text: e was on my side. I imagine I'm not too well accepted around here."
  "Meh, I think you're about as accepted as anyone else around here. I mean I think the general assessment of you is that you're a big tease that thinks she's better than everyone else, but I mean its not like you're a nigger or something." Tina remarks.
  
  You give Tina a strange look.
  
  "Um, lucky me then I guess. Just out of curiosity what do you think about Donna leaving? She kept going on about how you two were friends." You say.
  "Me? Eh, I don't really care. I mean I knew your sister on and off for a few years when I use to do strip jobs over at the parties at the place she was livin' at before. An while she was a funny girl that made that particular job a lot more enjoyable, so I didn't mind helping her out with a job when she asked, but it wasn't like I ever considered her a real friend. Hell, I didn't even know she had a sister until a few days ago. Anyway, always knew she was flakey. To be honest I didn't even see her lasting long as a stripper and living here either. She probably would've latched on to first sugar daddy she could find and ditched everything."
  
  "Sounds about right." You say and toss aside the note.
  
  "Well I'll leave you alone blondie. And I wouldn't worry about your status here or lack there of. Quite frankly so many folks here have died or are wounded that nobody's really in any position to antagonize someone who actually has been making an effort to contribute around here. Speakin' of which I need to go talk to this crazy man that's probably still ranting about a fuckin' truck." Tina says and leaves.
  
  You take a shower as you're thinking about how you're going to proceed next. You go back and forth on whether to do what your sister did, but knowing your luck, you'd end up getting caught so you ultimately abandon the idea.
  
  As you're getting dressed and figuring out what your next plan of action should be, you suddenly hear banging on the door of your trailer again. You go to the door and see it's that methhead Dan.
  
  "Hey blondie! You're needed for a vote!" Dan exclaims.
  "Vote? Vote for what?" you ask.
  "We need a tie breaker to shoot the ones that got bitten or not. Billy Ray in particular ain't lookin' too good." Dan remarks.
  "So what are we doin' if we don't shoot 'em?"
  "Guess we're goin' back to town to try for medical supplies again. If that's the case, I hope we have better luck, cause it was a cluster fuck last time." Dan says.
  
  As you walk with Dan, he's looking at you a lot and while some of that is predictable ogling, he's also doing a lot of twitching and it's making you nervous.
  
  "Dan, I know you have to take a glance at me every now and then, but between the staring and the twitching it's making me uncomfortable. Makes me think of those things that attacked us yesterday. It doesn't help that you're about as clean as they were too." You say.
  "Oh. Sorry blondie. I just...I need a fuckin' fix. Just to put me at ease. The shit that's been going down for the past couple of days has really made me scared y'know? I went through most of my shit after the National Guard showed up and then I used the rest up immediately after the freak invasion."
  "So where's the meth lab? Don't places like this usually have one?" you ask.
  "Hah, I wish. I mean we used to have one years ago, but it blew up and caused a lot of damage. After that, the old owner sort of cracked down on that sort of thing."
  "Well there's no law anymore, you could just start making it again."
  "Hah, yeah. But again with everythin' that's gone on, isn't like there's been time to do that. Not to mention Mel's been ridin' everyone non-stop. He's already pissed at me for fallin' asleep yesterday. I didn't catch Jimmy Ray an' yer sister taking off in the night. Guess he figured if anyone would stay awake all night it would be me, but I just sort of crashed because like I said I didn't have my shit anymore to keep me alert."
  "Yeah, well it's tough all over." You say unsympathetically.
  
  Before you even get to the meeting, you can hear the arguing, which is mainly consisting of a lot of shouting and swearing. By the time you arrive, you're met with mixed glances.
  
  "These are our friends, we can't just fuckin' kill them!"
  "We need to fuckin' kill 'em before they infect us all!"
  "You're one cold hearted sonofbitch you know that? What if I just decided to kill you?!"
  "Try it bitch!"
  
  "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU!" Mel shouts.
  
  At this point all eyes are on you.
  
  "As you can see blondie, we're involved in the democratic process and are in need of a tie breaker." Mel says to you.
  "Aw Mel what the fuck we need her vote for? She ain't one of us and her sister fucking stole a truck!" some redneck woman says.
  "I said shut it! The only reason why I even entertained this process is so you fuckers would quit bitchin' about me bein' a so-called tyrant even though I'm the only one around he trying to do anything at all! So however blondie votes, will break the goddamn tie and we can move on. So what's your vote?"
  
  Not that you're especially close to any of these people, but if you vote to shoot you know it's going to cause a lot more problems and you being an "outsider" are going to catch all the hell for it. Besides, last you remember Mel was trying to keep these folks alive, best you vote on his side.
  
  "Well I vote not to shoot because..." you start to say before Mel interrupts again.
  
  "That's all I need to know. Didn't need the reasons. Hear that folks? We ain't shootin' any of them! I dunno why you pussies are scared anyway, we got 'em all locked up and barricaded inside a trailer. They ain't getting out even if they do turn into something."
  
  At this point there is more grumbling, but democracy has won this day and nobody gets violent about it, though you have a question.
  
  "Um, has anyone actually looked in on these bitten folks since they got thrown in together?" you ask.
  "Yeah, I did. Like I said, Billy Ray ain't lookin' too good. Neither are some of the others. They're all mostly just lying there not doing much though." Dan says.
  "Well was any first aid actually applied to them? I mean maybe they're not infected, but just really wounded. Any aid might help."
  "I threw in some bottles of whiskey an' pain killers to ease the discomfort. I threw in some bandages in there, but I wasn't gonna get close enough to actually bandage them." Dan replies.
  "And that's it? Nobody else has seen to them since they've been shoved in a trailer?"
  "Nope."
  
  This is nuts, these people that have been bitten could very well be DYING due to neglect more than anything else! Nevermind the fact that the reason some might not be moving is that they might've very well ODed from the alcohol/pill combo.
  
  In any event Mel breaks up your question period.
  
  "Alright what we're gonna do is fetch us some more medical supplies an whatever else we might find. Thinkin' we should hit up that carnival a few miles from here." Mel remarks which sort of takes most by surprise. You especially since you weren't even aware there was a carnival in the area.
  
  "If the National Guard stopped here, chances are good they stopped at that carnival too. Maybe that detachment had more supplies and I also figure it's gotta be easier than tryin' to go back into town again." Mel reasons.
  
  Mel's suggestion is met with mixed results, but the people seem to be okay with it. Probably because a carnival does sound a lot less dangerous than going back into town, which they assumed would be the case.
  
  "Okay, we're taking three trucks an' y'all that came with me last time are comin' with me this time as well an I'll be pickin' a few more so don't nobody go too far. That means you blondie."
  
  "Wouldn't it be better if I stayed here and looked after things? I mean you don't want to leave this place totally undefended." You say.
  "Oh it never is. I'm sure you saw that everyone is fully capable of defendin' themselves here when those freaks attacked. But I can't just be takin' mothers ya know? I mean it's bad enough most of the snot nosed bastards round here that survived ain't got fathers and that's before all this shit went down. Can't hardly deprive 'em of mothers as well can I? Someone needs to keep 'em out of my way and look after them."
  "Well isn't someone like Butchie Billie better suited for something like this than me?"
  "Butchie Billie is probably our best welder and mechanic. I'm not gonna risk taking her. Besides, she still needs to work on converting our newly acquired army trucks. And some of the other guys I'm not takin' are better at workin' on the generators or digging some extra outhouses."
  "I don't have a weapon or least not any with ammo. I ran out of bullets during the last attack." You say.
  "Oh don't worry about that, if there is one thing we've got a lot of, its weapons and ammo."
  
  As you struggle to think up another excuse. Mel stops you.
  
  "Look blondie, you knew you were gonna have to start paying yer dues. And since I KNOW you were tryin' to avoid bein the new fuck toy around here, it's either this or you can just fuckin' leave."
  
  You don't see yourself making it on your own...at least not yet. You still need to be in the safety of numbers, so that means you're going.
  
  However you question if Mel's plan is even a good one. You could very well get to this carnival and not find anything, you sort of wonder if it wouldn't be a better idea to actually head back to town. You figure the town is probably already half looted and lawless by now, so you might well go in and get the best stuff you can before its completely gone. Not to mention you might know the town a little better as far as which side streets to take to get to certain locations quicker. Like say small pharmacies and other stores near where you live.
  
  Of course putting yourself in more danger isn't necessarily desirable either.
  
  > go with Mel's plan
  No need to make this more dangerous than it needs to be.
  
  "Alright I guess we're going to the carnival." You say.
  "Good. be ready at the trailer park entrance in a few minutes. Someone there can probably hand you a weapon as well."
  
  When you arrive at your destination, a group of rednecks are already there checking various rifles and handguns. It really does look like they got enough to take on an army. Their attention turns to you.
  
  "Well now if it isn't blondie. I'm surprised Mel is riskin' his piece on the side like this." One of the sleazier rednecks says.
  "I know that's right Ray. If she was mine, I'd be wantin' to keep her safe." Another says.
  "Piece on the side? Is that what Mel told all of you?" you ask which is followed by a lot of snickering.
  
  "Not in so many words honey, but we ain't the idiots that he thinks we are. Why else would he tell us to lay off of ya if he wasn't stickin' ya? Sonofabitch already has Tina, don't see why he gets ta have TWO fine pieces of ass while some of us ain't got none." Ray remarks.
  "Could I have one of those rifles please?" you ask ignoring Ray's comments.
  
  Ray snorts at your request.
  
  "Don't think so blondie. Maybe you think yer warrior princess or some shit cause you got lucky shootin' a couple of those freaks, but I ain't impressed and you ain't getting any of these rifles. Here, take one of these instead. Should be more than enough for you seein' as all yer gonna be doin' is hidin behind Mel the whole time anyway." Ray says and hands you a smaller pistol.
  "Fine, I don't need a big weapon anyway. I don't have to over compensate for something." You say taking the pistol.
  "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ray asks.
  "It means she's sayin' you probably got a small pecker Ray, now quit givin' the girl a hard time and let's all get goin'." Mel sudden remarks as he walks up with a couple more people.
  
  Ray doesn't say anything and just glares at you before leaving for one of the trucks. Everyone else does likewise. Predictably, you have no wish to ride with any of them, let alone in the back of one of the pickups with a bunch of them so you ride up front with Mel especially since you want to address something.
  
  As the trucks pull out from the trailer park, Mel fiddles with the radio, but he doesn't get anything except Ground Zero ads.
  
  "Goddamn Ground Zero shit. I'm tellin' you like I've said to everyone else, it's a fuckin' conspiracy goin' on with them. In fact all of this shit goin' on is government related." Mel says turning off the radio.
  "Yeah, probably. Hey Mel, is it really necessary for you to lie and tell everyone that we're having sex?" you ask.
  
  Mel starts chuckling a little bit.
  
  "Who said I did that?" Mel asked.
  "Well first of all a few days ago Tina flat out asked me if I had any intention of fucking you, and I had to clarify that I wasn't. She believed me, but she said you told her that I flirted with you. Then Ray just said that I was your piece on the side. Everyone else seems to believe that as well." You say.
  "Okay, first off I'll admit that I might've said you were flirtin' with me to Tina, but there was a good reason. We're just makin' up from one of our many bad fights and I figured it might be good to get her a little jealous. Y'know so she doesn't take me for granted and that she could possibly lose me if she isn't careful. Knowin' Tina she probably thought it was bullshit anyway, which is probably why she just flat out asked you as opposed to just clawing yer eyes out if she thought it was remotely true."
  "Well she did say that she didn't believe it."
  "Exactly. She knew a girl like you wouldn't be interested in someone like me. Still, it was a good gesture on my part to show her I still care."
  
  At this point you're not going to decipher hillbilly love life logic. You just continue to listen to Mel explain himself.
  
  "Now as for Ray an' the rest. All I told them is to lay off of you a little bit since you were new to the trailer park an' you were doin' your best to contribute. I really can't help it if everyone jumps to conclusions."
  "But you're not exactly dispelling those conclusions either."
  
  Mel laughs again.
  
  "Well, I suppose yer right about that, but think of it this way, if they all think you're my squeeze on the side, they're actually all less likely to try anything because they won't want to answer to me. I mean right now all they do is stare a lot and make the occasional cat call. Now I could tell them that we're really not doing anything, but after interactin' with Ray, do you really want him or some of the others sniffin' around on a regular basis?"
  "Ugh, I suppose not...just wish there was another way."
  "Man's world, blondie, deal with it."
  "Trust me, I am. I just don't like it."
  
  You and Mel continue to drive in relative silence until you get to the carnival destination.
  
  "This should be coming up to it soon."
  "Didn't even know there was a carnival nearby."
  "Yeah, set up shop I think last Saturday. Most of us from the trailer park went there earlier in the week. I didn't go mainly because I was too busy fightin' with Tina at the time and I didn't wanna run into any clowns. Hate those creepy fuckers." Me;
  "Really? I always liked clowns. I even briefly thought about wanting to be one when I was little. Oh well, guess that will always be the dream." You say causing Mel to give you a look like you just creeped him out a little.
  
  You drive up to the carnival, which looks like it was in the middle of being packed down, but other events got in the way and given the ones you suffered, you can sort of imagine what those were. The place looks like a warzone and there are several bodies lying on the ground
  
  "Looks like I was right, the Guard was here." Mel says pointing to a military truck near a dilapidated tent.
  "Don't think they're still in charge here either." You say.
  In the distance you see a few small figures near a large tent and then they run into it when they see you pull up.
  "Well looks like whoever is still in charge here is going to be meetin' us real soon." Mel says and stops the truck. The other trucks following stop as well.
  
  You see several people now step out of the big tent. Some of them are armed, but then again so is your side.
  
  "Get ready, but stay in the truck. I'm gonna actually try to handle this without a gunfight, but I'm not hopeful about that." Mel remarks and gets out of the truck.
  
  You see him motioning and shouting to the rest to hold fire and then he addresses the carnie crowd who seem to mostly consist of midgets and the main one addressing Mel is dressed in clown clothing, though he doesn't seem to be wearing the makeup.
  
  "It's okay, it's okay. Ain't nobody lookin' for a fight." Mel says.
  "Doesn't look that way, given that you've come with three trucks full of armed men." The midget clown says.
  "Heh, well I'm sure given your own heightened state of awareness, you know things are getting' dangerous nowadays. Anyway my name's Mel, I'm guessin' since you're the one talkin' you're in charge here. Ringmaster or something like that?"
  "Look, we don't want any trouble."
  "And you won't get any trouble. You...uh...got some military gear here too I see. That truck over there."
  "Yeah, what of it?"
  "Oh nothing, but that brings about the question of where are the guardsmen...heh yeah they tried to tell us what to do too. Didn't work out so well. The second amendment says you got the right to pack it after all. Government can't just do what they want."
  
  At this point more people come out of the tent, which in turn makes more people get out of their trucks. You get out too, though you're taking cover behind the door. Your people and the carnies are both starting to eye each other waiting for someone to fire a shot.
  
  "Look let me cut to the chase shorty. I'm assumin' you might know by now what's been happenin' back in town. Besides the government tryin' to pull their shit, there's a bunch of freaks runnin' around tryin' to eat people. A bunch of them attacked us last night and while we fought them off, some of us got badly hurt and are in need of medical supplies. Now of course we did try goin' into town first, but was just too fucked up there an' we didn't make much head way what with the freaks AND the guard all over the damn place. Then it occurred to me today that your circus might still be around and the National Guard probably would've been here as well so we decided to investigate. Now the group of weekend warriors at the trailer park had shit for medical supplies. So I'm hoping your detachment had more in that department."
  "We ain't got anything! Just go away or we'll open fire!" the midget clown says.
  
  Mel isn't convinced and in any case he has no intention of backing down now.
  
  "Now you might get a few of us, but I'm bettin, most of us are better shots than y'all, so if you give us what medicine supplies you do have we'll leave here in peace, if not well..."
  
  While Mel is probably doing the best he can in trying to resolve this without a gun battle, but you know how this is going to go down. It's just been that sort of week.
  
  Suddenly someone fires a shot and then another from one side and then it's a full-blown shoot out. (You mainly hide behind the truck, firing every once in a while)
  
  The carnies aren't holding back, but your side does indeed have much better aim and midgets are falling like flies until they all fall back into the big tent again.
  
  After some more shooting which is completely one sided now, Mel calls a halt to it.
  
  "We can fire all day into that big tent, but we can't be sure if we're actually hitting anyone since we ain't got x-ray vision an' I don't want us wastin' anymore ammo. We gotta do something else." Mel says.
  "Why don't we just throw grenades at it? We got some from the Guard that was fuckin' with us." Ray asks.
  "Because they might have medical supplies in there ya idiot. We start blowin shit up, an it defeats the whole purpose of the trip. I think we need to spread out an creep up then just rush in." Mel says.
  "So your solution is to go in there like a SWAT team an' possibly get our asses shot off? Fuck that. I'm blowin' that motherfucker up."
  
  At this point Ray and a couple others look and nod at each other and start heading towards the big tent with grenades in their hand. Mel tells them to stop, but his orders are ignored and met with a couple of swear laden sentences of being tired of him always telling them what to do.
  
  Mel is visibly angry; though you're surprised he isn't doing more to stop them from disobeying his orders. As much as Mel isn't exactly your favorite person, you'd hate to see this as the first sign of a "change in leadership." Especially if it's going to be Ray.
  
  > let them blow up the tent
  Opening fire on anyone other than carnies probably isn't a good idea, at least not on your own. Maybe if Mel gave the order it might be different, but again he surprises you and doesn't do such a thing.
  
  "Ray, you're a goddamn idiot." Mel shouts and just watches as Ray and the two others quicken their pace towards the tent.
  
  All three of them get half way to the tent and then prepare to throw, which they do. Two of the grenades hit the tent, but one manages to roll inside it. Unfortunately for them one of the carnies steps in the tent entrance and throws it back!
  
  "Holy fuck! Run!" is all Ray manages to shout which is then followed by a bit of gunfire from the carnie who threw the grenade. He's hit the leg, but that's not the worst of it since he's not that far from the grenade when he falls to the ground.
  
  Mel, you and everyone else take cover behind the trucks in preparation for the explosions soon to follow, all three of them.
  
  When the smoke clears and everyone slowly looks out from behind their cover.
  
  It's a devastating mess. The big tent is partially gone, though surprisingly still sta