"Today is our last day on Pride and Prejudice," the professor informs us. "I hope you all have enjoyed it, and since you've all read the ending, it feels fitting to base today's discussion on Austen's use of foreshadowing. Let me ask: as a reader, did you expect her and Darcy to become a couple in the end?"
Several people murmur or randomly flip through their books like it'll provide an immediate answer for them, but only Landon and I raise our hands, as always.
"Miss Young," the professor calls on me.
"Well, the first time I read the novel, I was on the edge of my seat about whether or not they would end up together. Even nowââand I have read it at least ten timesââI still feel anxious during the beginning of their relationship. Mr. Darcy is so cruel and says such hateful things about Elizabeth and her family that I never know if she can forgive him, let alone love him. I certainly know that today, in the times we live in, no woman would ever put up with the way he treats her. I know I wouldn't." Landon nods at my answer, and I smile.
"That's a load," a voice cuts through the stillness. Hardin's voice. I turn to glare at him, but he ignores me, pushing his hand through his hair and leaning back in the seat to my left.
"Mr. Scott? Would you like to add something?" the professor asks, clearly surprised at Hardin's participation.
"Sure. I said that's a load. Women want what they can't have. Mr. Darcy's attitude is what drew Elizabeth to him, so it was obvious they would end up together," Hardin says, then scratches the tattooed skin of his arm as if he isn't the slightest bit interested in the discussion.
I laugh in his face. "You cannot be serious?"
He looks up at me, eyes wide with surprise. "What's so funny?" His British accent sounds thicker when he's irritated.
"Did you really just say 'women want what they can't have?' I think what you meant to say is: women can have whatever they want. Sure, in 1813 things were totally different. But they had no idea how everything was about to change once the Second Black Plague hit. In the world we live in now, with everything that goes on outside the high walls of this campus, women have got better things to do than pine for guys who treat them like dirt," I say, much louder than I intended.
Much louder. I look around the room and find everyone is staring at me and Hardin.
Hardin opens his mouth to retaliate, but a siren sounds throughout the building before he has a chance.
Exasperated groans fill the lecture hall. I sigh and close my worn copy of Pride and Prejudice. "Not again."
I pull my katana out from the sword holster in my chair and stand, and everyone else does the same.
"Seriously?" Hardin mutters as he stands next to me, sword at the ready. "This is the second breach this semester."
"I thought WCU had the best anti-invasion security on the west coast?" I ask, throwing my backpack over my shoulder. The strong military presence at Washington Central was one of the reasons my mother had insisted on me going here. She'll be furious once she hears of yet another attack on the walls.
Landon shrugs his satchel on and pulls his katana out, too. "I guess there's only so much the soldiers can do. It only takes one selfish jerk hiding a bite mark to ruin it for the rest of us."
I nod, watching nervously as the professor presses a button on his desk to turn on the screen behind him. The CCTV footage shows us just how bad this breach is; there must be over one hundred storming the gates. I wince at the sight of three soldiers being taken down by dozens of them.
Hardin sighs and hangs his head. "I really hate zombies."
I keep my eyes on the screen. "You and the rest of the world."
The professor stands staring at the screen with his arms folded as he assesses the carnage happening right outside. He shakes his head and turns to face us, sliding his sword out of the holster on his back. "All right, everyone. You know the drill." He looks out at the class and raises an eyebrow. "Let's see who's been paying attention in militia class."
Being in the front row, Hardin, Landon, and I are closest to the exit, so we stand at the double doors while the rest of the class forms a line behind us.
"Ready?" the professor asks. I hold my sword tight with one hand and the door handle in the other. The professor nods. "Go!"
I storm out onto the street, the light of day flooding my vision and the sounds of screams echoing from all over campus. People are running in every direction, but I run to the center of the square and stay put. When I fight, I prefer for the enemy to come to me. In a matter of seconds my wish is granted, and a tall, gray zombie with bulging eyes stumbles towards me.
I hold my sword in front of me with both hands, tip pointing straight up to the blue sky above me. Once he's so close that I can see the inflamed veins in his eyes, I strike, slicing him through the middle and dragging my blade down, splitting him in half. Five more zombies descend on me before his body hits the ground and I become a blur of movements, swishing, slicing and cutting my way through. The second I'm done with them, more are waiting. I glance around me, seeing an endless crowd of the undead pouring into campus. Entering my turf.
I clench the handle of my katana so tight my knuckles turn white, grit my teeth so hard the muscles in my jaw ache, and let the rage fill me. Fuel me.
And then I fight.
I hear a string of profanities and glance behind me to see Hardin strangling a zombie with one hand and smashing his knee into the skull of another, his sword lying on the ground next to him. Two more zombies lurch only feet away from him, out of his view.
"Behind you!" I call, sticking my sword into the gut of one of the oldest, dustiest zombies I've ever seen.
Hardin peers over his shoulder and spits out another string of profanities. "My hands are a little full at the moment!" He slams two zombies together, smooshing their faces and crushing their heads.
I run to him and kick his sword up in the air, and he catches it in time to swing his blade, slicing off three heads at once. He blows out a quick breath and pushes his hair back before looking my way. "Thanks." His eyes widen. "On your six!"
I spin on my heels and come face-to-face with a fresh one. He's young, couldn't be much older than me, and shirtless, a swollen bite on his side covered in sores and lesions that spread all the way up to his neck. By the looks of him, I know he turned recently, maybe in the last few hours. But his bite is old, at least a month. Plenty of time for the infection to get into his bloodstream, moving slowly at first. And then, bam, it hits the brain like a thousand microscopic bullets and takes control forever. I hope he used his last weeks to say goodbye to those he loved, if he loved anyone at all.
The young ones are the hardest to kill. Not just because they're the strongest and the fastest, but because they remind me too much of how quickly everything could fall apart. They had their whole lives ahead of them before one mistake, one slip, one accident, one bite ended it all before it even began. I'd seen it happen too many times before.
I stare into his dead eyes and am tempted to close my own; I don't want to watch what I'm about to do. But I won't let myself off the hook, I won't turn away. He deserves more than that.
So I look into his eyes and hope that what I'm about to do will send him to a better place. Anywhere would be better than here. This world is so cruel that even when your life ends, it's only a temporary fix. There's no end to this hellhole. Because you'll come back to an even worse existence than you had before. And all you can do is hope someone like me will come along and end you once and for all.
I make it quick, cutting his head off clean and swift, and watch as he collapses to the ground in front of me.
"I hope you're at peace now," I say softly.
Hardin stifles his laughter behind me. "You talk to the dead now?"
I squeeze my eyes shut. "Shut up."
He laughs again and takes a step closer. "Theresa Young: Zombie Whisperer."
"I said shut up. And don't call me that." I elbow him in the ribs, and he buckles over, groaning.
"Guys!" Landon calls. "Look out!"
I look up to see more zombies coming through the gate. "Where are they all coming from?"
Hardin straightens. "Hell."
Landon appears by my side, tugging my arm. "There's too many. We can't take on all of them."
I shrug out of his grip and grin. "Speak for yourself, boy."
Hardin skids to a stop on the other side of me, his eyes wide when he sees the hundreds of zombies scrambling onto campus. "Whoa. I've never seen so many. The whole town must be going under."
A crackle erupts from the speakers all over campus, followed by a man's voice. "Attention staff and students. We are in the midst of an unprecedented attack and are entering into lockdown. I repeat, we are in lockdown. Staff, report to my office immediately. Students, return to the dorms and hide until further notice."
Landon lets out a relieved sigh. "Well, you heard the Chancellor."
"Fine," I huff. "We can hide out in my room."
Hardin rolls his eyes and turns to me, sliding his sword into its holster. "No way I'm listening to anything that guy says."
"Who?" I ask. "Landon?" I glance at Landon, but he just glares at Hardin.
"No," Hardin says. "The Chancellor. He can't tell me what to do. The last thing I want to do right now is hide in the girls' dorms."
I snap, lunging forward and holding my blade to his throat. "And just what is wrong with hiding in the girls' dorms?"
Hardin narrows his eyes at me, but he smirks. "Threatening me isn't going to make me come with you."
Landon puts a hand on my shoulder. "Tessa, don't."
I take a step back, reminding myself to save my anger for the dead. "Frankly, I don't care whether you come with us or not. But I'm not gonna feel sorry for you if you end up being in the pile of bodies at the next bonfire."
Hardin shrugs. "Good, don't. Besides, I'll be fine. I can handle myself."
I suck in a deep breath and turn away, grabbing Landon's arm to bring him with me. "Come on, I know a shortcut to my dorm."
"That's it!" Hardin calls. "Run away!"
I glance over my shoulder to see him chuckling to himself, but he's so busy being smug that he doesn't notice the two zombies coming up behind him.
"God dammit!" I groan and turn around, running towards Hardin at full speed, holding my sword high.
His face drains of color and he fumbles to pull his sword out. "Tess? What the hellââ?"
"Move!" I shout as I shoulder him out of the way and swing at the zombies, slicing their heads clean off. My gaze follows as their heads roll along the concrete, stopping at Landon's feet. I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my wrist and try to catch my breath.
I turn around to see Hardin sitting on the ground, his mouth hanging open in shock as he stares up at me. I walk towards him and reach down, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him up. "Good job handling yourself."
I spin on my heels and walk away, feeling his eyes on me. Landon gives me an amused smile as we start to jog towards the dorms.
"Wait!" Hardin calls.
I don't wait. I don't even slow down.
"Theresa, wait!"
I run faster. "I'm not waiting! You hurry up!"
He catches up to us just as we reach my building. We sprint up the stairs and burst into my room to see Steph and Molly sitting on Steph's bed, wiping blood off their blades.
I step inside and close the door behind us. "Looks like you got caught in it, too."
Steph sighs. "Yep. We were sitting on the front lawn when they busted through."
Molly nods. "We had a couple of close calls, but we made it through." She slides her sword into its sheath and glances at my shoulder. "You're cut." I follow her gaze to see blood running down my arm.
Hardin sees it and his jaw tenses. "Here, sit down." He guides me to the bed and I take a seat. "Does it hurt?"
"It's not that bad," I say. "I've had worse."
He sits next to me on the bed, careful not to touch my arm. He presses his lips into a hard line as he inspects it closely. "I don't think you'll need stitches, but it needs to be cleaned. Where's your kit?"
Steph points to her closet and he gets up to find it. I watch him with suspicion as he returns and begins cleaning my wound.
He glances up at me and smirks. "What?"
I narrow my eyes at him. "Twenty minutes ago you were arguing with me in lit class, ten minutes ago you were refusing to come to the dorms, and now you're bandaging my wound."
He shrugs. "You're hurt. I want to help. Besides, you were arguing with me in that class, too."
I laugh. "True."
He bandages my arm, and then we all do the only thing we can do: wait.
*****
A note from the author Jen Wilde:
As anyone who follows me on Wattpad knows, I love zombies. So when I heard about the PRIDE + PREJUDICE + ZOMBIES movie, I flipped out. Women of Regency era England kicking butt and slaying zombies? Yes please! To celebrate the upcoming release of #PPZmovie, Sony Pictures has commissioned me to write an epic fanfic combining zombies with Anna Todd's bestselling AFTER seriesââwith the permission of Anna herself, of course. Get ready for a wild ride, and remember to go see PRIDE + PREJUDICE + ZOMBIES from Feb 5, 2016! Â Can't wait that long? Check out the awesome trailer here: