Okay, okay, I need to update ELitIA, I know. But this idea has been lodged in my brain for a while now, and I finally decided to put it down in the computer, 'cause it's about time I start writing less humorous, darker plots.

By the way, to avoid any confusion, this is set in an AU where Diego really got killed by Soto in the first movie. In other words, he's dead, and other than Manny and Sid, none of the herd members have any idea who he is. Other than that part, everything pretty much stays the same. And heck, even Shira's in this thing too. But no Diego. You got that now? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you got that. M'kay, I'll shut up now so you can read on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ice Age, or zombies will dominate the alternate world. Heh. You'll see what I mean later.

Zombies.

They're brain-sucking monsters, though they have no brain of their own. Or at least, that's what everyone says. But what everyone says is not always the truth. Sometimes, but not always. And on this fateful day, an odd herd of animals, will find this out, and will be on their darkest, most supernatural adventure yet. And perhaps the origins of their group will finally be dug back up, delved into, and revealed...

"Sid, for the last time, NO!"

"Come on, Manny, please!"

A mammoth and a sloth were arguing back and forth, while a female mammoth, presumably the mate of the male, and a female saber-toothed tigress watched with blank looks.

The tigress looked up at the mammoth cow. "Do I even want to know?"

"SID! I am not a piñata that little kids get to hit! Therefore, I am not helping you with your little school!"

On the sidelines, the female mammoth looked back at the tigress. "Now you know, whether you wanted to or not."

"But... But don't you remember what happened last time, Manny?!" Sid whined.

The mammoth, now known as Manny, let out an exasperated sigh. "Which is why I'm telling you to just give up on this camp."

"Alright you ladies, let's change the topic now, shall we?" The mammoth cow interrupted, finally stepping in and taking charge.

"Ellie!" Manny exclaimed, relieved that he didn't have to end up giving in to Sid's pleas for assistance.

"Did you just call us girls?" Sid asked, confused.

"Suppose I did," Ellie shrugged.

"I'm a male! A man! Un hombre! Right, Shira?!"

The tigress shot the sloth a look. "Why are you getting me into this? I have nothing to do with the fact that you act like a total prissy."

Sid gave an overdramatic sigh. "You lot are so mean... Everyone hates me..."

Manny rolled his eyes. "I'll never get sloths and their melodrama..."

"SIDNEY! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY TEETH?!"

"...Or their craziness," Manny finished.

An elderly female sloth seemingly around the age of 80 had hobbled over, pointing her walking stick defensively at any passerby on the island, who simply just shot her a weirded out look in return. Once she approached the odd foursome, she whirled on the younger sloth, starting to beat him mercilessly with her armed weapon.

"Ow – I don't know – ow – what happened with your – ow – teeth, Granny! You were – ow – the one who – ow – had them – ow – last!"

"Don't you use that tone with me, Sidney! You need to become more polite like your friends over here!" Sid's dear old grandmother started to hit him harder.

"Why is Uncle Sid getting beaten this time?" A new voice joined the group.

Manny smiled at the sight of his daughter. "Peaches! I was worried about you! Where were you?! You weren't hanging out with that Ethan boy again, were you?!"

Peaches frowned. "Dad! I thought you weren't going to baby me anymore!"

"Manny, I know it's hard for you to get used to leaving your daughter to make her own decisions, but you really need to try to not get your tail in a knot," Ellie agreed.

"Hey! I'm not getting my tail in a knot! I just don't like Ethan very much!"

"What has Ethan ever done to you?" asked Peaches.

"For one thing, he insulted this herd, and he's lucky that I'm not doing anything about it. Two, he gives me a bad feeling! You were pretty much on top of him when I first saw you guys together!"

Peaches rolled her eyes. "That was an accident! If the stupid falls weren't so slippery, that wouldn't have happened!"

"Has... Hasn't anybody noticed me?" A timid voice piped up.

Manny's rants stopped as he suddenly noticed a tiny mammal on his daughter's back. "Oh, hey Wiener."

"Hey, you notice Wiener but you don't notice us?!"

"Um... My name is Louis..." Wiener, or Louis, softly said, though he was ignored.

"Hey guys," Ellie greeted two possums, Crash and Eddie, sitting behind Louis. "What are you doing?"

"Just doing supernatural experiments," Eddie said proudly.

Manny rolled his eyes. "Not that again."

"Hey! Halloween's coming up, and it's about time we actually see zombies or ghosts or vampires lurking around at night!" Crash yelled defensively.

"If you ask me, those things will come out on Halloween only, not when it's almost Halloween," Shira commented, casually examining her claws.

"I don't think I'm going to do anything this year for Halloween actually," Manny remarked.

"Are you serious, dude?! It's like, the best holiday of the year!" Crash shouted.

"Your opinion is respected. Now stop shouting; I can hear you perfectly fine with you talking in your normal voice level."

All of them were so wrapped up in their little banter, they failed to hear a faint rumbling from the ground, until it gradually grew louder and louder.

"Um... I'm not the only one who hears that...right?" Peaches asks skeptically.

Right when those words escaped her mouth, the earth began to shake.

"The world isn't ending again, is it?!" Louis exclaimed over the noise, clearly frightened out of his wits.

"No, WAIT! Everyone don't move!" Manny shouted.

The rumbling slowly ceased to a stop, and the earth became silent once more. Just when Manny was about to say the coast was clear, the ground opened up, right where the group was standing. They all fell in, screaming, until they all landed with a thud on the ground.

Sid rubbed his head and looked around. He was now surrounded in a dense, foggy atmosphere, with no trees or water in sight.

"...Manny?" He called out tentatively.

"I'm here, Sid," he heard Manny call back from nearby. "Where are we?"

"...I don't know," Sid finally said after moments of silence, creeped out by the landscape before him and his friend.

Manny looked around. "Oh boy," he sighed.

Okay, I give you the prologue, folks! This part is boring, I know. I can't wait till I get to the good stuff! Leave a review if you liked it, and if you want, try guessing where the herd is now! ;)