The zombie fell as Rose’s shovel carved its head open. A second swing knocked it’s falling body into the one beside it. A third saw that one debrained as well.

Mab’s half of the hall had a series of icy statues where a horde of zombies had once been.

“That is so unfair. If I use my magic, I’ll ruin the hallway.”

“Just do it anyway.” Mab had that mischievous smile of hers on. “You know Ven will just make the teachers clean it up.”

Rose frowned as she spotted another zombie at the end of the hall. She rested her shovel on her shoulder and headed towards it, calling back to Mab as she went. “But she’ll be even happier with us if we clean out the infected without burning down the building.”

Rose could see that sparkle in Mab’s eyes as she ended another zombie. “Figuratively or literally!”

“Fine, you spoil sport.” Mab approached Rose at a brisk walking pace and had nearly met her at the end of the gory but empty hall. “But what if we use the time we save to do something special once we’re done?”

Rose’s eyes widened as Mab whispered into her ear. Her face quickly went beet red, while Mab had the ‘grace’ to stop at a light shade of pink. Once Mab was done, she looked her in the eye and gave Rose a nervous smile, not quite as mischievous as before,

Rose didn’t respond. Instead she took a deep breath and focused on the floor. Closing her eyes, she carefully felt out for each and every infected student in the building. With agonizing slowness she reached into the foundations of the structure and pulled out what she needed. Then, all at once, the floors erupted with vines. They wrapped around any undead they could find, quickly growing thick and thorny, holding them fast in place. In moments, the plants took root in the rotting flesh, feeding off of it and leaving nothing behind. When the zombies were completely used up in a few hours the vines would wither and eventually die. In the meantime, Rose and Mab had a more private room to find.

* * *

The empty classroom was dark and humid, lights shut off in an effort to disguise that it was in use. Mab was so close that Rose could feel her breath on the back of her neck, whispering gentle instructions into her friend’s ear.  Their arms entangled and…

...A panel of the false ceiling collapsed, bringing Goku with it onto the desk to the pair’s right.

“So...watcha doing?” Goku asked casually, trying desperately to look as if she had intended to fall through into the room. The couple quickly jumped apart at her arrival.

“Goku!”

“Now we need to start all over again!” Rose grumbled under her breath and headed for the light switch. Mab just stared daggers as the monkey girl.

With a snapping sound and a dull buzz the florescent lights switched on. There was a mess of scattered paper on and around the desk the girls had been standing at moments ago, sent flying with Goku’s unexpected arrival.

“Why are you here, Goku?”

“The best way to get a good story is to hear it before anyone else.” Mab and Rose eyed each other at that. “Zombies in VC are starting to get pretty boring, so I thought I’d look around for the demon who keeps bringing them in.” She let out a gleeful smile. “Can you imagine what Veneralia will say if I find them before she does! Dai-Sensei would probably give me a raise just for getting to see the look on her face!”

“It would be nice to have a face to bash to go along with all of the Zombies…”

Goku looked around the room again before settling her eyes on the pile of papers, a look of curiosity on her face. “What ARE you doing in here anyway?”

“Err…” Rose face started to turn red again as she found a very interesting spot to look at on the opposite wall. Mab just signed, resigned.

“Rose was showing me how to make origami flowers.”

“...With Student Council paperwork.”

Both girls felt shivers along their spin at seeing Goku’s eyes light up in response to their confession.

“You’re hiding in here, shirking your duties, to fold paper!?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘shirking’...”

“I thought for sure you two were boning!”

“Bo-buh-buh-buh?!” Rose turned the brightest shade of red yet. Mab really wished Goku wasn’t here so that she could better enjoy her friend’s embarrassment.

“I have GOT to write about this. It is news tender gold!”

“N-n-n-n-no!”

“Nope.” Mab quickly approached the monkey. Moment once again ruined. “Can’t let you do that.”

Goku just smiled in response. She jumped from one desk to the next as Mab chased her down, easily staying out of the taller girl’s reach. It didn’t take long for Mab to change tactics. With a sweep of her arms she summoned a blanket of cold. She would trap Goku in a prison of ice, hitting every place at once so that the monkey girl had no place to run.

Only she failed to account for the hole in the ceiling. Goku felt what Mab was trying to do before she finished doing it and vaulted for the hole in response. Careful where she put her hands and feet to avoid once again falling through, the monkey girl quickly scampered out of sight. In an instant she was gone. Mab and Rose alone once again, but for a small storm of papers and the blood-boiling embarrassment that Goku had left behind in Rose.

“Well,” muttered Mab to herself. “At least there’s one upshot to this.”

She grinned her mischievous grin and went to comfort her friend.