Kiana stared into the giant fish tank, trying to keep her mind focused on the camera in her hands. It was her favorite time of the school year; the photography club took a field trip downtown where they spent the entire day taking photos at the aquarium, park, and every other beautiful attraction. It was always a mess and a ton of fun, but this time, Kiana couldn't seem to draw her mind towards the task in front of her.

All she could focus on were the eyes on her back.

"You know, You don't have to follow me around." Kiana's words felt like daggers as Jonathan's reflection caught in the glass. "Just talk to me."

His head tilted, sending pins and needles through her bloodstream. In his fragile reflection on the aquarium tank, he seemed far closer when he was only a few steps away.

"Or you could just turn around. Then I wouldn't have to follow you."

Kiana felt a tightness in her chest as she answered his request, spinning slowly to face him. A painful heat grew at her heart, pumping blood faster than her body could keep up. It was like burning fire spreading through her veins, wrapping around her hands, her feet, her eyes.

"Jonathan." She breathed the name gently, staring at the eccentric, disheveled mess. Just like the past three times he appeared, he was shrouded by baggy clothes, pale and sickly with only a smile to keep him together. The cut on his cheek stretched painfully as his face bent into a grin, yet he hardly minded. All his attention was on her.

"Did you miss me?" Jonathan's childish excitement split through the tension, her heart sputtering in surprise. "Cause I have so many ideas for today! Have you ever..."

"Jonathan." Kiana snapped. The fire in her chest grew at her own frustration, but she knew it had to be done. He had taken her to an animal shelter to meet his favorite puppies, snowshoeing upstate, and for a picnic on top of the tallest building downtown. Each one took her breath away but she knew she couldn't continue.

Her mom noticed the lack of homework; her teachers knew she wasn't in class. Each adventure was harmless, but devastating to what was left of her zombie world.

"I...don't think I can keep doing this."

Jonathan tilted his head like a confused puppy, sending her heart on a throbbing rollercoaster. "But no one's caught us yet. And I was gonna take you to see sharks today."

"Goodness Jonathan!" She shouted, realizing she was trembling all over. "I'm at an aquarium! There are literally sharks downstairs!"

"I was going to take you behind the tanks." He sounded more hurt than defensive, as innocent as a child. "We were going to feed them, but if you don't want that, we could always go to the movies."

Suddenly, his voice lit up, all hurt drifting away as his scarred cheek stretched into a smile. "Or there are these hiking trails on the edge of the city! They have these giant bluffs where you can climb higher than the birds..."

"I need you to stop." Kiana's voice wavered, stinging with each devastating blow she dealt. It hurt, watching Jonathan's eyes fill with sadness, but this wasn't safe. He had no name, no life, no reality to fit in a world of zombies. Even his history threatened her, as dark and mysterious as the depths of a shark tank.

Kiana channeled all of her knowledge and every zombie quality she held in an attempt to push him away. "You're crazy." She stated, trying her best not to let herself hear the meaning of the words. "You're teaching me to do all of these dangerous and stupid things. How did you even get snowshoes? Or hack the school system to change my attendance record?"

"So I have a bit of a weird skill set. That doesn't mean I'm bad." Jonathan shrugged his shoulders as his eyes bent to the ground. Even he knew that he was guilty of something, despite never mentioning it.

"Why aren't you in school?" Kiana asked, her voice tight with regret. She just wanted an adventure, so she let herself be blind to every threatening quality he possessed. Clutching the camera tightly, she held back her bitterness. "What are you hiding from me?"

Jonathan stood silently, his eyes falling on his shoes in shame. It was worse than she had imagined. He was silent, couldn't even find a reason to stay.

Kiana nodded her head and bit her lip, wishing he would just tell another lie so they could run off and spend the afternoon together.

"I want you to meet my family."

Kiana froze, his voice echoing through her ears like the lie she had wished for.

"I get I'm a bit tough to understand, but if you meet them...well, it might explain some of it."

"Is it safe?" She breathed. She clutched the camera while her mind ran rampant with warnings. She was never supposed to follow him and see a world outside of the zombie's, but she couldn't stop herself from dreaming of the possibilities.

"Yeah -I mean- they're a bit odd, but they're safe," Jonathan grinned. "You want to have dinner with us tonight?"

"But how do I know this isn't a trick?" Kiana couldn't stop the question, letting it spill from her lips like burning lava. He was a dangerous threat to a world of zombies.

Jonathan shrugged his shoulders as fear prickled the back of Kiana's neck. Then, spreading like molten fire, a hellish grin began to creep onto his face. Deadly air resonated from his blue hair, his soulless eyes, and his stitched up face. "I've had a million chances to kill you, Kiana,"

"If I was going to hurt you, I wouldn't have waited until there are a dozen witnesses." Trust me. I'm safe." Jonathan gestured to the small crowd milling through the aquarium and in the blink of an eye, every terrifying trait fell away. He was simply a blue haired boy with a puppy-eyed gaze.

"Come on! We don't live far from here!" He raised his hand and as every part of her consciousness fell away, Kiana fell for him all over again. He was odd and mysterious, but not a zombie. Never a zombie.

Kiana grabbed his hand and let herself be led towards the door, but she couldn't shake a disturbing feeling.

The hand between her fingers wasn't human, and the boy in front of her was a monster disguised as a child.