Bishop High School’s Wiccan Club VS Zombies
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This scene takes place during the end of Salem's Civil War and contains spoilers for that book and Perfectly Perfect. It features some of my favorite characters from the later books, the girls from Bishop High School's Wiccan Club. They hadn't been introduced in the series yet during Book Five, but this was their experience during the chaos at the end of that book.
BISHOP HIGH SCHOOL'S WICCAN CLUB VS ZOMBIES
It was supposed to be a normal night, but when was anything ever normal in Salem? Rosary Gellar should have known better.
The Bishop High School Wiccan Club sat in the Salem Common casting yet another blessing. Their President and unofficial High Priestess, Deanna Church, was big on blessings.
They had just finished when someone came toward them. Ro recognized him, and her heart nearly stopped as she looked at him.
"Elijah..." She whispered in shock.
The gentle goth boy hadn't had many friends when he was alive, but Ro had really liked him. He was kindhearted and quietly funny. He also shared a love of Wicca with her. For a short time, the two had dated, but they'd decided they worked better as friends. Then, everything had fallen apart.
In life, Elijah had been extremely handsome. In death, a psychic serial killer had burned his face off with acid. His face was still horribly burned as he stared at Ro now.
"Um... Are any of you necromancers?" Kit McPherson asked. "Because I don't really do zombies."
"Rosary..." Elijah called.
Ro felt tears in her eyes as she stared at him. "Who did this to you?" She demanded.
"The Reaper..."
"Could you be more specific?" Deanna asked. "There are several Reapers in Salem."
Suddenly, three others came toward them. Maya Singh let out a gasp of surprise as she spotted one of them. "Grandma?" She asked.
"Miranda!" Deanna cried in complete shock as she looked at a girl whose throat was slashed open. "My Gods! What's going on?"
It was Kit's complete silence that worried Ro. She followed her gaze to the fourth zombie. He was fairly rotten, but there was no obvious cause of death.
"Kit... Who is he?" Ro asked.
Kit looked very pale as she replied, "My uncle."
"Are you alright?" Deanna asked in concern.
"Someone raised my evil uncle as a zombie, Deanna! No, I am not alright!"
"Kitten... You did this to me!" Her uncle shouted.
Ro moved protectively in front of Kit. "Say the word and I'll torch him," she offered.
"The word," Kit replied firmly.
Ro manifested fire in her hands before sending it at the zombie. It screamed as it caught on fire. Kit stayed behind Ro, watching but not getting too close.
"I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Kit," Maya said softly.
"I'm not afraid of him. I killed him," Kit replied. "He's apparently still pretty pissed off."
"You killed him?" Ro repeated.
"I'm sure she had no choice!" Deanna said quickly.
"He tried to bad touch me. I got angry," Kit explained. "And then, water happened. His basement flooded, with him trapped inside. I was eight."
"Kit... I'm so-" Deanna began, but Kit put up a hand to cut her off.
"Save it, Deanna. Nothing actually happened. He messed with the wrong kid and learned the hard way why he shouldn't have done it. I'm fine. I just didn't expect to see him standing in front of me."
"Speaking of dead people standing in front of us..." Ro began, motioning toward the others.
Maya closed her eyes and whispered something. A hole opened up in the ground, swallowing her grandmother. The zombie screamed and tried to claw her way out, but Maya continued chanting and calmly calling on Earth to hold her grandmother.
Miranda Tagerson lunged at Deanna. Deanna let out a scream as she tried to dodge the attack. "Miranda, stop! Please! It's me, Deanna! We're friends!" She reminded the zombie.
The zombie seemed unimpressed. "Time's up, Buttercup," she said, connecting the s to the word up with a hiss.
"Ro, torch her!" Kit suggested.
"No! Don't hurt her!" Deanna cried. "It's not her fault! Please, Ro, she was my friend!"
"And now, she's an empty shell being controlled by a crazy necromancer! It's not Miranda, Dee," Kit insisted.
Elijah grabbed onto Ro's arm, nearly breaking it as he bent it at an odd angle. She struggled to free herself, but it was no use.
"Ro!" Kit shouted. She immediately blasted Elijah with a powerful wave of water. It forced him to release Ro. As it wrapped around him, something unexpected happened.
"Ro..." Elijah whispered. It wasn't creepy this time. In fact, he sounded just as he had in life.
Ro was stunned as the water continued flowing around him. The decay somehow began to reverse. The damage to his face from the acid began to heal.
"Kit... How are you doing that?" Ro asked softly.
"I don't know," Kit replied. "Water ebbs and flows on its own, so sometimes it's unpredictable and does what it wants. It can heal, and it can wash away illusions and bring clarity, but I've never healed a corpse before."
"Ro, I'm sorry," Elijah said as the water released him. "I would never hurt you, or anyone else."
"I know that," she promised him.
As Deanna cried out in pain, an electrical shield formed between her and Miranda. Deanna was bleeding severely. Ro looked at Elijah apologetically.
"Give me a minute," she said. She raced toward Miranda and kicked her away from Deanna. The zombie seemed pretty angry about this, but Ro was more worried about Deanna. She was misfiring, and electricity was shooting everywhere.
"Is Dee okay?" Maya asked.
"I can't get close to her," Ro replied. "She's sparking and misfiring. If I touch her, she'll fry me."
As Miranda got back on her feet, Kit tried to hit her with water. Miranda took off running. She was surprisingly quick for a corpse.
"Should I stop her?" Kit asked.
"No, let her go," Elijah replied. "The one who commands us called her away."
"Are you still hearing him?" Ro asked.
"I am, but I don't have to listen to him anymore. Kit washed away enough of the connection that I have free will."
"We have to help Deanna," Maya said. "She's losing too much blood."
Elijah nodded. "I can help," he said.
"How?" Ro asked.
"I can absorb the electricity."
"Elijah, no! Your body will be fried. There might be nothing left."
Elijah looked at her sadly. "I'm already dead, Ro," he reminded her gently. "My body is just the vessel I left behind."
"Deanna might fry your soul, too," Kit pointed out. "In her current state, little Miss Love And Light could destroy you."
"Better me than all of you." He kissed Ro's forehead. "I have to try."
"I can't let you do this. I can't watch you get destroyed. It's bad enough some maniac killed you," Ro protested. "I won't watch my friend destroy your soul, too."
Elijah paused. "Let me try something," he said. He focused. Suddenly, a powerful being appeared. The man radiated with lightning. He began walking toward Deanna.
"What's happening?" Maya asked in shock.
"It's a tulpa," Kit said in surprise.
"No," Ro said, staring at Elijah in wonder. "It's a Figment."
"What's the difference?" Kit asked.
"Tulpas are basic thought forms that take a lot of focus and effort to sustain. Figments are beings that are created by people with the very rare gift of Figmentation. They literally create things with just a thought. They're much stronger than tulpas, and they don't take any conscious effort to maintain once they're created."
"When my friend here touches Deanna, he should pull all of the excess energy from her," Elijah explained. "Then it will be safe to move her and take care of her head."
As the Figment started pulling the energy from Deanna into himself, Ro touched Elijah's arm. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Anytime, Ro," he replied. "There weren't many people I got close to in my life. You're special to me. I'll always protect you."
Ro almost started to cry, but she kept herself together as the Figment moved away from Deanna. It suddenly flew into the sky. Once it was far enough away from everyone, it exploded. The energy was released into the air where it wouldn't harm anyone.
"Deanna... Can you hear me?" Maya asked.
Deanna groaned softly. Kit began healing her injuries. Ro looked at Elijah and hesitated.
"Go to her," he said. "I'll watch over you and keep you girls safe."
Ro nodded and hurried to Deanna's side. "Are you okay, Dee?" She asked.
"Other than a headache from Hades, I'm fine!" Deanna replied.
"She's ending sentences with exclamation marks again," Kit said. "She'll be alright."
"Kit..." Maya said softly as she stared at her eyes and hands.
Ro followed Maya's gaze. Kit's hands radiated with light. Her naturally crystal blue eyes were glowing brighter and had turned an unusual shade Ro had never seen in someone's eyes before. It was a beautiful color.
"What, Dog Whisperer?" Kit snapped as they all stared at her.
"Your eyes," Deanna said softly.
"What about them?"
"They're glowing, Kit!"
Kit shifted uncomfortably. Ro watched as she snapped the gold bracelet she always wore back around her wrist. Her eyes stopped glowing as brightly. Ro paused before asking, "Is that bracelet magickal?"
"I'm from a family of a warlocks, Ro," Kit reminded her. "All of my jewelry is magickally charged."
"Does it bind your powers or something?"
"It doesn't bind me," Kit replied as if the very suggestion offended her. "It's like having training wheels on. It channels my magick and limits how much I can access at once."
"Why do you wear it? I thought warlocks were all about power."
"My toddler temper tantrums were epic. My parents were informed if I didn't wear this, I'd either level Salem with a tsunami because I wanted some candy or I'd accidentally burn myself out by using more magick than my tiny body could handle."
Ro found herself wondering where Kit's soul came from, but she didn't ask her. It was obvious that Kit was uncomfortable, and she didn't want to make the situation harder for her.
"Well, it's a really pretty bracelet!" Deanna said cheerfully to ease the awkward moment.
"Duh. I'd never wear anything tacky," Kit replied casually.
As more zombies appeared, Elijah moved closer. "Come on," he said. "I know where you can hide until this is over." He started walking away.
"Are we seriously following the zombie goth boy?" Kit asked.
"That's not nice, Kit," Maya scolded her.
"Who the hell lied and told you I was nice?" Kit replied.
"He helped us," Deanna pointed out. "I trust him!"
"You also trusted Miranda."
"Knock it off, Kit," Ro snapped. "Elijah isn't under the control of anyone else thanks to you. We can trust him."
As Maya's grandmother clawed her way out of the ground and six other zombies raced toward them, Kit's eyes widened. "Lead the way, Zombie," she said.
Elijah began to run toward one of the historic buildings nearby. The girls followed him. Ro was surprised when he led them inside and up a hidden flight of stairs.
They found themselves in an attic overlooking the Common. "What is this place?" Maya asked in wonder as she looked around.
"My sanctuary," Elijah replied. "I used to come here to escape."
"Escape from what?" Kit asked.
"Today? Zombies." He grinned at her in an almost childlike manner.
Kit actually cracked a smile. "Maybe you're not so bad, Goth Boy," she told him.
"I'm going to miss you all over again when this is over," Ro said sadly.
"I'll still be with you, Ro," he replied. "Even if you can't see me."
"At least you two have this time together," Deanna said. "Make the most of it!"
"That's good advice," Maya agreed.
Ro curled up in Elijah's arms. It should have disturbed her to snuggle a zombie, but thanks to Kit, his body looked and felt very much alive. Only the cold temperature of his skin and the lack of a heartbeat reminded Ro that he was dead and this couldn't last.
Even if we only have this moment, it's a gift, she thought.
As Ro remained in Elijah's arms, Maya sketched, Deanna meditated, and Kit cautiously kept watch through the window, Salem fought the Great Zombie War, which turned out to be the final battle in the civil war between witches and vampires.
At the end of the night, Elijah looked at Ro sadly. "It's over now," he said. "I have to return."
She nodded. "Thanks for protecting us," she said.
He kissed the top of her head again. "I love you, Ro."
"I love you, too."
Elijah left the attic. Ro was glad she didn't have to watch him turn stiff and motionless, but it still hurt knowing he was gone. The girls didn't move at first.
"They're gone," Kit finally said. "I only see living people on the street now."
"I think we just survived Salem's zombie apocalypse," Maya joked.
"Yay for us!" Deanna cheered.
"Come on, Ladies," Ro said firmly. "Let's go home."
