thought there was nothing in
that to disturb me。 But I felt uneasy； and I wasn't sure why at first。
It wasn't until almost the very end； as I watched a haggard zombie shambling
after the last shrieking
survivor； that I realized what the problem was。 The scene kept cutting between
the horrified face of the
heroine； and the dead； emotionless face of her pursuer； back and forth as it
closed the distance。
And I realized which one resembled me the most。
I stood up。
〃Where are you going？ There's； like； two minutes left；〃 Jess hissed。
〃I need a drink；〃 I muttered as I raced for the exit。
I sat down on the bench outside the theater door and tried very hard not to
think of the irony。 But it was
ironic； all things considered； that； in the end； I would wind up as a zombie。
I hadn't seen that one ing。
Not that I hadn't dreamed of being a mythical monster once—just never a
grotesque； animated
corpse。 I shook my head to dislodge that train of thought； feeling panicky。 I
couldn't afford to think about
what I'd once dreamed of。
It was depressing to realize that I wasn't the heroine anymore； that my story
was over。
Jessica came out of the theater doors and hesitated； probably wondering where
the best place was to
search for me。 When she saw me； she looked relieved； but only for a moment。
Then she looked irritated。
〃Was the movie too scary for you？〃 she wondered。
〃Yeah；〃 I agreed。 〃I guess I'm just a coward。〃
〃That's funny。〃 She frowned。 〃I didn't think you were scared—I was screaming
all the time； but I didn't
hear you scream once。 So I didn't know why you left。〃