Electric at the Fair

Maya dragged her zombie-like body through the county fair, exhausted from three days of finals prep. The neon lights blurred together as her friends ditched her for the tilt-a-whirl.

"You're being so dramatic," Jenna had said before running off. "It's just the fair, not a spy mission."

But Maya felt like she was undercover, constantly checking her phone to see if Tyler would actually show. He'd hinted at it in chem class, but Tyler was notorious for flaking.

She spotted him by the livestock arena, watching the riders prepare. Maya's heart did that annoying fluttery thing. She smoothed her vintage band tee and headed over, trying to look casual and not like someone who'd been refreshing his Instagram for hours.

"Hey!" she called, louder than intended.

Tyler turned, grinning. "Maya! You came. Want to watch the bull riding? It's literally insane."

They stood by the railings as riders launched themselves onto massive animals. Maya gripped the metal until her knuckles turned white.

"That's Brutus," Tyler said, pointing at a particularly massive bull. "Nobody's lasted eight seconds on him yet."

The rider launched forward and was immediately bucked off. The crowd groaned.

"Would you ever do that?" Maya asked.

"Maybe," Tyler shrugged. "Sometimes you gotta take the bull by the horns, right?"

Maya laughed despite herself. "Did you just"

"I know, I know. So lame." But he was smiling at her, really smiling, and Maya felt something electric zip through her veins.

Outside, lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the fairgrounds in stark white. The first fat drops of rain began to fall.

"Race you to the pavilion!" Tyler shouted, grabbing her hand.

They sprinted through the sudden downpour, soaked and breathless, and as they huddled under the shelter, Maya realized she didn't feel zombie-like anymore. She felt completely, terrifyingly alive.

"So," Tyler said, wiping rain from his eyes. "Zombie apocalypse survival team? You and me?"

Maya grinned. "Try to keep up."