Campus Life: 6. Mausoleum
by filmtheory
“It’s grotesque,” Emily said as she walked down the hall.

“It’s tradition!” Connor answered.

“One they haven’t practiced for three years. Because it’s grotesque!” Emily came to a stop. “Make you a deal.”

Connor raised his eyebrows. “Is it kinky?”

“I’m not having sex in the mausoleum.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “The party’s not in the mausoleum. It’s outside.” Emily gave him her you-know-what-I-mean look. “Then what’s the deal?”

“Get Dawn a date for Halloween.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “I don’t think she wants any help from me. Especially in that area.”

“It’s not just for her. I . . . I still feel guilty. No matter how many times she says we have her blessing, I still feel like I stole her guy.”

“What about Peter?”

“Your roommate? He’s cute! Cuter than you, even.”

“Easy!” Connor said, feigning hurt.

“I’m just saying she’d be over you in no time if he showed up. Is he single?”

“No,” Connor said sarcastically. “He has a wife and two kids. Think Dawn’ll mind?”

“Wise ass. I’ll talk to Dawn after class and call you.” Emily glanced both ways, then grabbed Connor’s shirt and pulled him forward, kissing him.

**

“A Halloween party,” Dawn said disbelievingly. “At a crypt?”

“Leland Stanford and his family,” Emily said. “Student Government put it on for like a hundred years, but stopped in 2001. This year, though, Connor’s friends are doing it again.”

“And this is your boyfriend? Who wants to party on a crypt?”

“I know it’s gross but . . .” Emily frowned. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise. “Connor’s bringing his roommate, Peter. He’s a total babe.”

“I hate blind dates.”

“Have you ever had one?”

“Well, no. But I have a feeling I wouldn’t like them.”

“He’s not a blind date. Peter can see perfectly well.”

“Ha, ha, ha,” Dawn deadpanned.

“Plus I have a picture.”

Emily heard Connor approach and opened it the door before he could knock. “I said I’d call!”

“Couldn’t wait,” Connor said, handing Emily a box of Godiva chocolates. “Hey Summers,” he said, holding up another box of chocolates. “Just because you’re too old to trick or treat doesn’t mean you’re too old to rot your teeth.”

Dawn blushed slightly and took the candy. She hated Connor and his mixed messages. I’m not interested, but here’s a box of expensive chocolates. Oh, and by the way, you’re one of the guys now, so I’ll just call you by your last name. Jerk.

“Thanks,” Dawn said. “You really shouldn’t have.”

Connor smiled. “The Godiva store at Stanford Shopping Center was having a buy one get one free sale.”

“Oh,” Dawn said, feeling deflated that she was only the free bonus gift.

“He’s lying,” Emily said. “I can tell. He does this little twitchy thing with his shoulder. Besides, Godiva never has sales.”

Dawn set the box by her bed and looked down. She couldn’t tell which was worse. The idea that she was an afterthought hurt like hell. But Connor caring enough to buy her $75 chocolates made him so adorable. And that opened a wound that would take infinitely longer to heal. “So like I said,” Dawn mumbled. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Not a big deal. My parents sent me some money and if I didn’t spend it on beautiful women right away, I couldn’t call myself a right and proper college guy, could I? You coming tonight?”

“Maybe,” Dawn said. “I hear you have a cute roommate.”

“I’d do ‘im,” Connor smiled.

Dawn smiled. “When’re you guys coming by?”

***

“So she’s cute?” Pete said.

“Pretty,” Connor said. “Cute sounds like we’re talking about . . . I don’t know. Bunny rabbits or something.”

As Dawn answered the door in her rabbit costume, Connor and Pete fought to suppress laughter.

“What?” Dawn said.

“We were just talking about rabbits, that’s all,” Connor said, looking past Dawn to see if Emily was ready.

Dawn frowned. All she was to Connor was a servant who answered his princess’ door. Emily had been right. Peter was a cutie pie. Tall, slender with broad shoulders, blonde hair, and emerald green eyes. Yet it was somehow spoiled for Dawn that she met him through Connor.

Dawn thought Connor looked adorable in his costume. He wore a back robe, red and yellow scarf, and eyeglasses. He carried a wooden wand and had a lightning-bolt shaped scar painted on his forehead. It didn’t hurt that Dawn loved the Harry Potter books.

“Don’t you look like that three nights a month anyway?” Connor said to Emily.

Emily was wearing a dog costume. She sat on the edge of her bed reading one of the books Willow had given her, Channeling the Wolf Within.

“Dawn and I decided on an animal theme,” Emily said absentmindedly as she continued reading.

Connor sat on Emily’s bed and leaned back against the headboard. “You’re an animal alright,” he grinned as he stroked her hair playfully. “But I was hoping you’d wear something skimpy.”

“Are you kidding? It’s freezing outside.” Emily shrugged away as Connor’s playfulness got too . . . playful. “Not here,” she mouthed, nodding toward Dawn.

“So, um, you’re Dawn,” Pete said, looking awe-struck. “Connor was right. You’re pretty!”

He called me beautiful and pretty in one day! Dawn thought. “Connor said I was pretty?”

“And I agreed.”

“Thanks,” she said shyly. “I’m glad Emily suggested this. Just out of curiosity, because I know a guy with only one eye, the eye patch is part of the costume, right?”

Pete was dressed as a pirate. He laughed and lifted his eye patch, revealing a second gorgeous eye. “The parrot on my shoulder’s fake, too. But don’t tell anyone.”

****

Dusk had only just passed, yet the party was already packed. Music blasted. There were several punch bowls, each with a different colored concoction. (Surely they were all non-alcoholic, due to the many underage students present!) Heat lamps were placed intermittently around the mausoleum to lessen the effect of the chilly autumn air. This of course meant that Dawn and Emily, in their heavy costumes, were extremely uncomfortable.

Pete stood behind Dawn, swaying his hips to the music. He did his best to gyrate close enough to Dawn that he could consider it dancing with her, but far enough away to be respectful.

Connor showed up carefully carrying four red party cups.

"You're such a great provider," Emily said with a grin.

Dawn took her drink and nodded in thanks. Emily had again hit a chord without trying. Why was Emily’s date bringing Dawn a drink? Shouldn't Pete be getting her drunk instead of trying to dry hump her ass? She took a sip, knowing she was being ridiculous. Pete had accidentally bumped into her twice as he swayed behind her. But if he wanted to dance, he should have asked Dawn thought in a bid to keep her feeling of justified anger rolling.

"I can barely taste the alcohol," Dawn said to Connor. He was busy nuzzling Emily's neck while she did her best to push him away and seem proper.

"Jungle Juice," Pete said. "It's Hawaiian Punch and Everclear. Stronger than it tastes, so be careful."

"Aren't you supposed to be trying to get me drunk?" Dawn asked playfully.

"Never on the first date.”

Dawn smiled back. He seemed nice enough. But still, Pete hadn't even offered to get her a drink.

"Want me to get you something else? There's more alcoholic tasting if you want that. There' even non-alcoholic if I can get to it before someone spikes it."

Dawn shook her head. "This is fine." Still, what was with the dancing by himself? What was she? A . . .

"So you want to dance?"

It's official, Dawn. You're being a bitch. A cute guy who's really nice likes you. Stop looking for flaws.

"I'd love to dance," she said.

Emily took Dawn's cup so Dawn could go dance. Connor was standing behind Emily, holding her as she watched Dawn go off. It made Emily happy.

"They're a cute couple," Emily said.

"Yeah," Connor said, sticking his face to Emily's neck and kissing it.

Then Emily saw someone that made her less happy. Emily felt ashamed at being upset to see her own brother.

“Hey, sis,” Craig said. His nose was still bandaged from when Connor broke it. He was wearing a 30’s style suit and a fedora. Craig did his best not to make eye contact with Connor, but occasionally stole bitter glances.

“Nice costume,” Emily said.

“Since I already have the bandaged nose, I figured I’d go as Jack Nicholson from Chinatown.”

Emily wondered if Craig and his teammates were planning to jump Connor again. She had no idea how Connor had gotten out of that jam last time, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to pull it off twice.

“This punk treating you right?” Craig said.

Relief flooded through Emily. Connor wouldn’t know, but that’s what Craig said about both the guys she’d dated in high school.

“Yeah,” Emily said with a smile. “He treats me wonderfully.”

Craig nodded, finally making eye contact with Connor. “Can I talk to you?”

Here it is Connor thought. “Yeah.”

Craig led Connor to the edge of the party. Connor glanced around. Unbeknownst to Craig, Connor could see perfectly in the dark. He’d know if he were about to be jumped.

“My father usually gives this talk,” Craig said. “But he’s not around, so it’s on me.”

Connor was still listening for sounds of approaching football players.

Craig continued. “I don’t know how she’d react if she ever got in that situation for real, but Emily always said she didn’t like the idea of abortion. I’m not saying she looks down on people who do. But she says she wouldn’t get one herself. Are you listening to me?”

Connor looked Craig in the eye, finally realizing he really did just want to talk. “You brought me here to talk about politics?”

“I brought you here to talk about my sister. My father’s one of those old fashioned hypocrites who thinks his son should sew his oats and his daughter should be chaste until death. I’m not that extreme. I know she’s in college and . . . and stuff might happen between you two.”

Craig lightly shoved Connor for effect. “But before anything does happen, you need to understand that if you . . . if she . . . if she got pregnant, I wouldn’t let you walk away from that. You’d be a father to that baby.”

Connor nodded. He was brought out here expecting a fight. He wasn’t ready for this. What if he did get her pregnant? What would his child with a werewolf be? Another Jasmine? Could he ever, in good conscience, father another child again? Fights he could handle. But now his relationship with Emily and his entire future was in question. And that was something that scared Connor.

“I don’t walk away from my responsibilities,” Connor said in his most steadfast voice. “Ever.”

Craig nodded, then laughed nervously. “God, that was uncomfortable.”

“Get used to it. You might have a daughter who brings home a guy like you some day.”

“Oh, man. I think I’m going to be sick.”

*****

“This is going to be so cool,” the sophomore said as he placed the candle on top of the sarcophagus.

“Come on Todd, help me get the door shut before someone sees.”

“It’s Rad,” Todd said as he lit the candle. “My name is Rad.”

“Rat?” Jeff laughed as he finally closed the door.

“Rad,” Todd said again.

"Whatever. Besides, I'm only here to prove you're full of it."

"Wait 'til you see, man. My brother taught me this. Those kids are going to piss themselves when Jane and Leland walk out of here."

"I don't know why I even listen to you. Except that it's going to make me twenty bucks."

Todd performed the spell and waited breathlessly. Minutes passed. Nothing moved.

"Hah," Jeff said loudly. "Twenty bucks, loser!"

Todd stared at the candle with disbelief. "But . . . I don't understand!"

"I do," Jeff laughed. "It's like I said. You're full of it."

******

Emily and Connor hadn’t gone far from the party. They snuck into a class building and kissed passionately for what seemed like only moments, but was nearly half an hour.

Connor broke a particularly long kiss. He was growing restless and wanted more, but his conversation with Craig still weighed on his mind.

"We should get back to the party," Connor said. "Peter and Dawn are probably looking for us by now."

“Yeah.” Emily didn’t move, only looked at Connor. “You’re worried about something.” She could smell it.

“My shoulder still hurts a little.”

“I still can’t believe that you got shot. For me.”

“Had to,” Connor said as he pulled her to her feet.

“Because I’m your girl?” Emily said with wry grin as she got to her feet. Connor was still holding her and looking into her eyes.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, looking into her eyes as if he were about to kiss her.

“And because you love me?”

“Yeah,” Connor whispered again.

“Say it,” Emily whispered, putting her head on his shoulder.

“I love you.”

“Why does that worry you?”

Connor stroked her hair. “Who said-”

“I can tell.”

Connor kissed her. “We have to go.” Holding her hand, he guided her from the room.

"I love you, too, you know,” she said as they stepped into the hallway.

“That’s the wolf talking.”

“The wolf doesn’t love you. It lusts for you. When you breathe on my neck, or kiss my ear, or touch my arm and I want to take you right then, that’s the wolf. But when I call to hear your voice or dream that I’m holding you when I’m really hugging my pillow, that’s me. That’s me loving you.”

Connor turned and looked at Emily. “I . . .” Connor suddenly pushed Emily gently against the wall.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"You hear that?"

"Sounds like trick or treaters."

Connor laughed at his own stupidity. "I'm just jumpy." He began to walk again, then froze.

Emily heard it too. "Janitor?"

"Or security. We better get out of here."

The sound of the slow, deliberate footsteps approached the top of the stairwell. Emily and Connor turned and ran the other way. Connor kept his speed down so Emily could run in front and not be seen by the guy behind them. Luckily, Channeling the Wolf was apparently doing its job. Emily was running fast as hell.

They made it to the stairwell and sprinted down the stairs. Emily reached the exit and depressed the horizontal bar to open the door.

"Wait!" Connor reached past Emily, grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut. Emily was about to ask what he was doing when the glass in front of her shattered. Connor grabbed her shoulder and spun her, throwing his body between hers and the shattering glass. An arm came through the door groping wildly at them.

Emily began to run toward the stairwell door leading to the first floor. Connor pulled her back to him. "Not that way either.” Just as he finished speaking, the door flew open and people began stumbling in. Emily gasped in horror. "They look . . ."

"They are," Connor said, pushing her toward the stairs.

Emily ran hard passing the door to the second floor just as it flew open. A moaning man came stumbling out. Connor was right behind Emily. He grabbed the handrail and swung from the flight of steps below the second floor to the flight above, kicking the moaning man as he did so.

Emily had stopped and stared in horror.

"Keep going!" Connor yelled.

Connor and Emily ran onto the roof of the building. "If I'm a werewolf," she said as she stared down from the roof. "I guess I shouldn't be so shocked about zombies."

"We have to find something blunt or something sharp. To kill a zombie, you have to cut off its brain activity."

"Um . . . Connor," Emily said nervously. She pointed to the ground below her. Connor stepped to the edge of the roof and looked down. Below them, an army of zombies was marching past.

"The ones we saw must have come into the building because they smelled food," he said.

"Food?" Emily asked.

"Us.”

"Oh. Wow. You're like the professional demons fighter then, huh?"

Connor shook his head. "No. I used to be, but . . . that's not the life my father wants for me. Or the life I want for myself." Connor looked further away and saw that more zombies were coming from the opposite direction. They were converging on: "The mausoleum," Connor said.

"Dawn!" Emily said anxiously.

Connor looked at her. "The zombies are going toward the party. If you go out the other side of the building and go toward Willow's, they shouldn’t chase you."

"Where are you going?" Emily asked.

"To get Dawn," Connor answered.

"I'm coming with you!"

"No!" Connor shouted.

"Connor, I'm safest with you.”

Connor grabbed Emily and kissed her. "I'm going to get you out of this building. Then I need you to go to Willow's. I can't do what I have to do if I'm worried about you. Please."

*******

A fire extinguisher had served to smash in the heads of the few zombies in the south stairwell. Emily had run for Willow’s while Connor scrounged for another weapon. A fire extinguisher would be too unwieldy to use against an army of them. There was no time to run to his dorm and get his sword.

One of these buildings has to have a fire axe.

Not far away, Dawn leaned her head against Peter’s chest as they danced slowly. Halloween hi-jinks she thought as screaming broke out. Some guy probably . . . actually, that’s a lot of screaming for . . .

“Come on,” Pete said as he gripped her and spun his body. He turned her away from the rush of people storming past them and pressed her against the mausoleum for protection. It was Full Moon on the Quad all over again. At least this time, she had a guy who wouldn’t run away.

“The crypt,” Pete said. “There’s light inside it.”

“Is it open?” Dawn asked frantically. She’d finally seen what was driving the students away. There was an army of corpses marching for them. Screams rose all around. Students rushed back toward the middle. The zombies were coming from both sides.

“We’ll see,” Pete said. Holding Dawn behind him, he pushed through the throng of people running past him. He grabbed the crypt door and pulled. “It won’t open!” he said frantically.

“Let me help,” Dawn said, grabbing the door and pulling herself. Slowly, the door began to pull away.

Pete screamed and the door stopped moving. “What the hell!” he shouted as a zombie pushed him to the ground. Some zombies fell on him and others trampled past him.

Dawn screamed as they grabbed her. Teeth sunk into her arm. The smell of rotting flesh filled her nostrils. She felt bony hands grabbing her hair and ripping at it.

Dawn tried to keep her wits as she heard the sound of bones cracking. The sensation of the bite died away.

“Dawn, get down!” she heard a voice call. She ducked her head while her brain attempted to process who had spoken. She felt breeze whip past her. The sound of crunching bone was followed by the sensation of bony hands relenting. Dawn opened her eyes and looked up.

“Aim for the head!” Connor called as he threw her an aluminum baseball bat. He had another in his hand and a bag full of them strapped to his back. He was helping Pete from the ground. He stopped helping Pete long enough to turn and swing his bat, viciously smashing in the head of a zombie behind him. The whole motion was so fast, Dawn could barely tell it happened.

Dawn turned and started batting away the zombies behind her. She was afraid and it was making it hard to get any power behind her swings. “Connor, the crypt!”

“That’s where they’re going!”

“Then maybe whatever’s controlling them is in there!” Dawn answered.

Connor nodded. Leaning Pete against the mausoleum, he grabbed the door and wrenched it open. He helped his roommate get inside, but as soon as Connor released Pete, Pete fell over, hitting the floor.

Dawn had her back against the mausoleum again. She swung wildly, hammering zombies to the ground. But her earlier hesitation had allowed them to gang up on her. Finally, the zombies got wise. One grabbed her bat, then another. They began tugging. Dawn was suddenly in a struggle to keep her weapon, let alone kill the enemy.

The bat was almost wrenched free. Dawn, instead of trying to tug the bat toward her, pulled herself toward the bat. She slammed the top of her head into the nose of one of the zombies struggling with her. It moaned and fell backward. Dawn pulled the bat away from the other zombie and smashed his arm with it. Her second swing crushed its skull.

Dawn cocked the bat to swing again when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her from the ground. Dawn was about to wail her captor with her bat when she felt a calming sensation. Warmth. The arm around her was warm. The arm around her was human.

Connor carried Dawn to the crypt door. She marveled at the immense strength in his skinny frame. He was holding her under his right arm and batting away the zombies with his left. He kicked a zombie away from the door and tried to squeeze in. A zombie pulled him back.

Connor pitched Dawn into the crypt, much like he had with Peter. Connor tried to spin and face the zombies, but several were on him now. He felt the weight of the bag on his back lessen and, before he understood what was happening, the zombies released him and were shuffling away.

Connor turned just as Emily ran into him full force, knocking him and herself into the crypt. They looked at each other, both understanding without speaking that they had to close the crypt door. They grabbed the door and pulled as hard as they could. A zombies arm reached in and gripped Emily’s hair. They pulled the door harder, slamming it shut and chopping off the zombies forearm.

“I told you to go to Willow’s” Connor said angrily.

“You’re my boyfriend, not my father. I don’t have to do what you say and I sure as hell don’t have to leave you to be eaten by zombies. Oh, and you’re welcome by the way.”

Connor smiled. “Thanks,” he said, kissing her.

“I said get away from him!” Dawn’s voice echoed through the mausoleum. Connor and Emily turned to see the almost amusing sight of Dawn holding a bat threateningly and walking toward Todd.

The room was lit only by the flickering light of a candle. The shadows of the figures danced on the walls, as if alive themselves. The eerie tableau was augmented by the sounds from outside the crypt; people screaming, zombies moaning, pounding and scratching at the crypt door.

“Another step and I’ll kill him!” Todd was standing over Peter, who looked as if he’d already been cut. Pete’s leg was broken and he looked afraid for his life.

“Not before I pummel you!” Dawn shouted back.

“Not before we pummel you!” Emily added, approaching Todd from the other side. She cocked her bat.

Connor followed Emily, then froze. “Todd?”

“You know him?” Dawn and Emily yelled simultaneously.

“It’s Rad!” Todd yelled.

“Hey,” Connor said. “Cool. Rad, then. But look, you want to go to medical school, this is not how to get it done.” Connor’s foot hit something and he looked down. Jeff Carter lay on the ground with his throat cut.

“I need more power. Jeff’s blood wasn’t enough.”

“You killed Jeff!” Connor said in outrage.

“Poor jerk thought I came here to raise Leland and Jane. But they’ve been dead too long. Really, I needed his blood to raise the zombies.” He nodded toward Pete. “I need this one’s to control the zombies.”

“What do you need to kill the zombies?” Dawn yelled.

“Kill them?” Todd laughed. “Why would I kill my own army? You all think I’m a loser. A nothing. Girls not even as pretty as you laugh at me when I ask them out. And you, Connor, you don’t think I’ve heard you and your friends talking about how bad my grades are? That I’m dumber than you? Or that I’ll never get into med school like you guys would? You wouldn’t even let me in your study group!”

“What the hell does that have to with raising the dead? If girls don’t like you, you try to get to know them before asking them out. If guys don’t let you in a study group, you form your own. If you’re getting bad grades, you study. Harder. What you don’t do, is raise the dead.”

“It’s too late for that. The only way I can make you stop laughing is to kill you. To let the light of my vengeance march throughout campus with-”

“Light!” Dawn said. Before anyone could tell what she meant, she stepped to the sarcophagus and swung her bat.

“No!” Todd yelled as Dawn connected with the candle and smashed it.

The crypt went black, but Todd lunged for where Dawn had stood.

Emily, still able to sense where Todd was, jumped the sarcophagus, landing between Todd and Dawn. “No you don’t!” Emily shouted as she punched Todd hard, knocking him to the ground.

Connor listened. The scratching and pounding at the door had stopped. Connor breathed a sigh of relief. “Dawn, you are so awesome.” He stepped to the door. He opened it and looked out.

“Oh, come on!” Connor yelled. “We knocked the candle down. What more do you want?!”

Outside, the zombies were no longer converging on the crypt. But they had not died either. Now that the candle was destroyed, the zombies were no longer summoned to the crypt. They were now free to pillage campus.

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