4883/Rising from the Dead

Rising from the Dead
Date of Scene:	10 July 2018
Location:	Los Angeles Cemetery
Synopsis:	Josh, Andrea, and Jubilee go on a recruitment mission for a new mutant -- in a cemetery.
Cast of Characters:	Dead Girl, Rage, Elixir, Jubilee

---

Dead Girl has posed:
Los Angeles National Cemetary.

12:35 AM.

It is a dark and scary night -- well, it is dark but not scary, depending on how one felt about traveling through a cemetery at night. A full moon lights up the sky, shining down on tombstones and mausoleums alike. Other than the calls from insects that riddle the grounds, the cemetery is relatively quiet. The groundskeeper is sleep somewhere in his stationed quarters, and there is a guard patrolling the area, but she is on the other side of the property.

The objective is simple enough: find a mutant and bring her back to the mansion. Easy-peasy, right?

Locked inside one of the mausoleums is a woman that has been trapped inside for three days now. She has no food, no water, and no way of getting out. Her name is Moonbeam, and she died three days ago, yet she sits inside with her head between her legs and her hands covering her ears, shaking. Her tear ducts were dry but she cries in suffering, taunted by voices and visions of ghosts.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghost..." Moonbeam repeats, and has been repeating for three hours now. As many times as she says the phrase, they fly around her feeling disrespected. They had unfinished business and she could see them -- they need her.

"LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!"

Moonbeam's scream scatters the specters, giving them power, giving them form, and they fly to the outside of the mausoleum where she sits in terror, guarding it. No one will touch it, her. They need her. If only she knew that she needs them the same.

Floating, five people covered in ethereal energy can be seen.

Rage has posed:
The New Mutants were sent on a mission from Ororo this morning to track down this new wayward mutant and bring her back to the school. Andrea easily signed up for the mission, as did Josh and a tag-a-long that is Jubilee. Something about 'adult supervision.' As they entered the graveyard, the global charting popstar had stripped down in the car and slid out the backseat as a black wolf with a white star upon her chest. She trots forward, giving a few curious sniffs of the air, tuning her ears forward to catch any noises. She bumps against Josh's legs, tail flagging upwards as she signals she has something, then trots off quickly through the tombstones as she beelines for the house of spirits and a dead girl waiting for them inside.

Elixir has posed:
Josh slides out of the rental car and looks across the graveyard. He's dressed in his usual with a non-descript black jacket over his t-shirt.

"Right, 'cause this is like /obviously/ a great idea," he says dryly, surveying the place. It's creepy. He gives Jubilee an 'okay then' look and walks around the car toward the entrance. When Andrea bumps into he looks down.

"What is it, girl? Is Timmy in trouble?"

He waits for Jubilee and then starts off after Andrea.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee steps out of the car, guarding for a little privacy as the underaged teen feels it appropriate to strip publicly. They'll have a talk about that later. Jubilee circles around the car once the transition has been made, and she joins Josh as the wolf does, only with less tail wagging. For her part, Jubilee is dressed in a pink tanktop with a black leather jacket, black cargo pants and boots. Atop her head is nestled her usual pair of brass goggles, holding her careless black waves back away from her face.

"The hell, man?" She asks with a grin, nudging Josh as she comes up beside him. "C'mon, anything's a good idea as long as we're havin' fun. Just not sure why it's HERE." She gives an easy wink and tosses a ball of light just above their heads. It hangs and lingers there, bobbing along, occasionally changing color, but illuminating well enough to light the path directly in front of their feet.

Dead Girl has posed:
The ball of light can be seen in the distance, and the group of specters takes notice. One of them hovers forward, knowing.

<<They have come for her,>> he says, his voice shrouded in telepathic mystery. <<If they take her, we will not cease to exist. They must not!>>

Three of the ghosts disappear.

One appears in front of Moonbeam and continues to taunt her, swirling around her and speaking into her mind. She looks up to him with tired red eyes as he mentions her failed career, how ugly she had become, and how she would be nothing. He poked at her for fun, knowing that she had a power unlike those he has encountered in the past.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Moonbeam demands, her mutation activating.

As the New Mutants, accompanied by Jubilee, move forward the air around them starts to lower in temperature and a sudden gust of wind is born. A low howling sound can be heard and there is a sense that they are not alone. And then, hands reach up from several graves. Skinless, old bones force themselves from the Earth, rising at the command of necromancy, energy its wielder unwittingly accesses.

They rise with no other focus but to serve, and when they do, they approach the team with reckless abandon. Men, women, animals -- they all follow suit taking one step at a time towards the team.

<<Leave this place NOW-->>

<<She MUST NOT be allowed to leave-->>

<<We need HER!>>

Rage has posed:
As the team moves forward through the graveyard, Rage's ears give a few more flickers about to pinpoint the direction, followed by another sniff. As the ground begins to rumble and the dead starts to pull their way out of the ground to meet them, there's the sound of bones snapping as her body arches, followed by a grunt of pain. Shooting up into the air of about eight feet tall, she takes her war form of black fur, razor sharp claws gleaming and a large jaw full of teeth. << Timmy is definitely in trouble >> She growls out in a tongue the other two won't be able to understand, though by the gleam in her golden eyes, it appears she is eager for this fight. She glances over to Josh and Jubilee, motioning with a single claw towards the structure of where the girl is being kept, then motions to the monsters approaching. She draws a claw under her chin, along her neck in a universal sign of: I got this. Don't worry.

Elixir has posed:
Josh stops in his tracks as hands start to claw out of the ground around him.

"What in the proper..." he starts then startles. A hand was reaching up through the ground between his feet and grasping at his pant leg. He makes a unpronounceable sound as he pulls away.

"Sure," he says to Andrea when she gestures and looks to Jubilee for direction, ready to do as he's told. "Still having fun?"

Jubilee has posed:
"Cool, GROSS!" Jubilee offers a crooked little smile to Josh. "Ohh yeah." She lifts her hands far apart in front of her, and three large balls of roiling blue plasma fire out from each palm in different directions, flying directly into the chests of the six closest and most threatening shamblers. Whichever ones make contact explode with fantastic force in a show of light to shatter the entities. Above their heads, the guiding ball of light turns white and brightens to make the landscape like daylight for twenty yards in every direction.

Dead Girl has posed:
As the specter continues to belittle her, another specter enters the mausoleum, a small child holding a teddy bear.

<<Don't be MEAN! Stop being MEAN!>> Her demand is met with no objection as he floats away laughing, his telepathic voice cruel and filled with angst. The child floats closer to Moonbeam, hovering just far enough for her ethereal hands to reach the deceased woman.

Instinctively, Moonbean pulls back against the wall of the mausoleum.

<<I'm sorry he was mean to you. I'm sorry you are crying.>>

"You are not real... there's no way," Moonbeam says, shaken. "What is happening to me? Am I going insane?"

<<I don't know. But you are the only one that can see us.>>

- - - - - - - - -

The six corpses lose their body parts at the plasma's behest, but the others continue to march forward. Their focus is to apprehend, to push them away, to get away from her as she commands.

<<You DARE desecrate the dead?!>> The ghost flies right up to Jubilee, bringing his ethereal face directly in front of her own. <<You will pay.>>

In that moment, the slow moving corpses erupt into full a full sprint towards the group. Even the blown up bits of decaying flesh from Jubilee's attack find a way to march on -- an arm pulling itself forward, a leg hobbling along. They are not affected by the brilliant white light surrounding them, but it does uncover the scene of more than fifty zombies heading in their direction.

The female guard sees the light in the distance. Curious, she turns with her flashlight and heads in the direction to find the source.

Rage has posed:
The large werewolf takes off in a blur as she swings her claws in and out of The Walking Dead, looking to tear them apart and send them falling to the ground back into pieces. There's a low rumbling growl from her as anticipation builds within the pit of her stomach. She revels in the chance to fight, though there is a bif of restraint being used as the pair of personalities battle for control of the large warform. "Get. The. Girl." Comes the English words from the large body as if it is hard to speak, the words directed at Josh. << Yes, leave the battle to me! >> Skulls will be smashed and bones will be snapped as the fairytale beast of a mutant explodes into action.

Elixir has posed:
Getting no direction from Jubilee before the fireworks start, Josh takes off at a full sprint while Andrea launches into the fray.

"Just like football," he says to himself as he starts sprinting. "Zombie footballl.. Yeah..."

He had been a receiver in high school and puts that to use. Any opening created by Andrea's attack and Jubilee's blasts he sees as weak points in the defensive line. He makes for those, twisting and turning and dropping his shoulder when necessary to make way toward the mausoleum.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee's eyes grow a little wider as the ghost approaches to stare directly into her face. She reaches out and pokes one finger into the ghostly visage. "Poke." She withdraws her finger then and shrugs. "YOU desecrated 'em first. S'cuse me tho, I've gotta block for Heisman." She smiles sweetly and somersaults into position just ahead and off to one side of Josh, facing both palms forward, and issuing a plume of angry, white-hot plasma the size of a Volkswagen. She runs with him, keeping the plume up as long as possible to clear a path through the throngs of undead. "Sorry Sir! Er...Ma'am? Oh, Scuse us, Hottie comin' through!"

Dead Girl has posed:
<<You shouldn't ignore us,>> the child says. <<They don't like being ignored. I am okay with being alone. My mom always visits me.>>

"V- visits you?" Moonbeam asks.

<<Yes, here at the cem-er-tary. Strange men brought you here days ago.>>

"Days ago?" Moonbeam repeats, her interest peaking. She went into thought at that moment. The last thing she remembers is having dinner and then everything went dark. And then, a glimpse of her host smiling devilishly hits her, and Moonbeam gasps for air. "Chad?...No...Why...?"

- - - - -

The undead reel at the attacks, falling to the ground in parts and pieces, but they continue on. Some jump at Josh's legs, others throw themselves in his path, but he gets through because of his football experience. Jubilee's plum of plasma creates a path, helping to clear the dead men, women, children, and animals from in front of them. Snarling, Andrea slashes at several corpses surrounding her, and then follows her teammates.

In front of them was the mausoleum. It is locked with several chains and locks. Someone did not want anyone to get inside apparently.

- - - - -

<<Your friends are here, outside,>> the ghosts says, pointing at the door.

"Friends?" Moonbeam looks up and stands to her full height, running for the door. She pulls at the handle for nothing to happen, and then starts to bang her fist against the door. "HEEEEEEEELLLLP! LET ME OUT!" She does not care whether the people are friend or foe, Moonbeam just wanted out.

Rage has posed:
After shoving away another zombie to the side, followed by an uppercut swing that sends another flying, Rage's ears prick at the sound of the shouting behind the doors. She lumbers forward, allowing Jubilee to continue to lay down cover fire as she reaches out for the chains on the door. She plants one massive paw against the wall, then gives a hard yank on the chains near the lock to try and pop it free. There's a loud growl from the beast as she looks to free the trapped girl from behind the doors.

Elixir has posed:
Josh runs through the blinding lights tossed out by Jubilee and the grasping hands. He comes to a stop leaning up against the side of the mausoleum building. "Geez, good thing the girls are here, I'd be a dead man," he say sardonically, breathing heavily. He watches behind them as Andrea sets to ripping the chains and opening the door.

Jubilee has posed:
When they finally arrive at the mausoleum, Jubilee stands behind the other two facing the onslaught of undead, and blasting rapid-fire balls of light like a Roman candle. Every color of the rainbow is exploding he behind them, knocking down undead. Jubilee is just having fun now.

Dead Girl has posed:
Moonbeam hears action on the other side of the door, and then a sudden breaking of chains. And growling? An eyebrow rose and she steps back from the door as it starts to open. At the sight of Andrea's wolf form, Moonbeam backpedals, falls to the ground, and continues pushing herself from the beast in front of her until she feels the wall behind her.

"Don't kill me!" she screams, closing her eyes and raising her hands.

The intensity of the horde of undead increases at her command. The force is now too much for Jubilee's plasma and Andrea's brute force, pushing them all inside of the mausoleum. And when enough of them surround Moonbeam, they all stop in place. There is no sound, no movement, just frozen corpses forming a wall around the necromancer.

<<They like you,>> the child specter says in their minds.

Slowly opening her eyes, Moonbeam takes notice of the undead and she screams again. They were the undead and she is their master.

Rage has posed:
As the doors fly open, Rage takes a step back and holds her paws out in an attempt to calm her as she takes a few steps back. Turning back to the fight, she looks to re-engage the hoard with Jubilee and to let Josh deal with the calming of the young girl.

Elixir has posed:
Josh pushes around Andrea as she turns to re-engage the undead and moves into the doorway.

"It's okay, we're friends, we're... " he says and blinks, catching sight of the... girl... inside... "...friends... My name is Josh, but we gotta go right now!"

Jubilee has posed:
In the darkness of the mausoleum, Jubilee has lost her little guiding ball of light. In the sudden silence of the undead frozen in place, there is only a little whimper coming from Jubilee, now sitting on the floor, having tumbled backwards in the rush.

"It's ooon my fooooot...getitoff, GETITOFF!!" She's pulling but there's not enough room in the tiny mausoleum to scramble, so there are just a lot of shuffling sounds and muffled squeaks. "IT'S GOT MY LEG!" She can hear Josh talking to the girl, but Jubilee can't see him. Or her. "YOU BROKE IT, you dumb, undead..." The rest of it is incoherent t as she beats on the legs of the steadfast zombie standing on her broken foot, until she finishes with an emphatic "...JERK!"

Dead Girl has posed:
The security guard slowly makes her way to the other side of the cemetery. She catches sight of the rental car and approaches, her attention shifting drastically at many holes that appear from the graves. Wide-eyed, she watches as an arm is pulling itself further inside the grounds.

Nervous, she reaches for the radio on her shoulder and calls for assistance.

- - - - -

"Get away from me!" Moonbeam demands.

The wall of the undead take a step forward. An undead dog starts to growl.

"What kind of twisted joke is this?!" she asks, scared. "It's not funny!"

Rage has posed:
Reaching down, Rage yanks the zombie off of Jubilee's foot, lobbing it to the side. << We are gonna be caught. I can smell it. >> She growls towards Josh, though it only sounds like huffs and snarls. She nudges Jubilee and motions back towards the car a few times, then points at her, Josh, Jubes, then the car again. Trying to signal as best she can there is someone else out there.

Elixir has posed:
"Whoa, hey!" Josh exclaims and takes a step backwards when the undead advance. "It's not us, someone locked you in here," he protests. "You're.... hallucinating... badly... We /really/ need you to come out of there, 'kay?" he says as calmly as he can. "I know this is freaky, but you're gonna be okay... Just try and calm down.... what's your name? I'm Josh," he repeats.

Jubilee has posed:
"He's right, we're here to help you, but right now Lassie says it's time to go, and I kinda agree. Also please don't park your dead people on me anymore, as it hurts very much bad." Jubilee hobbles back out the door to see the flashlight of the night guard. "You guys get to the car. I'mma make a show, in the field across the road. Get her attention over there, so we can get to the car, kapeesh? Gimme just a minute."

Jubilee starts out the door and trips over her own foot. She gets up and sort of drags it alongside her as she goes. "A'right maybe a couple of minutes...."

Sneaking sidelong of the car, Jubilee hides in the shadows and slowly lets tiny sparks go flying across the road to where they explode in FLASHES of light, but make only a pathetic little paf sound, to lure the guard farther away from the car, and give the others an opportunity to run.

Dead Girl has posed:
With back up called, the security guard pulls a gun from its holster, readying it just in case. She steps slowly, unsure of what to make of the situation, surveying her vicinity closely. Looking up to the sight of fireworks in the distance, she starts in that direction and away from the mausoleum.

- - - - -

<<Told you so,>> the child adds. <<The men brought you, like I told you. You are going to get in trouble. You should go with your friends.>>

Looking up to the specter, Moonbeam shakes her head, unsure. "Why would I get in trouble? I'm the victim here!" she yells back.

<<But you made everyone come out of the ground. You're not supposed to do that,>> the child replies. <<You will get in trouble for doing that.>>

Red eyes fall on Josh, ignoring his question. She isn't sure who she is anymore. Hearing the voice of someone else, a female voice, Moonbeam stands to her feet. "How do I...get out?"

Rage has posed:
<< Knock her out at this point and just carry her! >> The werewolf growls in frustration. No one can understand her anyways. She shifts back down to four legs with a pop and crack of her bones, then starts for the car, keeping low to the ground. She gives a few sniffs of the area to make sure the guard is moving away, then huffs loudly towards Josh and the new mutant.

Elixir has posed:
Josh has no idea what Andrea is saying, but the urgency is clear.

"Just...come towards me... 'kay? Come towards my voice.... Close your eyes, if you feel something just push through, don't even look... Just...keep coming...." Josh says, wearing his best encouraging smile even as he swallows hard.

Jubilee has posed:
As the guard traipses into the field across the road, Jubilee sends her sparks farther and farther out, having to move quickly to keep up with the guard and keep her targeted areas in range. "Clever girl," Jubilee utters under her breath as the guard continues to follow the trail of nearly silent firecrackers in the grass until she is fifty yards or more from the car. That means Jubilee is twenty yards from the car. And she is gonna have to run, when the others finally get there. "C'mon guyyys..." She whispers almost silently as the guard dives on a lil white flash.

Dead Girl has posed:
The undead surrounds Moonbeam like a protective dome. She tries to squeeze through but they don't provide an area large enough. Growing frustrated, "Move you stupid corpse!" And at her command, they all move to the side, providing a path directly for the exit of the mausoleum.

Shocked by that, Moonbeam steps onto the clear pathway, looking at each corpse and wondering how she is able to do such a thing. Following Josh's voice, she finally sees him and his... golden skin. Moonbeam halts her movements for a second, but continues on not wanting to get caught.

"What's happening to me? And, who are you people?" she asks, walking with him.

Rage has posed:
Pushing her muzzle up against the car handle, Rage triggers it open, then leaps into the passenger seat. She takes a minute to breathe, then shifts back down with another loud and painful crack of her body as she contorts back to her natural form. Once down, she begins to throw her clothes on rapidly, which is a pair of workout shorts and a baggy sweater. Anything else will just stay in her backpack until they get back to the hotel. "Josh." She hisses over to him, giving a motion of her hand. "Come ooooon. We gotta go."

Elixir has posed:
Josh starts again when she commands the undead, finally realizing it was /her/ in charge of them. He does his best to regain his composure and smile reassuringly.

"You've been in there a long time, you're seeing things," Josh says, deciding right now with an undead army around them was not the time for truth. He looks over his shoulder at Andrea's hiss and motions for the girl to keep coming with him. "We've got a car, we'll get you out of here, somewhere safe, 'kay?"

He picks up the pace if she follows and pulls one of the car doors open for her. "You're almost there," he encourages then closes her in. He hops behind the wheel. "Where's Jubilee?" he asks Andrea and pulls out, heading towards her.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee hears them car and looks back. Quickly she pulls down her goggles to shield her eyes and tosses a whole handful of sparks, letting them start exploding at staggered intervals directly in front of the guard. Only this time, they are welding-arc bright to effectively blind the guard in the darkness. Jubilee hobble-sprints to the car and as Josh slows down for her, she opens the door and dives in.

"See?" she asks Josh. "Told ya it'd be fun!"

Dead Girl has posed:
The reassuring smile doesn't help the confusion, and Josh's comment about her seeing things adds to the already long list of questions that Moonbeam has. Nevertheless, she follows him to the car and enters it as he opens the door. When he closes the door, her red eyes shift to Andrea and then out the window. They were in Los Angeles, Moonbeam knew that for certain. As Jubilee dives in, the deceased woman just looks at her hands. Her skin is void of color, her nail-bits dark.

"Who /are/ you people?!"

Behind them, in the street, the ghost child waves before fading away.