"It bit me."

His voice was strangely calm, as if he was telling me that the weather was nice today. He looked down at his arm, watched as a line of blood escaped from the deepest part of the bite and the first drip hit the grass.

"I came down the slide, and there it was. I didn't even have time to react."

The trapped zombie was still banging around inside the maze. The dull thumps seemed to echo the turmoil inside my own head. I wasn't sure if my heart was still beating, I couldn't hear it anymore over the silent chaos.

"Come on," grabbing his extended arm, I dragged Shawn away from the fun house. The muffled thumps from the zombie faded, and as that sound quieted, I could at least think again. When we had taken several turns through the carnival I pulled us to a stop behind a stand with giant stuffed animals still hanging from it's ceiling. "Stop here."

He stood passively as I tore off my backpack and dumped the contents on the ground.

"Here," I grabbed his arm and dumped an entire bottle of water over the wound. The blood diluted and ran off, revealing an imperfect circle of ragged punctures. Human teeth were not meant to bite flesh.

The deepest mark began trickling blood again as soon as the flow of water stopped. I threw the empty bottle down and began searching the little pile, cursing when I didn't immediately find what I was looking for.

"Bri."

"Shut up," I snapped. My shaking hands were only making the search take longer. I stopped. Inhaled one long breath. Then another. I kept my face down so he wouldn't see that I was fighting back tears.

I didn't cry anymore. Crying was a waste of energy and didn't solve anything. I refused to cry.

My hands were steady when I went back to searching the now scattered pile. Finding the needed packet, I tore it open and went to work on the bite.

He flinched a little, but kept quiet while I used everything medical that I had stuffed into my bag earlier to clean and bandage the bite. Done with that task, I knelt down to begin throwing my things back into my bag. I didn't look at him. I wasn't sure that I could do that, yet, without breaking.

"Bri..."

"No," I violently closed the zipper and slung the bag back over my shoulder.

I was angry. No, I was furious. My pulse pounded in my temples to the beat of my heart. My jaw ached. Taking another deep breath, I forced my jaw to unclench before I broke some teeth.

"Let's go," I marched out from behind the stand and cut a straight line in the direction of the car.

"What are you doing?" Shawn grabbed me and pulled me back out of the open. "There could be more. Or the one in the maze could get out."

"Let them come!" I whirled around to face him and spit the words out.

He looked genuinely at a loss for words, just stared at me with his mouth open for several seconds. Finally, "You don't mean that." It was said quietly.

"You want to bet?" I shrieked. I was out of control, completely losing it. Feeling a rogue tear escape and roll down my face only made the emotions I was experiencing burn hotter.

He stepped closer cautiously, like I was some sort of trapped and wounded animal that might lash out at any second, which I guess I was. I eyed his approach wrathfully, but let him pull me into a tight hug. "It's going to be ok," He smoothed a hand over my back. "It's ok."

The rage folded under the overwhelming pressure of impending loss. Another tear streaked down my face, and suddenly I was crying harder than I could ever remember crying before.

He let me soak his shirt, just stood there, holding me and continuing to whisper 'It's ok'. At some point, it felt like those two words took on new meaning. Like they became a message of acceptance, intended for him or me, I wasn't sure.

I rejected that message. It wasn't ok. Nothing was ever going to be ok again.

The tears were fierce, but short lived. The anger was coming back. When I pulled away from him he let go reluctantly.

"Let's get back to the car. Safely."

I nodded agreement and patted Rex's head, disregarding the drying gore that smeared over my hand from his fur. The dog had been nudging my thigh with his nose while I fell apart. I wasn't the only one who needed comfort. The intelligent animal knew that something was wrong.

Shawn took the lead and wound a less conspicuous route through the carnival than I had earlier intended. The grounds stayed quiet, a couple of still muffled screams from the trapped zombie the loudest noise. I did not feel any relief when we rounded a corner and the car came into view.

Standing by their respective open doors, Brad and Marcus spotted us at the same time. Brad began waving us to hurry. I didn't acknowledge him, too busy staring at the person who had left us behind, apparently without a backward glance. If he had waited for us, he could have given some sort of warning about the zombie at the bottom of the slide.

It was clear now. The flash of movement I'd saw running toward the car hadn't been the other zombie. It had been Marcus, scurrying off to save his own skin.

"H3ll, we heard screaming. Weren't sure we were going to see you two again," Brad's voice carried to us. He looked relieved to see us until we came close enough for him to take in details. His eyes grew big as they darted from my bloody hands, to Shawn's bloody shirt, and landed on Rex's bloody, well, everything. "Is everyone ok?"

"We're fine," I snapped at him as I made it to the car. "No thanks to Marcus here," I wrenched the back door open.

"Uh," Brad stared at me blankly.

Marcus, who had been in the act of getting in the car, stopped to look at me speculatively. He didn't say anything.

Shawn interrupted the tense moment. "Bri, it's ok. Get in the car," he pushed me lightly toward the open door.

I turned my glare on him, but bit back my next comment, and climbed in the car. Rex jumped in behind me. I was sliding over to make room for Shawn when the door closed.

I leaned over to look out the window at him. "What are you doing?" I recognized the cold fingers of panic beginning to squeeze the breath from me.

"You know I can't go back with you."

I scrambled back out of the car, nearly knocking him over with how violently I pushed open the door. "Bull. We don't know anything!" I was yelling again.

"Bri-"

Brad broke in and interrupted whatever stupid thing Shawn had been about to say that I didn't want to hear, anyhow. "Is he bit?" He looked at Shawn with alarm, "Did you get bit?" He looked closer at Shawn and his examination stopped when he found the bottom of the bandage sticking out from under his sleeve.

"We can't know anything yet," my voice was defensive.

"Anyone who gets infected can't come back in the fences," Brad's shoulders slumped. "It's not safe."

"It's not even that deep. I cleaned it up already."

"I'm sorry."

He actually was sorry. It was etched in every line of his face, in the defeated way he nodded at Shawn and then climbed behind the wheel of the car. Shawn touched my shoulder to get my attention.

"Get in the car. Go back with the others, where it's safer."

I shook my head. There was no way I was just leaving him out there, all alone. I opened my mouth to tell him so, but a car door slammed.

I turned and came uncomfortably close to the particular end of a handgun that no one wanted to see pointed at them. Marcus had gotten in the car and was pointing a gun I didn't know he'd had out the window. "This car is leaving in ten seconds. Make up your mind," He looked straight at me.

"Marcus, that's not nec-"

"Dead people stay out here," he interrupted Brad. "You know that's how it has to be. Drive Brad."

When the car didn't immediately move, he yelled, "drive!"

The still open back door closed with a slam when the car jolted forward.