Fanfic: Zombies, Zombies, ALWAYS ZOMBIES! 🧟 Ep. 10: Tangled in Time, Part 2

Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Magic Kid. Enjoy!

Good day to you all! I am happily presenting you with the TENTH episode in Zombies, Zombies, ALWAYS ZOMBIES! Woah! TEN EPISODES! I’m pretty stoked about that. Thank you everyone for your support! (Read the previous episode here or start from the beginning here.)

This is when things will start to get InTResTiNG. Disclaimer: Since, at the moment, we don’t know a whole ton of Zomberry lore, I’m gonna make some stuff up. Just enjoy! 🙂

ZOMBIES, ZOMBIES, ALWAYS ZOMBIES!

A Zomberry Series

Episode Ten: Tangled in Time, Part Two

The swirling through the light and color was somehow a lot less magical. They passed timeframes, saw glimpses of history, even glimpses of their own past, but it flashed by so fast they could hardly process it. And in— it could have been a moment, a second, several years— they were standing outside the 24 Carrot theater.

At once, Toothpick, who still had terrible memories of this place burned into his mind, jumped back and stumbled several steps backwards before tripping into a gutter at the other side of the street. He sputtered.

Toothpick

Ack! Sorry, I got a little startled!

Birdy helped him up and Pick dusted himself off from all the dry leaves and dirt. 

Clumsy Bird

I wonder if we can talk past us… wait— CAN I PLEASE PRANK THE DIRECTOR AGAIN?

Hawk

No! Come on guys! We have to at least get rid of the blueberry machine!

Birdy smacks her forehead.

Clumsy Bird

Oh! Right! Save the world first, prank later. Gotcha!

Toothpick

No no no no, no pranking ever.

Birdy

… Fine.

Hawk

Let’s get over there, come on!

Birdy and Toothpick followed. Stone seemed to have disappeared. Hawk didn’t seem to notice—or care.

But they made their way to the door. Hawk reached for the handle and—

Hawk

Locked. They must have started already.

Pick

No! They can’t have! 

Pick tried the door handle himself, with the same results.

Birdy

The backstage access door should be unlocked! Come on, we still have time!

They bolted around to the other side of the theater.

Pick

We have to stop the play from happening!

Birdy pulled at the heavy door handle, and it slowly opened.

Birdy

In, in, in!

They ran in and hid behind a box of extra set supplies.

Birdy

Where’s Stone?

Hawk

Birdy, I know we told you not to… but you need to prank the dire—

Birdy

SAY NO MORE!

Toothpick

SHHHHH! Try not to meet your past self and don’t—

But Birdy was already skipping over to the director, who was about to reach the blueberry smoothie machine. Birdy already had a loaded spitball straw and was behind the smoothie machine, ready for the moment the director passed by. And he did. But Birdy slipped and missed him — though not before the director had noticed her.

Director

Now WHAT do you think you are doing, miss?!

Birdy

Umm, serving people this lovely smoothie! Like the innocent person I am.

Director

Yeah, right, you’ve crossed the line too often, missy! After this you’ll be lucky to make it into one more of my shows.

Birdy

Okay.

Director

What?

Birdy

I’m chill with that.

The director was getting red in the face.

Director

Oh, yeah? YOU’RE FIRED!

Birdy

Mmm’kay, have a nice life.

The director spluttered a little more, but went off to do a final checkup before the play started.

Birdy leaned up against the smoothie machine and gestured at the director while looking at Hawk and Pick, like “can you believe this guy? That was awesome.”

As she was leaning against the blueberry smoothie machine, however, an extra actor in a carrot costume was passing by. The machine tipped and spilled all over the floor and the carrot extra.

Birdy

Crud!

The director shouted some frustration and Birdy promptly ran away to hide behind the box again.

Birdy

Welp, we know how that happened.

Hawk

And why the director didn’t want you to act.

Birdy

Oh, RIGHT! This is so WEIRD!

Pick

Let’s see if we can sneak around and mess up the other smoothie machine too!

They all stood up and crept around the box to get to a door that led to the audience.

The audience was packed with people. Most of them with smoothies. 

Birdy

Crud crud crud!

Pick

Cheese and Crackers, spare us!

Birdy 

Did you just beg for mercy from the cheese and cracker gods?

Pick

What?

Birdy

What?

Hawk

Let’s go guys!

They inched along the crowded aisles, up to the concession stand where the popcorn and smoothie machines were. On the way up, they heard a little boy complaining to his mom, asking when it was going to start, then devouring popcorn.

They went up to see that the smoothie was out! Everybody had a cup and there was no more!

Hawk

I don’t think going back in time worked!

Toothpick

Oh no! I remember something! Act important!

Toothpick pulled up his hood.

Birdy

What—?

Somebody came out of the technical room, where one would manage the lighting and sounds. Somebody that looked all too familiar.

Witty Toothpick, before the zombie raid, before the play had even started, was going to the popcorn machine, intent upon talking to the loitering group.

Past Toothpick

Hey, uh, do you guys have tickets for this?

Hawk

No, we work here.

The future Toothpick was nervous under his hoodie. His fingers were itching to get something from his backpack.

Past Toothpick

Oh! Okay!

Past Toothpick looked at Future Toothpick, who was looking down, not making eye contact.

Past Toothpick

Nice hoodie and backpack!

Past Toothpick walked back into the tech room.

Pick

Oh, phew, that was close! 

He took his Rubik’s cube out of his backpack and started fidgeting.

Birdy

But what do we do now?

Hawk

Guys, come outside!

They went without question and saw a taxi pulling up right by the theater. The window rolled down. It was Icy Stone!

Stone

Get in!

Hawk

Right on time!

They got in. All the while, Toothpick and Birdy were a bit confused.

Stone and Hawk fist-bumped.

Birdy

What? I’m CONFUSED!

Hawk

Well, when we got to this time frame, me and Stone settled some stuff and got this plan. She would take the watch and go to the future to get the car ready for when we were done with the theater just in case.

Stone

Yeah! How was it for you guys?

Hawk

Well, Birdy got one of the machines out, but we couldn’t get to the other one in time!

Stone

Shoot. Anyway, let’s go and see if it helped!

Hawk

I’m not sure it did.

Toothpick

I’m still confused. How?

Hawk

It’s fine! Let’s go back to the future, and hope for the best.

Stone

Here’s the watch!

Hawk turned it to the time they needed and they all vanished out of that time period.

But it turned out that what they did didn’t help. No it did not. And they couldn’t solve that fact anymore.

Out to sea, the black helicopter had landed. It had landed on a small island, with a large and rather scary-looking building on it. People in uniforms, guards, and scientists were walking around. 

The spy jumped out of the helicopter. A messenger guard hurried over.

Messenger

Mr. Gambit would like to see you.

Spy

Yes. Where?

Messenger

His office.

Without another word, the spy went into the building. Up stairs, past experiments, past labs, past rooms full of zombies.

Into a big door. She slid a card across a scanner and the door opened.

Spy

You wanted me, sir?

She was in a big room with mostly black furniture. There was a wall made of glass parallel to the door, where a silhouetted figure stood, looking down through the glass and all the scientists and experiments. Behind the figure, closer to the door, was a desk. A simple desk, with a small chessboard and a small bowl of blueberry lollipops.

The door shut behind the spy.

Mr. Gambit

Come here, Agent Thorn, and tell me what you see.

The spy (Agent Thorn) walked briskly up beside him, two black silhouettes.

Agent Thorn looked down. Prisoners were being taken to labs, zombies tested and controlled by peculiar devices.

Agent Thorn

I see a team of people working tirelessly. I see labs full of geniuses. I see zombies. I see a world about to be yours, sir.

Mr. Gambit

You know what I see? I see success. And a promotion. Your promotion.

Agent Thorn

Sir. Really?

Mr. Gambit

Yes. How would you like to manage our prisoners? Other things too, of course.

Agent Thorn

I’d be delighted to.

Mr. Gambit

Wonderful. Your first assignment: get a team together to review the drone footage. Find survivors, bring them to me, or make the zombies do it for you. Your key card is already updated with all the information.

Agent Thorn

Yessir.

Just as Thorn turned around to leave, just as she was about to leave the door, Mr. Gambit turned around, most of his face covered in shadow. The only parts that were visible were lit only by dim indigo lighting.  He had a lollipop stick sticking out of his mouth. He was wearing a suit, black and white, with a purple tie, like most of the people on the island. Except he looked more fancy, more powerful.

Mr. Gambit

Don’t fail me.

Agent Thorn

Oh I won’t, sir. I won’t.

TO BE CONTINUED

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Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Magic Kid. If you did, you might also enjoy their Pop Quiz: Which Pop Character Are You? post.

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