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Chapter Text

Journal of Charles M. Brown

Saturday, November 7

Day 26

            We’ve been on the road for quite a while.  We’ve been making some distance between us and the zombies.  So far, we’ve been lucky, as we haven’t encountered an undead freak for a while.  Before we left we’ve had some casualties of this outbreak.  Prior to the outbreak, I’ve lost my best friend Linus to an accident, then Lucy and Rerun, his siblings, lost their parents to this zombie outbreak, as have I and Sally.  A lot of us have lost loved ones, though some are still safe.  In the case of Violet’s father, we still don’t know his status.  Before we left, we lost Pig Pen and Jasmine to this.  In Pig Pen’s case it was far worse, as it was a scratch done by one of those things that turned him, but it was slower and not instant like it would have been had he been bitten, so he suffered worse than the others.

            We’ve been traveling west for a while.  We are at a motel in South Dakota.  The place is abandoned but still in good condition, and has power, which is a plus.  Everyone has pitched in cleaning the place, except her royal highness Violet, who hasn’t done a damn thing in battling the zombies or even contributing anything really, that wasn’t a bitch session.  Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off leaving her at her overblown palace, which is where she wanted to be in the first place.

            “You would have been better off leaving me at my house, which is where I wanted to be in the first place!” Violet fumed.  “Seriously, THIS flophouse is the best you can do, Charlie Brown?!”

            “It’s not bad, Vi,” said Patty, trying to calm her best friend down.  “We have power, we have heat, the place is clean enough, aside from dust and cobwebs in places.”

            “Schroeder’s RV is better than this!” Violet retorted.

            “Maybe, but this provides things his RV doesn’t,” said Charlie Brown.  “An actual shower and toilet, beds, TV, a phone provided it works, and Finn can set up his laboratory equipment here so he can continue his research.”

            “You’re never going to convince her, Charlie,” said Victoria.  “Queen Violet here is accustomed to down mattresses, pillowy blankets, and rooms with the scent of lavender.”

            “You know, I’m getting fucking sick and tired of your putting me down!” yelled Violet.

            “Like you put Charlie down since you were kids?!” Victoria retorted.  “If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t do it to others, dearie!”

            “That’s different!”

            “HOW THE FUCK IS IT DIFFERENT?!  You’ve called him weak, a loser, boring, you exclude him from your stupid parties, and oh, lest we forget, that awful song ‘FAILURE-FACE’!!!  And when he corrects these ‘weaknesses’ and even becomes successful, you STILL tease him!”

            “She has a point, Violet,” agreed Frieda.

            “I mean even Lucy, who probably could have given you a run for your money when it came to teasing him, even SHE stopped making fun of him!” Victoria continued, patience for the spoiled brat now gone.  “Now, tell us, once and for all, WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HATE CHARLIE SO DAMN MUCH?!”

            “I know why,” said Lucy.

            “I do, too,” added Patty.

            “Don’t you dare!” warned Violet.

            “Shut up, Violet!” sneered Charlie Brown.  “Girls?”

            “It’s because of bad blood between your father and hers, Charlie Brown,” said Patty.

            “Goddammit!” sighed Violet.

            “What?!” said a shocked Charlie Brown.

            “You know how she used to say how her father was better at stuff than yours?” asked Lucy.

            “Yeah, but she did that with everyone in the gang,” Charlie Brown replied.

            “But she did it with you the most,” said Patty.  “”Your father and hers used to be partners in the barber business.  It was before both of you were born.  But Violet’s father wanted to expand the business, where your father seemingly didn’t want to.”

            “But then, according to Violet, your father ended up not only expanding, but selling her father out in the process,” Lucy continued.

            “My father never told me any of this,” said Charlie Brown, trying to process all of what he had just heard.

            “I suspected he never did,” said Violet, finally calming down, but barely.  “Just like I told Lucy, I don’t want to hate you, Charlie Brown.  I HAVE to hate you!”

            “Violet, aside from that being a bullshit reason to hate someone, if what you, Pat, and Lucy are saying is true, you know I’m nothing like that!” said Charlie Brown, rubbing his head.

            “I do know that, Charlie Brown,” Violet replied, “but I got to show solidarity to my daddy.  We have to remain sworn enemies.”

            “Is this bitch serious?!” asked a bewildered Victoria.

            “Okay, I give up!” sighed Charlie Brown.  “You want to continue to hate me because of beef between our fathers, go right ahead.  But remember this.  My old man is dead.  We don’t know where yours is.  Their fight is over, either way.  Their feud has ended, as far as I’m concerned.  What do you think this is, the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s?  This is not our fight; it’s theirs!”

            “I told her that, Charlie Brown,” said Lucy.  “Looks like Violet’s the true blockhead in this.”

            “LUCY!” gasped Violet.

            “I call it as I see it, Vi,” Lucy shrugged.

            “Now, if you want to leave, we’re not stopping you,” Charlie Brown continued.  “You can fight those zombie all by yourself.  You can deal with the undead trying to get back to Sparkyville, which is now a virtual wasteland by now.  You haven’t lifted one finger to help in the fight, you haven’t tried to keep the zombies at bay.  All you have done is whine, bitch, and complain, and we’re tired of it.  You want to go back home, we won’t stop you this time.  I promise that.  But know this.  Don’t expect any of us to take you back there.  If you leave, you’re on your own, Violet.  And I can guarantee this.  You won’t survive the night.  Think about that.”  And Charlie Brown continued to get things arranged.

            “You always have to start things with him,” sighed Patty.  She went about her business, leaving Violet to think about what Charlie Brown had said.  She almost considered going back, but then realized she could turn into one of those things.  She decided to tough it out, but the issues between her and Charlie Brown wouldn’t be resolved anytime soon.

NEXT CHAPTER: ROMANCE IN THE MIDST OF A CRISIS

Chapter Text

2:15 PM

             While getting the motel straightened out, the gang had also cleaned and filled the pool with fresh water, though they had to wait until they could swim in it due to the chlorine levels.  Once stabilized, they took full advantage of the indoor pool.  Sally was enjoying a dip in the pool herself.  Rerun had walked in.  He saw Sally, and her curvaceous figure clad in a bikini, and he thought she looked good.  Sally saw him come in.

            “Rerun,” she said, “care to join me?”

            “Yeah,” he said.  After dressing down to his swim trunks, he joined Sally in the pool.  “The water’s nice.”

            “It is, isn’t it?  So, Rerun, what do you like to do?”

            “Well, I do like playing basketball from time to time.  I always wanted to play basketball, but was never that good at it.”

            “Sounds like how my brother used to be at baseball.”

            “I also like going to the movies.  When you used to ask Linus, I fantasized about you asking me.”

            “You did?”

            “Of course.  Like I said, I thought you were cute.  I still do.”

            “Well, Rerun, you’ve grown up pretty handsome, yourself.”  Both of them climbed out of the pool and went to the hot tub.  They saw Schroeder and Frieda were in there, themselves.

            “Hey, you two,” greeted Frieda.

            “Care to join us?” asked Schroeder.  “Plenty of room.”

            “Okay,” said Rerun.  “Sally?”

            “Yeah,” she said.  And they joined the older teens in the hot tub.

            “I noticed you two are becoming close,” said Frieda.

            “Yeah, I’ve always liked Sally,” said Rerun.

            “So, I take it you’re over losing Linus from the accident,” said Schroeder to Sally.

            “Not really, but accepting it,” Sally replied.  “Plus, Rerun admitted he’s always carried a torch for me for years.  While Linus wouldn’t give me the time of day, outside of being friends, the younger brother, by contrast, liked me all this time.”

            “I think you two would look cute together, Sally,” Frieda said, smiling.

            “We’re taking things slow right now to see what happens,” Rerun replied.  “But I like how it’s going, thus far.”

            “Same here,” added Sally.

            Elsewhere, Charlie Brown and Violette, along with Shermy, Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Patty, Bruce, and Franklin were helping in setting up a makeshift lab for Finn.  Snoopy was helping Finn set up the lab.  Heather and Victoria were on watch.  And Violet was sitting around watching the others help Finn out.  Lucy looked over.

            “Hey, Vi,” she began, “how about pulling your own weight, for a change, and help us set up Finn’s lab?”

            “You guys are doing a great job without me,” Violet retorted.

            “Good grief, Violet, this isn’t your mansion anymore!” groaned Peppermint Patty.  “You don’t have that excuse that you don’t have to help because it’s your place and we’re guests in it.  We left and now EVERYONE has to pitch in.  That includes you, as well!”

            “She’s right, Vi,” agreed Patty.  “We could use an extra hand.”

            “What about Schroeder and Frieda?” Violet responded.  “I saw them in the hot tub a moment ago!”

            “They just got done with watch, Violet,” said Charlie Brown.  “They’re taking a break.  They’ve done more in minutes than you have this entire time.  Get off your ass, and do some work around here!”

            “What if I don’t wanna?” complained Violet.

            “Goddamn, are we actually doing this?!” asked an incredulous Lucy.  “Violet, you don’t have a choice no more!  Like Double P stated a moment ago, everyone has to pitch in!”

            “We don’t need her,” Franklin chimed in.  “She’ll just do a lousy job anyway.  She’s actually doing us a favor by not doing anything.”

            “You got a point there, boss,” said Bruce.

            “Now that you mentioned it, she probably would drop an important chemical that Finn needed and make the entire place explode!” laughed Charlie Brown.

            “Maybe SHE’S become the Failure-Face we used to call you so many times, Charlie Brown!” laughed Lucy.

            “That actually may be, Lucy,” said Charlie Brown, laughing.  “Failure-Face Gray!  Kind of got a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

            “Magnifique!” giggled Violette.  “C'est elle le vrai raté!”

            “That’s ‘She’s the real failure’ in French, in case you didn’t know, Violet,” said Charlie Brown, slyly to his adversary, who was now crimson red with embarrassment and anger.

            “HAND ME A HAMMER, CHARLIE BROWN!!!” Violet yelled.  And Charlie Brown calmly handed her a hammer and she snatched it out of his hand.

            “Don’t hit your finger now, dearie,” said Peppermint Patty.

            “I got this!” growled Violet.  And she proceeded to hammer in nails and the gang set up shelfing for Finn as Violet continued to install the nails.  The reverse psychology worked like a charm, and Violet was now contributing to the group, which is all everyone wanted in the first place.

NEXT CHAPTER: CHANCE MEETING

Chapter Text

Location unknown

5:00 PM

            Harold found himself in the desert somewhere.  He and Grant agreed to part ways, for now, to throw the government off their trail.  Harold kept his research papers with Grant for safe keeping, and they would rendezvous in California when the time was right.  Harold was meeting with another trusted person.  He had the antidote to the serum Dr. Stein created that caused the outbreak with him in a refrigerated case.  The antidote was blue compared to the serum’s neon green color.

            At that moment, a black Hummer came speeding through the desert towards the good doctor.  Harold had been expecting this person to come.  He waited until the Hummer was close to him.  When it stopped the driver waited to come out as they were gathering some stuff.  When they did come out, it was Mr. Pearson, Re-AniCorps’ founder, who was in on Operation: Living Dead.  He was accompanied by a military soldier guarding him.  Harold knew that Mr. Pearson wanted him dead, but he was about to try to save his own skin.

            “Dr. Watts, I see you survived the outbreak,” he said.

            “Yes, and I know it was you that sparked the outbreak,” said Harold.  The soldier pulled out his assault rifle and aimed it at Harold.

            “I knew you’d try to assassinate me,” Harold replied.  “But before you do, know this.  I have a man helping me and he has my research with him.  If anything happens to me, he will have explicit instructions to release this information and expose your plot.  That means, your boy takes me out, and you’re out, as well!”

            Mr. Pearson smirked.  He obviously underestimated the good doctor.  “I know all about how Grant Gray is helping you out,” he finally said.  “Now, what if I don’t end you right here, and just go after HIM since he has the information we need, in the first place?”

            “You’ll have to find him first.  He’s disappeared.  No one, not even his own kid, knows where he is now.  We have others helping me and him out, right now.  If anything, ANYTHING, happens to us, then they’ll put out that same information.  You see, I emailed my research to trusted sources, as well.  You didn’t think I was dumb enough JUST to leave it with him, did you?”

            “Do you have the antidote, doctor?”

            “Right in this case, along with your own poison that caused this shitstorm.  I even analyzed most of the ingredients.  Acid, bath salts, embalming fluid, the only ingredient I couldn’t decipher was the stuff that caused them to come back to life.  But with the antidote, not only will it restore the looks and cure the sickness, it will make whoever was dead live again, but correctly as Dr. Stein intended, provided the victim hasn’t been completely devoured.  Whoever you have working for you alter the ingredients.  You added acid to morph their features, the bath salts for the flesh-eating, and the embalming fluid so they can stay somewhat preserved.  What kind of sick, twisted plan did you and your minions cook up, anyway?!”

            “I think it’s fair you know.  A man in the military named General Pettigrew wanted to form a zombie army; people who could be directed without free will.”

            “Doesn’t he already have soldiers?”

            “Yes, but he wants soldiers who doesn’t have to go home.  Re-Animating dead corpses that can be controlled.  This is what Re-AniCorps was built on!  Dr. Stein, Dr. Lugosi, Dr. Cushing, and Dr. Price were just unfortunate casualties of our plans.”

            “And what about the citizens of Sparkyville?  Are THEY unfortunate casualties, too?!”

            “Pretty much.”  At that moment, Mr. Pearson then pulled out a pistol of his own.  “Now is the time you come with me, doctor, so we can destroy that antidote you made.”

            Harold just laughed at that moment.  “Are you really that stupid?!  Didn’t you hear what I told you earlier.  Others have the formula and can mass-produce it.  You kill me, they start the process.  All I got in here is one vial.  There is no way you and this General Pettigrew are going to succeed, even if you kill me!”

            At that moment, another Hummer showed up.  Pearson smiled.  “Looks like my allies have arrived,” he said, smugly.  When the Hummer pulled up, Pearson’s bravado went away when he saw it was the president of the United States, along with the military who wasn’t part of Operation: Living Dead.  With them was Grant Gray, Violet’s father, and Harold’s ally.  The president looked angry.

            “PEARSON, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU AND PETTIGREW DO?!” he hollered.  “YOU WERE BEHIND THIS WHOLE FIASCO THAT’S HAPPENING IN SPARKYVILLE?!”

            “Someone is paying them, Mr. President,” said Grant.  “A secret benefactor.”  Harold looked at Pearson.

            “Who is this benefactor?” he asked.

            “Tell them, Pearson!” demanded the president.  Pearson hung his head.

            “Tobias Wilson,” said Pettigrew, meekly.

            “The billionaire?!” said Grant.  “What does he have to gain with Operation: Living Dead?!”

            “That I haven’t a clue, but he helped in starting Re-AniCorps with his funding,” said Pearson.

            “M.P.’s, take Mr. Pearson to the Hummer and arrest him,” ordered the president.  “Also, get the word out that Re-AniCorps is to halt any production they are starting.  We already have Pettigrew in custody.”  And the soldiers handcuffed Pearson and led him to the Hummer.  Harold walked over to Grant.

            “Great move calling the president, man,” said Harold, shaking Grant’s hand.

            “Now we find my baby girl,” Grant replied.  “Her last text said she was at a motel somewhere in South Dakota, making base there in case the zombies show up there.”

            “Okay, we head for South Dakota,” said Harold.  “Mr. President, I have the antidote here in this case.  I just need to mass-produce it to cure the people inflicted with this stuff.”

            “Okay, here is my private line,” said the president, handing Harold a card with a phone number on it.  “You can reach me from there anytime, no matter what.  We will let you get started in mass-producing this.  Once you have enough for the first rounds, I will make an announcement.”

            “Okay, thank you, sir.”  And they shook hands.  Turning back to Grant, he said, “Where’s your car at?”

            “Just over the hill,” said Grant.  “Now that the government isn’t after us anymore, we shouldn’t have anymore problems.”  And Harold and Grant left the desert area to try to find Violet and the rest of the gang.

NEXT CHAPTER: COMMOM GROUND

Chapter Text

Abandoned Motel

Somewhere in South Dakota

7:15 PM

            The gang had gotten the motel straightened out, and things were cleaned up and looking nice.  Everyone had a room to sleep in, as well.  Charlie Brown, Sally, Violette, and Snoopy shared one room, Lucy and Rerun, Schroeder and Frieda had one to themselves, Patty, Shermy, and Violet shared one, Bruce and Finn, along with Finn’s equipment were in another, Peppermint Patty and Franklin decided to share one together with Jasmine being gone and the both of them being on their own, and Heather and Victoria had their own room.  There was a laundry room to do laundry, if needed.  Finn was able to rig the machines so they wouldn’t need to put money in every time.  The pool area was indoors so they could swim, even if the weather was cold.  The main desk would be the meeting area, and the employee lounge would be where meals would be.  All the rooms had some sort of weapon and ammunition in case of a zombie attack.  Everything was prepared and ready to go.

            Violet was at the pool watching Rerun and Sally play chicken with Heather and Victoria.  Franklin was on watch.  Lucy was in her room watching TV.  Schroeder and Frieda were off doing their own thing, as was Patty and Shermy.  Peppermint Patty had walked in to join the others in the pool.  Bruce was walking the perimeter of the property, looking for anything suspicious.  And Finn was doing some more research on the zombies.  Violet had pretty much stayed to herself.  Ever since this outbreak had happened, she had been a thorn on everyone’s side, especially Charlie Brown’s because of the bad blood between them.  She was afraid she would make someone else angry with her attitude.  It wouldn’t had been so bad if it weren’t for Charlie Brown being in charge of everything.  She actually wished he was still a loser who couldn’t do anything right.  At least everyone would have been on her side, she figured.  If not everyone, at least Patty and Lucy would for sure be.  But he had to fix himself, become a winner, and even have a girlfriend.  And God forbid she said anything bad about him now, because everyone, even Lucy AND her own best friend Patty, would come to his defense nowadays.  But even she was starting to realize that the reason for hating him was the rotten past their fathers had when they were partners was a flimsy excuse.  The problem was now, how could she stop hating him?

            She had done so for years since they were kids, and that’s all she knew how to do with him was hate him.  It had become second nature to her; kind of engrained in her.  Life was easier when everyone thought of him as a blockheaded loser who failed at everything he did, but now he was no longer that failure everyone had grown accustomed to.  He straightened his life out, stopped second guessing everything, and, at the same time, learned patience and not to rush to win at everything.  Plus, he wasn’t as gullible as he used to be, either.  The last time Lucy tried the football gag, he finally accepted that he was never going to kick it, and just ended it one day by flat-out refusing to give her the satisfaction of pulling it away.  Violet remembered that day like it was yesterday…

Some years earlier…

            “Oh Charlie Broooooooown!”

            Charlie Brown knew that sound.  It was Lucy once again, taunting him with the football.  He knew what that meant.  It had happened every year since she had gotten that godforsaken football.  Because he never kicked it, it had no marks, no wear or tear, not a scratch on it.  Not even Linus or Rerun played with it, as they had their own football to play with.  It was as pristine as the day it was purchased.

            “Let me guess,” said an annoyed Charlie Brown.  “You’ll hold the ball while I come running up to kick it.  Right?  But then I come running up, you pull it away, and I land on my back killing myself.  And before you try to convince me otherwise, before you attempt to give me hope that this will be the day, even though BOTH of us know that’s not the case, nor will it ever be, I just wanted to tell you that I’m done with this.”

            “Wait, what?!” asked a confused Lucy.

            “I said I am done with this game!” Charlie Brown repeated.  Violet happened to walk by, and watched the scene unfold.  “You pull this crap every year and what happens?  The same damn thing every year!  Me looking like a fool trying to kick what will never be kicked.  I know I can kick that ball if you never pulled it away because the guys held it for me many times and I kicked it fine.  I have this reputation that I’m unable to kick a football ONLY because of his bullshit gag you pull on me.  So, I’ve accepted that I will never kick this accursed ball as long as you’re holding it!  It has probably never met a foot since you’ve owned it!  It still looks brand spanking new, while all other footballs look like it has been played with.  Anyway, I’m done with this.  I’m going back home!”

            “Charlie Brown!” pleaded Lucy.  “Come back!”

            “Forget it!” Charlie Brown called back.  And he went back home, satisfied that this nightmare, at least, was done.  Violet, usually not accustomed to Charlie Brown getting the upper hand, was, for once, impressed.

            “I have to admit, that was good,” she said to herself.

Present Day

            Violet remembered that day real well.  It was the first sign of change in Charlie Brown and that he was serious about fixing himself.  But, any other person she would have been proud of.  In the case of Charlie Brown, though, because of her hatred of him that was engrained in her due to her father and is father’s bad blood, she couldn’t be happy for him.  She wished she didn’t hate him so much, as she knew he was nothing like his father, and was kind and warm to everyone.  He even tried to be cordial with her, despite her treatment of him.  Now it seemed she ruined any kind of lasting friendship with him with her actions.  And she, strange as it was for her, was sad about that.

            He and Violette, clad in swim trunks and bikini, respectively, joined the others for some fun in the water.  Violet watched as they entered the pool.  Even Snoopy, wearing a snorkel and swim fins, joined in on the fun.  Patty was dressed in her bikini and sat with her best friend.

            “Where’s Shermy?” she asked Patty.

            “His turn at watch,” Patty replied.  “He went to relieve Bruce.”

            “Oh.”  Patty noticed her friend watching Charlie Brown and the others having fun in the pool.  She didn’t look annoyed as she usually would if Charlie Brown was in the room, but rather, sad.

            “Penny for your thoughts, Vi?” she asked.

            “Pat, I think I ruined any kind of friendship I could have had with Charlie Brown,” sighed Violet.  “My dad told me I had to hate the Browns because of what Silas Brown, Jr. did to him.  And that hatred had to carry over to his family, even if they had nothing to do with it.”

            “Your father was wrong, Violet.  Sure, what Charlie Brown’s father did to yours was shitty, everyone, even Charlie himself, would agree.  But to hate that man’s entire family, people who, besides the man himself, was completely innocent and blameless in this, is insane!  Okay, when he was clumsy and made a fool of himself in the past, that was one thing.  But when he fixed those flaws, everyone saw he really worked hard at improving himself, some would say a little too hard at times.  But as everyone else acknowledge the change in him, even Lucy, his harshest critic who was meaner than all of us, you couldn’t accept that he was different from the old Charlie Brown we grew up with.  And it was all because your father had a vendetta against his, and roped you into it.  While your treatment of Charlie Brown was wrong, still is, what your father did to you was worse.  He made you his puppet.  Don’t you see that?  He made you hate not just him, but Sally, and Snoopy, albeit to a lesser degree since he is a dog.  While his anger towards Charlie Brown’s father was warranted, what he did to you wasn’t.  Forgive me for saying this, Violet, but your old man poisoned you with hate.”

            Violet was finally listening to Patty and what she was saying.  She had always been a voice of reason, even when she did tease her fellow kids in the past.  No one was spared constructive criticism by her, not even Lucy.  And now she was blunt with her best friend who really needed it more than anyone at that moment.  To say Violet was ashamed of how she acted would have been the mother of all understatements.  She began to tear up.

            “How can I fix this, Pat?” she asked her best friend.

            “Actually talk to him,” Patty replied.  “It can be a start.  Don’t expect him to be particularly warm towards you, though.  Years of abuse from you has hardened his heart towards you, I will admit that.  But he will listen to you.  Just don’t act a fool or contradicting like you have been.”

            “I’ll need some time, Patty.  You may recall, I didn’t always hate him.  There was a time where I actually had a crush on him.  Remember?”

            “I do, when we were younger, and Lucy hadn’t become the fussbudget she would eventually become.”

            “But I’ll need some time to think about what I’m going to say to him.  I don’t want to screw this up.”  Patty looked at Violet.  She saw she was serious about fixing things with Charlie Brown, even if he didn’t want to be friends with her, at least make peace and apologize.

            “I can understand that.  Just give each other some space unless you need to talk to him.  If it will help, I can talk to him, as well.  To set the stage and so he doesn’t be defensive, either.”

            “Thank you, Pat.”

            “What are besties for?  Besides, you needed this tough love.”  And the two friends hugged.  Charlie Brown looked over for a moment.  He wondered what they had talked about, but shrugged it off and went back to having fun with Violette and the others in the pool.

NEXT CHAPTER: QUIET

Chapter Text

10:45 PM

            Charlie Brown was on watch during the night.  Everyone else was asleep, or doing some stuff to pass the time.  It had been a quiet day with no zombies, thank goodness.  But, he knew it would be a matter of time before they would catch up to them.  It wasn’t a matter of “if”, but “when”.  Violet had come outside.  He was surprised she joined him, given their rocky history.  Charlie was still trying to process the new revelation that his father screwed over hers, and was the catalyst for the needless bad blood between the two of them.  She brought out two bottled waters.

            “Thirsty?” she offered.  He looked at her, with an eyebrow raised.  “Don’t worry, no poison in yours.”

            “No, it’s not that,” said Charlie Brown.  “Just surprised by the gesture.”

            “Yeah, I understand,” said Violet, looking down.  She handed him the bottle, which he accepted.  He took a drink from the water and looked up at the sky.

            “It’s a beautiful night,” she observed.

            “Yeah,” agreed Charlie Brown.  “If it weren’t for our current situation, I could appreciate this more.”

            The two of them sat for a while in silence.  Finally, Violet spoke.

            “You remember I wasn’t always like this.”

            “I know.  We actually liked each other.  Even before Heather moved to town, I thought you were the prettiest girl in the neighborhood.  Violet, what happened to us?”

            “My father.”

            “You mean what happened between our fathers?”

            “That’s mainly it, but not the only thing.  He said I had to hate you because of what your father did to him, and that included any future siblings.  While I spared Sally for a while, I had to hate her, as well.”

            “So, it’s because of him you hated me for this long?”  Violet nodded.  “Shit!”

            “Charlie Brown, I don’t know how this will end up with everything that’s been going on this past month, but I want to like you.  I want to be your friend.”

            “What’s stopping you?”

            “I don’t know if I know how anymore!”  Violet started crying.  “I hated you for so long for my father, I forgot how to be a friend to you.  Everyone else, I’m fine, but with you, something always triggers me to be mean towards you, even after you’ve improved your personality and gained strength.  I know it’s a flimsy excuse to say I have to hate you for my father, but I’m scared.  I’m scared that I’m incapable of doing that, even though I really want to!  I want to be your friend again, but…  it’s been so damn long!”

            Charlie Brown started understanding Violet’s problem.  She was wired to hate him for so long, she didn’t know how to like him anymore.  It wasn’t as easy as “try to be nicer to him” as everyone had told her.  This was something psychological; something that was her father’s fault.  He had programmed her to hate the son and daughter of the man who screwed him over, even though they were innocent in all of that.  And she didn’t have the tools, or know-how, to correct it.  That was when Charlie Brown figured out that this issue between them was going to take time to work it out.

            “What I can promise you, at least right now until I can truly be a friend to you like I want to, is that I will work at not complaining about one of your plans.  I’ll stop being a bitch towards you, if not particularly warm, but I will bite my tongue whenever I feel the urge to say something negative about a plan.  I do want to be your friend, Charlie Brown, but I’m not ready.  At least not yet.”

            He took in everything she said to him.  Finally, Charlie Brown said, “Violet, let this be the first day of the rest of both of our lives and start with a clean slate.  You continue to work on yourself, and I will talk to everyone else to leave you alone because I now see that it’s more than you just being an insufferable bitch; it’s something more deep-rooted thanks to that no-good father of yours.  And, with your permission, of course, if he does show up, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind for what he’s done to you.”

            “Thank you, Charlie Brown.”  And, for the first time ever in both of the teens lives, they hugged one another.  Violet then got up.

            “I better head back.  Patty is expecting at the pool.”

            “Have fun.”  And Violet went back towards the pool.  Violette went past her.  She joined her man, kissing him.

            “What did she want, Charles?” she asked.

            “To make things right,” Charlie Brown replied.  “Her hatred was a product of her old man, something he implanted in her and she wants to stop, but doesn’t have the tools to do it.  She promised me that she would try to stop the complaining and bitching, but she was a work in progress, at the same time.”

            “So, no more being mean?”

            “Hopefully.”  And Charlie Brown and Violette watched out into the darkness by the road.  There were no zombies in sight, and everything was quiet.  It had been a good day with no casualties or fights on their hands.  They knew it wouldn’t last, though, and was ready for battle when those monsters came.

A lonely highway

Location unknown

            Around the same time, Harold and Grant were going down the road towards South Dakota.  They were going for Violet and her friends.  Harold never knew Grant’s history with Silas Brown, Jr., as he rarely talked about it.  Harold suspected he was hiding something about his past, but didn’t press him about it.

            “We should be getting near the state line soon,” said Grant.

            “We should stop at a place to sleep,” Harold suggested.  “With Pearson and that General Pettigrew and his men arrested, we shouldn’t have anymore problems from the government.”

            “I can only hope, Harold.”  And they continued down the highway towards South Dakota.

END OF BOOK 4