CHAPTER FOUR / epidemiology

Doing couples costumes was not Jeff Winger's favorite activity. That was, depending on the type of costume. Unintentionally, he'd done it before — Cowboy and Robin Hood — but what about this year? Yet again, doing a couple's costume repeated itself.

However, how do you explain being so uncoordinated with your partner that you end up with... a bride and a man with a plain blazer?

Correction, a bride and David Beckham.

Unintentionally, Jeff and Adelaide became popular within the crowd, inevitably drawing attention to themselves, but for all the wrong reasons.

While ABBA's most famous musical hits played through the speakers, with the occasional interruption of Dean Pelton's personal voice memos, the chatter of the strangers surrounding them, along with looks filled with disapproval, hadn't gone unnoticed.

It was mostly because no one understood the point of their costumes, and if they were even supposed to be coordinated to begin with.

Despite the attention they were receiving, which Adelaide reveled in the for the first twenty minutes, she'd grown increasingly nervous. As the murmurs became clearer, Jeff felt like she shrunk, which was the opposite reaction that usually ocurred.

His eyes were attached to her like bees on honey. At first, it didn't bother him much. However, as the night went on, Jeff couldn't bare seeing her drink from small plastic cups of red punch, downing them one after the other.

"I really hope those aren't spiked." He commented, grimacing at the sight of Adelaide serving herself more punch.

Whoever wanted punch had to get in line, or slip in when she wasn't looking. She was glued to the cauldron like tiwns attached by the hip. "You should slow down." Jeff finally intervened.

With a hand stretching toward hers, hearing Adelaide protest, Jeff retired the cup and held it close to his chest. Using her fingers, Adelaide wiped the remains of liquid lingering on her bottom lip.

"It'd be a shame if your white dress wasn't so white anymore." A chuckle escaped his lips, but Adelaide's glare only seemed to fuel his amusement. "Bad luck, or so they say." He added with a mockingly thoughtful tone.

"You're lucky I'm not superstitious." Adelaide refuted.

"I'd still watch what you put it your body." He quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Unbeknownst to her, Jeff had the unpleasant discovery that Pierce had eaten from the table filled with different appetaziers for the night. He'd specifically consumed food acquired from the military surplus store. It was one of the most disgusting meals he'd seen in a while, and Pierce almost puked everything, not before finding refuge elsewhere as he began to feel unwell as a result of it.

Adelaide's eyes noticed the slight concern etched across his features, her face following after to direct her full attention to him.

"You kind of get used to the taste." She answered, mimicking the sarcasm that often tinged Jeff's every word. "No. I haven't tasted anything else, Jeff. Punch has been enough." She added.

Jeff found strange Adelaide was being awfully cutting, cold, with him. Their conversations were usually filled with banter that would end in them knowing there wasn't any actual feelings hurt in the process. However, tonight felt different.

"Is something bothering you?" He asked.

He felt the need to ask. Jeff didn't usually doubt his actions in a relationship, unless his partner did something that would make him think so. "Please tell me you're not acting like this just because we didn't coordinate our costumes." He fretted.

Knowing Adelaide, she would've thrown a fit about it by now. The attention they received hadn't lasted long, and perhaps she was partly upset that it hadn't lasted longer. However, he didn't understand if giving him the silent treatment was her way of punishing him.

Either way, Jeff disliked her retaliatory behavior, regardless of the reason behind it.

"And because got caught lying about our movie night," Adelaide added with a slightly frustrated tone.

Earlier, the two had encountered an unfortunate turn of events with Britta, who took pleasure in seeing the uneasy couple fidget over which movie to claim they had watched before the party.

The conversation quickly soured as neither of them had planned which movie to use, marking their first slip-up. "But I've got bigger fish to fry, Jeff." She sighed, stretching out her hand toward Jeff's chest.

At her attempt to regain ownership of her cup, Jeff shuffled his chest away. Adelaide huffed, annoyed.

Nonetheless, his attempts into getting her to stop drinking were proved futile. She grabbed another cup, shaking it in her grasp along with a tight-lipped smile on her face, showing it off to him while she poured herself another glass.

Jeff, ultimately giving up and placing down the cup, began to pay attention to his surroundings. He hadn't seen Pierce in a while, maybe he was feeling very unwell that he had to leave the party?

To his surprise, he spotted the old man across the room. Trembling, Pierce's fingers curled at the edge of the table. Jeff looked back at Adelaide, wondering if she'd seen the same thing as him.

She hadn't.

Carefully, he tapped her shoulder, drawing her attention. She thought he was going to scold her for drinking, again, but he pointed at Pierce, showing concern over his well-being.

With a silent nod, the two agreed to make sure if he was alright. Before they could even begin walking, Britta approached the couple.

After warning Craig about his voice memos playing whenever an ABBA song was done, she decided to figure what had been happening between Jeff and Adelaide.

Since their last conversation, she noticed them arguing. Given it was their first Halloween party together, she figured there were still things to work on their growing relationship, starting with agreeing on a movie.

Sensing her curiosity as she approached, Jeff decided to clear any doubts induced by his costume, "David Beckham. Dragon turtle?" He pointed a finger at her, wondering if he'd guessed correctly.

"T-Rex."

Britta's eyes were drawn to Adelaide's costume. A year before, she'd conversed with Annie about her opinions about women using the holiday as an "excuse" to dress a certain way.

Adelaide, seeing Britta's eyes examine her skimpy version of a bride, almost spoke up to call her out on it, but Britta had something to say about it first. "Ah, I see you've chosen to fully embrace the 'slutty costume' trend... how original."

"And I've got 364 days left to do so." Adelaide snapped back.

"Good to know you're sober." Jeff chuckled lightly.

Britta and Adelaide exchanged a confused glance at his remark. After a moment, Adelaide caught up, scoffing as she realized the meaning of his statement. "She's... been on edge." He added.

"Stop saying that." Adelaide exclaimed furiously.

Britta laughed incredulously,"Worried you might get stood up by David Beckham?" She asked, head tilted to the side.

"Ha, ha," The young Santiago girl laughed mockingly as her arms folded across her chest, unamused by Britta's attempts to tease her.

Feeling the air tense, Britta decided to reach for a snack in the meanwhile. Because of her costume, her short arms didn't allow her to reach any kind of objects.

Without giving it much thought, Jeff scooted closer to the blonde, offering his help.

"Let me help you, dragon turtle."

As Adelaide was about to protest, Annie Edison came rushing to their table. Almost out of breath, the young girl clutched onto her blanket filled basket. Her red cape complementing her red cheeks, flushed from the awkward interaction she had just escaped from, and came by to warn her friends about.

"Guys, Shirley's costume is once again unwittingly ambiguous. I don't know what she's supposed to be but I do know she's not Miss Piggy. I repeat. She is not Miss Piggy. You're on your own!"

As Annie was about to glide away, leaving them to deal with Shirley, Adelaide tried to follow along, eliciting confusion within Jeff and Britta. From all the people she could go with, they would've guessed that Annie would be at the bottom of her list.

As she escaped Shirley's grasp, not having to go through the daunting task of guessing her costume, she and Annie stumbled upon an un-well Pierce.

What caught their attention about his state was that he almost collapsed over the table, making the plates clatter while being slightly shaken up.

"Oh, my God, I thought I'd never ask this but... are you okay, Pierce?" Adelaide asked with a hand over her chest, surprised how swollen he looked.

They knew something was wrong with him; his skin was paler than usual, his body was bloated, sweat dripped down his temples and he was clearly disoriented.

As the rest of the group gathered behind, their worry over Pierce increased.

"Hey, If you get any more sweaty and puffy, your costume is gonna reach new levels of authenticity." Jeff expressed, his voice tinged with the same concern etched across his face.

Pierce dismissed his words, having not heard him due to how unwell he felt.

"He's acting like the impression of him we do behind his back." Annie turned slowly to look behind, receiving the worried looks of her friends, followed by their impressions of Pierce, shouting all kinds of things he would say.

Their mimicking of Pierce was cut short by the old man stumbling upon the blinds on his way out. This urged Annie to intervene without a second thought and offer her help. Guessing that she would have some luck running into a doctor, or at least someone who knew the basics of, at the party.

While Annie sought help for Pierce, Britta and Shirley left the area to find new ways to entertain themselves at the party. Meanwhile, Jeff and Adelaide stood together, watching the crowd enjoy themselves, while observing Troy's feeble attempt to flirt with girls.

They watched as the girls looked down at his costume, laughing and giving him the 'as if!' look while they walked away. As the girls disappeared within the crowd, Troy turned, making mechanic sounds that went along with his movements.

Once he noticed Jeff and Adelaide had been watching, he felt a tinge of embarrassment—he'd been watched by his peers. While approaching, he couldn't help but feel like a kid shamefully walking back to his parents.

"I don't get it. How do you do it?" He asked Jeff.

"Well, I'm wearing a $6,000 suit and you spent three days making robot armor." Jeff replied, his eyes showing a hint of pity.

"You're saying they feel sorry for you." Troy nodded, understanding Jeff's point.

"I'm saying I remind girls less of taking their little brothers to Comic-Con." Jeff clarified.

"I think it's cute." Adelaide chimed in.

Jeff scoffed. "You're kidding."

"What? He put effort into his costume." She defended.

"Oh, is this your way of retaliating against me?" Jeff retorted.

"You're the one who didn't communicate you were going for 'David Beckham on a day off'. When has he ever worn that?" Adelaide countered.

"I'd argue it's too early to dress as the groom." Jeff quipped.

"And David Beckham was cheaper?" She shot back.

Troy wore a saddened expression on his face, feeling tired as the night had just begun and Jeff and Adelaide appeared destined to argue for a while. "You know what? I'll ignore that you're not willing to commit to this as much as I am." Adelaide said.

As Jeff watched Troy about to speak, he interrupted, "It's a simple costume dilemma. Don't overthink it."

When Adelaide turned around, trying to find a path away from Jeff, she stumbled upon a partygoer who failed to pay attention to his surroundings.

In seconds, Adelaide's white dress slowly caught a crimson red color. Her dress was now drenched in the same liquid she'd been downing during the night.

She froze for a moment, arms stretched out while she looked down at her costume, ruined. She glared up at the stranger before her, seeing an awkward grin spread across their features.

"Sorry." Their words were merely above a whisper, not trying to be part of the scene Adelaide could possibly create.

She would've. She should've.

The costume she looked forward to during the entire month was ruined, and all because a stranger hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.

She inhaled, trying to keep her composure. As she wiped away the remains of punch on her arms, Troy and Jeff approached to lend a hand.

"Take my costume." Troy suggested, moving to take off his hand-made costume. However, Adelaide raised her palms, making him halt in his actions.

"You're too sweet, Troy. But I'll find my own way." Adelaide feigned a smile.

She truly appreciated Troy's gesture, it had been a lot more than Jeff did. While it annoyed her, she knew Jeff was too prideful to let his anger aside to provide some type of support. She decided to let it slide for the moment, but there was plenty of time left during the night where she could protest about his actions.

Walking down the hallway in the library was an absolute nightmare.

Adelaide couldn't take the stares of strangers staring down at her dress, either chuckling or gasping at the result of a mishap.

She passed by Pierce, who tried to grab her in a brutal way, which she managed to get away from. She couldn't tell what his intentions were, but she wasn't in a mood for whatever he wanted to talk about.

Next, she heard a gasp, a familiar one.

"What happened?" Annie approached her, placing down her basket.

"Some jerk didn't watch his step." Adelaide explained curtly.

"I'll help you get cleaned up," Annie offered warmly, she quickly realized her smile was too enthusiastic. "if you don't mind, of course." She added tentatively.

"Make it quick, Red."

However, nothing was worse than stumbling upon the person she'd been evading all night.

"Annie, where are you going? I need you here!" A familiar male voice revebravted through the narrow and dim hallway.

The sound of his voice caused Adelaide to feel like spiders were crawling on her back. It didn't help that the narrow hallway felt even smaller with the students squeezing by the get through. The area felt warm, and Adelaide couldn't help but suddenly feel sweaty at the sound of his voice.

"Addy?"

"Rich!"

Annie's big eyes took turns looking at the two adults being face to face, a sense of disappointment washed through her core, "You know each other?" She asked. She wanted to pinch herself so badly.

"Of course. It's hard to forget a beautiful face like hers." Rich chuckled. "I didn't know you were at Greendale. Since when—"

"We have to get going, now." Adelaide interjected urgently, shooting a pleading look at Annie, silently asking for assistance to escape the awkward conversation.

As Annie pulled Adelaide away, they both caught sight of Pierce biting down on Starburns' forearm.

At this, Starburns panicked as Pierce looked at him, his mouth covered in blood while gripping tightly onto his flesh.

To everyone's surprise, Pierce went down for a second bite before disappearing, leaving Starburns to panic with Annie and Adelaide, sharing frightened screams while they looked at each other.

𐙚

Minutes went by, and Starburns was sitting down, awaiting further updates on his status and what might've caused his sickly appearance. His skin gained a reddish hue, the skin under his eyes growing puffy, while sweat dripped down his flesh—the same symptoms Pierce had presented before.

At the sight, Adelaide couldn't hold back from expressing her panic. She'd never seen anything like it, and it was progressingly getting creepier as she watched Starburns' state worsen before her eyes.

What bothered her the most was watching Rich and Annie remain calm, compared to her anxious state. Since they couldn't quite figure the origin of the symptoms, there wasn't something they could truly worry about.

Nonetheless, there was an underlying worry below their calm demeanor.

"Your symptoms are progressing even faster than everyone else's." Rich remarked, holding his chin between his fingers.

"How much of that taco meat did you eat, Starburns?" Annie asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"I didn't eat any! My name is Alex." Starburns responded, still in pain by Pierce's bite.

"Must have transferred through Pierce's bite." Annie surmised, casting a glance at Rich, earning an eye roll from Adelaide.

"My God. I think you're right." Rich grinned.  "Annie, you make quite the little nurse."

"Thank you, Rich. You're quite a banana." Annie blushed.

"Get a room!" Adelaide and Starburns yelled in unison. However, his speech slurred by the time he was done with the sentence, growling as he stood up, arms stretched out to chase them down.

Annie's screaming echoed down the hall. She ran away, making sure Rich tagged along with her and remained safe with her. Meanwhile, Adelaide had pushed her way through the crowd, recklessly trying to find her way back to the familiar faces that she knew.

When she reached back to the study room, she found Shirley, Britta, and Jeff, feeling relief at the sight of them being calm, and still trying to guess Shirley's costume.

Going around Shirley, Adelaide tugged at the end of Jeff's blazer with urgency, "We have to get out of here!" She warned.

Adelaide could see a smirk tug at the corner of Jeff's lips. As he slowly removed her hand, he turned to face her squarely.

"Did the punch catch up to you? I knew they were spiked." He stated casually.

"N-No. Why would I joke about this?" Adelaide stammered.

Moments later, Rich and Annie entered the room as well. While Annie shared the same panic as Adelaide, Rich remained surprisingly calm.

"Hey Jeff! It's me, Rich. From pottery class. Doc Potterywood, remember?"

"Great, you guys know each other?" Adelaide groaned, glancing up at Jeff.

"What's it to you?" Jeff scoffed.

Adelaide coughed, "Annie! Explain!" She urged the brunette, hoping to divert the attention away from her.

"Guys, there's some kind of infection at the party that's making people act weird and bite each other. We need to coordinate an evacuation without causing unnecessary panic."

Annie's discretion was cut short, as the next thing the group heard were the screams of a student being bit by Leonard, who gained the same appearance as Piece and Starburns. Followed by Troy and Abed yelling something along the words 'zombie'.

As the crowd erupted in panic, people being bitten and chased down by students turned into zombies left and right, the group couldn't help but notice Craig sprinting out the building. While the study group tried to flee, Craig slammed the door shut in their faces.

They banged, knowing that Craig could see the situation they were in and could be of help in someway.

"I'm sorry! I've been told we need a little baby quarantine until the army gets here." Craig explained, sealing the exit with another set of doors, resembling a jail cell entrance, hindering their exit.

"The army?" They all exclaimed in unison.

He left the, still uninfected, group to fend for themselves in the sea of zombiefied students inside the room.

"Guys, I hate to be the "we have company" guy, but..." Abed warned, urging them to slowly turn around and watch the students look at them with hunger filled eyes.

As Chang appeared, innocently asking the infected students, unaware of their zombified states, to guess his costume, he inadvertently drew their attention upon him. Panicking, Chang fled into the study room and, being closest, promptly locked the first entrance behind him.

Seeing an opportunity, the group realized they could make it to the study room's second entrance.

"Head to the back!"

As they screamed, Jeff using his football and strength to clear out the way for those following him—that being Adelaide, Shirley and Troy—they reached the room pretty quickly along with the other half of the group.

However, as Jeff was midway into making it through the door, Chang pressed down the door in order to make Jeff's attempt into coming in harder than it should be. Jeff's body was trapped against the door, using his brute force and words to get himself, and friends, through.

Chang easily let go of the door, fearing that Jeff was much stronger than him and fighting to kick him out was a dumb idea.

Thanks to Jeff, everyone ran into the room, scattering around the area while Jeff made sure the other door, the one Chang had close before, was actually secured.

"Did we lose anybody out there?" Jeff asked, his eyes scanning the room.

As everyone ensured each other's safety, Jeff dubbed the night a "living nightmare." In addition to everything else, they were stuck listening to ABBA, punctuated by Craig Pelton's ridiculous voice memos.

𐙚

Nobody knew how many hours had gone by, or how many they had left to escape or before they would meet their demise, the only thing they were certain about was they wanted everything to be over.

The sheer panic that flowed within the room was an awful setting for everyone involved. Although everyone tried to keep their composure, only Jeff proved to remain calm while calling for help thanks to still having his Blackberry with him. However, his calls for help proved feeble and his anger was palpable.

As Shirley rocked back and forth, eyes squeezed shut, claiming it was the end of days, Rich interjected with his unwanted logic.

"It's not the end of days. Seems to be a rabies-related pathogen affecting the prefrontal cortex of the brain, causing hypereggression. It could take years to take over the world."

"How many years?" Chang asked.

"One. One and a half." Rich replied.

"Rich, we don't need your stupid smart crap right now. What we need are answers. Is there a way to stop this?" Adelaide griped, visibly bothered by the situation, but more so by their confinement.

"Good thinking, Jeff. Vertical fold." Rich noted, catching Jeff's attention as he carefully hung his suit over a chair.

"You making fun of me?" Jeff asked pointedly.

Adelaide couldn't believe how the universe had managed to bring Jeff and Rich into the same room — two knew and disliked, though one much more than the other.

She knew she had a lot catch up on regarding the unspoken tension that flowed between the two men. "Rich, this is a good time to let you know I hate you." Jeff added, frustrated with Rich's calm demeanor.

"Shouldn't we be barricading the room?" Troy questioned.

"Wait, wait! Before you barricade us in, I need to ask if anyone has been bitten." Rich raised voice caught everyone's attention.

Everyone looked fidgety. For a moment, it felt like they couldn't trust those around them unless nobody had been bitten. However, the ensuing silence confirmed that everyone in the room was safe and bite-free.

Rich wrapped up his speech, allowing Jeff, Troy, and Abed to move the tables to barricade the room.

Meanwhile, the most uneasy was Britta, who'd been the first to complain about the army taking too long to save them. "Those people don't have six hours. In three hours, they're gonna suffer brain damage. Three hours after that, they're gonna be that." Rich declared, slightly annoyed.

"What? We have to do something for them." Annie exclaimed.

"Do something? For the zombies?" Jeff repeated, incredulous.

"If we lower the temperature of the whole building, would it break the fever and kill the virus?" Annie asked, desperately seeking a solution.

"It might." Rich considered Annie's idea plausible.

"I know where the thermostat is." Abed chimed in, providing precise information. "Troy, we have to raise to the occasion like Ripley and kick monster butt."

"I'm not Ripley, Abed. I'm a cool, sexy, Dracula. I make love to ladies and I survive." Troy retorted.

"I'm with Troy." Jeff agreed.

"Then, let's pray making love to ladies saves us from turning into the next zombies," Adelaide said sardonically, folding her hands in a mock prayer gesture.

"Guys! Those are not "zombies", those are our classmates and they're sick!" Annie exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice as she tried to redirect the conversation.

"And they can make us sick by biting us. The banana said so." Troy added, pointing at Rich.

"It's true. The incubation only takes minutes. First you get a stomach ache, then your skin turns red, followed by cold sweats, muscle spasms, high fever. Then the uncontrollable urge to bite uninfected flesh." Rich's descriptions were uncomfortably vivid, prompting the group to anxiously inspect themselves for any signs of infection.

However, Rich appeared to be melting, "I forgot one symptom... slurred speech." his body slowly collapsing to his knees, which triggered panicked screams from the group.

To complicate matters further, Britta revealed she'd been bitten over ten minutes ago but hadn't shown any symptoms. Unfortunately, Britta quickly began exhibiting the symptoms, including slurred speech.

"Oh, great! Nobody's special!" Jeff exclaimed angrily.

As the group huddled behind him, Abed and Adelaide, slightly ahead of the others, grabbed chairs alongside Jeff to defend themselves from Britta and Rich. "Hey Rich, just so you know, I hate you less now! That's how much I hate your normal self."

While the uninfected half of the group remained by Jeff's side, Annie inadvertently found herself on the opposite side of the room. She wasn't sure how she got there, but she quickly met her demise.

Chang, in his figure skating costume, aimed to throw on of his shoes at the infected targets but missed terribly. Instead, the shoe struck the window behind Annie, shattering the glass and allowing the zombies easy access to snatch Annie away.

Jeff took the lead while running out of the study room, away from an infected Britta and Rich that were now on a haunt for their flesh. As he led the way, being a lot further than the rest, he fought off any possible threats that could try to bite them.

Seeing a door at the end of the hall, a possible escape, a haven, Jeff's determination grew by the second. Yet, he froze in a cold sweat at the sound of Adelaide's screams. When he turned, his eyes found her figure lying on the floor, being stepped over by Troy and Abed, who wasted no time into escaping the zombies.

Jeff felt his grasp from the exit much farther now. He turned to the exit, back at Adelaide, and back at the exit.

"Crap." He cursed under his breath.

Troy and Abed had reached the end of the way, losing Chang and Shirley because they hid in the women's bathroom. Expecting to see Jeff at the finish line, ready to escort them to the safe place, they saw him retrace his steps and walk away from them.

"Jeff, where are you going?" Troy yelled.

As he fought the monsters off his back, he could see his way through Adelaide being clearer. It was clear that she was trying to regain her footing, struggling to get the student yanking on one of her legs off her back as she tried to crawl away.

She felt a sharp paint shoot through her leg. Were they stepping on her leg? She didnt expect to get injured at the Halloween party. Confused and disoriented, she looked down to see someone, disguised in a frightening costume, biting into her flesh.

Panicked, Adelaide tried to push them away, but they continued to sink their teeth deeper into her skin. Just as she begins to fear the worst, Jeff rushes to her aid, pulling the attacker away.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Jeff helps Adelaide to her feet, ensuring she's okay before turning his attention back to the assailant.

Hand in hand, the couple ran what was left of the route to reunite with Troy and Abed.

𐙚

Tired huffs filed the room, the sound of the lock on the door echoing following after. The four of them had made it out without any damages, or so they believed. The current state of Shirley and Chang remained a mystery, but Jeff opted it was better it stayed that way.

"Oh, cool. A dark basement. I was just thinking we should be doing this in a dark basement." Jeff complained.

"I need to lay down." Adelaide interjected, her palm holding onto her stomach as she felt like her body weakened by the second. "I'm not used to all that running." She added.

As Troy kindly escorted Adelaide to a corner where they could find some surface she could rest, Abed wasted no time in figuring their next step to their way out, "That door should lead upstairs. The thermostat—"

"Enough with the thermostat, Abed! This is not pretend playtime, save the world time. It's quarter past "let's get the hell out of this building"... time."

"There. There's a window." Abed pointed out, directing everyone's gaze with his finger. "If we climb over that dusty fence, we can hoist each other against the wall and squeeze through it."

"I vote we take the door." Jeff stated, showing little interest in the alternative.

"He doesn't wanna dirty his suit." Abed muttered.

"For real?" Troy said, his disappointment clear in his voice.

"And for her, obviously!" Jeff added.

"Guys, I won't climb that. I think it's much safer for me, and everyone involved, we take the easy way out." Adelaide suggested wearily.

"That's why it's dangerous. Taking the easy way out will get us killed. If we go through the window, which contains risks, we'll have a better chance at safety." Abed argued.

"I don't know what kind of dumb logic you're using, but it's not enough to convince me to go with you." Adelaide attempted to chuckle, though she found Abed's logic amusing at times, this wasn't one of those times and her body wasn't cooperating.

"We'll split up. Movie style. Until one of us stupidly fails." Jeff declared.

"Which will be you." Abed retorted, earning glares from both Jeff and Adelaide.

"Of course, Abed. Blame us for taking the easiest, and safest, way out. Do you have any consideration for women, you-" Jeff began, but a cough from Adelaide interrupted him.

He was being too extra for her taste, especially since they had already agreed to take different routes and there was no changing Abed's mind.

As Troy and Abed conversed about how they would escape through the window, Adelaide beckoned Jeff keep her some company by the container she was sitting on.

While turned around, Jeff's eyes traveled to Adelaide's right calve. Her white tights had a major red stain on them. His eyes weren't deceiving him, right? It would be dumb to think she'd spilled punch t—

"Why did you even go back?" Adelaide tried to regain her composure. She hadn't expected to fail miserably at running for her life. Now she knew she'd be the first to die in a horror movie.

"A simple "thank you" would suffice." Jeff replied. He didn't raise his tone; he didn't feel like it. He was too worn out from running and trying to look out for everyone while simultaneously keeping himself intact.

Though his anger wanted otherwise. However, his voice was tinged with slight annoyance that she was protesting instead of being grateful about his actions.

In the back of his mind, the question persisted: had she been bit? There still weren't any signs of it. But he feared the symptoms would reflect sooner than he expected. A second doubt lingered in his mind. One that surprised with himself and why it was even sitting in his thoughts.

"Why were you surprised Rich and I knew each other?" He asked.

"I'm not answering that right now." Adelaide refused, her tone firm.

"Please do." Jeff persisted, moving closer in an attempt to elicit a response from her, though his frustration was tempered by an underlying worry.

"I'm done with interrogations for tonight."

"Oh, you're done? You've been acting weird ever since you got in my car. You made me pick you up on some sketchy street with a weird address. We argued about not one, but two aspects of our relationship, and then you proceeded to chug down the punch like it's your go-to beverage —"

"Woah,"

Mid sentence, Jeff taken aback by Adelaide's uneasy appearance. She raised her head to meet his gaze, listening to his complaints.

"What?"

"You look... different." Jeff said, noticing a change in her appearance.

Adelaide felt like her head was spinning but she knew very well that wasn't the case. She felt similar to when she heard Rich talk earlier. How the walls felt like they were closing in on her, how the warmth of the room suddenly stuck on her body; making her feel sticky yet very sweaty simultaniously.

In worry, her eyes lifted, looking for some reassurance from Jeff. To her disappointement, he looked as confused as her.

Adelaide brought her fingers to caress her throat, feeling how every time she swallowed it became harder to breathe.

"We should go." She said quickly, rising to her feet to avoid Jeff's evident confusion at her state.

"Woah, have you taken a look at yourself? You look like hell." Jeff remarked, stepping in front of her to block her from opening the door, his fingers curling around the knob instead.

Adelaide remained silent for a moment, creating an uneasy stillness that even made Jeff uncomfortable. His eyebrows furrowed. As the silence lingered, Adelaide met his gaze with a longing stare, her fingers over his on the doorknob.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his throat tightening.

She nodded absentmindedly.

"We could have some real fun in here, you know," Adelaide's voice took a sultry edge, her words slurring slightly. Her tone was suggestive, but tinged with an unsettling hunger, as if she craved the feel of his flesh under her teeth.

Jeff arched an eyebrow, unsettled by the scene. "Don't be a buzzkill." Adelaide giggled throatily, her laughter quickly transforming into a low growl as they wrestled for control of the doorknob.

Jeff eventually wrested control of it. Realizing he wasn't dealing with Adelaide but a shadow of herself, he prepared to make his escape.

He pushed her aside, opening the door while keeping his gaze fixed on her.

Low growls echoed from the other side of the door.  A horde of zombies surged forward, tackling him to the ground as he struggled to break free. Amidst the chaos, Jeff noticed a zombiefied Rich wearing his expensive suit over his banana costume.

"My jacket! You're stretching it! You're stretching it!" He howled in dismay.

From that moment on, everything became blur. Nobody remembers a single thing after being bit. Their memories became fragmented and even little incidents that happened at the party became distant memories.

Slowly, they felt like regaining counciousness of everything. Their skin shivered at the sudden coldness that came into the room. It made them pay close attention to what they were doing and wonder what they had done to get there. Thanks to Troy's heoric actions, fueled by Abed's last words to him, everyone was now safe from being further infected. But, at what cost? They couldn't remember a single thing.

After being checked on by the paramedics, determining they were in a stable condition, Troy and Abed decided to go home and watch a movie. Something unrelated to zombies, of course.

Meanwhile, Annie kept up her friendly chatter with Rich, who still had the lingering feeling of reconnecting with Adelaide.

From the corner of her eye, Annie could see how both Jeff and Adelaide watched their every move with close attention. Just for tonight, she allowed herself not to be bothered by their judgemental stares, but she knew for certain the image of them staring would take a toll on her once she arrived home.

On one end of the study room, the table that was once filled with appetizers for the night, now had Britta, Jeff and Adelaide lined up and sat on top of it. With tired looks in their eyes, feeling like they had gained eye bags overnight, the three of them pondered on the possibilities of what might've happened while they were barely conscious.

"I can't believe that somebody would mass roofie an entire party." Britta commented, her words slicing like a knife through the thick silence created by themselves.

"I can't believe it wasn't me." Chang chimed in, gaining the attention of those beside them.

"I can't believe I believe you. And I don't." Jeff added, averting his eyes as he watched Chang's blood pressure being checked by another paramedic.

"I can't believe we're still talking about this." Adelaide interrupted, gaining glances her way.

While they were the last ones awaiting attention from the paramedics, with Britta being seen on shortly after, Jeff saw an opportunity to clear up some issues while Britta was away. However, silence hung between them.

He cleared his throat to draw Adelaide's attention, "Uh, do you remember anything?" He asked cautiously.

"Besides you acting like a jerk? Not much. Why?" Adelaide huffed, her disappointment evident.

"Bear with me. I was just... thrown off because you demanded too many things from me. It's just Halloween." Jeff confessed, a hint of relief in his voice, as though he was letting go of some weight.

Adelaide's gaze softened, "It's not just Halloween, Jeff. It's your image when you're with me. How you're seen by your friends, by everyone." She explained gently, emphasizing with his frustration.

Jeff chuckled softly. "You were making sure we didn't fail our audience?" He asked.

He had to admit, Adelaide took things more seriously than he did. Theatrics were her forte, but sometimes they felt too intense for him to handle. Sometimes, it all felt too real.

"Always. And you did. The moment you dressed up as David Beckham." She chuckled, folding her arms.

"Crap. I should've gone as the groom instead." He joked with a half-smile.

"Yeah, you should've." She agreed.

"What do you say if we get out of here and actually watch the movie you wanted us to watch, and not just lie about to Britta." Jeff suggested, watching as her eyes lit up for a few seconds.

"Sounds promising." Adelaide replied, pretending to give it a second thought, playing her favorite game with him: hard to get.

"C'mon, being my "girlfriend" doesn't mean you have to complicate things." Jeff commented, their shoulders lightly toughing as he managed to crack a smile from Adelaide. "But seriously, please don't ever make me pick you up from that street again." He pleaded, his tone turning earnest.

"Good thing all you have to do is drop me off there," Adelaide quipped as she hopped out of the table. "then you're off the hook."

"Finally." He sighed in relief, a grin tugging at the end of his lips. Yet, he knew they couldn't leave until their vitals were checked by a paramedic. It amused him to see her be halted mid-stride by a paramedic insisting she sit back down.

They shared a laugh over her brief embarrassment at almost leaving. Adelaide hadn't anticipated things would turn out alright, considering she had almost contemplated leaving the party early. But to her surprise, Jeff Winger turned out to be the reason she stayed. After all, he had looked back and saved her from the zombies. Can it get any more cliché than that?

✷ author's note. Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been busy with my summer semester at college... since it's my last week, I decided to go over a few chapters and edit them.

✷ Also, I apologize that this chapter is so freaking long! I don't think I've ever written anything this lengthy in my life 😅. It may seem like a lot but I swear it's build-up for future plots ;))) I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter regardless... love you all, take care <333