Facing the Music

Ollie steps off the bus in front of the Museum of Anthropology and Antiquity at about 10pm the day after the skatepark massacre. He's a wreck. Untouched hair, wrinkled clothes, unhealthy pallor and the classic ten-thousand yard stare of someone who's had the kind of night he'd had.

He trudges through the door, up to the front desk. His face frozen without expression, he mumbles to the receptionist. "Ollie for Dr. Primoria."

Ollie looks up into Starling's face, for the first time since he'd gotten there, and almost cringes at the huge smile. "I need to tell Tyria that I failed her task. I think she might already know that I did, but I need to tell her what happened, myself."

Ollie simply nods and follows him to his office.

Once they arrive he basically drops his weight into the chair opposite Starling's desk. A moment of silence passes before Ollie speaks.

"Valkyrie drove Guy and me to my apartment where we hung out and I answered a few of their questions. I got a text message from Ghoster talking about zombies in the park. He and Logos had gone back out to Granite Park last night after we left the museum. I guess when they got there the park was swarming with zombies. I don't know. I never got to talk to them. I told Guy and Val to stay at the apartment, but they were determined to come, and for some stupid reason I let them. When we drove up to the skatepark it was chaos. Ghoster and Logos were in the skatepark, surrounded by zombies. Some of the things had pushed some bleachers in front of the gate, and then it started pouring rain. We had to crawl through the bleachers to get inside to get to Ghoster and Logos, but Logos had already been torn apart before we could even get to him. I killed one of the things, but there were so many of them. They overwhelmed Ghoster, tore him up really bad. We tried to get away. I picked Ghoster up, carried him back up the bleachers. I took my eyes off Guy for one minute..."

He pauses a minute rubbing his face, leaning forward. A moment later he continues.

"When I looked back... He must have slipped in the rain. They were on him so fast and... he was gone. I don't know what happened then, but things started going really badly. I couldn't make anything work, I could barely even keep my footing in the rain anymore. I ran away, but when I looked back Val was still trying to save Ghoster, even while they tore at him. She slipped and fell, and it looked like they had her. I turned and ran away. I left her there.."

That part was always hard to say.

"She lived anyway, it turns out, no thanks to me. Little firecracker. She was straight up with me when I saw her next. She doesn't want anything to do with me. Who can blame her."

He flops back in his seat, waiting for Starling's inevitable disgust with him.

Now some emotion.

"I'm a survivor of a major incident. I went there with the intention of saving Ghoster and Logos. I told them the park was dangerous, and I told Ghoster not to go alone. I was told to teach Guy and Valkyrie, not protect them or confine them to my apartment. They made their own decisions, and as for that abandonment bit mages are still human. I'd never seen a fucking zombie before until last night, and I'm supposed to be able to face down a horde of them without panicking at pain of erasure, whatever the fuck that is."

He stands up abruptly, sliding the chair back harshly. He throws his hands up in exasperation.

"Fuck it. Call the fucking Sentinel."

Ollie just stares at Starling while he hits the button and calls Tyria. Once the message has been sent he just shakes his head, pacing restlessly around the office. He can't tell what the hell's real right now. Now he just waits for Tyria.

"Well, send him over, with a latte preferably," comes Tyria's voice in response.

Ollie grumbles something about perfect lattes and leaves the office. After a trip to the coffee cart in the lobby he finds himself standing before Tyria's door. He knocks twice, then enters.

"Dr. Primoria."

Ollie shuts the door to the office. "Dr. Primoria, something has happened. Let me start from the beginning."

He takes a deep breath, preparing to tell his story again.

"Last night, after we left the museum, Guy, Valkyrie and I went to my apartment and we discussed some of their questions. While we were sitting there I got a text message from Ghoster. I never got to talk to him about it, but I guess he and Logos went back to the park last night to keep investigating. I don't know what happened but somehow they were attacked by a horde of zombies, and that's when he texted me. I told Guy and Valkyrie to stay at my apartment, but they wouldn't listen, and we went down there in Val's car. When we got there Ghoster and Logos were surrounded in the skatepark, and the undead had pushed some bleachers against the gates. We got through the bleachers as quick as we could, but it was to late. Logos was ripped apart before I could get close enough to help him. It was only seconds afterward that Ghoster fell to the zombies, still alive but just barely. I ran in and picked him up, trying to carry him back over the bleachers to the car. One minute Guy was right behind me. Then he must have slipped, and they were on him so fast... I had barely even turned around to see and he was gone."

He pauses a moment, wiping his forehead with his shirt sleeve.

"After that nothing would go right for me anymore... Val and I managed to drag Ghoster over the bleachers, but the zombies were still coming after us. I ran, and when I looked back Val was still trying to save Ghoster, I guess. He looked like a goner to me, and by then I couldn't even stay on my feet for some reason... I saw them, pulling at Ghoster, looming over Valkyrie. I chickened out. I ran away. I thought they were goners."

He shakes his head.

"I was right about Ghoster, I guess, but Val made it. She told me she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, though."

"You already know..."

Of course she already knows, are you stupid?

"The geas... Is that why nothing has been going right for me since last night?"


It had all started when Guy died. Could that be it?

"How did you find out?"

Ollie takes a deep breath when the geas leaves him, feeling the difference profoundly. "What happens now? I need some time to recuperate from last night, but I'm going back to that park. Whatever's in there has killed people that I considered to be my friends, even if I didn't know them for that long. I guess I'll get with Ankh and see where we go from here. Unless that is uhh..."

He pauses, eying Tyria "Starling was pretty intimidating in there talking about Sentinels and 'erasure' and stuff. What about all that?"

Ollie shrugs "Last time I saw her was last night at her wrecked car with Ghoster's body in it. Some other guy had come up to help out. He seemed pretty comfortable with the dead body and everything, and he was doing the whole 'the lady doesn't want to talk to you' crap to me, ya know? Anyway, he might have been one of us. I don't know. I wasn't going to even try to bring up the sight with the way the geas was affecting me. Anyway, she told me to leave, and I did. I figured I owed her that at least."

He stops, seeming to realize something.

"Are you saying nobody's heard from her yet?"

I hope she's ok

"Well, not like before. There's something seriously wrong going on over there. Maybe go during the day with a moros, or something, I dunno. I'm not stepping into that park at night without an armed squad of badasses, though. It's serious out there."

He sits down for the first time since he'd gotten to the office.

"Oh, I guess not."

As soon as he sits down he stands up, readying to leave, then stops and turns.

"I'm sorry I wasn't a better teacher, though I suppose you're not the one who I should be sorry to. I will be better."

He leaves without waiting for an answer.