They were between me and the exit. Crimson red oozed from their rabid mouths. Beyond their numbers, my eyes fixed on Richie, who had already made his way to the large metal door. He searched through the sea of numerous decaying faces, frantically attempting to find the one he had lost. It reminded me of the time we had become separated at Downy Island. I stared in bewilderment as the deceased figures before me evolved into the lives they had once claimed. Slowly, the rusted factory darkened and, to my surprise, emitted a bright light that temporarily blinded me. The groans of the dead had faded and suspicious sounds rang in my eardrums. Muffled voices and loud tweets caused my eyelids to flitter open and my pupils dilated as they adjusted to the harsh light. I was outside now.

The brutal sun beat down on my shoulders, causing them to sting. Richie, who was no longer dirty or tattered, desperately searched for my hand as I stood a few feet away, dollar bills in one hand, a cool dairy treat in the other. My sneakers crunched over the pebbles and pavement as I ran to catch up with him. I laced my fingers delicately between his and allowed a display of pearly whites to provide an apology. His smile reassured me and we walked on, listening to the joyous screaming of the daredevil riders. There was one scream in particular that stuck out. It arose from a yellow rollercoaster somewhere along our path. Our heads turned towards the sound, curious to investigate it. A thick glop of plasma fell before us. Others quickly followed, creating a small pool beneath our feet. My neck craned up to find the source.

Above us, the yellow coaster had stopped midway up a loop. A passenger, hands dangling from the safety restraints, held dull eyes that openly rested out at vast nothings. The man sitting beside her had his hands around her body in what seemed to be a tight hug. It took me a moment to realize that he was actually feeding off of her. A speck of her blood drifted with the breeze until it landed messily on my face. My hand attempted to brush it away, but instead smeared it across my cheek. Now all the faces were trained on me. An unanticipated pain dissolved the scene until once again, the faces of the people before me melted into nothing but partial skin and bone. The burning sensation that resided in my left calf forced me to turn and to my horror, I watched as a chunk of my pale skin was removed by the rigid body of a small child. The room filled with a terrifying squeal. It was barely audible over the dense buildup of their moans. Despite this, Richie had somehow located me.

As many bodies fell to the floor around him with hard thuds, his continued to inch closer to mine. The presence of their kind had doubled over the past half hour. I knew how this was bound to end. In an instance, our eyes were trained on each other from across the room. Those who encircled us had suddenly disappeared. My mouth whispered “I love you” one final time before my feet fell from beneath me. As I lay on the ground, the cold ones engulfing me from above, I stared at the ceiling and repeated the words over and over again. I hoped the action I was taking would save my dearest love. I smiled widely as my warm blood washed over my body and once again, I repeated the words. “I love you.” And then, the room went black again.