Sunlight streamed through the tent and across Neka's face. She stretched, ran her hand through her pitch black hair, and opened her eyes. The sight before her was startling, and completely confusing.

Laura was sitting at the opening of the tent, the door was slightly ajar, and she was as stiff as a statue. Actually if not for the stark contrast of her clothes against her pale form,  someone definitely would've confused her for a piece of finely crafted marble.

Neka moved towards her slowly, stopping at her shoulder. "Laura?"
There was no response it was like she hadn't even heard her. "Laura!"
Still nothing. It was then she noted the complete blankness in Laura's eyes, usually vivid and full of happiness, now lifeless. Laura was completely gone.

Neka went back to her sleeping bag and shook Claire awake, "What is it?" startled, her red veiny eyes popped open in suprise.

"Something's wrong with Laura," Neka quickly explained.

Claire got up and looked around the tent for anything amiss, when had she even fallen asleep? She looked up to see Laura sitting at the front of their tent. She walked up beside her, and studied her immovable form. Her face was blank, her body lifeless, it was like she was frozen in time. Claire followed Laura's impenetrable gaze outside, the terror that lay before her made her quickly turn away sobbing.

Neka unaware of the horrors outside, assumed Claire was just upset about whatever was wrong with Laura. Confused on what to do she started cautiously poking at Josey, trying to wake him up.

He grumbled, yawned, and rolled over. She poked him again wishing she had a stick or something to give her some distance, he was a grumpy morning person. He rolled onto his back and stuck out his arm, it soared through the air and slapped against the floor of the tent. Then his eyes shot open and he glared at Neka as if she was to blame for his missing bed partner.

"Where's  Laura, and why the hell are you poking me?"

Neka pointed to the doorway, his eyes bounced back and forth for a minute between the three girls. Then he slowly opened his mouth to speak,
"What is she doing?"

"I don't know, I woke up to her sitting there like that. "

"Like that?" He looked at her again and noted how white she seemed.

"Like a statue."

Josey walked over, kneeled down, and threw his arm around Laura. She didn't budge. From where he was sitting he didn't have much choice but to look outside. What he caught sight of, helped him understand everything. He pulled his eyes away, and stood up. He put himself between Laura and the gruesome scene outside. Then he reached down and picked her up. He carried her to their sleeping bag and sat down holding her in his lap, whispering in her ear.

She could hear him talking but she couldn't respond, images from her childhood flew through her mind, leaving her body an empty shell. Blood covered the floor, glass shards scattered about, the small body of a three year old. Her dad running outside, her mom clung to her, then she was pushed behind a stack of boxes in  the closet. Her mother went after her father, she never saw them again. Then the onslaught of images started over, it was never ending.

Suddenly her memories started to jumble together and everything became confusing, things were there that shouldn't have been. The intoxicating smell of cedar, a soft kiss to her cheek, a gentle brush of her hair. Next thing she knew she was looking into tempting pair of hazel eyes.

"Thank God," they both breathed out at the same time.

Neka had been watching the entire time with her fingers crossed, now she ran over and hugged them both in relief. Claire also walked over and threw her arms around them, wiping her eyes and sniffling.

Josey took the opportunity to go close the tent flap before Neka' s untainted mind, was exposed to the cruel world outside. He peeked over at the girls, they clung to each other for comfert. So he let them be and started throwing stuff into bags. He payed little to no attention to who's stuff went in which duffel, in his rush he just didn't care.

"Laura," she looked up at him still slightly shaken.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going outside to put these bags into the car."

She started to tremble uncontrollably, "N-no, no please, P-please d-don't!" She desperately begged.

"You want to leave right?" She nodded, " You want to go home?" She nodded again.

He took her face in his hands and stared down into her beautiful, terrified, brown eyes. "I promise you, I'm just going to the car, I'll be right back. I love you."

The closer he got to the door the harder she shook, Claire and Neka hugged her tighter. Josey looked back at her one last time, "Close your eyes, don't open them until I come back. "

She closed her eyes and he unzipped the tent. He blocked the view outside with his body the best he could as he threw the bags out, one at a time. He followed after them and quickly zipped the tent back shut.