"I wouldn't mind a hunting partner like yourself," Delia winked. "I have all the time in the world to snag some glory on my own. It can wait."

"Flattery will only get you so far..." Neal whispered to the ghost wrangler as he walked passed her and into the foyer to retrieve his revolver and ammo.

"So will violence, but I haven't given up on that one yet, either," Delia replied, playfully elbowing Neal in the ribs as he passed.

Doc was preoccupied with what Delia has said about zombie souls, and whether or not they were intact. "I'm just trying to understand the situation medically. What you're saying is the bacteria effectively kills the victim, and then continues to manipulate its body after death? If that's true then, when I've finished the disease-purging part of the ritual, which isn't a quick process, we'll be left with an uninfected corpse. Now this could still stem the tide of infection, but it means I would have to perform a second ritual to bring back their soul. I've reset a dislocated soul or two in my day. It's extremely bothersome and time consuming."

Doc paused for a beat, then said "Let's do this. By the way, would it help if I made us invisible to zombies?"

Ainsley, still recovering from her hangover, was slow to respond to the current conversation and it wasn't until Neal and Delia had left for the foyer that she realized that they were organizing a zombie hunting party or that she wanted in. Growling, stumbled to the coat closet where she had stored her rucksack the night prior.

A few moments later she emerged, gone was the cocktail dress, replaced by cargo pants and two battle rifles.

"Couldn't hurt."

"I'll come," Aron said, once he got wind of the zombie-hunting party. "I can't remember who I was or what skills I'd have to offer--if any--but I'll try to be of assistance."

After a moment, he mumbled under his breath, "Seems like I go to sleep and the world goes to rot."

Aron couldn't be too surprised at the disruption of his world--after all, he couldn't remember what his life was like before this. But at the same time, it wasn't the most pleasant thing to wake up to.

Annie straggled downstairs, still in her hooded cloak. She'd abandoned the mask since it was a bit too difficult to sleep in something with a beak. The smell of coffee lured her into the kitchen and she silently listened to the preparations for the coming zombie hunt.

"I'd be willing to go too. Not much for guns though, they're a little too noisy for my taste."

"Six of us wanting to go...if six of us go, and one stays," Delia mused, casting an eye Austyn's direction. "That's not going to end well."

While the others were putting their party together, Doc had been looking through the kitchen for supplies. She had found a sack and tied it around her arm, and was now gather pots and other things that could be used as pots.

"Does the mansion have a garden? I need some plants and soil. Also, once we've figure our group out, I think our next order of business should be to decide where we're going to bring the zombies once they are captured. Any thoughts?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Delia said, putting her hands up. "Howsabout we start with one zombie and see how we fare?"

Neal returned to the kitchen in time to hear the doctor woman discussing a mass cure for the zombies. "How about we actually catch one first?" the Darkling said to Delia before addressing the rest of the room.

"Alright, whoever is going out hunting with myself and miss Death here, listen up. We need to stay together, so no splintering off and doing your own attempts at heroics. Likewise, this is a retrieval mission. Not a "let's go splattering zombies brains everywhere" holiday. Stick close and follow our orders... and we'll try to bring you back here in one piece."

Without another word Neal adjusted his fedora and went to the entrance of the mansion. Carefully opening the front door, the Darkling stepped out and scanned the square before motioning for the others to follow.

"Seems quiet for now."

Annie slipped out the front door behind Neal, scanning the surroundings nervously. Normally when she went into a dangerous situation, she had a plan. She studied floorplans, mapped out alternate escape routes, learned the guards' routine perfectly, and was prepared for every way in which her mission could go wrong. But here she was operating blind. It was terrifying and also exhilarating.

"So what exactly is the plan here? Wander around until we see a zombie and hope it doesn't eat our brains?"

"Where are you going to take and secure the zombie once you've caught him?"

Neal let a soft sigh escape his lips before turning around to answer all the questions posed at him. At times like this I miss working alone...

"The plan is to track down a zombie, immobilize it as best we can and then bring it back to the mansion to let the Doc do her thing to it. The mansion has a basement, if memory serves, so we'll use that for keeping the ones we catch."

The Darkling quickly scanned the motley crew standing before him, trying to find the perfect individuals for the mission. "I need someone with tracking skills and stealth... also someone that's good with a gun to go find a zombie with me. The rest, stay here and try to keep the mansion open for our return. If things get rough, go back inside. No point in making a heroic last stand... yet."

"Everyone needs to remember that although we are invisible to zombies, they can still track us using the rest of their senses, if we get close enough to them." With that, Doc returned inside the mansion, feeling that it went without saying that she would stay behind.