of it, youngjae is just your friend whose dog happens to be the mother of your grandchildren :^)
And yes, ok, MAYBE youngjae had talked about you bUT it was mostly about coco and bagel mark’s just hyperfixating no he’s not youngjae has a PHAT crush
But one night you’re over at his, letting bagel and coco have some bonding time while you watch Hotel for Dogs, and it starts raining
The dogs are asleep, the light of the TV is hitting Youngjae’s face as he tries not to cry at the scene in front of you and the only thing you’re thinking is “I’m so glad my dog got your dog pregnant, because I don’t think I’d want to do this with anyone else”
But what you also don't notice is that when you're falling asleep on Youngjae's shoulder at the end of the movie he's thinking the exact same thing
Well not exactly
He's more thinking "I'm so glad I get to be here with you, even if your dog did get my princess pregnant" while staring at you with the softest smile on his face
anyway one night it’s like 3AM or something and you’re asleep, as one would expect
but your phone keeps buzzing and ur like ‘dear whatever higher power exists please let this insanity stop’
and it does!!
until someone starts caLLING
and at this point ur just fed up so you answer the phone and ur like “idc WHO THIS IS it is thREE IN THE DAMN MORNING so you BETTER have a good fuckin reason for calling” until u realize it’s youngjae practically SCREECHING in panic mode on the other end
“whERE ARE YOU COCO IS HAVING THE BABIES RIGHT N O W”
the moment u hear this ur like “OK DON’T MOVE I’LL BE THERE ASAP” and running out the door in ur pjs with like mismatching shoes and scooping up bagel like “don’t freak out but ur about to be a dad” but all he does is lick ur nose and smile and u curse urself for owning a cutie patootie pup
with your phone in one hand and bagel’s leash in the other you’re trying to get youngjae to stop panicking and then you hear someone in the background yell “dude tell your s/o to hurry up” and your only thought is EXCUSE ME?? S/O?????
but this mf doesn’t even DENY it, he just yells back “SHUT UP THEY’RE ALREADY ON THEIR WAY” and you’re just like slkdjfljs????? Coco is having babies we will deal with this Later(tm) while telling Youngjae to hurry up and let you into his apartment
He lets you in and as you get to the door, Youngjae opens it and it is.........a hot mess
Coco’s in a cardboard box, there’s some sort of clear liquid in a puddle on the floor, you can hear a dryer going on in the background, and Youngjae is wearing an old anime tshirt with bright pink pjs and has like floofy bed head with his glasses sliding down his nose bridge but STILL manages to look like a goddamn snack???
but again, you have next to no time because bagel basically jumps out of your arms and pulls you to coco and Youngjae is talking your ear off
“there’s water in her bowl, I’ve got blankets in the dryer, the internet said to have dental floss in case we need to tie an umbilical cord, oh shit we need to call the vet oh my god how could I for-"
The only way to cut him off is to literally grab him by the shoulders and shake him
But you also very lightly push his glasses back up on his nose and fix his hair while teasing him
"You have to be presentable when you meet your grandchildren for the first time ^.^"
When I tell you this man's heart BURSTS!!!!!
But he can't do anything about it right now because "hey dude I've got the vet on the phone, when did coco start going into labour?"
So you do the only thing you know how to do: you make sure your babies are okay
Youngjae is monitoring coco like his life depends on it and you are making sure bagel isn't destroying anything he shouldn't be near and youngjae's brother is in the background like should I go back to bed now orrrrrr
You're too focused on trying to get youngjae to keep calm that you don't even notice the fact that you two are A: holding hands and B: youngjae has been low key sniffing your hair to keep him grounded because he likes the scent of your shampoo
You're literally this man's rock right now because he is dying of panic and the next 15 minutes are truly life changing
As it turns out, coco isn't a princess. she's a QUEEN.
She gives birth to three adorable little babies with no complications, who are named coffee (because coffee and bagel), puff (because coco puffs), and donut (because it's like a coco flavoured bagel)!!
After all is said and done, the pups are nursing and bagel and coco look so happy together
You're wondering what's next for you two, especially because you're still holding hands but now it's because neither of you want to let go oops
"I've had like three hours of sleep in the past week because I couldn't stop thinking about this happening so allow me a moment to be absolutely insane" he rushes out as you look at him
You nod slowly because you can kind of see where he's going but also it's still 5:30 in the morning and you guys just helped deliver 3 puppies so your mind is still kind of frazzled
And when youngjae presses his lips to yours,,,,,, your heart and your brain go ASFHKLJHKLK
And you pull away because h u h but also youngjae looks absolutely terrified but neither of you can stop giggling because wow I can't believe we just did that
"I'm sorry I wasn't think-" "youngjae?” “I know I should have asked but-” “less apologizing more kissing please" "I can do that"
Am I saying you spend the next few hours kissing and watching over your dogs instead of sleeping?? yes. Do you end up crashing at like noon and missing coco’s emergency post-partum appointment and get woken up by his brother paparazzi-ing you two for blackmail purposes?? also yes.
#got7 au#got7 x reader#choi youngjae x reader#youngjae x reader#youngjae scenarios#got7 scenarios#got7 imagines#got7 fanfic#fluff#youngjae fluff#kpop writing#kpop fanfic#kpop au#kinza writes
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I called up a friend and she marvelled over how ive lost weight i had gained in uni. She was not the level of friend where i could tell her im so stressed and depressed at home i dont eat enough to gain any weight. At uni I actually had a healthy eating schedule and I ate food that agreed with my digestive system. My mother will never agree that I think my digestive system cannot handle turmeric (which is pretty standard in Indian cooking and she uses a shit ton of) so it's just not eating or vomitting at the point. I hate having to take PP inhibitors everyday and the pharmacy has started giving me a discount on them now 😭.
I've been trying to improve myself and learn new things and just try to be a better person but fuck it's hard when even your body is barely functional. The stray puppies I'm feeding are way more healthier than me at the rate probably. The people from the NGO my high school junior created came and vaccinated them a second time a few days ago. I was asleep when she called but I have come to love her for all that she is including the strength it took for her and the people she fights to keep her NGO standing so she can help stray dogs. No one is adopting the puppies though because everyone wants breeds even when my own dog is an Indie rescue and he's the best thing ever, so intelligent, playful and lovable.
I still think of Pappu a lot. I started a painting of her with her face magnified so I can replace the art frame over my bed with a painting I had done back in 10 grade with her face. When she's so deeply etched into my heart, it only makes sense to have her face on my bed and made by my trembling hands heavy with the memory of her soft fur and coloured with paint diluted by my tears.
I'm gonna focus more this semester on school while also looking for options to earn money because after what happened at Grandma's house with dad,. I must immediately break any financial support . My mother has promised to fund my uni (probably only because I'm doing medical because she wanted one of her kids to) but I need more money because I want to treat my friends, but useless knick knacks, always have money to spend on food and also so that I can fund charities and causes of my likes. Also doing well at school will help me probably keep all my studies abroad and I am not planning to come back to India at all. I might have to do Internship here doh which I'm avoiding because my ex will be there yikes. Also Dad. (Both of whom are Scorpios so ....I mean I try my best to be open minded but literally how tf in these circumstances).
I feel like Pappu is always giving me signs to hold on and work and become the badass bitch I can and it always breaks me into tears because I feel so alone without her. Even if I have my Pepito with me , Pappu was with me, like two girls against the world. Even if she was a dog. She fought for her own existence and I fought for mine. I need to be brave for her. Like always.
I started taking Melatonin and B-complex and hopefully soon my body will be a bit more enduring of these tiring days so I won't have to spend most of the hours of the day sleeping off the sadness.
Dad's been trying to egg me on to start arguments and fights. But it's very easy to ignore someone when they've shown you (their kid) their worst sides again and again and even after you did so much for them. The words dad said to me at Grandmas house I don't think I'll forget any of it. And I don't think I'll see him as a dad ever again. Not that he was one after my age 7 but I had fooled myself long enough. Dad's don't hurt their kids like that.
If I keep myself on this train of thought I'll just hurt myself more. I'll go ask my brother if he wants something and then get some cup noodles for me and feed the puppies.
I wasn't planning on making this a diary entry but sometimes things just don't go the way you want them to, and sometimes there's good in that. Thanks for reading if you did. Let's all hold and and carry through and fight and become bad bitches the world is in awe of and scared of at the same time.
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The Time Tunnel | one gifset per episode | 1x23 “Pirates of Dead Man’s Island”
Kind of disappointing: when you first hear the title, you think the episode might be about Treasure Island type pirates, with parrots and rum. Instead it’s about real pirates who were involved in some quite complicated geopolitical stuff in the early 19th century. Except the costume designer dressed them like the Pirates of the Caribbean type, so, shrug.
Pepito Galindo is cute as Armando, the show’s target demographic young nephew of the King of Spain, who is being held for ransom. Tony and Doug (mostly Doug) instantly adopt him.
Good episode for happenings back at the control complex. General Kirk is overworked and in danger of burn-out, Ann and Dr. Berkhart are worried about his health, and Dr. Berkhart is dreading the boring retirement that awaits him in just a few days’ time. And then a pirate shows up...
I told you that we’d see Early Tony again. You can tell by the hair.
Early Tony is Doug’s precocious kid brother who wants to help everybody because it’s the Right Thing to Do.
Later Tony has cool hair, is more of Doug’s equal, and will happily murder people if they deserve it. This Tony has a sex drive and everything, which makes him pretty unique among Irwin Allen’s creations. But more on that when we get to “Attack of the Barbarians”.
Aside from eps aired out of order, Early Tony is around until “The Alamo”, and then Later Tony takes over. There is no narrative reason given, because this isn’t Breaking Bad. There was also no guarantee anybody would see these in anything like the original air date order, and the show is for children, and and and. But I give credit to James Darren because it seems like there’s some development here, even if it’s just a weathering process, or a creeping sense of disillusionment.
And some things to enjoy:
Dr. Berkhart’s subplot is a lovely twist on the “one day to retirement” trope. He has a day or two left before his tour of duty at Tic-Toc is up, at which point he’s as good as retired. General Kirk says he could start a new career, but Dr. Berkhart says men his age generally don’t get the opportunity to start something new. So it’s perfect timing, Doug needing a doctor and any help they send being necessarily a one-way trip. Hopefully Dr. Berkhart, stranded in 1805 when Doug and Tony get transferred on, lived a long and fruitful life helping people and teaching them about germ theory.
Tony, the linguist who can learn Malay on the fly, super-chemist, MIT-educated sword-fighting inventor of time travel, does not know how to check a human pulse, so he thinks Doug is totally completely dead for a few minutes. Appreciate the acting, even though it’s a little silly; Tony does look completely lost for those few minutes.
Doug’s urge to adopt every elderly, child, lost puppy, and fallen leaf is in full effect. What a guy.
Ann gets held hostage by a pirate, and this episode just treats her like a prop, basically. :\
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Imagine getting to heaven, and all the pets you’ve ever had in your life come running to greet you.
You wake up confused, with the strange feeling that something has just gone very wrong, but you’re not afraid. That’s what is so unsettling--you feel that you should be afraid, but you aren’t.
Then you realize.
You look around, but there’s nothing but white. In the distance might be something that resembles a gate, but it’s hard to make out, like you’re looking through a thick fog.
There’s something coming toward you from that maybe-gate. It moves strangely, stretching out, then coming together, like some many-limbed monster. You watch it come and wait for the fear, but there’s no fear. Your heart speeds up, but it’s joy that speeds it, because it knows before your mind does what it is you are seeing.
Then you realize.
Whiplash is first, of course, the greyhound who was so calm and dignified except at the park where he would race all the other dogs. Your partner called him Lash, but you called him Whip. He’s closely followed by Giant, named in a fit of irony in your sixties, a Jack Russell who you once came this close to throwing out a second-story window for chewing your shoes. Behind them is Nikki, one of several black poodles your mother bred--she was the one your friends were afraid of, the one who growled. She isn’t growling now. Her tail is going so fast she can hardly run. And there’s Dart, the first dog you got on your own, a Doberman who was too big for your apartment, but if you hadn’t taken him he’d have been put down, so there he was.
They’ve reached you now--Whip jumps up to kiss your face, Giant bounding around your feet, Nikki pressing up behind you. You laugh and laugh and topple over to the ground, and Dart immediately jumps onto your chest.
There are cats there, too, those who filled in the spaces around the dogs’ legs--Pepito, the massive orange tabby who used to jump up on his hind legs to reach your hands, and Shadow who lived behind your first house and decided he was yours before you had. Happy jumps onto your stomach and settles in, purring as loud as you remember, and Emma miaows at your ankles, rubbing her face against the soles of your feet.
You are crying now, rubbing ears and kissing noses that you never expected to see again. Here’s Lassie, whose name you hated as being far too obvious, but who was the most beautiful and most gentle dog you had, perfect for when the children were young. And there is Oakley, sitting a ways away, fluffy and calm as he ever was, but with his tail waving back and forth in supreme happiness. You turn your head and find Fluffy, purchased for your fortieth birthday, named by your oldest daughter, and killed two years later on the street in front of the house. And just behind her is her sister Duffy, who lived to be sixteen and died on the pillow beside your head.
Some look different from the way you last saw them. Max, your partner’s German shepherd, doesn’t have the scars on his face that always gave him his crooked smile. Forte, who was the first cat you really felt was yours and not just the family’s, has no notch in his ear. Teli has all four feet, and Perri is not a heavy, gray-black fluffball but the slender, bounding puppy you always remembered her.
And there are some you never expected to see at all--Calli, the cat you always thought hated you, is licking your fingertips as if in apology for all the times she scratched you. Avi, who was your son’s dog, nudges his way under your arm as he used to do for his young master. Three or four strays hang back shyly, as they used to when you offered them a day or two of food and love, both cats and dogs. You jump up to greet them all, for now somehow you know their names. And then there’s Tigger, the Siamese who died when you were four, but who you suddenly remember used to lie beside baby you on the living room floor, flicking his tail just out of your pudgy fingers’ reach. And Velvet, your grandmother’s dog who used to race to stop you from jumping into the pool and bark madly until you came out of the water.
Special, Madeline, Lindy, Snickers, Misty, Twinkletoes, Witty, Snowfoot--not just dogs and cats either, but horses and rabbits and that rat you rescued from your college lab and your daughters’ hamster and even that boa constrictor your first boyfriend abandoned when he left you. You are surrounded by their delight and their excitement, that happiness caused by none other than you. You feel that more strongly than you ever did when you were alive, and you know that they have been waiting for so, so long for that person who was their everything, for that strange loving hand and that odd loving voice.
Their waiting is over. You have come home at last.
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Hola Amigas ! After more than a month in Ecuador we finally broke loose of Ecuador and are now in Peru. While we truly enjoyed, explored, toured, celebrated Christmas and New Years in Ecuador, it was time to get on down the road. We’ll certainly miss the cheap gas prices (making exploring the country on the cheap), the great food, the diversity of the landscapes and the wonderful people. So much to see and do in such a small country, the Galapagos, the Andeas, the Pacific coast and the Amazonian.
Leaving Ecuador
Two puppies the owner of a camp ground tired to give me.
Auto parts store, meet Pepito
South to the Pan American Highway
A church over looking the city of Cuenca
Ecuadorian stores like to package things together you might like, Beer and chips
Cuenca
Street art Cuenca
Panama hats for sale
High altitude coffee
Yes, gas is $1.48 a gallon in Ecuador
Quilotoa
Cuenca
Driving through southern Ecuador towards Peru was very scenic. Coming down out of the high Andes and into the coast provided some spectacular scenery but was also very dangerous as we encountered many areas with rock slides, animals on the road, blind curves and very steep climbs and dips. Just taking it slow and paying full attention to the road and it’s conditions was the mantra.
Seemingly after hours of this type of driving we hit the coastal plain of Ecuador and knew the border of Peru was not far ahead. Not wanting to drive later into the dark we found a campground less than 30 minutes to the border and stayed the night. Awaking early the next morning we made it to the border before 8 am. We had heard from other overlanders that the borders of Peru were now overwhelmed with Venezuelans, leaving their home country for a better life because of the turmoil in their homeland.
Surprisingly we got there early enough to beat several bus loads of people processing and were in and out in a little over an hour. Now on our way to our first camping spot in Peru, things were looking good. We arrived at Swiss Wassi and were graciously welcomed by the host and other overlanders. A great way to end the day in Peru, right on the ocean and a fantastic place to stay for a while. Stay tuned, we’ll be moving on down the coast and more adventures to follow. Peru, we’re looking forward to discovering you.
Ecuador you’ll be missed, Peru looking forward to explore! Hola Amigas ! After more than a month in Ecuador we finally broke loose of Ecuador and are now in Peru.
#Alausi ecuador#chunchi ecuador#cuenca#driving in ecuador#Ecuador#Ecuadorian coffee#ioverlander#overlanding#Peru#quilotoa#riobamba#south america 4x4#southern ecuador#swiss wassi#travel
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Fanatics Halloween Special 2017
Whew, I finally got it done. I realize I'm a day later but between work and the Halloween party last night I didn't have time to finish. And it got really long without me noticing. Anyway, it was fun to write so I hope you enjoy it. Happy belated Halloween!
Halloween Special 2017
*Disclaimer: holiday specials not necessarily canon to the timeline.*
Damien Entropy stalks through the dark gymnasium of Saint Double U’s High School. It’s been decorated for the upcoming Halloween dance. He rolls up a large skull shaped rug in the middle of the room, pulls out a permanent marker, and draws something on the floor. Once he’s finished, he steps back to admire his work.
“Oh, yes,” he purrs, “this will absolutely perfect. What a fun Halloween this will be.” He puts the rug back in place and leaves the school, a sinister grin on his face. The Halloween dance is Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, he will have a whole army bending to his will.
He laughs maniacally as he disappears into the night.
Johnny, Devi, and Tenna crowd around Squee, little paintbrushes in their hands. They dab colours onto Squee’s face as they argue amongst themselves.
“We should add more blood here,” Tenna says.
“No, more dead skin,” Devi argues.
“Neither of you even know what dead skin looks like,” Nny scoffs, “it’s more brown, like this.” “Can you guys hurry up?” Squee groans impatiently, “the others will be here any minute.”
“Alright, alright, we’re done,” Nny says as they step back. Devi hands Squee a mirror and he checks himself out.
He’s been dressed up to look like a zombie. He’s wearing old, hole-y shoes, ripped black pants, and a t-shirt that has an exposed ribcage on it. Any exposed skin- including his face- has been painted to look rotting and covered in dried blood. Even parts of his hair have been painted to look red.
“Wow, I look awesome!” he exclaims, “thanks, guys.”
“No problem,” Devi smiles.
The doorbell goes off and Squee hurries to the door. He opens it to Pepito, leaning against the doorframe. He’s dressed as a cowboy, complete with a 10-gallon hat, leather vest, checkered neckerchief, and boots and spurs.
“Howdy, pardner,” he says in a bad southern accent.
“Hi, Pepito,” Squee laughs.
“Squee!” Dib cheers as he rushes up the walk. “You look so cool!”
“Thanks,” he chimes, “so do you.”
Dib is dressed as a dark purple Cthulhu monster. He has four fake tentacles strapped to his chin and two fake wings hanging from his back. He’s wearing a padded jacket to make himself look more muscular and fake claws on his feet and hands.
“And, Zim, looking good as always,” Squee comments.
“I know,” Zim nods. The only difference between him now and every other day is that he isn’t in his human disguise.
“You ready?” Pepito asks.
“Yeah,” Squee nods as he grabs his bag and Shmee.
“Awesome. I’ll go grab Colton,” he says as he heads next door.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Squee waves as he leaves.
“Have fun,” Devi chirps.
“Don’t cause too much trouble,” Nny adds.
“Don’t get drunk!” Tenna says.
“It’s a high school party, Ten,” Squee points out, “there’s not gonna be any alcohol.”
He closes the door behind him and follows Dib and Zim to the car while Pepito bangs on Colton’s front door.
“Colton! If you’re not out here in ten seconds, we’re leaving without you!” he warns.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Colton growls as he opens his door. He’s dressed like a zombie too, but unlike Squee he has a bit more specifications. He’s an Elvis zombie, with a frazzled, pompadour wig and a bedazzled leather coat. “What do you think?”
“I think that costumes too cool for you,” Pepito comments.
“I think you look good, Colton,” Squee says.
“Thanks, my undead brother,” Colton smirks.
Everybody squeezes into the car, Dib in the driver’s seat- being mindful of his wings- Zim in the passenger seat, and Pepito, Squee, and Colton in the back.
“Where is Gaz?” Squee asks.
“She’s already at the dance with Maddie,” Dib replies.
“And Carmen?”
“She said she’s gonna meet us there,” Pepito says.
Dib starts the car and they drive through the darkening city streets to Saint Double U’s High School.
This year Saint Double U’s- the most prestigious high school in the city- is hosting a Halloween party for all High School students, as long as they bought a ticket beforehand. Zim managed to convince Dib, Gaz, Pepito, and Squee to attend and they agreed to bring along Maddie, Carson, and Carmen for added fun.
They arrive at Saint Double U’s and Dib parks the car in the only empty spot about a block away. The entire street and the school parking lot are completely filled up.
They get out and walk up to the school together. The front yard is filled with costumed teenagers chatting amongst each other in groups. There’s a short line going up to the front doors, where an adult is standing guard, taking tickets.
The boys spot Gaz, Maddie, and Carmen standing off to the side. Gaz is dressed as a bloody pig with fangs- a vampire piggy. Maddie is dressed as the main character of their favourite game, Vampire Piggy Hunter. Carmen is dressed as a princess with a poofy, pink dress and a tiara.
Surprisingly enough, Tak is standing with them. She’s not in her human disguise, so her true cyborg-Irken self is on full display.
“Evenin’ ladies,” Pepito says in his bad accent as they approach the girls.
“Don’t talk like that,” Gaz grunts with annoyance. Pepito scoffs and pouts.
“Hey, Kat,” Squee says, “or is it Tak right now?” “Either or,” Tak shrugs, “Gaz told me about how Zim doesn’t wear his disguise on Halloween so I wanted to do it too.”
“Copycat,” Zim growls.
“Everyone ready to go inside?” Dib asks.
“Yeah!” Colton cheers, “let’s get this party started.” They all get in line together and hand their tickets to the bouncer. They walk down the dimly lit hall to the gym, following the pounding music and flashing lights.
The gymnasium doors are propped open and there are orange streamers hanging from the top of the doorframe. They push them aside as they go in and look around.
The large room is lit up by orange string lights hanging from the ceiling, and small spotlights that flash periodically. Against the wall closest to the door are a bunch of tables and chairs. On the far end are long tables holding different Halloween-themed food and drinks. There’s a small stage set up against the right wall in the middle of the room which is holding a DJ that’s playing bumping music. And there are nearly a hundred teenagers dressed in all kinds of different costumes- horror, fantasy, cheap, expensive. The whole room is filled with the loud dance music and everyone trying to talk over it.
“Oooh,” Squee moans uncomfortably as he clutches Shmee. “I’m having second thoughts about this.”
“Don’t worry,” Pepito says reassuringly as he holds him close. “I’ll take care of you.” “This is my first time at a big dance like this,” Maddie says nervously.
“Me too,” Colton adds with a tad more excitement but his nerves are evident on his face. “What should we do first? Dance? Talk to some chicks?”
“How about you just relax,” Carmen suggests.
“I want some food,” Gaz grunts. Maddie follows her like a lost puppy.
“Yeah, me too,” Squee agrees, pulling Pepito along with him. Colton squirms nervously before following them.
“I’m gonna go mingle,” Carmen chirps and disappears into the sea of teens. That leaves Zim, Dib, and Tak standing awkwardly by the door.
“So…what do humans do at a dance?” Zim asks.
“I’m not really the person to ask,” Dib replies.
“Do as the other humans do,” Tak says before trotting off into the crowd. The boys stare after her.
“She’s a lot smoother than you,” Dib comments. Zim growls with irritation.
“Ugh, who let in the trash?”
They turn around to a familiar face; an annoying, familiar face.
Jeff Von, the vampire, approaches them. He’s dressed like a classic vampire in classy suit and a cape. He’s smirking at them arrogantly, his fangs sparkling in the orange lights.
“What do you want, vampire?” Dib growls.
“That should be my line,” Jeff retorts.
“But Dib’s not a vampire,” Zim points out.
“No, I meant the…the ‘what do you…want’,” Jeff stammers, flustered before snapping, “shut up!” “Beat it, Von,” Dib snaps, “we all paid for our tickets, just like everyone else.”
“So I suppose the rest of your crew is here?” he asks, “you better hope I don’t run into them. I tend to get…frisky after nightfall.”
He licks his fangs before disappearing into the crowd. Zim and Dib glare after him.
“He wouldn’t actually attack someone in the middle of the party,” Dib scoffs, “would he?”
“Not our problem,” Zim declares, “our comrades can take care of themselves. Now, let’s party.”
He shoves a rather reluctant Dib onto the dance floor to mingle with all the dancing teens.
Meanwhile, at the food tables, Gaz and Squee pig out on the desserts and punch. Pepito stays close, watching everyone dance with a content smile. Maddie drinks a glass of punch, uncomfortably looking away while Colton fidgets awkwardly.
“If only they chose to do a live band, then we could’ve volunteered,” Pepito says.
“I-I don’t know,” Maddie mutters, “I’m not sure I’m ready to perform in front of a crowd yet.”
“Aw, but your voice is great,” he comments.
She smiles bashfully behind her cup.
Pepito glances at Colton and rolls his eyes with irritation.
“Colton, if you wanna go mingle then go ahead,” he says.
“By-by myself?” Colton murmurs nervously before shaking it off. “I-I mean, I could but��� I…can’t just ditch my bro.” He wraps his arm around Squee’s shoulders and squeezes him tight. Squee swallows a mouthful of cake and looks at him with confusion. “Huh?” Pepito smiles wearily and rolls his eyes.
The song changes and Pepito grins excitedly. “Oh, I love this song. Squee, wanna dance?”
“Huh?” Squee squeaks, “but I-I don’t know how to dance.”
“Neither does anyone else here,” he points out, “come on. Look, even Zim and Dib are dancing.” He points at the two of them in the middle of the dance floor. Dib is just standing there awkwardly while Zim kind of hops in place, trying to emulate the other dancing teens. “Er…kind of.” “Um…well, okay,” Squee relents.
“Yay!” Pepito cheers giddily and grabs Squee’s arm before leading him onto the dance floor. They meet up with Zim and Dib in the middle of the dance floor, over top of a large skull mat. They smile excitedly at each other, squeeze together, and bounce along to the music.
Gaz watches them, smiling softly as she munches on a cupcake. “What a bunch of dorks.”
The party progresses smoothly. Gaz, Maddie, and Colton don’t wander very far from the food. Colton would like to, but he’s too nervous. Zim, Dib, Pepito, and Squee rock out on the dance floor, having a good time.
At some point, Tak exits the sea of teens and joins Gaz, Maddie, and Colton. Without a word, she leans against the table next to Gaz and glares ahead.
“So, Tak, right?” Colton says, “we haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Colton and-.”
She puts her hand in front of his face, cutting him off. “I don’t care.”
Colton shuts his mouth and looks away, pouting.
Midnight arrives quickly and unbeknownst to everyone. They’re all too caught up in their fun.
But there is one person who has been watching the time all night, closely and anxiously. And when the clock finally strikes 12:00 he smirks maliciously.
He approaches the stage and whispers to the DJ. He looks at him questionably before turning down the music and handing him the mic.
All of the kids groan with annoyance at the silence and face the stage. The disrupter clears his throat as he holds the mic.
“Hello, everyone. My apologies for interrupting your fun,” he says, “for those of you who don’t know me, I am Damien Entropy. I helped organize this little dance and I have to say I’m very happy to see the turn out. And as thanks I have a little surprise for everyone. So, on behalf of myself, Happy Halloween!”
Everyone cheers, excited and ready to get back to partying. Amidst the enthusiasm, Damien smirks and adds, “and welcome to my army.”
“Wait, what did he-?” Zim starts to ask. He’s cut off by an odd glowing light coming from the floor.
Everyone looks down as an eerie, light blue glow streams in out from under the skull mat. They chatter amongst themselves, asking what it is, as the light gets brighter and brighter.
A sudden bad feeling rushes down Squee’s spine.
“Squee, we gotta move!” Shmee orders.
Without a second thought, he grabs the backs of Zim, Dib, and Pepito’s shirts and yanks them off the mat. The light nearly becomes blinding before exploding. There’s no fire, but it blows everyone on the dance floor off their feet.
Zim, Dib, Pepito, and Squee hit the floor hard and slide a couple of inches. They groan and writhe a second, their bones aching.
“Are you guys okay?” Gaz asks as she, Maddie, and Colton rush up to them.
“What the hell was that?” Pepito questions as they sit up.
“Is everyone okay?” Dib asks and looks around. Everyone outside the dance floor is groaning and getting up, like they are. But the many on the dance floor, especially near the skull rug, aren’t moving.
“That weirdo is gone!” Zim exclaims. The DJ is on the floor but Damien Entropy is nowhere to be seen.
“Be careful, Squee,” Shmee warns.
“I got a bad feeling,” Squee mutters.
Colton looks around nervously and spots Carmen still lying on the floor.
“Carmen!” he exclaims and starts to rush over.
“Colton, no!” Squee snaps as he grabs his arm, holding him back.
“But Carmen!” he says.
“I know but something’s wrong,” Squee insists.
“Squee’s right,” Pepito agrees, “there’s a heavy amount of dark energy in the air. Whoever that guy was, he did something evil.” The kids cluster close together as they watch all of the other teens, still unmoving on the dance floor. They don’t even appear to be breathing. It’s unsettling and no one’s sure what to do.
Suddenly, the gymnasium lights turn on with a loud click. Everyone jumps and immediately covers their eyes, temporarily blinded by the sudden brightness.
One of the unconscious teens starts stirring. She gets up on her hands and knees, slowly and awkwardly, like she’s just getting used to moving again.
“Hey, are you okay?” Dib calls out to her.
She doesn’t reply. Just moans quietly.
“I don’t like this,” Squee mutters and squeezes Shmee.
One of the other bystanders who managed to avoid the blast- a boy Zim and the others don’t know- cautiously approaches the girl. He starts to reach out to her when, without warning, she lunges at him and bites his arm. He shrieks in pain as her unnaturally sharp teeth rips into his flesh.
“Jesus Christ!” Colton cries.
Simultaneously, all of the other unconscious teens start waking up and slowly rising to their feet. But none of them are normal. Their teeth have somehow gotten sharper, like jagged fangs, and their eyes are completely white and hold no life.
“They’re…they-they’re…” Dib stammers.
“Zombies!” Zim and Squee cry.
The zombie teenagers charge at the few living teens cowering by the walls. Everyone starts screaming and panicking as they try to get away.
A zombie lunges at Maddie. She yelps and brings up her arms in a futile attempt to block.
Zim’s spider legs suddenly shoot out and block her. The zombie bites down on one and quickly retracts, spitting and moaning.
“Come on!” Zim orders, “we gotta move!”
The Battalion, along with Maddie and Colton, rush around the crowd of zombies. Zim’s spider legs shove them back when they try to lunge at them.
They make it about halfway through the gym when another zombie leaps at them. Zim’s spider leg keeps it at bay, but everyone stops when they get a good look at her.
“Carmen,” Pepito sighs miserably.
The undead Carmen moans unintelligibly as she tries to climb past Zim’s spider leg. She nearly makes it and swipes at Pepito. Before she can hit him, a different spider leg shoots past him and knocks her away.
Tak retracts her legs as she steps up to the group. “Forget her. We gotta move.”
Pepito, Squee, Colton, and Maddie sigh hopelessly but nod. They start moving again and hurry to the gymnasium doors.
They make it safely and quickly burst through into the hallway, slamming the doors shut behind them. They hold them closed as the zombies start banging against it.
“We need something to hold it shut,” Squee orders.
“Hang on,” Maddie says and hurries to a nearby door. It’s a supplies closet. She opens it and grabs a broom. They stick the handle through the handles of the doors. The zombies bang against them but the broom manages to hold it shut.
“That won’t hold for long,” Zim points out, “let’s go.”
The kids hurry through empty hallway, duly noting that the lights are on in here too. They arrive quickly to the front doors and push against them, but they don’t open.
“Locked?” Dib questions with disbelief.
“There’s gotta be another door,” Zim says and points down another hall. “Come on.”
They race down the adjacent hallway to a side door, but that one is locked too.
“We’ve been locked in!” Colton exclaims fearfully.
“Okay… but on the bright side, if this zombie virus is contagious, at least it won’t spread to the outside world,” Dib points out hopefully.
“But we’re trapped in here with them!” Squee retorts.
“What are we going to do?” Gaz asks.
Before anyone can answer, they hear a loud snap from farther in the school.
“They broke through the door,” Zim states, “we need to find a place to hide. Then we’ll come up with a plan.” They hurry through the halls of the school, trying to find a place to hide. But most of the doors are locked.
Finally, they stumble upon the washrooms and hurry into the boy’s, locking the door behind them.
“What are you losers doing?” a voice says. They turn around and see Jeff Von sitting on the counter by the sinks. He’s with a Goth girl who’s smoking a cigarette.
“You don’t know what just happened?” Dib asks with disbelief.
“No,” Jeff scoffs like it’s super obvious. “We’ve been here the last hour.”
“Some freak just turned everyone into zombies!” he exclaims.
“Zombies?” the girl smirks, “that’s sick.” “Zombies, huh?” Jeff questions, “it was probably Entropy, that fucking dork.” “You know him?” Pepito asks.
“Yeah, we’re in the same class,” he replies, “he’s always going on about the dead and necromancy and shit.”
“What kind of people go to this school?” Squee questions.
Zim and Tak suddenly shush everyone. They quiet down and listen. Footsteps can be heard outside the door. They sound loud and clumsy, like whoever’s making them is stumbling.
“We need to come up with a plan,” Zim says quietly.
“Let’s just smash a window and get the fuck out,” Jeff shrugs.
“No,” Dib says sternly, “we can’t risk this virus spreading.”
“Maybe it doesn’t spread,” Squee suggests, “I’ve dealt with zombies before and they couldn’t make other zombies.” “Maybe he’s right,” Pepito agrees, “none of us saw what happened to those kids who got bit. Maybe they just got eaten and died?”
“No, this virus would definitely be spreadable,” Jeff says, “Entropy always wanted a zombie army. He’s done fucking presentations on it for his future career.”
“What a freak,” Gaz comments.
“Fine, so we can’t break out,” Zim grunts.
“Then what do we do?” Gaz asks.
“We gotta find a way to stop this,” Dib replies.
“But how?” Pepito asks.
“Blow up the school?” Squee suggests as he grabs a Smiley Bomb from his bag.
“Let’s use that as a last resort,” Dib says, “I would like to try and reverse this. These people don’t deserve what happened to them.”
“If we can get our hands on this Entropy, maybe we can make him spill the effects of his spell,” Zim suggests.
“But we don’t know where he is,” Gaz points out, “he could be long gone by now.” “I doubt it,” Jeff says, “Entropy is a total voyeur. He’s probably hanging around somewhere, watching the show.” “The security room!” Squee says with realization. “That’s why the power was turned on so he could watch us through the cameras.”
“Alright. So we find the security room, we find Entropy,” Zim smirks.
“Jeff, can you tell us where the security room is?” Squee asks.
“I could,” he shrugs, “but I want something in return.” “What?” Dib asks suspiciously.
He licks his fangs. “A taste of one of you delicious humans.” They all shudder with disgust.
“Forget it, we don’t need you,” Zim snaps, “we’ll find it ourselves.”
“Suit yourselves,” Jeff shrugs, “it’s not my problem. As a vampire, Entropy’s dumb virus won’t have any effect on me.”
“It’ll be a problem if every human turns into a zombie,” Dib points out, “then who will you feed on?” “My family’s got their own blood bank for emergencies. It could last us years,” Jeff says and pats the Goth girl’s hip. “And I’ve got Nightshade here too, so I’m all good. She loves it when I feed from her.”
“So kinky,” she purrs and nuzzles his neck.
The kids once again shudder with disgust.
“Okay, let’s get out of here before I vomit,” Zim groans.
“All we gotta do is find the security room,” Dib says.
“Maddie, Colton, maybe you guys should stay here?” Squee suggests.
“I’d really rather not stay with the kinky vampire,” Colton says. Maddie nods agreeably.
“Fine, then stay close,” Zim orders, “that goes for everyone. Stick together.”
Everyone nods affirmatively. Then Zim looks at Tak.
“Except you,” he says, “you can do whatever you want. I don’t care.” She scoffs with annoyance.
Zim unlocks the door and they step out.
The hallway is quiet and empty. They look around frantically and nervously as they walk away from the washroom. They move cautiously and clustered together like a school of fish.
“So anyone know where to start?” Zim asks quietly.
“This school has two floors,” Dib says, “which one is most likely to hold the security room?”
“Uh maybe the top floor?” Squee suggests.
“Then we might as well check the rest of this floor if we’re gonna go up,” Gaz points out.
“But that’ll take long,” Pepito retorts.
“What if we just split up to cover more ground?” Tak suggests.
“No!” the Battalion exclaim simultaneously, making Tak jump with surprise.
“Haven’t you seen any horror movie ever?” Dib asks, “splitting up is always a terrible idea.” “He’s right,” Zim agrees, “better we stick together and not risk losing anyone.”
“Fine,” Tak sighs, “but then it’s gonna take a long time.”
“So be it,” Zim huffs.
They continue nervously down the hall. They’re all so on edge that the slightest noise makes them jump. But no zombies appear thankfully.
It takes them about five minutes to reach the end of the hall. By then Tak is about ready to lose her mind.
“Ugh, forget this,” she snaps, stepping away from the group. “This is taking too long. I’m going on ahead by myself.”
They stare at her blankly before shrugging.
“Fine,” Zim says, “we don’t care what you do.” “Yeah, besides maybe the zombies won’t even be attracted to you since you’re not human,” Dib points out.
“And half mechanical,” Squee adds.
Tak scoffs before marching ahead. They stare after her quietly until she disappears around the corner. Then they continue after her at their slow pace.
They near another hallway without incident when suddenly the sounds of footsteps echoing on the floor reach their ears.
They spin around as a kid races down the hall towards them. He looks terrified and panicked.
“Please, help me!” he begs.
Dib starts to step forward but Zim stops him. “Hold on.” A zombie appears behind the boy. It tackles him to the ground and bites his shoulder. The boy’s shrieks bounce off the walls.
The kids watch in horror as the zombie gets off its victim. The boy lies there for a second, moaning and sobbing. The moans quickly turn into something non-human as he starts convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
He stops almost disturbingly quickly and lies there, quiet and still. Then he lifts his head and snarls, drool dripping from his sharpened teeth and his white, lifeless eyes glaring at the kids.
“Well, that answers the contagion question,” Dib whimpers.
“Run!” Zim orders.
They turn tail and book it down the hall. The two zombies chase after them like wild animals, snarling and spitting.
They run without any destination in mind, just trying to find a way to lose the zombies. They spot an opening farther down the hall leading to a wide staircase.
“The stairs!” Squee exclaims.
“Hurry!” Zim orders.
They start to turn to go up the stairs without slowing down, but slide to a clumsy stop when they see the stairwell isn’t empty. There are four zombie punk teens chilling on the steps. They look at the kids blankly before howling and leaping at them.
The kids scream and jump out of the way, dodging the flying zombies. Then before any of them can stop to think, they all race off in different directions: Zim disappears down the hallway in front of the staircase, Dib and Pepito slide around the first two zombies and go back down the first hall, Gaz and Maddie go around the punk zombies and up the stairs, and Squee and Colton continue down the first hallway, past the staircase.
The first two zombies spot Dib and Pepito going past them and immediately chase after them. The four punk zombies- after untangling themselves from their mess on the floor- split into groups of two and chase after Squee and Colton and Zim.
Colton quickly loses his breath as he tries to keep up with Squee. He slows down, panting heavily and holding his heaving chest.
Squee sees Colton lagging. He grabs him by the arm and throws open a random classroom door that’s thankfully unlocked. They dive inside it and lock the door in the zombies’ faces.
The zombies snarl and growl as they scratch against the door, their faces pressed up against the window. Squee and Colton stare at them, speechless and frightened.
“Suddenly our zombie costumes don’t seem so cutesy,” Colton mutters.
“Yeah,” Squee sighs.
“What do we do now?” he asks, “we’re trapped.”
“I know,” Squee says as he digs around in his bag. “But we gotta get out of here and find the others.” “But how?” Colton asks frantically.
Squee pulls a Sleepy Bomb from his bag and hands it to him. “When I tell you to, set it off and throw it. Just twist the pin and pull it, understand?”
“Ye-yeah,” Colton nods.
“Good, now go stand in that corner,” he orders and nudges him to the corner furthest from the door.
Colton moves hesitantly and watches Squee closely. He ducks down, out of sight amongst the desks, and crawls to the right side of the door. He stands up, his back pressed against the wall so the zombies can’t see him, and grabs the knob. He’s trembling and scared but he squeezes Shmee and swallows his fear.
“Ready?” Squee asks.
Colton nods and holds up the bomb.
Squee unlocks the door and the zombies immediately throw it up. Squee jumps back and they lunge after him.
“Colton, now! Throw it!” he shouts.
Colton tries to pull the pin but it doesn’t come out.
“It’s not working!” Colton exclaims.
“You gotta twist it!”
“I’m trying!”
“Squeeze the trigger!”
One of the zombies spots Colton off in the corner and veers off towards him. Colton sees it coming and whimpers fearfully, freezing in place. The zombie shoves desks out of the way and charges at him.
“Colton!” Squee cries. He jumps up onto a desk and hops across them, racing to him. Then something catches his ankle and he falls hard, crashing onto the desk tops. He looks back at the other zombie as it tries pulling him back.
“Let go!” Squee snaps and kicks it in the face. Then he jumps back to his feet and runs to Colton, grabbing one of his knives from his bag.
The zombie leaps at him. Colton screams and brings his arms up to block. Squee jumps and lifts his knife.
The zombie bites down on Colton’s arm as Squee hits it in the back of its head with the handle of his knife.
The zombie lets go of Colton as it gurgles in pain. Squee kicks it to the floor and grabs Colton’s uninjured arm. He pulls him away and they race out of the room before the zombies can catch them.
Squee leads Colton farther down the hall and into a different room. It looks like a science lab. He locks the door and faces Colton. He’s shivering and holding his arm.
“I’m sorry…Squee,” Colton whimpers, “I…screwed up.”
“It’s not your fault,” Squee says quickly.
“I don’t…wanna be a…zombie,” he mumbles.
“You’re not going to be,” Squee says sternly, “we’re gonna reverse this. I promise.” “But…it…bit me…” “I know,” he nods as he grabs his Sleepy Bomb from Colton’s hand. “But you’ll be unconscious before you can fully change.”
“Huh?” Colton grunts.
Without another word, Squee pulls the pin on the Sleepy Bomb and drops it at Colton’s feet. Then he races out of the room.
The bomb goes off as Squee closes the door behind him, filling the room with smoke. Squee hears the unmistakable noise of a body hitting the floor and winces.
He stands there silently for a second, breathing heavily. Then he slowly looks up and spots a camera hanging from the ceiling. It’s looking right at him. He glares back furiously.
“Shmee,” he grunts as he wields his other knife. The bear immediately leaps to life, landing on his head. “We’re gonna find the jerk responsible for this and we’re gonna make him pay.”
“Sounds fun,” Shmee smirks as he cracks his nonexistent knuckles.
Squee sets off down the hall back towards the stairwell.
Meanwhile, Dib and Pepito race down their hallway, the first two zombies tearing after them and catching up quickly.
“We can’t outrun them,” Dib says, “we gotta knock them out.”
“Got it,” Pepito nods.
They stop abruptly and spin. They each high kick a zombie in the head, knocking them both into each other. Their heads clonk together and they collapse to the floor.
“Wow, nice kick,” Pepito comments.
“Thanks, you too,” Dib says, “where did you learn to move like that?” “Eh, my dad made me take a bunch of self-defence courses when I was younger,” he shrugs.
“Really? Me too,” Dib says surprise.
“Really?” Pepito asks with slight disbelief.
“Yeah,” he groans, “Dad likes to be prepared for anything, even the downfall of technology. He thinks if that happens, society will collapse so he wants Gaz and me to be able to defend ourselves. That’s why Gaz is so deadly with a bat.”
“Heh, sweet,” Pepito chuckles.
Dib smiles.
“Anyway, we should probably find the others,” he says.
“Right, yeah,” Pepito nods.
They step over the unconscious zombies and head back to the stairwell. There’s an awkwardness in the air along with the general fear.
Pepito chuckles awkwardly. “Um I think this is the first time we’ve ever been alone together.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Dib nods, “usually at least Zim or Squee is with us. It’s never been just the two of us.”
They laugh forcefully, the awkwardness enough to suffocate them.
They stop suddenly when someone exits an adjacent hallway just ahead of them. They quickly recognize him as Jeff Von.
“Von,” Dib says, “what are you doing? I thought you were hiding out in the washroom.”
Jeff looks at them with white, lifeless eyes and drool dripping from his fangs. They exclaim with surprise.
“You’re zombie?” Dib exclaims, “but I thought as a vampire the virus wouldn’t affect you?”
“A zombie vampire,” Pepito scoffs, “that’s some B-rated horror movie shit right there.”
Jeff howls and charges towards them.
“Well, I don’t wanna be killed by a B-rated monster,” Dib says.
“Me neither,” Pepito growls, “besides, I’ve been wanting to beat up this punk for a long time.” They nod at each other and then ready themselves as Jeff rapidly approaches. They pull back their fists and simultaneously uppercut him in the jaw. He flies off his feet and down the hall, hitting the floor hard.
“Yeah!” Dib and Pepito cheer as they high five. They race past the unconscious Jeff and back to the stairs, complimenting each other on their nice form.
Meanwhile, the other two punk zombies lumber down the hall, sniffing for their prey. Unbeknownst to them, Zim is hiding in a nearby locker, trembling like a leaf. He watches them through the cracks as they shuffle by. Once he’s sure they’re gone, he steps out and looks around fearfully.
“I hate zombies,” he mutters bitterly, “I hate Halloween. Why’d I insist on going to this stupid dance? Why do I listen to Kio about ‘upping moral’ and ‘team building’? We could’ve all just stayed safe in the base and watched horror movies.”
He mumbles to himself as he nervously tiptoes down the hall back to the stairs, his eyes darting back and forth. He feels so alone and exposed.
“Why’d we split up? Whose dumb idea was that?” he whimpers, “where is everyone? I wish somebody would find me.”
“Zim?”
He looks down an adjacent hallway as Tak approaches him.
“Ugh, okay, I wish somebody else would find me,” he groans.
“Where are the others?” she asks.
“We got separated,” he replies, “and what are you doing?” “I couldn’t find the stairs.”
“They’re right down this hallway.”
“Oh. Okay, let’s go then.”
“Wait!” Zim exclaims. Tak stops and looks back at him questionably. “We-we should be more careful.” “Are you scared of these zombies?” she asks judgementally.
“No,” he scoffs, “they’re just…really dangerous and it would be best to be more careful.”
Tak rolls her eyes and marches down the hall. Zim flinches and chases after her. “Hey, wait for me.” Finally, on the second floor, Gaz and Maddie cautiously but steadily walk down the hallway. They haven’t run into any zombies yet. It’s eerily quiet.
Maddie looks back. “The others haven’t caught up to us yet.”
“Yeah,” Gaz grunts, “so much for sticking together.” “Should we wait for them? Or go back?” she asks.
“No, we can’t afford to waste time,” she replies, “if they’re okay then they’ll catch up to us. If not then it’s up to us to fix this.” “You mean it’s up to you,” Maddie mutters, “there’s nothing I can possibly do.” “Sure there is. Under the right amount of pressure even the most useless person can accomplish something,” Gaz argues.
“You’re so inspirational,” she comments sarcastically.
Gaz looks around, feeling very vulnerable. “Man, I could use a weapon. Let me know if you see a bat around.” Maddie glances around nervously. “Why haven’t we run into anything yet?” “Who knows,” Gaz shrugs, “maybe none of them have made it to the second floor yet.”
“But there were those zombies sitting on the steps.”
“It looked like they were just relaxing, reminiscing from when they were alive perhaps.” “How can you be so calm right now?” Maddie asks with disbelief.
“I’m not exactly calm,” Gaz shrugs, “I am pretty freaked out. But this is pretty cool too. Like Bio-war. Remember that game?”
“Yeah, it was terrible.” “It sure was. But the zombies were cool.”
“I guess,” Maddie grunts, “but this is real life, not a video game.” “Of course it is,” Gaz nods, “but we can still have fun.” Maddie stares at her with surprise and awe. She can’t help but look up to Gaz, despite being older.
They continue on for a couple minutes without incident when Gaz suddenly stops. “Hold it,” she says, sticking her arm out in front of Maddie.
A zombie lumbers out a different hallway ahead of them. It looks at them lazily.
“Go, hide,” Gaz orders, “I’ll deal with this.”
“But-,” Maddie starts to say.
“Don’t argue just hurry,” she insists.
The zombie snaps into action and charges them. Maddie flinches and races away while Gaz squares off with it. She dodges its grab and knees it in the stomach. It gasps then swipes at her. She jumps back and tries to punch it but misses. It lunges at her arm and bites. She pulls back just in time and it tears at the sleeve of her shirt.
Gaz backs up into the lockers. She looks at the zombie with fear. It snarls and starts to leap at her when a metal bat suddenly slams against the top of its head. It collapses to the ground, revealing Maddie standing behind it.
“See, what did I tell you,” Gaz smirks.
Maddie smiles bashfully and hands her the bat. She rests on her shoulder and looks down the hall.
“Let’s find this loser and end this,” she says. Maddie nods and they continue their search for the security room.
Back downstairs, Zim and Tak, Dib and Pepito, and Squee all arrive at the staircase at the same time. None of them slow when they see each and they run up the stairs together at the same speed.
“You’re all okay,” Zim states, his relief just barely noticeable.
“But we’re missing someone,” Pepito says, “Squee, where’s Colton?”
Squee doesn’t answer, just looks away painfully. Everybody glances at him worriedly, noting the living teddy bear riding atop his head. They don’t try to pry.
They reach the second floor and immediately turn right and continue down the hall. They check every door they run by, looking for some indication that it’ll lead to the security room.
After a few minutes of running around unsuccessfully, they notice something farther down the hall that makes them all slide to a stop.
Clustered around in the middle of the hall is a horde of at least twenty zombie teens. They’re sitting on the floor or standing around, staring off into space and moaning as if they’re talking to each.
They haven’t noticed the kids yet. They back away nervously before hearing a quiet ‘pst’ to their left. They look over and see Gaz and Maddie ducking in an open doorway.
The kids quickly scramble inside and they close the door.
“About time you guys caught up,” Gaz grunts.
“What’s going on?” Dib asks.
“I’m not sure,” she replies, “those zombies were all there before Maddie and I showed up. Thankfully they didn’t notice us so we were able to hide.”
Squee starts to say something but stops when Shmee pats his head. He glances up and notices a camera attached to the ceiling, staring at them.
“Zim,” he whispers. Zim catches on and unleashes his spider legs. One of them lashes out and slices the camera off the ceiling. “That’s where he is,” Squee says assuredly, “he’s using the zombies as a guard because that’s where he’s hiding.”
“Well said, Squee,” Zim smirks, “so how do we get in there?”
“Could you throw one of your smoke bombs?” Pepito asks.
“I could,” Squee shrugs, “but we’d have to wait for the smoke to dissipate before we could approach the area. And by then Entropy might’ve escaped.”
“We need the element of surprise,” Dib says, “so we can get the drop on this guy.”
Everyone contemplates the situation as they try to think of a plan. Squee looks around and notices the windows on the other side of the room. They’re able to be opened from the inside.
“I have an idea,” Squee says. Everyone looks at him, attentive.
Meanwhile, inside the security room, Damien Entropy watches the monitors closely. He’s glaring at one of the screens with annoyance. It suddenly switched to static without warning and it’s not turning back on.
“Do those fools really think they have a chance of stopping me?” he scoffs, “they’ll never get past my zombie guards unscathed. They have no chance, don’t they realize that?”
He suddenly perks up when he spots the kids leaving the classroom on another monitor. He half notices that two of them are missing but it doesn’t fully register. He’s too excited as he watches them approach the zombie guards.
In the hallway, Dib, Gaz, Pepito, Squee- with Shmee of his head- and Maddie march up to the horde of zombies. They notice them one by one, their heads turning almost mechanically.
“Are you sure this is gonna work, Squee?” Maddie asks nervously.
“We just have to buy them enough time,” Squee replies, just as nervously. “Just try not to get bit.” “Easy peasy,” Pepito smirks and cracks his knuckles.
The zombies howl simultaneously and charge them. The kids stand strong and meet them head-on.
Dib and Pepito kick and punch the zombies away with their strong fighting skills; Squee hits them the butt of his knives while Shmee leaps around and knocks them out; Gaz knocks them away with her bat and quickly tosses it to Maddie so she can do the same before repeating the process.
They’re very outnumbered and unless the zombies are knocked right out they quickly get back up. They won’t be able to do this for much longer.
Damien knows this as he watches the fight on a monitor. He shouts and cheers like he’s watching a wrestling match.
“It’s futile, you fools!” he exclaims excitedly, “you’ll never stop me! You’ll all be part of my undead army!”
There’s a sudden crashing of glass behind him. He spins around as some kind of metal appendage pulls out of the smashed window and those two weird kids in alien costumes- one an alien-cyborg- crawl through. They both have four long, metal, spider-like legs sticking out of their backpacks and holding them up high off the floor.
Damien looks up at them with fear and surprise. The dark room is dimly lit by the monitors so he can barely see them. But the alien-cyborg has one glowing red eye that casts an eerie glow across their faces. They almost look like real aliens.
The shorter one with the big, pink eyes hangs over Damien menacingly. “It’s over, Entropy. Now reverse your curse.” Damien stares up at him, slightly terrified. But he quickly shakes it off and glares at him. “N-never! I will rule with my zombie army! And you will all submit!”
“Zim submits to nothing!” Zim barks, “now reverse this curse before I make you.”
One of his spider legs lifts up and points at Damien, the tip getting dangerously close to his face.
Tak watches closely, her cybernetic eye scanning Damien. It spots something sticking out of the pocket of his jacket.
“Hang on, Zim,” she orders and lowers to the floor.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Damien snaps as Tak reaches into his pocket and pulls out a notebook. He wants to stop her but doesn’t dare move with Zim hovering over him.
“What is it?” Zim asks as he lowers to the floor.
“His secrets,” Tak replies as she flips through the pages, her cybernetic eye taking it all in rapidly.
Inside the notebook is mass amount of scribblings and notes. Most of it’s in English, but some is in a foreign language.
“Put that down!” Damien snaps and starts to step forward. He stops when Zim points his spider legs at him, holding him in place.
“Here, look,” Tak says as she flips to a page titled ‘Zombie Curse’. “Not exactly subtle.”
“It’s written in some kind of…alien language,” Zim observes.
“It’s Latin.”
“What’s Latin?”
Tak ignores him as she translates the writing. “Looks like to reverse the curse, all we’d have to do is read this incantation.”
“Ah, good. Easy,” Zim smiles, “so read it.”
“I can’t read Latin,” Tak says, “I mean I can read it but I can’t speak it.”
Damien laughs. “You fools. Did you really think I would make it so easy?”
“But you did,” Tak points out, “we just need someone who can speak Latin.”
“Exactly!” he booms, “and Latin’s a dead language. No one can speak it!”
“You can,” she states.
“Nuh uh,” he argues immaturely, “I only know how to write it.”
“Well, that’s stupid,” Zim grunts.
“It’s foul proof,” Damien argues.
The Irkens glare at him, irritated. Then Zim swipes the notebook and marches to the door. “Hang on.”
He kicks open the door, interrupting the battle between the kids and the zombies. They all freeze and look at him with surprise.
“Can anybody speak Latin?” he asks loudly.
“I can!” Dib replies excitedly.
“Great,” Zim grunts and throws the notebook to him. “Read this incantation.”
Dib catches the book and elbows a nearby zombie as he looks it over.
“Um…okay, uh.” Before he can get a chance to say any of it aloud, a few more zombies charge at him. He dodges them and kicks one away. “It’s hard to read like this.” “Everyone get back!” Zim orders. His spider legs stick out between the zombies and the kids, creating a barrier between the two groups. The zombies try to climb through the gaps but they’re too clumsy.
Dib quickly looks back at the notebook. He starts reading the passage in fluent Latin aloud. As he reads the zombies seem to get very sluggish and slip off Zim’s spider legs.
“No! Stop!” Damien barks. He tries to shove Zim out of the doorway but Tak blocks him off with her spider legs.
The zombies look like they’re getting really tired. Slowly, colours start returning to their eyes as they lie down on the floor, like a bunch of sleepy children. When Dib’s finished reading, they’re all passed on the floor, sleeping peacefully.
The kids stare at them with slight disbelief, like they expect them to get up again. But they don’t and relief quickly washes over them.
“It’s over,” Squee sighs.
“Colton. Colton, can you hear me?”
Colton’s eyes slowly blink open. When his vision swims into focus the first thing he sees is a zombie staring at him.
“Ah! Zombie!” Colton cries and covers his head.
“No, Colton, calm down,” Squee says quickly, “it’s just me.” “Squee?” he questions as he slowly lowers his arm. Squee’s kneeling beside him and Zim, Dib, and Gaz are clustered by the door.
“You’re okay,” Colton states with slight disbelief. He looks down at his arm and sees gauze wrapped around where he was bit. “I’m…okay.” “Yeah,” Squee grins, “I told we would fix it.”
Colton smile with relief.
“How do you feel?” Squee asks as he slowly sits up.
“Tired mostly,” he replies.
“Aren’t we all,” Dib sighs.
Squee helps Colton to his feet and they all walk through the school to the front doors. Pepito and Maddie are there waiting for them, with a half asleep Carmen hanging off Pepito’s arm.
“How is she?” Squee asks.
“She seems fine,” Pepito replies, “just really, really tired.” They push open the front doors which are unlocked now and step outside. The sun is starting to rise over the horizon, casting a light glow over everything.
“Hey, wait,” Colton says with surprise. “What happened to the guy who caused all this?”
“We let him go,” Squee shrugs.
“What? But what if he tries to do it again?” he asks.
“Then we’ll stop him again,” Zim states.
“But we took his notebook,” Dib says as he waves it around. “So it’ll probably take him a long time before he compiles all the necessary information again.” “He was just a bored, lonely loser anyway,” Pepito adds, “we don’t need to do anything to him.” Gaz just nods in agreement.
With that, the kids walk away from the school and to the road, silently agreeing to go to Zim’s house and sleep for the rest of the day.
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The Sequel - 879
Chicken and Egg
André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)
original epic tale
all chapters of The Sequel
“Here are some, who like to run. They run for fun, in the hot, hot sun. Oh me! Oh my! Oh me! Oh my! What a lot of funny things go by. Some have two feet, and some have four. Some have 6 feet, and some have more. Where do they-“
“Delivery for Christina Schürrle.”
“Hey, we’re trying to read a story here, man.”
“I’m just the messenger’s messenger.”
Tom bent down to show Christina the gift basket delivered for her while she was sitting on the concrete apron at the back of the barn, under the overhang with the hanging baskets of fall flowers. He put one of her bagged chairs out there with a little bench seat from the picnic table by the outdoor wash stalls so that she could sit outside with Lukas and get some fresh air on Saturday. They could have gotten their air on a lounger in the backyard too, but André suggested they go to the barn so that they could watch he horses wander around and graze in their paddocks. The recovering rider brought her knitted monogram throw out from her office, green tea for two, and Dr. Seuss.
“What’s that?” her son questioned about the plastic-wrapped basket.
“It’s a get well soon gift from someone. From Juan,” Christina corrected with a smile. There were some things sticking out of the basket that gave it away. In addition to the cans of Wolfgang Puck chicken noodle soup, the perfect looking oranges and apples, a bag of cough drops, box of saltines, packet of tissues, and the stuffed dog with the stethoscope, she spied two brand new regular Chap Sticks, a netted bag of lemons, a bee-shaped bottle of organic honey, a sampler box of Fortnum & Mason tea, a bunch of pretty sunflowers, a very large Sotheby’s real estate magazine, and an envelope labeled “Last Will and Testament”. “Do you want the puppy?”
“Yeah!”
“Should I leave it with you or do you want to free the puppy and then I’ll put it in your office?” Tom questioned. He also helped open up the heavy-duty plastic wrapping at the top of the big basket so that she could reach in and get the stuffed Beagle-like dog without spilling the rest of the comforting or healing or boredom-curing supplies out on the ground.
“You could put it in the office, please. That way I don’t have to fight the real dogs away from it whenever they come back from escorting Isa and Pepito to the back paddocks. Wait- Lemme see what flavor the cough drops are first.” The boss closed her arm tighter around her son so he wouldn’t fall out of her lap when she leaned over to look into the basket while Tom had it on the ground. I could go for something butterscotchy right now, she thought, hopeful. I’m so sick of cherry lozenges. They’re so sugary and artificial. I think what I’m thinking of is actually just a Werther’s candy though, not a cough drop.
“Looks like...Dual Action Honey Lemon. Soothes cough and relieves sore throat.”
“God. Bless him. Gimme.” She opened and closed her fingers greedily while Lukas examined the stuffed animal. Tom opened the Ricola bag for her and held it open so she could help herself. The vomiting phase of her flu was over and she felt markedly better, but in addition to the persistent nose and throat issues, Christina was allover weak and achy and seriously lacking strength. Her number-one groom had to help her undo a buckle on Kimi’s bridle when she tried to be useful and take it off while he removed the lunging surcingle he used while putting the Irish horse through his paces on the line. Her hands in particular were difficult. They kept shaking. It might have been tough for her to pull the bag open but she could manage untwisting the little wrapper on a honey lemon drop. She stuffed a few in her fleece in case they were really good.
“For me?” her little blonde questioned.
“No. You won’t like them. Thanks, Tom Tom.”
“Are you going to try to teach later when the kids get back?”
“I would like to, but Schü will get home before that and he probably won’t-“ Christina interrupted herself with a violent sneeze, which Lukas said was “ew”. She had tissues in her pocket and used them to wipe her nose and also the sticky stuff that came out of her mouth into her hands, from the cough drop. “’Scuse me,” she mumbled apologetically. To sneeze was to suffer great pain in her throat, nose, and head, and the skin around her nose too.
“Keep me updated. If you’re not teaching, I’m going home early. The kids can tack their own horses if it’s not for lessons.”
“They can tack their own horses regardless.”
“In my stable, horses are prepared for lessons with the trainer by the groom.”
“Sir, yes sir.” She saluted her friend and Lukas copied the gesture. Only he got a return salute. Tom then left with the basket of goodies, and Christina got the book out to continue the story. I’ll call Juanin when I get up. I can’t get to that pocket now anyway, she realized as her audience shifted around on her lap to get comfortable to hear his story. He knew he couldn’t sit or lay on her right side because the right jacket pocket had the tissues. The iPhone was in the left, under his butt.
Meanwhile, at Brackel, André was keeping Marco company in the gym. He was already done with his training for the day. International breaks made for lonely times at the club, and long-term rehab was always lonely to begin with. He hated being separated from the team, so he was happy to linger and do a little extra work while Marco was in there so that they could talk and sort of hang out together while a physio supervised the program. Germany would play later, and the two Die Mannschaft stars tried to talk about predictions for the match and the line up without complaining about how much it sucked to be in their positions instead of with the team. Both valued positivity, and forward thinking. Marco of course had a much longer and more difficult history of missing out due to injury. André was only recently beginning to understand the challenge of suffering injuries so close, and suffering such long-term interruptions to his training, fitness, and rhythm. Marco was a lot better at bouncing back. It didn’t take him a handful of games to find a groove. He started scoring as soon as he was back playing, almost every time.
“Mario is coming over to watch with me and Noah. You want to come too or are you still the nurse at home?”
“She’s out of bed today but I don’t think she’s well enough to do dinner for the baby.”
“He’s two and a half. How long are you going to call him a baby?”
“Forever, probably,” André shrugged. “Are you still going to Spain tomorrow?”
“Yeah, for sure. Finally. I can’t wait to get out of here. It’s so dead. Beach time. Zoe is such a better housemate after we go to the beach, too,” Marco huffed, straining against the weight he was working with. “Are you taking the few days or staying to work?”
“Work.”
“Do you do all the extra work because it actually helps, because you want it to, or because you think you have to send that signal to the trainer?”
“Right now I’m on this bike to keep your skinny, weak ass company in here because I feel bad for you,” the taller, blonder player smirked in the mirror in front of him, which allowed him to see the other player.
“The work helps,” their physio minder interjected. “It improves the body, and it tricks the mind to think the body is even sharper than it is, and then the mind tells the body it can do more than it feels it can.”
“Everyone keeps telling me that but I haven’t experienced it yet,” André shot back. He was spiky about it, and trying to be funny. Inside, he honestly believed he wasn’t getting the intended effect. The whole idea is that you know you’ve done so much work to prepare that when you hit the wall in the game and everything hurts and you’re tired and you don’t think you can get to the ball fast enough, or make the run fast enough, this knowledge of all the superior fitness work helps you push past it like you can outperform yourself but really you’re just breaking the mental barrier between you and what your body is really capable of. Never actually happens. Yet, here I am.
“You will when you’re back on the pitch.”
“That better be soon,” he warned.
“I’m old enough to remember when you just needed your girl to blow some smoke up your ass and then you played really well. What happened to that?” Marco questioned sarcastically.
“It got old. Like you.” André’s answer was like a throwaway. It wasn’t meant to be serious, and no one in the room took it as such. He knew it was far from the truth. What happened is I don’t let her talk to me about football anymore, and I don’t tell her anything about it, so she can’t build her case and tell me how great I am all the time and all the reasons she knows I’m going to do well. But she doesn’t even really try anymore, he reminded himself. She used to pester me to talk football with her so that she’d understand the whole picture and have her evidence to use to convince me that something isn’t my fault, or that I’m about to have a great game, or that the manager needs to make some change and then I’ll be influential again and the team will be better off. We don’t have those conversations now. Chicken and egg, or cart and horse? I’m not sure.
“Fuck. Done. Finally.” Marco dropped the free weight and shut his eyes in a look of mixed agony and relief. Then his trainer told him he wasn’t actually done yet. He had one more set to do. There was a lot of groaning.
“I’m done,” his teammate declared.
“What? Where are you going?”
“Home to get smoke blown up my ass.”
“More like snot!” he called after him.
I’m going to go get Chris one of those non-dairy milkshakes from the place by the grocery store, and then I’m going to ask her to tell me what’s wrong with the team. She used to love giving me her diagnosis. And it always led to me being the solution. I could use some of that. Mausi likes milkshakes too. Has he had the non-dairy kind... André tried to remember if Lukas had ever been to the ice cream shop for unlucky eaters- people avoiding lactose, gluten, animal products, etc.- and analyzed whether or not a mystery-ingredient milkshake would be okay for him or not. Christina was always wary of giving their son new things. On the basis that he was getting the dairy-free milkshake for her precisely because he thought it would be easier on her stomach, he decided that it would be okay for Lukas too. After a shower and a quick call home to make sure his girl was still feeling okay and that his nice gesture wouldn’t go to waste due to a relapse, he obtained a plain strawberry treat for her and a vanilla one with some chocolate candy pieces in it, in the child-size, for Lukas. One was on the couch when he got home, and the other was crashing a fire truck into a Play Mobil army fort. In his world, an old timey American frontier installation was a normal place to find a contemporary fire truck. Christina was too distracted by her flu symptoms to be upset about him being so rough with her toys. The Play Mobil stuff was hers, and Aidan’s. She was in charge of the horses for the fort, and her brother was in charge of everything else, like the weapons depot and canteen.
“Daddy!” The attack on the fort was put on hold so that the fire chief could get a hug. His dad loved that he was greeted with that level of excitement nearly every day.
“Hiya, Mausi. How’s Mommy? Have you been looking after her?” André bent down to administer a one-arm hug. He kept the milkshakes concealed behind his back.
“Mommy can’t stop sneezing and has a headache,” Christina complained in a sniffly, hoarse voice that was definitely worse than when he left. He moved behind the couch to lean over the back and first kiss and then temperature-check her forehead.
“I brought you a non-dairy milkshake for your throat. Do you want it?”
“Maybe. What kind?” Her face brightened considerably and it made him smile to himself, because he could tell she was putting on a little show for him before that, to get extra sympathy.
“Strawberry. Also a little tiny vanilla one.” He nodded toward Lukas and turned 45* to show off the goods. His still very pale and sickly looking wife nodded her approval, and the child’s face lit up even more than hers when he was presented with the surprise treat. She was more tentative about hers. “How do you feel besides the sneezing and the headache?”
“Like I should stay on the couch for the rest of the day.”
“Want some company?”
“Desperately. But I also want my nose Chap Stick, which I left on the kitchen counter, and I need to take my drugs soon. They’re still upstairs.”
“I’m going to change, so I’ll bring you some drugs. Why are you using that one?” André pointed at the fleece blanket she was burrito’d in and trying to use to hold her cold drink too. “Where are all the good blankys?”
“I don’t want to get the flu on the cashmere ones. They’re dry-clean only. How was training?”
“I’m going to tell you all about it. Be right back.”
“Can’t wait.” The tired rider winked at the player, who started toward the stairs. “Chap Stick!” she shouted after him, her voice cracking in the middle of the words because her vocal chords weren’t ready to support that kind of volume yet. That was why she cancelled Stefanie and Kyle’s lessons too. They were supposed to come back from the horse to ride some of her horses that were supposed to be there with them. She clutched at her throat and carefully asked for a spoon in addition to the Chap Stick for her nose. The cold drink was going to be a welcome treatment for the pain that accompanied her voice issues. André brought her the Chap Stick and the spoon, and took away the straw and lid from her milkshake. Lukas was doing just fine on the floor with the straw method. Spencer was using the direct licking method to clean up the condensation on the outside of his little cup, and no doubt hoping he could do the same to the little boy’s face at some point since he almost always managed to get whatever he ate or drank on himself.
“Is it good, Munchkin?” his mom asked. He nodded with the straw in his mouth, and sat up on his knees a little to put one of his Play Mobil generals on the decorative cabinet under the TV. Christina was watching Shakespeare In Love on a movie channel before André got home, and texting with Juan about his day. He was working on his charity project with Antonio, and soliciting input from her on a photography exhibit designed to promote the initiative. Her inclusion in the process absolutely thrilled her, and she legitimately worried that she’d give bad advice or silly ideas because of all the cold and flu meds she was taking. The Spaniard really did inadvertently slight her when he launched the whole thing without so much as a mention. He was involved and consulted on pretty much every major decision or important aspect of her life, and she felt some kind of entitlement to equal status. Shooting ideas back and forth with him helped her stay awake on the couch and avoid leaving Lukas unsupervised.
“When do I get to meet the charity guy? You keep talking about him like I know him,” Christina wrote, one-handed, while she fumbled around with her spoon, cup, phone, and excess blanket. We should have dinner with him so I can get jealous when Juanin looks at him like he’s a genius or whatever, the literally sick and tired rider mused. Her friend always spoke so glowingly about the man he linked up with for his project, who was the conduit through which he could help thousands of charities around the world.
“Can I be in the blanket with you or do I have to get my own?” the nearer of her footballers inquired on his way past into the kitchen to get some water and put down her pills and cough syrup. “How’s the milkshake?”
“It doesn’t taste that great but it’s nice for my throat. To be fair, nothing tastes like anything when I’m sick. And yes, you can be in my blanky.” She moved over all the way into the corner of the couch to make some space for André on the chaise with her. Normally he had that side and barely left any room for her down the chaise, or none at all and she had to use the ottoman for her legs. The corner was too warm to give up to him, and she didn’t want to have to turn on her left side to use him as a pillow because her nose was already more stuffy on that side. “Can you hold this for me?”
“Yeah.” André accepted the plastic cup while he got settled and she got comfortable too. Christina reordered her throw pillows to allow her to put her cheek on his shoulder and her folded up legs on his hip, and then didn’t take her shake back. He didn’t know that holding her drink for her was going to enable her unannounced nap, nor that she’d fall asleep before giving him any feedback on his football update. That was the whole point. He wanted her to talk to him about football after he finished telling her about his Saturday workout and training session. She was unconscious within minutes of welcoming him into her blanket, and not because she wasn’t interested. Being sick and trying to do normal rider things and regular mom things just took a lot out of her, and so did all the medications. He couldn’t be upset, though he was pretty disappointed.
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consider the following. bobby having one of those pet carrier backpacks for whenever pepito goes full doggo mode. he just carries puppito around
POV Puppito being put into Puppy Jail for Crimes (Pepito started chewing on Bobby’s shoelaces again)
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I had a dream about Pappu again. She was already dead in it but in it I found old photos of her when she was a puppy. In actuality we have but one pic of her puppyhood (when my Pc fried I post years worth of data and memories)
I guess I regret it more than I thought I did. A few years ago when I found her she was as small as Pepito. While Pepito is a lot bitier , I mean she was too, and I won't say she was the Pappu I loved from the moment she was born. We grew together and changed together and by the end of it she was my most precious. I still can't bear the memory of letting her go , holding her and then her head getting heavier and falling down into her bowl of uneaten egg. Kissing her dead body. Looking into her eyes just the day before and I don't want to assume but she wanted us to let her go long ago.
The look in her warm molten brown eyes as if saying it's okay. I had a good life with you and I love you for it.
After she left I would do Tarot readings and they always had teh same message. She has completed her mission and she had to go. She loved us very much and our tears and sadness about her illness and death made her more sad for having caused us pain.
I mean that's what love is right? Love is leaving yourself vulnerable to being hurt.
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