{"sf1_id":8410,"sf2_id":"RnoEb3Ye","title":"Summer Vacation Of The Living Dead - book 5","author":"Alex Reynard","words":8387,"posted_at":"2005-12-15T18:43:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Bat","Cheetah","Coyote","Death","Feline","Ferret","Squirrel","Supernatural"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/8410-summer-vacation-of-the-living-dead-book-5","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/RnoEb3Ye","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=8410\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#5 of Summer Vacation Of The Living Dead","content":"  \nSummer Vacation Of The Living Dead  \na gruesome little screwball comedy by Alex Reynard  \n  \n  \n-~\\*BOOK FIVE\\*~-  \n  \n  \n  \n~\\*\\*\\*~  \n  \n  \n-CHAPTER SIXTY FIVE-  \n  \nAfter it was all over, the Lopezes came to an unpleasant realization. What with  \nMax's funeral, all the meat they'd bought, and especially the repair bill for the  \ncar, the family was about as rock-bottom in debt as it could possibly get.  \n  \nBut that was okay.  \n  \nBecause Tish had gotten one of her really, really good ideas about how to make  \nthem all some fast cash...  \n  \n  \n~\\*\\*\\*~  \n  \n  \n-CHAPTER SIXTY SIX-  \n  \nOn a perfectly ordinary street, in a perfectly ordinary mid-size city, full of  \nstreetlamps and sidewalks, a sleek, flawless black European sedan came swimming  \nthrough the morning traffic like a fog and slid to a halt beside a perfectly  \nordinary streetcorner.  \n  \nThe doors opened, and three lively cubs emerged. Two coyotes and a cheetah. They  \nall seemed perfectly ordinary too.  \n  \nAs the cheetah boy went around to the trunk to begin unloading their equipment,  \nthe two coyotes, obviously brother and sister, scooted around to the driver's  \nside window.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"So, same time as last Friday?\" the driver asked.  \n  \n\"Yeah, Mom. We'll be right on time. Promise!\" said the boy.  \n  \n\"I'm feeling really excited. I think it's gonna be a good day.\" said the girl.  \n  \n\"Okay then, I'll see you two furballs later. Be careful and be safe.\" The driver,  \ntheir mother reached out the window to hug her little ones.  \n  \n\"You've got money for lunch?\" she asked, grinning.  \n  \nThe two little ones laughed, but what was so funny about that, an outside  \nobserver could not hope to discern.  \n  \nAfter a kiss was placed on each of their foreheads, and one for the cheetah boy  \nas well, the driver of the black sedan waved to the children and drove off,  \nleaving them on their own in the unfamiliar city.  \n  \n\"Okay, lets get set up. How about across the street there, by that coffeeshop?\"  \nthe girl coyote suggested.  \n  \nHer two male companions agreed, and followed her.  \n  \nThey all made sure to cross at the crosswalk with the light. The two males were  \nlugging a small fold-up plastic table between them and the girl was peeking over  \nthe top of a large and unwieldy cardboard box full of odd-looking apparatus.  \nMagic supplies.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; They found a nice clear spot on the pavement, swept away a few leaves with their  \ntails, and began to set up their act.  \n  \nThe boys unfolded the table, and the girl dumped out everything in the box onto  \nit. There were two large, colorful balsa wood boxes, homemade, with bright  \nzigzaggy designs. A dark cloth for the table. A large, plain white sheet. A top  \nhat. And something unseen, wrapped up in a towel. Something that clanged  \nmuffledly when it was set down.  \n  \nThere was also a banner, which the two coyotes hung up on the brick wall behind  \nthem with putty. It read:  \n  \nTHE GREATEST MAGIC TRICK YOU WILL EVER SEE  \ndonations gratefully accepted  \n  \nBy now, several passing fursons had stopped to ponder what these three kids were  \ndoing here, and the banner piqued their curiosity even further.  \n  \nThe cubs all gave off an air of total assurance. When everything was set up, the  \ntrio stood silently before their improvised stage. Just watching the gathering  \ncrowd. Waiting for the number of people to be just right. And then the show would  \nbegin.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; As soon as the very first murmur of boredom reached the boy coyote's ears, he  \nmotioned to his companions and they sprung into action. The cheetah boy flipped  \non the top hat and instantly became someone else.  \n  \n\"Ladies and gentlemen!\" he declared grandly, his voice as assured as any carnival  \nbarker or snake-oil salesman had ever been. \"Welcome to the Greatest Magic Trick  \nYou Will Ever See! Everyone crowd around! Yes, get in close. We want everyone to  \nhave a good look and be able to see everything clearly!\"  \n  \nThe crowd pushed in, mumbling softly, wondering if they were about to see a  \ncharming bit of fluff or an entertaining flop. None of them really took the  \nbanner seriously.  \n  \nYet.  \n  \n\"Please take note of my assistants' clothing,\" the magician said. He waved his  \npaws around the two silent, smiling coyotes. The boy was wearing a bright red T-  \nshirt and faded blue jeans. The girl was wearing a rather gothic black dress.  \nSimple but spooky.  \n  \nAt the magician's command, the two coyotes stepped behind the table and arranged  \nthe two balsa boxes before them. The boxes were just big enough for them to duck  \ndown and slip their heads into. And when the magician waved his paw, they did so,  \ntails hung down obediently behind them.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; As the crowd began to grow confused and intrigued, the magician boy ratcheted  \ntheir uncertainty up several notches by unfolding the towel to reveal two large,  \nextremely sharp-looking squarish blades.  \n  \nHe looked every audience member dead in the eye as he held up one of the blades.  \nWith perfect dramatic timing and tension, he held up a piece of paper, passed it  \nalong the edge, and listened to the gasps when it split down the middle like  \nnothing at all. The blades were real, and indeed, \\_very\\_ sharp.  \n  \nThe audience began to conclude where this was leading. It made them all nervous,  \nto say the least. These were just kids! Wasn't this, you know, kinda dangerous?  \n  \nThe top-hatted cheetah paid no heed to their worried and fearful faces. He  \nstepped behind the table, between his two assistants, holding a blade  \noutstretched in each paw. He slipped the blades into two notches in the top of  \neach box. Right where the two coyotes' necks would be.  \n  \nThe audience was really fidgeting now. This was not at all right. This was just  \nsome kids and some homemade props. This was not teevee magic where you knew  \neverything was safe and faked. This looked really, truly, uncomfortably unsafe.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The magician made not a sound. The two coyotes, in unison, raised a paw and made  \nthe 'thumbs up' sign. Then they clasped the sides of the boxes in their paws and  \nkept perfectly still. The magician still had his paws atop the very shiny silver  \nblades.  \n  \nNo, this was wrong. That cheetah boy wasn't REALLY going to...? Was he...?  \n  \nWith not the slightest trace of emotion, he did.  \n  \nThe blades sank straight down to the bottom of the boxes with a stomach-churning  \n\\*CHOONK\\* sound.  \n  \nThe two coyotes went very, very still.  \n  \nSomeone in the audience shrieked.  \n  \nThe magician kept impossibly calm. Even when the first little trickles of scarlet  \nbegan to seep out from the edges of the boxes.  \n  \nNow a LOT of people screamed.  \n  \nBut the magician froze them all with a fierce, piercing gaze. \"STOP!\" he shouted  \nin a commanding, Godlike tone.  \n  \nAnd they did.  \n  \nHe stared at them reproachfully, angry with them for doubting his mystic powers.  \nHis eyes told them firmly, 'You have not seen what you think you have seen'.  \n  \nThe audience went silent again, and crowded in even closer now.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; With a small flourish of his wrist, the magician deftly unhooked several small  \nlatches on the sides of each box, splitting the two pieces into four. He took  \nhold of the front portion of each box. He got a firm grip, paused for effect...  \n  \n...And swiftly switched them.  \n  \nShrieks! Gasps! Horrified leaps into the air!  \n  \nThe two coyotes' bodies did not even move a millimeter. From where the blades  \nstopped, it was obvious the childrens' heads could not possibly have been hidden  \nbehind, or somehow within the table. They were still in the boxes, alright.  \n  \nThe magician positioned the boxes to his satisfaction, then slowly, carefully,  \nwithdrew the blades.  \n  \nThe audience did not breathe.  \n  \nA moment passed. Nothing happened.  \n  \nThe audience began to get seriously nervous.  \n  \nThe magician kept his cool.  \n  \n\\_Still\\_ nothing happened.  \n  \nThe audience was just about on the verge of calling the police to report a double  \nhomicide.  \n  \nAnd then, the boxes twitched.  \n  \nWith amazing suddenness, the two coyotes stood straight up, lifting their paws  \nhigh into the air, their firmly-attached heads grinning gigantic vaudeville  \ngrins.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"TA DA!!!\"  \n  \nThe magician smiled in a 'toldja' kind of way.  \n  \nThen the audience's shocked silence became cheers of outright miraculous  \nastonishment when they realized that, even though the bodies had Never Moved An  \nInch, the boy was now wearing the dress and the girl was wearing the T-shirt and  \njeans!! The heads had actually switched!!!  \n  \nIt really was The Greatest Magic Trick any of them Had Ever Seen.  \n  \nWhoops and screams and 'How the hell did you DO that?!?'s exploded in the warm  \nmorning air. The three kids were totally swamped with adoration. The two coyotes  \nquickly tipped over the boxes and held them out for donations.  \n  \nFists slammed into pockets, wallets were flung open with wild abandon, and money  \npoured down like rain.  \n  \nAfter the hundredth time or so of saying they wouldn't give up their secrets for  \nanything in the world, the crowd eventually dispersed, befuddled and awed grins  \non their faces, heading off to tell their friends all about the impossible thing  \nthey had seen. 'Hey, man, you're never gonna believe this but... Guess what I  \njust saw!!'  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; When the coast was clear, Tish and Max quickly darted under the table, and Nick  \nheld up the white sheet for extra privacy.  \n  \nWorking swiftly and efficiently, they both grabbed hold of each other's head and  \nripped it straight off their shoulders. Blood made little red circles on the  \nsidewalk.  \n  \n\"It's weird being you,\" Max mused as Tish handed his head to his body.  \n  \n\"Yeah, but it's cool as hell too! I gotta say, I'm really starting to enjoy  \ndecapitation!\"  \n  \nWarm feelings of reattachment surged down their necks, into their shoulders and  \ntheir spines, as their heads returned to their rightful places again. Switching  \nmore than just felt odd, it also seemed to confuse their bodies. Keeping their  \nheads mismatched like this only seemed to work for fifteen minutes or so, tops,  \nbefore their bodies would eventually reject the foreign noggin and just tumble  \nthem straight off like heads of cabbage. That had been a rather disorienting  \nexperience for them both in their early experimentation on Tish's idea.  \n  \nThe twins popped out together, back to normal, in under twenty seconds. A  \nperfectly respectable time, though not yet their best.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Okay, all this cleared up in two minutes!\" Tish barked, assuming command again.  \nThe boys went immediately to work tossing things in the cardboard box while Tish  \nattacked the banner.  \n  \n\"You're really getting good at this, Nick!\" Max complimented, as he and his best  \nfriend folded up the dark tablecloth.  \n  \nNick was flushed with nervousness and pride, almost quivering with excitement.  \n\"Thanks! I swear, I was scared spitless when we first started doing this, but now  \nI'm really getting into it! It's like I turn into a whole 'nother person out  \nthere! I really \\*feel\\* all commanding 'n stuff when I'm performing!\" He turned to  \nTish. \"And thanks again for letting me be the star of the show!\"  \n  \n\"Well, you kinda HAD to be. You're the only one of us who can't take their head  \noff!\" she reasoned.  \n  \nNick chuckled. \"Seeing how much fun you guys have, I kinda want to too,\" he  \nadmitted.  \n  \nTish sidled up to him, her eyes narrowed evilly. \"Well, we could always just kill  \nyou and bring you back to life with some of Grandma's zombie juice...\" she  \nteased.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Nick pretended to seriously consider the matter. \"I'll have to get back to you on  \nthat.\"  \n  \nMax was busy emptying out the balsa boxes into an enchanted chest Javier had  \ngiven him. It had no lock, but if anyone ever tried to grab it and run... Let's  \njust say they wouldn't be using that hand for anything but a paperweight for at  \nleast the next few months.  \n  \n\"So, how much this time?\" Tish asked eagerly, nearly salivating.  \n  \n\"At \\_least\\_ fifty!\" he replied, mildly mind-boggled. \"Again!!\"  \n  \nNick grinned madly. Tish jumped up in the air and made a little happy squeak.  \n  \nMax pounced on Tish and gave her a gleeful hug. \"You are such a freakin' genius,  \nsis!! This has gotta be the second best idea you've ever had!\"  \n  \nShe arched an eyebrow, puzzled. \"Second? What was the first then?\"  \n  \n\"Raising my ass from the dead, of course,\" he responded matter-of-factly.  \n  \nTish giggled.  \n  \nNick glanced at his watch. \"Hurry up, guys! We did, what, twelve shows last time?  \nLet's see if we can do thirteen today!\"  \n  \nThe coyote twins nodded in assent, finishing up their packing in a flash and  \ntaking off down the street under Tish's lead. She'd studied up on this city's  \ngeography all last night, and knew the downtown better than any of them. So long  \nas there was a streetcorner, they had a venue. The most important thing was to  \ntry to minimize repeat business as much as possible. The element of shock was  \ntheir greatest friend in this endeavor.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"So, you wanna hit that Chinese place back there for lunch?\" Nick proposed as  \nthey came to a stoplight. \"It smelled pretty good.\"  \n  \n\"I dunno...\" Max said apprehensively.  \n  \n\"You always wanna eat hamburgers!\" Tish chastised.  \n  \n\"Fortune cookies, dude,\" Nick enticed.  \n  \n\"Oh, okay.\" Max relented. \"Besides, they \\*might\\* have hamburgers.\"  \n  \nThe light changed, and the three friends skedaddled across the street towards  \ntheir next rendezvous with showbiz.  \n  \n  \n~\\*\\*\\*~  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n~\\*\\*\\*~  \n  \n  \n-~\\*EPILOGUE\\*~-  \n  \nHalloween night!  \n  \nThe party was already in full swing. It was the one night of the year the whole  \ntown really appreciated the Lopezes' big, spooky house up on the hill. Martina's  \nannual October 31st bash was always a clear-your-calendars event.  \n  \nCostumed freaks milled about the livingroom, chatting, drinking punch and  \nscarfing cookies. Loud, boisterous music pumped ear-splittingly from the stereo.  \nThe whole first floor was done up in fake spray-on spiderwebs and papier-mach‚  \nDia de los Muertos skeletons. Little rubber bats dangled listlessly from the  \nceiling.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Martina, dressed as a gorgeous vampiress, was on her way to the kitchen to  \ndispose of some dirty plates and cups. All along the way her guests complimented  \nher on the wonderful party. She always felt mildly miffed at the fact that most  \nof these people wouldn't even glance sideways at her at the laundromat or such.  \nBut she kept her spirits high and concentrated instead on having fun. Adult life  \nwas sometimes a lot like high school, she'd long since noted, and there really  \nwasn't much you could do about that.  \n  \nWith her thoughts elsewhere, she swept her tray of partyware into the sink and  \naccidentally slashed the living hell out of her forefinger on the knife she'd  \nused to cut the cake.  \n  \n\"Damn!\" she barked.  \n  \nShe held her finger up. The cut had gone almost to the bone. Blood as red as  \nposter paint was oozing out.  \n  \nBefore anyone else noticed, she popped her finger in her mouth and suckled on it.  \n  \n\"Mmmmm...\" The rich taste filled her mouth. She couldn't help herself. She took a  \nnibble.  \n  \nA pair of huge paws fell on her shoulder. Squeaking, she turned around to face  \nher husband. He'd dug out his tuxedo and slicked back his hair to make himself  \ninto a very dashing Dracula.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Did I startle you, my pet?\" he asked, mangling a Romanian accent.  \n  \nShe took her finger out of her mouth, pouting like a little kit. She'd gnawed off  \nthe entire first knuckle.  \n  \n\"Awww, did you get a little booboo? Here, let me kiss it and make it better.\"  \nMaking sure no one else was looking, Carlos took her paw in his and bit  \nromantically into the bloody stump, slurping hungrily.  \n  \nAll in all, having the whole family accidentally turned into quarter-zombies by  \nThanatos' spell had worked out quite well. The intent had been only to have the  \nrest of the family share their aliveness with Max to make him be like them again.  \nHowever, a surprising amount of Max's zombieness ended up getting passed on to  \nthe rest of the family in turn. It wasn't really a bad end result, just a little  \nsurprising. They were now all virtually indestructible, they could turn off their  \npain receptors like a lightbulb, they still felt alive, they didn't smell like  \nrotting meat, and Max was about as close to his normal self again as could be  \nhoped for. (He'd lost his amazing running ability in the process though, and  \nnothing at all seemed likely to bring it back. Still, he didn't mind too much. It  \nwas worth it just to feel his heart beating and his lungs filling with air again)  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The only small side effect was a mildly increased craving for meat. Fresh meat.  \nRed meat. Raw meat. They all felt it. And, well, their \\*own\\* flesh certainly made  \nfor a nice snack once in a while.  \n  \nMartina cooed and giggled as Carlos sunk his fangs into her finger, lapping with  \ngusto at the mess he was making. He stared into her eyes the whole time, with a  \nlook that said, 'You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and I must  \nconsume you'.  \n  \nHe stopped when he'd nibbled her digit down to the bone. He licked his chops.  \n\"Delicious.\"  \n  \n\"You're so naughty,\" she reproached playfully. She stared at her mutilated digit,  \nconcentrated, and willed it to heal itself. The flesh bubbled and warped for a  \nfew seconds, then was good as new again.  \n  \nThe loving couple embraced. Carlos wrapped his powerful arms around her, and  \nMartina slipped a kiss to her slightly-undead romeo.  \n  \n\"Do you think the kids have started yet?\" she asked.  \n  \n\"Possibly,\" he replied. \"Soon they will return home, sacks bulging with  \nchocolates, and will be bouncing off the walls until December.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Lucky I've got the elephant tranquilizers ready,\" she kidded.  \n  \n\"Actually, knowing them, they'll probably come home with another five hundred  \ndollars or so,\" said Carlos. And he was only \\*half\\* kidding that time.  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nAfter a modest three-week run, Max, Tish and Nick's brush with show business had  \nnetted very close to ten thousand dollars. Making an average of fifty to sixty  \ndollars per show, with twelve or more shows per day... It all added up quite  \nfast, and also quite nicely. Everyone was \\_still\\_ amazed at just how brilliant  \nTish's plan had really been. With an initial investment of a fold-up table, some  \nscrap wood from the basement and a top hat from the attic, the kids had  \nsinglehandedly saved the family from crippling debt.  \n  \nNot to say Carlos and Martina hadn't been working their own tails off too. By  \nOctober, they had saved up enough on the side to present both their pups with  \nshiny new bikes for their birthday. And they paid special attention to making  \nsure Tish's had a chain-guard, so that no more loose pantlegs would cause  \naccidental trainwrecks and zombie resurrections.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The twins' thirteenth birthday had been an explosively joyful celebration. For  \nTish, it was all made so much better just to be able to look over and see Max  \nthere beside her in his goofy cardboard party hat. This was the moment she had  \nworried so hard that she would have to spend alone. And yet her brains, faith and  \nhard work had kept her beloved brother from being snatched out of her life  \nforever. She deeply felt both pride and gratitude. On the other hand, Max's  \nthoughts that day had run mostly to cake.  \n  \nThe two coyotes were on their new birthday bikes at that very moment, pedaling up  \nto Nick's house so he could join them in trick-or-treating. Now that they were  \nthirteen (bad luck for everyone else, so it must mean good luck for them, they  \nreasoned), they both knew the era of free candy was drawing to a close. So,  \nthey'd both made a firm commitment to making their last few Halloweens count as  \nmuch as possible.  \n  \nThey dumped the bikes in the yard by the bushes and rung the doorbell.  \n  \nBonnie Chainsaw opened the door for them, brandishing a plate of cookies shaped  \nlike little chocolate bats. \"Happy Halloween, you two!\" she sang out cheerfully.  \n\"Nick'll be ready in a second. He's putting his finishing touches on.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Thanks, Mrs. Chainsaw!\" the twins said in stereo as they grabbed for the  \ncookies.  \n  \nThe reason Nick's mom hadn't gone absolutely batshit hysterical when a seemingly  \ndead little boy walked through their door was that they'd already gone through  \nall that already.  \n  \nMax and Tish and Mom and Dad had all pondered for a long time after Max's rebirth  \nwhat exactly they were going to do with him now. Having him just suddenly  \nreappear from beyond the grave would certainly create some very odd social  \nscenarios for the rest of the town. Martina thought for sure they'd have to move,  \na suggestion both kids simply would not accept. They loved their house, and Nick,  \nway too much to just give up and leave.  \n  \nThey'd debated the issue for days. And finally, Tish had gotten fed up with all  \nthe indecision and went ahead and cut the Gordian knot. She dragged Max outside  \nwith her and went downtown to the V6 to go see 'Razor Smile' with him. Most  \npeople simply looked puzzled for a second and then turned away. Those that did  \nask, 'Hey, aren't you supposed to be dead?' were simply and sharply told that  \nthey must be thinking of somebody else. This worked beautifully a surprising  \namount of the time. People simply chose to believe something they knew was a lie  \nrather than have to force their brain around something that was physically  \nimpossible. Max was quite impressed by Tish's keen grasp of psychology.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; (The ticket-taker armadillo, upon seeing Max again, gave him an odd little not-  \nquite-surprised smile, and merely asked if he still had his Customer Appreciation  \nValue Card. Which he did.)  \n  \nPeople they actually \\*knew\\* however, were a different matter entirely. For some  \ncasual acquaintances and distant relations, the family concocted an elaborate  \nbullshit story about switched obituaries and a camping trip and all sorts of  \nother confusing details.  \n  \nBut for people like Mr. and Mrs. Chainsaw, who had actually been at the funeral  \nand seen Max in the casket, the easiest thing to do was to just tell them the  \ntruth. The Lopezes had all gone over to Nick's house one warm night several  \nmonths ago and, after the initial screaming was over with, laid out the whole  \nstory for the Chainsaws to deal with as they saw fit. Nick begged his mom and dad  \nin the most pitiful tones imaginable to let him and Max stay friends. And  \neventually, the two grownup cheetahs' brains just said 'What the hey' and  \naccepted it. Their son was best friends with a couple of one-fourth zombies.  \nSure, why not? Tish had again guessed correctly that the capacity of a furson's  \nmind to accept complete insanity in order to preserve the pleasant status quo was  \nindeed limitless.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; But back to All Hallows Eve...  \n  \nTish bit down nice and slow on her cookie's pointy-eared head. \"Ahhh, the first  \nsugar of the night. This must be what crackheads feel like when they get their  \nfix.\"  \n  \nMax chortled. \"I doubt it,\" he mumbled as he ate his bat's feet.  \n  \n\"Why do you DO that?\" Tish finally asked, having witnessed her brother eating  \nanimal crackers that same way for years. \"Everyone knows you're sposto bite off  \nthe heads first.\"  \n  \nMax shook his head. \"No way! Think about it like this; a cookie's purpose is to  \nget eaten, right?\"  \n  \n\"Yeah.\"  \n  \n\"So then maybe they \\*like\\* getting eaten. If you just bite the heads off, then  \nit's all over for them right there. But if you take the time and start with the  \nextremities, making your way up the body and saving the head for last, then they  \ncan enjoy it longer.\" he postulated reasonably. \"It's my way of thanking them for  \nbeing tasty.\"  \n  \nTish stared at him, dumbstruck. \"Damn. Now I'm gonna have to start doing that.\"  \n  \nMax's smug reply was cut off before it even began as Nick leapt heroically out of  \nthe hallway at them. \"Hey guys! Whaddaya think?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Holy crap!!\"  \n  \n\"Daaaaaaymm!!\"  \n  \nNick was decked out in a \\_seriously\\_ sweet homemade Ryk Steelstone costume. Ryk  \nwas, of course, the main character on the Japanese import show Timebenders, and  \nhis battle suit looked like a big heroic robot all covered in red, white and gold  \npointy things.  \n  \nNick clunked forward, his motion surprisingly unimpeded by the bulky costume. \"My  \nDad and I spent months building this thing in the basement. It even lights up!\"  \nHe pulled down the helmet's visor and yellow light poured out of it.  \n  \n\"That is the coolest costume I have ever seen in my life,\" Max said, and Tish  \nimmediately nodded.  \n  \nNick looked at them then, a bit puzzled. \"So where are your costumes then? You  \njust look like a pair of hobos.\"  \n  \nMax and Tish were bedecked in some ratty old clothes they'd bought a few days  \nbefore from the local Goodwill shop. They both grinned secretively at their  \ncheetah pal.  \n  \n\"You'll see. We just have to get outside to show you,\" Tish said mysteriously.  \n  \nNick got an impish grin on his kitty muzzle. \"And here I thought you were gonna  \ndress up as Wednesday and Pugsley. Oh, wait, no; that's how you dress every  \nsingle \\*other\\* day of the year!\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Max and Tish nearly fell backwards laughing. Nick had gotten them \\_good\\_ with  \nthat one.  \n  \n\"You've been saving that joke up for months, haven't you?\" Tish asked slyly.  \n  \nNick said nothing, but nodded just a little.  \n  \nMr. Chainsaw came up from the basement a second later, handing Nick the laser-  \npistol-thingy he'd left down there. He gave Max and Tish a hearty hello and  \nwished them all good hunting this evening. Bonnie passed out some more cookies  \njust before they left, and Tish made sure to eat hers feet-first this time.  \n  \nOnce outside in the chilly, goosebumpy October air, Nick asked his companions,  \n\"Okay, so really, where're your costumes? Do you have 'em packed up on the bikes  \nor what?\"  \n  \nThe twins grinned, and got into character right before his eyes.  \n  \nNick stared on in disbelief. \"Aw, hell! How can I possibly compete with THAT?\" he  \nwailed.  \n  \nTish giggled. \"That's the whole point! You go in first and we stand behind you.  \nThey see you first, go, 'What a nice costume!', then they see us and have a heart  \nattack.\"  \n  \n\"Ohhhh, okay,\" Nick said, catching on. \"Clever.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"We're hoping that at least a few people will get so scared they'll run back into  \nthe house and spill the candy everywhere,\" said Max. \"Then it's all ours for the  \nplundering! Ha-ha-HAAAA! We brought, like, seven extra bags, just in case.\"  \n  \nNick nodded. \"Sounds like a plan.\"  \n  \nJust as they were about to go skulking off into the shadowy night, a trembling,  \nfrantic voice rang out behind them. \"Guys! Guys! Wait up!\"  \n  \nThe trio turned around and were more than a little surprised to see a little  \ntransparent black squirrel rushing up to meet them.  \n  \n\"Croak! What're you doing here?\" Max asked.  \n  \n\"I'm not too late, right? You guys haven't started yet?\" he panted.  \n  \n\"No, in fact your timing's perfect, dude.\"  \n  \nCroak grinned with relief. \"Alright, cool! Thanatos decided it was okay for me to  \ncome up here dirtside and go trick-or-treating with you guys tonight. I've never  \ndone it before. Or at least, I don't remember if I have. But it sounds like fun.  \nThat is, if you don't mind me coming with you?\"  \n  \n\"Of course not!\" Tish said reassuringly, make-believe patting him on the  \nshoulder. It was still a little awkward being friends with someone who was  \nnoncorporeal.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Yeah, we'd be happy to have you tag along,\" said Nick. Croak had been popping up  \nintermittently since the events of the summer, and had become an unofficial  \nfourth point of their triangle. He really was a nice kid, if a little behind on  \ncurrent events.  \n  \n\"Where's your costume?\" Tish asked.  \n  \n\"I could go as a spinning purple flame,\" he joked, \"But I've got something else  \nin mind.\"  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nSeveral minutes later, a doorbell rang.  \n  \n\"TRICK OR TREEEEEAT!!!\" came the traditional atonal screech.  \n  \nA sweet little old lady appeared at the door, leaning through the screenless hole  \nwith a bowl full of fun-size chocolate bars, to get a good look at the little  \ndevils on the porch. \"Oh my! What an impressive robot costume!\" the elderly skunk  \nsaid to Nick.  \n  \nHe beamed proudly and listened to the satisfying 'crinklethunk' of the candy bar  \nhitting the bottom of his bag. \"Thanks! I'm a Timebender!\"  \n  \n\"Well then, that's a very impressive Timebender costume!\" she said with a smile.  \nShe turned to regard the boy, or girl, standing next to him. She couldn't quite  \ntell, since the kit was wearing just a simple sheet with eyeholes cut in it.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"I hadda throw something together last minute,\" Croak said sheepishly.  \n  \nThe kindly skunk nodded. \"That's perfectly alright, dear. You still get candy.\"  \n  \n'Crinklethunk', right in his bag.  \n  \n\"Thank you!\" Croak said happily.  \n  \nThe red Timebender and the sheet-ghost moved aside, and when the little old lady  \ngot a good look at the two kids behind them, she nearly soiled her housedress.  \n\"Good lord!!!\"  \n  \n\"Don't worry, Lady. It's just special effects,\" Tish said with a cheese-eating  \ngrin.  \n  \nMax was holding his own severed head in his paws, his neck stump glistening  \nvermilion in the porchlight with white bone poking through. Tish's left eye  \ndangled grotesquely down her cheek, and she had a fleshy, dripping hole right  \nthrough her chest and out the back, so big you could thread a baseball bat  \nthrough and not touch the sides.  \n  \nThey held out their bags and smiled angelically.  \n  \n\"My goodness!\" the skunk said, once the initial shock had passed. \"Those are some  \nVERY scary costumes indeed!\"  \n  \n\"They cost a bundle, but they were worth it,\" Max lied.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"It's amazing what you can do with latex and facepaint these days,\" Tish  \nbullshitted.  \n  \n\"Well, I think you both deserve two candy bars each instead of one! You've  \nobviously put a lot of work into those get-ups!\"  \n  \nCrinklethunk-crinklethunk. Crinklethunk-crinklethunk.  \n  \n\"Thank youuu!\" they singsonged to the old lady as they merrily descended the  \nconcrete porch steps. She waved to them and stared, still in awe. She'd never  \nseen such realistic zombie costumes before, not even in the movies!  \n  \nNick glared murderously at his two smugly smirking friends. \"I work my ass off  \nfor months, get hot glue all over my fingers more times than I can count, and you  \nspend ten seconds on your outfits and get \\*twice\\* the candy I do!!!\"  \n  \nTish and Max giggled. \"Oh, relax!\" Max said. \"Soon as we get home, we'll dump  \neverything out and split it three ways, right down the middle.\"  \n  \n\"That would violate the laws of physics,\" Tish noted.  \n  \n\"Seriously?\" Nick asked (referring to the candy).  \n  \n\"Sure! You're our partner in crime. You help jack up the shock value,\" she  \nexplained. Then she turned to Croak, having realized something out-of-place just  \nthen. \"Hey, if you can't touch anything while you're here, then how the hell are  \nyou wearing a sheet and holding that bag?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Croak grinned, wondering when they were gonna figure that out. \"Oh, the sheet's  \nan illusion,\" he said, making it vanish for a couple of seconds and then  \nreappear. \"The bag's special. I made it all by myself. It's real, made of stuff  \nfrom the Beyond, but it's got this nifty lining inside that can interact with  \nmatter. Thanatos was really impressed; it's some pretty hard magic involved.\"  \n  \n\"Good for you then,\" Nick said, quite fascinated.  \n  \n\"Can you actually eat candy though?\" Max asked.  \n  \n\"No, but I can let it pass through me and absorb its essence. You guys can still  \neat it afterwards, but it'll taste kinda bland.\"  \n  \nMax looked duly impressed. \"Okay, I guess we'll be splitting up the candy four  \nways then.\"  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nThanatos had followed along to the mortal plane, just in case Croak got into any  \ntrouble while he was out frolicking with the dirt-dwellers. He didn't think that  \nwas very likely though. Croak was a very capable and resourceful young lad, and  \nroutinely made him proud. To be honest, the boy often seemed more competent than  \nmost of the rest of his staff.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; After exchanging pleasantries with Carlos and Martina, asking them if their new  \nand improved bodies were giving them any trouble and such, he went to go stand in  \nthe corner for the duration of the party and wait for his assistant's return.  \n  \nHe was drinking nonexistent punch from an illusory cup when he was approached by  \ntwo aging bunny hippies.  \n  \nThe couple actually had been real live hippies during the sixties and, not having  \ncome up with any better ideas for this year's Halloween party, had dug around in  \ntheir closets for their old love beads and paisley vests and peace buttons and  \nLennon-style purple and orange sunglasses.  \n  \n\"Whoa, man! Great costume!\" the groovy chick said.  \n  \n\"Erm, yes. Thank you,\" Thanatos said quickly. Not making eye contact. Being  \nvisible to this many mortals at once made him uneasy.  \n  \n\"Who are you supposed to be?\" the far-out guy asked. \"CATS from Zero Wing? All  \nyour base, dude!\"  \n  \n\"Um, no,\" said Thanatos, having no idea what the hell he'd just said.  \n  \n\"Jareth from Labyrinth?\" the chick ventured.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"\\_NO\\_,\" the Lord of the Dead growled, quashing down the urge to smite them.  \n  \nThe two bunnies recoiled at his bad vibes and backed off, muttering to  \nthemselves.  \n  \n\"Well HE sure wasn't having a nice day!\"  \n  \n\"Yeah. He's probably one of those Final Fantasy anime characters or something and  \nwas pissed we didn't recognize him.\"  \n  \n- - -  \n  \n\"You know, it just hit me,\" said Max.  \n  \n\"A brick?\" Tish guessed.  \n  \n\"No, you goof, the irony that we're all dressed up as what we already are,\" he  \nsaid. \"We're both zombies, Croak's a ghost-\"  \n  \n\"...And Nick's a time-travelling Japanese robot guy,\" Tish finished.  \n  \n\"Really? I hadn't realized,\" Nick said, playing along. \"That'd probably be a  \nreally big help catching up on homework 'n stuff.\"  \n  \nCroak guffawed.  \n  \n\"Holy crap, guys!\" Tish shouted abruptly, pointing dead ahead. \"Look!\"  \n  \nIt was every Trick-or-treater's greatest moral dilemma. On the porch of the house  \nin front of them, a giant bowl of miscellaneous goodies stood unguarded. Beside  \nit was a yellow construction paper note: 'We're out at the Halloween party.  \nPlease take \\_one\\_. BE HONEST!'  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Max and Tish grinned demonically.  \n  \n\"So, dump the bowl in the bags and run?\" Tish suggested.  \n  \n\"Ohhhh yeah,\" Max concurred.  \n  \nCroak gave them the evil eye. \"You do, and I'll make sure my boss sends you  \nstraight to the seventh level of Hell when you die.\"  \n  \nSo, they compromised.  \n  \nThey all took two and ran off into the night, laughing semi-evilly.  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nWhen Javier and Jeff finally arrived, they went for the opposite tactic of the  \ntwins.  \n  \nWhen the doorbell rang, a random party guest went to answer it, and was  \nimmediately frightened so bad he made a quarter-sized spot on the front of his  \nshorts.  \n  \nA gigantic black bat in a trenchcoat stormed in, wings outstretched, screaming  \n\"BRROOOOOGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!\"  \n  \n\"Javier! Good to see you again!\" Carlos called out merrily as everyone else at  \nthe party gathered their remaining nerves and checked themselves for heart  \narrythmia.  \n  \nThe two best friends came together in a hearty, manly embrace. \"I am sorry I am  \nso late, my friend,\" the big bat said. \"Jeff's car is still a piece of shit, and  \nhe drives like a blind dope fiend. We got off course a few miles back.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Well, everything's okay now. You're here, aren't you?\" Carlos said with a strong  \npat on the shoulder.  \n  \nMartina came over and joined them. \"But you're not wearing a costume though,\" she  \nsaid disappointedly. She'd been wondering what kind of weird thing a monster  \nhunter would wear to a Halloween party.  \n  \n\"Do I need one?\" he shrugged in his beloved trenchcoat and wide-brimmed hat.  \n\"They certainly don't think so,\" he said, indicating the other guests.  \n  \n\"Good point,\" Martina conceded.  \n  \n\"Where is Jeff?\" Carlos asked.  \n  \nwhirr-thunk whirr-thunk  \n  \n\"His costume takes a little while to put on,\" Javier explained. \"He will be here  \nshortly.\"  \n  \nWhirr-Thunk Whirr-Thunk  \n  \n\"What's that sound?\" Martina asked.  \n  \nWHIRR-THUNK WHIRR-THUNK  \n  \nArms dealing, even to a limited clientele of strictly monster-hunters, is a  \nlucrative business. And if your worldly needs are modest ones already, then you  \nwind up with a lot of spare cash laying around. And, if you're someone who likes  \nto build things anyway, and are good at it, then you find yourself with the means  \nto build your own six-and-a-half foot tall, 200 pound, aluminum reinforced,  \nchrome-plated, blue, red and silver transforming semi truck/robot costume.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Jeff burst through the door, screaming, \"I'm Optimus Prime, bitches!!! BOO-  \nYAH!!!\"  \n  \nMartina put a paw over her eyes. \"Did you \\*really\\* have to bring him?\"  \n  \nJavier nodded enthusiastically and, spotting Thanatos, went off to annoy him.  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nCroak ended up being a total godsend.  \n  \nAside from his special magic bag being able to interact with matter, it could  \nalso hold a surprising amount of it. An \\_infinite\\_ amount, actually. So, whenever  \nanyone's bag got full (which was quite often actually), they'd just dump it out  \nin Croak's and continue on. Good deal.  \n  \nNow, after a long and arduous journey fraught with peril but bringing untold  \nrewards and terrified homeowners, there was only one house left. The big one up  \non the hill with the bright lights in the windows and the party music you could  \nhear thumping all the way down in the valley.  \n  \nTheir bags bulging obscenely and their little footpaws aching, the happy foursome  \ntrudged up the very last driveway of the night.  \n  \n\"I think it's fair to say we got more candy tonight than any other Halloween  \never,\" Nick said, weary but elated.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Hell yeah,\" Max agreed, finally putting his head back on his shoulders where it  \nbelonged. It had been a drag trying to juggle it and the bag of candy all night  \nlong. He'd dropped it twice. And cement is not a very forgiving thing to drop  \nyour severed head on. \"So, you wanna sleep over tonight?\"  \n  \nNick shook his head. \"Sorry. I'd like to, but Mom's pumpkin pie will be done  \nbaking by the time I get back, and that's kind of like a family tradition for us  \nto all eat a slice at midnight.\"  \n  \nTish nodded understandingly. Even next-day leftovers of Mrs. Chainsaw's pies were  \nlegendary.  \n  \n\"Dang,\" said Max. \"Our mom's a good cook, but yours cooks her ass under the  \ntable. Seriously. You lucky kitty.\"  \n  \nNick smiled proudly.  \n  \n\"Can you stay over?\" Tish asked Croak.  \n  \nHe too shook his head. \"Sorry, but Thanatos'll probably take me back home not  \nlong after we get to your house. He's not, like, a jerk or anything. It's just  \nnot a good idea for us to stay too long in the mortal world. I'm already feeling  \nkinda wiggly. Plus, you know how he's always busy.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"I guess dumb people die on Halloween too,\" Max said thoughtfully.  \n  \nWhen the cubs finally reached the front door, they could tell the joint was  \njumpin' just from the amount of noise coming from inside. Tish put her eye back  \nin, and finally let her chest canyon close up. It had been trying to heal itself  \nall night long, and she'd been periodically picking at it to keep it fresh and  \ndisgusting-looking.  \n  \nThey all bellowed out one last weak 'Trick or treat!' and a pretty lady vampire  \ncame to the door. \"Sorry, we're all out of candy. How 'bout hugs instead?\"  \nMartina asked. The kids giggled and each received a hug as they entered. Martina  \nand Croak were both a bit startled when her arms passed right through him.  \n  \nTish and Max surveyed the party mayhem going on all around them. Lots of people  \nsmiling and talking, lots of really neat costumes. They spotted Thanatos and  \nJavier conversing off in a corner (and surprisingly, Thanatos wasn't fuming with  \nrage), and they both knew that the sight of Optimus Prime disco dancing in their  \nliving room was one that would be burned into their brains for all eternity.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Sprinkling customary 'hello's here and there, the quartet fought their way  \nthrough the throng to the staircase and up to Max's bedroom.  \n  \nWith the door closed behind them, all was relatively peaceful, though the floor  \ndid still vibrate a bit from the bass notes below. The four friends all crashed  \non the floor, moaning and rubbing their tired feet. Croak did too, out of  \nsympathy, even though he'd just been floating all evening. Nick was relieved to  \nfinally be able to take his costume off. It was cool, yes, but also very heavy  \nand sweaty.  \n  \n\"So, let's see it,\" Max said eagerly. He tipped out his bag on the hardwood and a  \nperfectly respectable pile of candy emerged. He had to fight his inner self to  \nkeep from just diving in and cramming stuff in his mouth right away.  \n  \nTish followed, producing an avalanche with a slightly bigger circumference than  \nher brother's. \"Mine's bigger,\" she said in a sultry voice, perfectly aware of  \nthe double entendre.  \n  \nNick went next. His pile wasn't nearly as big as either twins'. \"Damn. Well, it's  \nnot like it matters anyway. We're splitting it all up, right?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The twins nodded, and then they all looked to Croak.  \n  \n\"Spill it,\" Tish urged impatiently.  \n  \nCroak grinned ear to ear and dumped his bag out.  \n  \nThe candy gushed forth like a river, easily flowing over all three of the other  \npiles and engulfing them like The Blob. It was undoubtably more candy than any of  \nthem had ever seen in one place in their whole lives.  \n  \n\"\\*Fuck\\*!!\" shouted Tish.  \n  \n\"The motherlode!\" Nick exclaimed.  \n  \nMax's eyes glazed over.  \n  \n\"Okay, okay,\" Tish said, assuming command. \"Remember the ritual. One piece of  \ncandy now, then we can all go crazy once everything's divided up, okay?\"  \n  \nThe boys all agreed. \"Okay,\" Croak said. \"I've never done anything like this  \nbefore. So whatever you guys usually do.\"  \n  \nThey all carefully selected the one thing that made their mouth water the most.  \nOne of the many differences between the twins that they'd always been grateful  \nfor was that, candy-wise, everything Max loved best, Tish hated intensely and  \nvice versa. So, Tish always got all the Jolly Ranchers and Max ended up with  \nsixty or so rolls of Smarties. Tish: Squirrel Nut Chews and Dots. Max: Lemonheads  \nand Chik-o-stix. Chocolate stuff was beloved equally by both. And they also  \nequally \\_detested\\_ Necco Wafers.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; With sweets in hand (Croak kind of held his in a corner of the bag), Tish cried  \nout just before anyone took a first bite, \"Wait!\"  \n  \nEveryone looked at her.  \n  \n\"I propose a toast!\"  \n  \n\"But we're all out of Jelly!\" Max protested.  \n  \nShe immediately decked him. \"You know what I mean, Captain Retardo.\"  \n  \n\"Tee hee,\" said Max.  \n  \n\"I propose a toast,\" Tish continued, \"To legalized extortion once a year! To  \ntrick-or-treating!!\"  \n  \nThey all reached out and tapped their treats together.  \n  \n\"Cheers!!\"  \n  \nAnd then the debauchery began.  \n  \n- - -  \n  \nBy eleven thirty, the party had finally wound down enough that the stereo was  \nsilent, the snack table was barren and only Javier, Nick, Thanatos and Croak  \nremained. Jeff had already left, having caught the eye of a comely young pony  \nlass dressed up as She-Ra. They'd left early and were now at a nearby motel doing  \nGod-knows-what to each other.  \n  \nMax, Tish and Nick were all sufficiently bloated with sugar, and were sort of  \nsleepy and wired at the same time. Croak had said that the experience alone was  \nenough for him, and wanted to keep only a modest bagful of his share of the  \ncandy. They'd all tried to convince him to take a full quarter, he'd certainly  \nearned it, but the little specter politely refused, saying that eating food made  \nof matter was kinda weird to him anyway. Like trying to eat soup with chopsticks.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Thanatos had ducked out for a little while earlier to go slaughter some undeads,  \nlest the work pile up too much, but had come back just in time to escort his  \nyoung ward back home to his waiting warm bed.  \n  \nCroak gave his three friends big hugs and really wished he could actually feel  \ntheir touch as they returned them. \"Thanks, guys. Tonight's been great! I haven't  \nhad this much fun in ages.\"  \n  \nThey all told him he was welcome, and said it had been fun having him too.  \n\"You're welcome to drop by anytime you like,\" Martina reminded him.  \n  \n\"Thank you very much, Mrs. Lopez,\" he said charmingly. \"Maybe someday you guys  \ncan visit me at my place.\"  \n  \n\"How?\" Nick asked.  \n  \nTish flinched. \"Wouldn't we have to... um, die?\"  \n  \n\"Well, yeah,\" Croak admitted. \"But just for a little while.\" He looked up to his  \nboss, his gaze asking, 'Does that sound feasible?'  \n  \nThanatos considered it. \"I suppose so. It would be a simple matter to extract  \nyour souls temporarily. Your bodies would lie in a coma-like state until you  \nreturned.\"  \n  \n\"Sounds jolly,\" Javier interjected.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Who said YOU could come?\" Thanatos huffed, but he was grinning underneath. Truth  \nbe told, he'd grown to rather like Javier. It wasn't often he met anyone with the  \nballs to challenge him so often. The two of them had established a sort of gruff  \ncamaraderie.  \n  \n\"Can we? Pleeeease?\" Tish begged her parents, and Max joined in. \"I bet the land  \nof the dead is \\*cool\\*!\"  \n  \n\"Actually, it's rather a lot like here,\" Thanatos admitted. \"There's just no such  \nthing as physics where I come from.\"  \n  \nCarlos and Martina rolled their eyes, but were unable to resist their childrens'  \nwiles. \"Oh, all right,\" Carlos said. \"I guess we're still in debt to you over the  \nmagic act thing.\"  \n  \n\"Thanks Daddeee!\" the twins singsonged.  \n  \n\"Could I ask a favor too?\" Nick asked Mr. and Mrs. Lopez.  \n  \n\"Sure, Nick,\" Martina said.  \n  \n\"Could you guys drive me home? I really don't wanna have to walk all the way  \nback. My paws are killing me.\"  \n  \n\"Sure thing, kiddo,\" the coyotefemme said warmly, giving his headfur a rustle.  \n  \nJavier, meanwhile, went to get a soda from the kitchen.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Oh, yeah... we left our bikes over there,\" Tish realized.  \n  \n\"I guess we can just pick 'em up in the morning,\" Max suggested.  \n  \n\"I'll just run upstairs and get my costume,\" Nick said. \"And my candy!\"  \n  \nBut just as he was starting up the stairs, Javier's voice startled him, and  \neveryone else too. It was calm, but still exuded importance: \"Come here please!  \nEveryone!\"  \n  \nPuzzled, the group in the livingroom all marched into the kitchen. \"What's up?\"  \nMax asked.  \n  \nJavier was staring out the kitchen window, his nose almost touching it. The glare  \nfrom the overhead light kept the rest of them from seeing what he was seeing, for  \nnow. \"Tish...\" he spoke slowly, \"did you, by any chance, spill any of that potion  \nwhen you brought Young Master Max back to life?\"  \n  \nShe thought about it a bit. \"No... I'm pretty sure I didn't.\"  \n  \n\"Not even a drop?\"  \n  \n\"Yeah, I'm sure. I-\" She stopped cold, coming to a horrible realization. \"Wait,  \ndoes puke count? Max barfed all over the place right after he got alive again.\"  \n  \nJavier nodded. \"That would do it.\" He waved them all closer with his wing. \"Look.  \nOut there.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; They all crowded around to see.  \n  \nHe pointed with his wing towards the old town cemetery.  \n  \nThe dead were crawling up out of their graves in droves.  \n  \nDisoriented skeletons, dressed in rotting tuxedos and gowns, shambled about  \naimlessly. Worm-eaten flesh dripped slowly from old bone. They were searching for  \nsomething. Flesh. They hungered for flesh, and it would not be long before they  \nall recognized their desire and banded together to swoop down on the sleeping  \ncity below.  \n  \n\"Oh shit,\" said Martina.  \n  \n\"Exactly,\" Javier agreed.  \n  \n\"But why now!?\" Tish burst out. \"I zombified Max \\*months\\* ago!\"  \n  \n\"True, but this is Halloween night,\" Javier said seriously. \"It is different.\"  \n  \nThanatos backed him up. \"You mortals have turned it into a harmless holiday, but  \nsome of you still remember why this day is special. On this night, the barrier  \nbetween the realms is thin, and things like this have a way of just  \n...happening.\"  \n  \nTish felt really, really guilty. \"I'm sorry.\"  \n  \n\"It's not your fault,\" Javier told her reassuringly. \"You could not have  \npredicted this. But I am glad now that I stopped by.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"So, are we gonna go fight them or what?\" Nick asked.  \n  \nJavier looked at Thanatos, and both of them nodded. \"We must,\" the Lord of the  \nDead intoned gravely.  \n  \n\"Hey, where's Max?\" Tish said, looking around and realizing he'd just vanished.  \n  \n\\*BRAAAOWWWWRRRRRRRR-VRUGGA-VRUGGA-VRUGGA\\*!!!!!  \n  \nAs the unholy noise ripped through the air, the unlikely group of living, dead  \nand partially-undead all ran to the side door and found it already open. Max was  \nstanding there in the backyard, paws clutching an idling chainsaw with a wicked  \ngleam in his eyes.  \n  \n\"I'm way ahead of you! Go grab some shit from the toolshed and let's kill  \nourselves some dead people!\"  \n  \n\\*VVVVVRRAWOWWWWWNN\\*!!!!!  \n  \n\"I should get overtime pay for this,\" Thanatos mused bitterly.  \n  \n  \n  \nThe End  \nfor now...  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\\*\\*\\*  \n  \nAuthor's endnote;  \nNot much to say, only that I had a ton of fun writing this, and for about three  \nseconds I seriously considered titling it, \"He Ain't Dead, He's My Brother\". ;P  \n  \n(Oh, and I'm sorry if any of the accented characters didn't show up correctly. I  \ncouldn't figure out how to make them stay the same thing through all the  \nformatting and whatnot.)  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; SUGGESTED SOUNDTRACK:  \nMove Your Dead Bones - Dr. Reanimator  \nLiving Dead Girl - Rob Zombie (Tish's theme)  \nTubthumping - Chumbawamba (Max's theme)  \nDown With The Sickness - Disturbed  \nBodies - Drowning Pool  \nDead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo  \nNo One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo  \nMalaguena Salerosa - Chingon  \nTake Me Out - Franz Ferdinand  \noriginal music composed by Danny Elfman (natch, who else?)  \n  \n  \n  \n\"Summer Vacation Of The Living Dead\"  \nStarted: July 10th, 2005 Finished: October 7th, 2005 Editing Completed: December 5th, 2005  \n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Summer Vacation Of The Living Dead","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/8409-summer-vacation-of-the-living-dead-book-4.json"}}