text: [Themes: sci-fi, science fiction, zombie]
  
  You glance between your friend and your crush and decide that it's worth tolerating James to be in their presence.
  
  "Great," James says. "Me and three girls."
  
  Destiny ignores him, reaches for the door and says "Come on."
  
  The three of you begin walking down the hall toward the trash barricade and make your way around it. Everything is covered in dust, the halls are littered with papers and notebooks and other school related items. The place is so quiet that your footsteps sound like they should echo.
  
  "Where did everyone go?" Destiny asks in a hushed tone. "It's so quiet."
  
  The four of you continue to walk slowly down the hall. Christie opens the door to one of the classrooms only to find it empty of desk and chair; littered with papers and textbooks. Even the teachers desk is gone.
  
  "This is eerie," Destiny comments.
  
  "Listen, there are four of us," James points out; "We can split up and cover more ground in groups of two."
  
  "Good point," Christie says. Destiny nods along as well.
  
  "Charlie," Destiny says. "You're the new guy. Pick someone to team up with."
  
  You look between them.
  
  James, your nemesis; but also probably the one best able to protect you if something crazy happens.
  
  Destiny, your dream girl; any opportunity to spend some alone time with her would be worth it.
  
  Christie, your friend; the one in the group that you know the most about and would probably work the best with.
  
  So. Who will it be?
  
  > Destiny
  "I'll go with Destiny," you say, smiling shyly and walking over.
  
  "Whatever," Destiny says, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's check the pool out."
  
  You follow her lead to the pool's double doors, leaving Christie with James in the hall. Inside the air is thick with the smell of stagnant water, the pool murky. The tiled floor is slippery and gross.
  
  "Go for a swim?" You suggest facetiously.
  
  Destiny shakes her head, taking you serious. "Not in that water," she says. "No way."
  
  "I wasn't serious," you tell her, feeling your face flush as you scratch at the back of your head self consciously.
  
  "Come on," she says; "Let's check out the locker rooms." She pushes the ladies locker room open and you follow her inside. Your mind goes back to all the times you've thought of encountering her in the locker room, but none of your fantasies went quite like this. Still though, you think as you admire the sway of her hips; there are worse things you could be doing with your time.
  
  "Stop looking at my ass," she says without turning around.
  
  "I wasn't-" you start to protest.
  
  "Yes you were," she says. She stops and turns around to face you. "Look Charlie, I know you've had a crush on me since like forever."
  
  "Well," you begin, but she presses a finger against your lips.
  
  "Hush," she says. "You're sweet Charlie, but you and me? We run in different circles. There's no way we would work."
  
  Despite the fact that she is stating the obvious, revealing truths you've understood for years... you still feel your heart drop a little.
  
  "Okay," you say, looking at your feet.
  
  Then she leans forward and does the last thing you expect. Her lips are soft and taste of vanilla. She parts her lips and slips a tongue into your mouth. Your heart races in your chest and you feel your body heat rise as you kiss her back. She grabs the back of your head and kisses you deeper. You grab her butt, momentarily startling her. In that moment it feels like there is nothing else happening in all the world. She bites a little at your lower lip and pulls away. You almost stumble forward but catch yourself.
  
  "That was nice," she says; wiping at the spit on her lips with the back of her hand. "It's too bad we don't match up. You're a good kisser."
  
  You stutter and stumble, unable to find the right words for the situation. She smiles a bit at this and shakes her head as you struggle to form your thoughts into sentences. Her smile turns to curiosity and confusion, then to fear as she looks over your shoulder. You feel the hairs raise on the back of your neck and turn slowly around.
  
  Lurching toward you is a featureless pasty white human-ish creature. Its skin is like raw biscuit shaped into a man; complete with kneading divots. Its face is featureless, no mouth, no eyes, no nose; a blank canvas.
  
  You stumble backwards and trip over your feet, falling onto your ass just beside Destiny. She doesn't move. She seems fixated on the approaching creature. You have a heavy feeling in your stomach and an unexplainable sense of terror as the thing reaches out a fingerless doughy limb toward Destiny. The appendage strokes at her face almost gently but when it reaches her temples it stops.
  
  Destiny goes suddenly stiff, her eyes wide. The longer the creature holds her the weaker she appears. As you watch, backing slowly away; you see the dough like creature begin to take on her features. Eventually Destiny slides backward to the ground, the creature standing over top her. The creature has become her. They are mirror images, one standing over the other.
  
  Destiny-on-the-ground is motionless.
  
  Destiny-standing-over lunges her face suddenly forward and tears out her throat; drinking the blood like a lost desert traveler coming suddenly upon an oasis. When she is done, she turns her face in your direction. Her eyes meet yours, gore dripping from her face. She smiles a crimson smile.
  
  Thoroughly frightened, you scramble backwards like a crab; moving toward the pool.
  
  "Where are you going?" She asks in a voice that both is and is not Destiny's. "Come back over here, Charlie." You continue backing away and she begins walking toward you seductively. "Maybe we can kiss some more?" she asks; innocence dripping with malice.
  
  "Leave me alone," you manage to croak out. You feel the door behind you and stand to turn the knob, but before you can grip it; Destiny is upon you. You feel her teeth sink into the back of your neck, the flesh tearing away. You fall into the wall and she spins you around, smiling wildly.
  
  "You are delicious," she says. Then she tears your throat out and drinks.