Thel20 - Glad to hear you're enjoying it! It's always nice to know I still have a fan floating out somewhere. :*
Artemias - Awesome! :* Hope you're hooked! I can for sure work in some character development in the next few chapters, maybe - what would you like to see?
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After a moment of resting, Josie stumbled from the bed. She could hardly walk, but she had a promise to keep.
"Hey, where are you going?" Corbin asked, unwilling to get out of the bed. She looked at him apologetically.
"I told Ali that I would sleep at his side tonight. I promised him." Corbin smirked.
"Yeah, he knew you'd come here after. In the evening once we've slept, though, I have to face a press conference just over the hill. Would you care to come with me?"
"In case they decide you're something that needs killing instead of someone to listen you, you mean? Yeah, I guess I could have your back for some ass-kicking."
"No," he quipped. "I want arm candy; the humans take you more seriously if you have a hot piece of ass walking beside you..." Josie flared her nostrils, but didn't dignify him with an answer. Instead, she yawned.
"I'll come find you when I'm awake. At least you'll be in top condition for charming everyone...Are you sure this is a wise idea, Corbin? What if they don't listen?" she frowned. Corbin shook his head.
"I have little choice. Come on, just spend a few more moments with me?" he asked, opening his arms invitingly. She bit her lip and sighed, but gave in.
"Fine; but just five minutes!" she said, and snuggled in close.
* * * * * * * * * *
Josie arose the next morning with a stretch as the evening woke her. She glanced over at her bedmate, fast asleep, and watched him breathe for a moment. Wait a moment - that's Corbin. Josie shot from the bed as fast as she could, pressed the dress over her front without bothering to pull it on, and dashed out of the door. Corbin didn't stop her, but watched her leave with a dominant, cocky smile. Alistair would have her head, she thought, as she scurried down the hall. She must have fallen asleep at some point; she couldn't remember. She was supposed to return to Ali, but somehow, that had never happened. She switched from running to stealth as she silently entered his door, and let her dress fall quietly to the floor. She crept, tip-toe style, to the bed, and slid herself slowly into the bed, trying not to disturb anything. Maybe she would be able to tell him she had come while he was sleeping and didn't want to wake him up. She rested in, and inwardly sighed a breath of relief as she felt his arm lay over her, and pull her close. She snuggled in, relieved that she'd dodged an argument. "You can't sneak up on a vampire, Josie, least of all one whose soul resides within your own." his voice struck her ear, sounding both disappointed, and irritated. She flipped over, still biting her lip, a guilty, embarrassed expression on her face. "I'm sorry; I don't remember falling asleep, and--" "You were just trying to stop me from being mad, I know." he interrupted, and tried to cast her a forgiving look, but failed. "I feel what you feel. You can't lie to me, either." "I know. You'd think I'd remember that by now. I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to lie to you...I was trying to protect you." "It's fine;" he closed his eyes, flopping backwards onto his back. "I've just got to get used to the fact that I am second rate." Josie silently gasped at the insinuation.
"No, you're not! I'm just so confused right now, I don't know what's what. I'm being torn in two different directions, and I don't know which way to turn. I don't even know what to think or feel. It's so chaotic for the both of you, I have no clue what to do. You'll just have to be patient enough to let me get through this."
"That's ironic; you feel torn in two, and I feel split in half...." he replied, staring at the ceiling. Josie sighed.
"I'm sorry..." she paused, not sure what else to say. After a moment, she realized she hadn't mentioned the press. "Corbin wants me to come with him to that ridiculous press conference he called. I'm supposed to be the arm candy..." she told him, uninterest dripping from her words. Alistair shook his head.
"He's right though, you will make him look slightly more credible - and, you being there will enhance his aura." She gasped.
"I KNEW there was another reason why he wanted me there! He's more obvious than he lets on, you know. Hopefully these demons don't know how to watch TV..."
"They're hundreds of years out of the loop, I don't think they will even know what a TV even is." Ali mused, raising a brow. "I don't think Corbin thought of that. It's a human device; the demons shouldn't care, but if they realize it's also used for local news and communication...." He and Josie locked eyes, and exchanged glances.
"....We're fucked." they both said, in unison. They flew from the bed, Ali put on a pair of jeans, and Josie the dress, and both quickly ran for the throne room. Corbin was just about dressed, and stopped to look at them both as he pulled his hood over his head.
"I didn't want both of you," he said, raising a brow. "But I guess the more the merrier. Just, put a shirt on, hmm?" Josie stared at him in disbelief.
"Have you not been paying attention to me, just now?" Corbin shook his head.
"No, actually. I just finished eating breakfast..." he said, pointing at a lifeless corpse in the corner. There were far too many of those in here, lately, Josie thought. "We don't have much time to chatter. They'll be here in a little bit."
"Corbin, you're making a risky assumption that these demons won't realize what the TV is, or that one might not accidentally overhear the news cast...." Ali told him, crossing his arms over his chest. Corbin shook his head and sighed.
"I don't have a choice. They are expecting a news release from me, and we need their help. There's no other way to do it. We have to."
"We can't just charm the entire USA. It doesn't work that way." Josie said, placing her hands on her hips.
"I have to try." Josie's face shifted with thought.
"Hang on, I have an idea. I know just what we will do." she said, grinning.
"That's good," Alistair said, walking towards them from the door, where a sentry was standing. "Because the news van has been spotted, parked on the road a kilometer away." Corbin growled.
"This had better be good, Josie....Because our blood is on your hands if it's not."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"...This is channel nine, on location, signing out." a female voice said, talking towards a large camera. After a moment, the cameraman lowered the camera, and started moving towards the news van. "Well, not quite the monumental story you implied, but interesting nonetheless..." she said, primping at her hair in a mirror from her purse. "Well, good luck with that." her voice was uninterested. The blonde woman stalked up to the van, got in, and as soon as the cameraman got in, they drove away. Once they were out of earshot, Corbin's plastered-on grin washed away to a disbelieving fear-filled exchange.
"Are you CRAZY?" he demanded, shaking his head. "Did you seriously just invite Obama to our bunker for FUCKING AFTERNOON TEA on NEWS TELEVISION!?"
"THINK ABOUT IT!" she barked back, staring at him. "You don't need to control the masses to control the masses. Just the leader. His people will follow him, and on down the chain. We don't need to have the entire US in our back pocket; just Obama. No one even needs to know that we're vampires; we are just a secret militia." Corbin started pacing.
"You're fucking insane. I hope you're right."
"You KNOW I am."
"Guys?" Alistair interrupted, staring off into the distance. "Not to interrupt your argument, but we have a problem."
"WHAT could possibly be more important than--" Corbin stopped, glancing in the direction that Ali was pointing. His voice cut off, and his face fell. Josie perked a curious brow, and looked as well. There was a figure walking towards them, and it looked distinctly like a lumbering corpse. That wasn't possible. She shook her head to clear her eyes, and looked again. The figure was indeed shriveled looking, but had hair, and clothing. A piece of neck was missing, and it looked distinctly like a vampire had drained an already dead body - but vampires fed on the living.
"What the hell is that?" she asked.
"That..." Corbin said, backing away slowly. "Is a zombie." he said. One, then two, then twenty more figures appeared from the trees from the direction of Half-Plate, and soon there was a hoarde. The first one snapped his glance up to the three of them, and twitched his head to the side. He raised his head to the sky, and let out a high-pitched, gutteral, primal-sounding scream. The rest replied with one of their own, and started to run towards them. Within a second, they were moving full-tilt as fast as they could, screaming at them loudly.
"Run...." Corbin said, shaking his head. "RUN!"
