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a white nightgown breaks the darkness, and a face appears. My heart stops. Is that Jessica?
    I'm terrified, excited, nervous, and bold all at the same time. “Jessica?” I whisper.
    She turns toward me. “Who's there?”
    My hands tremble and my throat dries. I don't know what to answer, or if I should say anything, but I'm caught in the moment. “Ryan,” I tell her. “It's Ryan.”
    A raven flees into the night from the trees above me. I duck down, startled by its movement. When I look up at the window, Jessica is gone. Waving curtains have taken the place of the dark room that framed her before. I've ruined the moment. She doesn't want to see me. All the excitement of seeing Jessica for the first time has vanished, leaving a sharp hole in the bottom of my stomach. It hurts, and suddenly I feel a craving.
    Someone unlatches the back door and turns its handle slowly. The door opens and the night welcomes the same long nightgown that appeared at the upstairs window.
    “Ryan?” Jessica whispers and the tumbling in my stomach continues.
    “I'm here,” I say. I stand, though I'm still in shadow.
    “I can't see you.”
    I dare myself to step forward. I take off my hat so she can see my face.
    Jessica grips the door handle.
    “You're beautiful,” I say. “I imagined such, but you truly are.”
    She smiles and looks down, shyly. “You're really—” She pauses. “You're really here.”
    I stand in place and shrug .“ And I'm really a zombie . ”
    This makes her smile. She drops her hand from the door, peers back inside her home, and then tiptoes toward me. “I heard the swing,” she says.
    “I remembered you love it.”
    She smiles again. She’s an angel.
    I shift my stance. “I had to see you.”
    “You were on the news.” Jessica's voice is low and carries a warning. “My parents know who you are.”
    I swallow. “I'm not a monster. People will say anything to get on TV.”
    Jessica takes a deep breath, then exhales. Tiny wisps of steam curl in front of her then disappear. She takes a step closer. I can almost touch her hair. She grips the chain of the swing and stands there. She's barefoot, but doesn't seem to mind the frozen grass against her toes.
    “Do you think I'm dangerous?” I ask.
    She nods. “Yes.”
    The honesty in her answer makes me smile. I've chatted with Jessica plenty online, and appreciate how smart and witty she is. Some people can be different through words, but she is the same as I expected. Smart. Honest. Pure.
    “I won't hurt you,” I say.
    She tilts her head, as if examining me before speaking. “I think you could,” she says. “Hurt me.”
    “But I won't.”
    “How do you know?” Jessica takes a step forward.
    I step to meet her. “I've never tried to hurt anyone,” I say. My breathing is quick and loud.
    “Neither have I.” Jessica leans closer. Her eyes are blue. “But I could hurt you.”
    The terror inside my stomach returns. “Then we're perfect for each other.”
    Jessica reaches out and touches my fingers. Hers are chilled and shaking. “You're hot,” she says, gripping my hand. “I thought zombies were cold and dead.”
    “I'm alive,” I say. She feels so good. It's been a long time since I've touched anyone. I hold her hand tight. “Do you feel that? I'm trying to live as long as I can.”
    She takes my other hand and leans close to whisper. “Thank you for finding me.” Her breath sends a shiver down my neck—it's a tingling frost. “You make me feel alive.”
     

Chapter Four: The Promise
     
    I wake early the next morning, though the long night has left me feeling sleepy. I'm grinning during my preparations, and even sing along to the songs blasting from my computer. Last night's adventure was worth the trouble it took to sneak out and then back in. Jessica was perfect. I wolf down my breakfast of pills and protein at the hospital cafeteria and run to catch my shuttle.
    In English, I'm quick to reach the assigned book in my tablet. My eyes