I try to control my breathing not wanting to excite the group surrounding us, as if thy can smell fear like a dog. I realize i'm squeezing Dash's hand.. hard, another sign of fear I loosen my grip but don't dare let go. 

"My sister, your brother, they both died, eating too much popcorn on a carnival ride." She sings darkly in a high-pitched tone. 

"Annah what's happened to you, when did you change!" I cry out. In an instant her head snaps toward me, and she rushes forward. I scream not being able to hold it in. And like a chain reaction the rest of the gang rush in our direction, their features resembling zombies. Dash and I scream as loud we can, in my last moments of consciousness I see the crazed eyes of my former best friend, then feel what I can only assume was her hands squeeze, and then as the final traces of my consciousness fade away I hear a siren and feel the full brunt of the hoard crash down on top of me. Then.....nothing. 

When I wake up I find that i'm in a room that is mostly decorated in white, and after a moment of confusion i realize that I am in fact in a hospital room. Then I turn my head to find that my dad is frantically pacing the room, and my mom is asleep on a couch to my left. Even though i'm tired and my voice is dry, I attempt to assure my father that i'm okay. "Dad, are you okay?" My dad looks at me as if not understanding then he quickly snaps out of it and his expression is one of joyful sadness as he smiles and tears of joy run down his face, my dad is very fit and always is clean shaven, but my endangerment must have took a toll on him because his face shows signs of lack of sleep it looks like he's only eaten vending machine food, and it is obvious he did not shave. 

He lifts my back of the bed and encases me in his arms, while sobbing loudly. Last night never felt so scared in in my life so I sob along with him. Unfortunately me and my dads emotional moment wakes up my mom but as soon as her eyes set on me I am pretty sure she didn't mind she runs up to the bed and hugs me hard, and she begins to cry. I finally let go after two minutes of crying and sobbing and wailing and hugging. And when I do i'm the first one to notice a doctor patiently waiting at the doorway of the room. 

My mom and dad regain their composure. "I am so sorry, to have kept you waiting." Says my mom. "Don't be, this...that was more important. And I had no problem waiting." He smiles warmly and my heart completely calms. After the doctor runs some tests to make sure i'm healthy, and in his words exactly, recovering nicely, I ask the question I've been dreading to ask. "Doctor, do you know what happened to a boy I was with, his name is Dash, Roy, Felix." 

The doctor look on the doctor's face worries me, "Well I haven't heard any news, but the police say when they found you guys he was pulling a girl off you that was strangling you, then he started attacking any of the people that were trying to hurt you, all the while there were people biting and scratching him. When they finally got all the loonies that were hurting you and him he was collapsed on the ground beside you." Those words knock the breath out of me.

 "But he's okay right?, he'll be okay?!" I start hyperventilating, I see spots in my vision I hear the doctor shouting for nurses, I hear my dad telling me to calm down, my shrieking. All the while I scream the same words until the last time when I whisper, "He has to be okay, he has to be...." Then i'm out like a light all over again.

 When I wake again, it's dark in the room. And it looks a little different. I slowly lift my head off the pillow looking for my mom or dad. Neither are there. I look to my right and find a table with food on it. I guess that's for me. But i'm not feeling hungry, so I turn to see what's to my left, and in the darkness, I can make out the shape of a bed. Feeling extremely curious, I take my time getting off my bed but I feel surprisingly strong. I make my way toward the shape, and the object is in fact a bed. I cautiously approach the figure in the bed, and when I see who it is I am fully content. And I even smile as I return to my bed to go back to sleep. Because four and a half feet away from me is my best friend in the entire world, Dash Felix. 

My sleep is more comfortable than it has ever been, and I like it that way. After awakening again for the third time in the past two days, I find that breakfast is sitting on a platter for me, Three hash browns, two or so scrambled eggs, five pieces of bacon, and a glass of orange juice. Unlike the last time there was food set out for me I was starving, so I took the food of the tray impatiently and ate all the food in six minutes flat. "Slow down, you don't want to choke and knock yourself out again do you?" I recognize that voice instantly and smile brightly at Dash. "Morning Mr. I can eat at least five times faster than you." I chirp.

 Dash smiles at me then motions for me to come to him I eagerly get out of my bed and head to his. He lifts the covers and I slide in next to him under them he pulls out a comic book and we spend the next two hours reading four batman comics and sharing or arguing our opinions on each and every one of them. 

Right as were in the middle of a heated discussion about the last batman comic book we were reading, both of our parents enter the room. I get up and run into my parents arms. And Dash's parents head to the bed where dash is and hug him. "Are you okay, is everything alright?" "Do you wanna come home?" "Does it hurt anywhere?" "Should I call for the doctor." "Are you still hungry should we get some more food?" These are the questions which seem to pour from the open mouths of our parents. The first two questions were for me and so was the very last one. The other three questions were for Dash. And I could tell by his innocent act face and that smile in his eye that Dash was enjoying every minute of the attention he was getting. I sigh, then smile knowing dash will never change. 

An hour later the doctor clears me and dash to go home dash is wearing a cast on his wrist. And I have a light, but visible, ring around my neck where Annah tried to choke me. the doctor said it wasn't serious, so some medication, an ointment and a scarf to keep it covered would be enough. And I followed his instructions. 

Me and Dash are feeling great until I see that dash's parents are waiting at the door of his house and Dad turns off the engine to our car. Which meant that we were all getting out here. And sure enough, my assumption that we we're getting out here were correct. Me and Dash give each other the look. We went over this scenario over and over rehearsing our lines for every possible outcome. As we seat ourselves on the couch we brace for the worst and get our lines ready. "So Dash, you want to tell us what you were doing all the way in the center of the city at a park. Or how about you Aaron." Asks my mom. Me and Dash knew it would come to this and we planned for the exact words she just said.

 "Ma'am me and Aaron have been friends for years. In that time we developed an anniversary tradition. We go out to our bench in the park and ask each other dares, and I dared Aaron to go to the park in the center of town. And I came with her to assure her safety, and that she completed the dare." Dash say's just like rehearsed. My mom doesn't look completely convinced, "Why couldn't you have just told me that you guys had this tradition." My mom asks in a tone that says, could've have just told me. Me and Dash planned for this too and the best part is it's 79% true. "We wanted it to be our thing, something only we knew about." I reply. "Well since you told the truth and you have already been through so much you both will only lose two months of allowance." Me and Dash look at each other, we had planned for this as well. "We except our punishment." 

After our receiving our scolding and punishment. Me and Dash head up to his room where me and him try to think of jobs round town we can do to earn enough money for our next anniversary. 

"Maybe we should make a new tradition, I mean the fake one we told our parents doesn't sound too bad." I say. But Dash knows me better. "You're scared it will happen again aren't you." For a few moments I'm silent then I start sniffling. And dash gets on the floor next to me and pulls me into his arms, and I start crying. "It was the single most terrifying thing that ever happened to me." I sob. dash strokes my head of short hair. "Okay let's make a new safe tradition." He says. And now knowing that we won't be in a situation like that again. And feeling comforted by the stroke of his hand in my hair. I fall into a deep relaxed sleep disturbed only by my sniffling.