Three terrifying and ugly zombies staggered out from the blackness that had hidden them. Their skins were dark gray with small, black and brown patches. Two of them were girls, and one was a boy.

The girls were the same height, while the boy was an inch shorter. The zombie girl to the left had long, blonde hair and was wearing a pink, long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and blue flats. The other zombie girl had long, black hair and wore an aqua, long-sleeved shirt, gray pants, and red flats. And the zombie boy in the middle had short, brown hair and wore a black, short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers.

The zombies had their hands outstretched and mouths open, and the aliens got in front of me to protect me.

"Zombies," Wendow hissed.

"Yeah. What you said," Triso agreed. "What do you say, Wendow? We send the undead back to the dead?"

"You know me so well, sis."

Wendow and Triso got on their hands and knees and instructed me to back away a few inches. I did so and was curious as to what they would do.

"Hey, you zombies!" Triso called to them. "We may not look like it, but my sister and I are aliens blending in with the humans of Forlot. And since that aliens and zombies are mortal enemies, I propose a game."

The zombies stopped in their undead tracks and glanced at one another with their big, yellow eyes. They muttered what I presumed was nothing but gibberish.

"Here is the game," Wendow continued for her sister. "Whichever species backs down first gets Margie." She pointed a finger at me, and I raised my hands to my chest.

"Woah! Why am I getting involved?!" I demanded.

"You are the prize, Margie. If the zombies win, they will eat your brain."

"Great."

"Not the response that I would have given," Triso commented.

"I was being sarcastic."

The zombie boy took a step forward and made a timeout sign using his hands. "Timeout," he said.

I was a bit surprised. "You can talk."

"That is not right," Wendow said.

"Zombies do not talk perfect English," Triso added. "They only groan."

"You and the fellow readers need to realize that not every monster acts the same," the black-haired girl stated the truth. "We zombies do not groan and most certainly do not eat human brains or any brains for that matter."

I wiped sweat off my forehead, feeling relieved. "That is good - no, great - to hear."

"Who is the human slave, aliens?" the blonde-haired girl shot at them.

"She is not our slave. She is one of our friends," Wendow shot back.

"One of your friends? Since when did aliens stop kidnapping humans and become friends with them?"

"Some of the humans who live in Forlot are the kindest and friendliest species that you will ever meet," Triso hissed. "And my sister and I swear to protect them all at all costs, even from our mortal enemies."

The boy scratched the top of his head, and tiny specks, bugs, flew from his hair. "I know that my sisters and I just met you two aliens, but we do not want to be your enemies. At least, not me."

"My brother is right," the blonde-haired zombie agreed. "We may not like aliens, but that does not mean that we should not like you personally. Also, I am a bit curious to know the human who has a great taste for fashion."

"Who? Me?" I said. "I am not into fashion that much, but thanks for the compliment."

"What is your name, dear human?"

"Margie. Margie Morgan."

"She is the Monster Protector," Wendow confessed as she and Triso rose and dusted themselves off.

"Monster Protector?" the black-haired zombie repeated. "How can that be? All the Monster Protectors are dead and buried underneath this area."

I giggled nervously. "Funny story."

I told the zombies how it was possible. That I was chosen to be the next Monster Protector because of my love for monsters. I also brought up the voice belonging to the first Monster Protector.

"Let me get this straight," the boy said. "The first of the Monster Protectors is saying your name because he wants you to locate the Monster Protector secret because you are the Monster Protector."

"Pretty much."

The blonde-haired zombie staggered towards me and held out her hand for me to shake. "It is an honor to meet the present Monster Protector. I thought that the Monster Protector era had ended all those years ago."

I took her hand and shook it, careful to not accidentally break it. "It is still going strong."

"Where are my manners? I have not introduced my siblings and myself to you. Our last names are Zombo. I am Zelda. Zoey is my sister, and Zachary is my brother. We guard the bodies of the Monster Protectors."

"Why in the world would you do that instead of something that will help the living?" Triso sneered.

"Guarding the bodies is helping the living greatly," Zoey argued. "Especially when it comes to the secret."

I blinked a couple times. "You mean the Monster Protector secret?"

"Duh. What other secret would I be referring to?"

"No one, not even the recent Monster Protector, should know the secret that lies within," Zachary stated. "It is too dangerous."

"You three know what the secret is?"

"No, but we are positive that it must remain hidden."

"Why should it not come out?"

"If the secret were to ever be revealed onto the town of Forlot...this town and its people would perish."

"You are bluffing," Wendow accused.

"Trust me. This is the one time that I wish that I was."

Zelda placed a hand on my shoulder. "You say that you love monsters. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Then trust us zombies. We know what is best. After all, we know more than you. Now go home and forget this."