Author's note: Good news all, we begin the first arc. Yay. So without further ado, I'm happy to present the start of the Dead parade. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did.

Chapter 8: Join the dead parade part 1

For the first time since this nightmare began, tif ached from the bottom of her heart. She wanted to cry and scream as the noises of flesh being consumed echoed out from the door. How will they ever be able to continue on if this is all that will happen to them?

The darkness loomed in the house as the only sounds were to terrible to contemplate. Time passed slowly with tif in her own world, her living sister hiding in her bedroom peeking out occasionally in terror. Her mother and sister were eerily quiet across the house.

An eternity seem to come and went by. This was not like tif, she needed to get herself out of this funk. Remembering the times before, tif stood up and shook her head. The only way forwards was together, solidarity in the new darkness.

Making sure her older sister's door was shut and locked, Tif walked to the sounds still coming from the front room. She opened the door, neither slowly nor fast. Tif walked over to the creature huddled over the barely recognizable remains.

Tif bent over towards the female creature covered in blood and pieces of flesh. She did not fear her friend anymore. Giving the ghastly apparition a big hug, tif held on. Carri growled and tried to shove her off. Not wanting to let go tif just sat there, rocking slightly and hugging carri.

Time passed with what carri had become trying to get tif to let go. Her resolution stood firm against the strength of carri-creature. Tif would stay like this for as long as her friend needed her.

Slowly things started to change. Carri's fang pulled back, her flesh started to turn pale again. Almost painfully, carri started to transform back to some semblance of her undead self. Not all was well though. Carri's teeth had become tarlike in color and slightly pointed, Her nails dark like soot after a fire and long. Most startling of all though were her eyes, beautiful before they had become dark irises with flecks of crimson and gold swirling around.

Waiting there patiently, tif still would not let go. For the first time since she changed tif started to cry. Dark gunk like black clotted blood pooled under her eyes. It dripped down slowly on to tif's stained blouse.

Carri seemed to come to and reach a long nailed hand over to tif's face. What were these things that greasily dripped down her shirt? Were they for carri?

An amazing thing happened next. A sound almost forgotten was heard. "T... tif?" Carri had spoken.

Almost in shock, tif jumped so slowly back. She had let go of carri and was staring in confusion at carri's face. Surely that had not just happened.

"Tif... are... you... okay?" Carri said almost painfully. pauses were in her sentence as she tried to reach her friend.

Shaking her head vigorously no, tif just stared harder. She reach a conclusion and started to stand back up. It didn't matter what carri does next or what she becomes. They were friends no matter what.

Carri watch tif slowly walk to her and reach her pale hand down to carri's changed one. They clasped hands and stood facing each other. As if remembering something she barely grasped, carri reached over with her other hand and hugged tif.

Tif let go of carri's hand and hugged her back. Time passed but only for others. They both started sobbing. Carri's tears were slightly wet and a little red. Tif's were still black gunk and sticky.

They slowly let each other go. There was still much to do. Getting Tif's sister anya to safety. Helping mom and sis get out of here to find others. And most of all, they really needed a change of clothing. It was a good thing anya was close to carri's size.

They walked out of the Gory room, and closed the door behind the heavily chewed up corpse in it. Tif knocked 3 times, then twice more on anya's door.

"Yyyess? who is it?" a muffled and terrified voice sounded out from the room.

Mentally sighing tif went to look for some paper and the pen to write on. Carri just giggled at her friend. After all, what would happen if anya heard carri answer back. Probably a mild heart attack or some fainting.

Items secured, tif went back and wrote a short note to her sister. {It's me dummy!} was written badly on the page shoved under the door. "who wrote this? did a monkey sneak in and get drunk?" (Ha-ha very funny sister. Keep it up and I'll tell carri the one about you and the incident with the boy in the park. the juicy one with you narrowly avoiding a felony.) Tif though in her head.

Joke aside the door opened and anya ushered them inside. Portraying badly tif managed to tell her sister they needed clothes for carri. What followed next was not for male eyes. Suffice it to say carri got a stunning tank top and dress which looked beautiful on her. She also got some white socks and a pair of old shoes on.

Anya ooing and aaing over carri and tif mental doing so, the girls decided carri was properly dressed. now was tif's turn.

Her room was next to the one mom and sis were in. Tif's room was just like any other room for a teenager. except for a few posters of games, and one cheesy old horror movie poster. What to wear, what to wear. With these thoughts tif grabbed some shirts and pants to try on.

Carri sneaking in on tif. Those choices were atrocious. She needed to get tif something nice to put on. Startling tif was quite a sight, like a slow motion comedy. To skip ahead and preserve a certain heroine's dignity, we will talk about her new outfit.

Tif ended up in a stunning light blue blouse with blue jean pants and white sneakers. socked that wear pink peeked out from under her pants legs. Carri made her wear a necklace with a silver cord and a bright blue gem in the center.

Outfits secured, it was time to let the family out. opening the door, tif motioned for them to follow the girls. A sight described as a bad moment in a zombie flick took place. Tif and carri lead, with the two behind still covered in drool, pink slime, and hot dog chunks. They went to the living room front rood and tif put her hand up.

Looking slightly confused the mother and daughter stopped. Carri opened the door and looked outside. The ghoul was gone but the carnage wasn't. Also, there were a few other undead shambling around their homes looking dazed and confused.

Deciding it was safe, carri motioned for tiff to lead them out. They walked away from the house with shrubs and flowers around the front side. The road looked slightly cracked and some of the automobiles were still burning. Piles of the dead were stacked in front of the fool's home who made his last stand.

With family in tow, tif started leading them down the road. Carri snuck off and waited beside anya's window to send the signal. Unknown to tif, she had started drawing a crowd. The procession slowly moving forwards started to grow as the others in the neighborhood followed behind.

Like a parade of the damned, they started marching towards the middle of town. When they were about 4 blocks away carri decided it was time to give the signal.