Zo̱ntanoús Nekroús: Chapter Nine

The Caretaker
"Carter, help me move this?" Eleanor gestured to a large wardrobe in the corner of the room, and together, the two dragged it infront of the door. That should hold the Zo̱ntanoús Nekroús off - for the time being.

Now that left the blonde boy who had apparently been asleep for ten years. How anyone could figure that just by looking at him, she'd never understand, but it was best to go with the flow.

"His name is Josh McLean." Chalotte stated, pinching a small tag in her hand. "It looks like he's been here for a long time. But there doesn't seem to be anyone else here...." She frowned, trailing off and looking out the window. Thehorde was much smaller, probably attempting to cram into the building more thoroughly. A loud crash downstairs, like a vase shattering, only sealed their thoughts to be true.

"I'll assume he's a demigod, or demititan, maybe, like us. Nobody has eyes like that and is mortal. It's not normal." Everyone seemed to shrug in unison, a universal sign for 'Okay, let's go with that.'

"Alright, if we're going to be up here for a while," Kyle suddenly stepped in, taking leadership of us once again. "We should get situated. We need food, water, temperature control, and zombie-proofing for the time being."

"The way I see it, we can work in shifts. I don't want to leave Josh here alone," He gestured to the sleeping blonde boy, "Ella," He turned to Eleanor, who was still eying Josh curiously, much to Carter's chagrin.

"You and I are going to go through the hotel and find more food and water. Lottie only grabbed one or two backpacks, and that's not enough for all of us." His half-sister nodded and readied her crossbow.

"When we come back, Ella and I can take temperature control too. We'll keep it warm at night, and if Lottie or Tom can somehow shade the room during the day...?" He turned to the little girl, who was unpacking food, and she nodded to show her understanding.

"The rest of us can make shifts for keeping watch on the doors and windows for anything bad. We stick toether, guys, remember."

Eleanor and him maneouvered the wardrobe out of the way and slipped through the door, trusting Carter to replace the blockade on it shortly after. They mowed through the zombies, hurrying down the stairs and reaching a chrome kitchen filled with some of the best food a person could ask for. Kyle slammed the doors shut and locked them, joining Eleanor in eying the food with malicious intent. Since the invasion began, they hadn't had a decent meal in ages.

"Load up that cart." Eleanor said, reaching out for the delivery cart the service people would use. Kyle and her filled the cart with styrofoam boxes, silver dishes and covers, and bolted around through the back door to the staff elevator.

They reached the hotel room and knocked a few times, hard enough and precise enough that it wouldn't make them believe they were zombies, and were promptly allowed in by Norman, who looked upset that we'd knocked so loud. Of course, the upset look on his face changed rapidly at the smell and sight of food.

The wardrobe was replaced and left them with food and friends. Lottie was passed out near Josh, curled into a ball, with Twinkie wrappers scattered around her, and a thin white moustache of the magic filling. Everyone who was still awake took a plate of food, making sure to ration it, and sat back for a minute.

Suddenly, the cart shuddered. The white cloth that hung over it moved slightly, and a long, stygian iron-made spear pierced through suddenly, nearly impaling Carter through the foot. Everyone was up in an instant, lifting the curtain from all sides to find their assailant, believing it to be a zombie.

"Who are you?" A voice choked out from inside. His blue eyes flickered around nervously, like he couldn't see them, and he gripped the cart bars with white knuckles.

"I could ask the same," Carter mumbled, gripping the boy's forearm.

"Trive," He breathed, "Trive Fides. Is Josh McLean with you? Please tell me he's with you. I wouldn't want all my work to go to waste - holding off the undead and helping with his nutrients."