What is happiness to me? I remember hearing somebody ask a main character that in one of my favorite movies.

Happiness to me, was and is found within four people. Three are gone. The other's here. For how long, I don't know. But right now, I'm happy. Right now is all I have. It's all I need. Right now will be gone one day, but the future's going to bring a fifth person as long as they don't catch up with me.

But I'm going to concentrate on Person Number Four. After losing three people close to me, I've become pretty good at moving on after pouring so much energy into someone. Some might argue that it's amazing I don't simply shut down emotionally in defense. I say, some watch too many movies.

ELZA SCHNEIDER'S APARTMENT
Regal Falls, MA
November 14, 2006

They didn't even finish the movie.

About the time Eric Christian Olsen delivered his line about whales having very large penises, Elza made a lighthearted crack about Curtis's own manhood. Thirty minutes later, twenty of them loud, they shared an orgasm in bed and fell asleep.

Elza opened her eyes to the unkempt bedroom around her. She smiled, relishing the feeling of her lover's arm around her waist and his hand oscillating her breast...

Wait...

Elza brushed her foot against Curtis's leg in response to his gentle, arousing movements. "I'm hungry, you know?"

"So?"

"So, you're putting me in a very difficult position," responded Elza with equal parts sugar, spice, and sleep in her voice, "I'm in the place right now where it's impossible to decide whether to eat or fuck."

"Well, uh, give me another minute," grinned Curtis, "I'll move my hand and you won't have such a hard time."

Elza guffawed in shock, kicking Curtis in the leg and jumping out of her bed, its spread covering the more important parts of her naked body, save for a glorious glimpse of her lovely heart shaped behind. She skipped away into the main room, throwing the bedspread away behind her.

"How does blueberry pancakes sound?" Elza called.

Curtis smiled. "I like blueberry pancakes."

STRATTON BROS. DORM ROOM
Tennyson Hall

"If you wanna take my body tonight,
Then you gotta be somebody tonight
Use me just to make your body feel right
If you wanna take my body tonight"

Regal Falls University dealt with some nasty snowfalls in their time. The pathways were actually lined with ropes so that students could pull themselves to classes in the event of a "can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face" snowstorm. Digging out of three feet of snow wasn't an extraordinary task for those who lived in Regal Falls - or in Massachusetts, for that matter. School closings weren't too uncommon, either.

But closing for fifteen inches? Well, that was just cause for a celebration.

Reggie and Kevin woke up at 9 in the morning, downed chasers to kill the hangover, found out the news, and ran up and down the hall knocking on doors and spreading the good news - school was closed, and there was plenty to eat and drink at room 27. Beer, of course, would be broken out after 5 PM, music would be played after 9:30 AM, and many asses would be kicked during 8-player Madden after NOW.

"All RIGHT," commanded Reggie, "I speak on behalf of Regal Pride today! Defending the honor of the Generals, will be me, Reggie Stratton, and my brothah of anothah colah--"

"Fuck you, Reggie," said Kevin, "All right, it's me, Reggie, Dani Brashier, and Mikey Nuts playing on one team, and we're taking on all comers until the highly unlikely event that we lose. Who's our first victim?"

Four geeky boys stormed forward - the leader of the pack, a kid with wire-rimmed glasses, called out, "We, the Knights of Dungeons and Dragons, accept your challenge! And we'd like to offer you these words of challenge: We're gonna fuck you up the ass so hard in Madden you'll swear you were gay!"

"Well LET'S FIRE THAT MOTHERFUCKER UP!" screamed Reggie.

Kevin turned on the TV, which was already tuned to channel four. In the very short span of time that the TV feed was coming through, one could glimpse a female newscaster stuck in the snow - one Nadia Sparrow, more "ratings whore" than "journalist". The type of person who looked at the Natalee Holloway coverage and thought "Amateurs."

She was standing in the middle of the snowstorm, a person lying in the snow in the background. "--behind me has succumb...wait, he's get--"

The motherfucker in question was fired up to the cheers of a crowd drunk on life and the leftover part of childhood innocence that could appreciate a good snow day. The rock music played on.

"God takes time on it
He never made a dime on it
Use me just to make your body feel right
Well god killed the queen"

LINCOLN AVENUE
Near Brookville Apartments

"OK, so that whole plan about me being romantic and getting the next flight out is crashing and burning," said Jimmy as he drove down Lincoln Avenue.

"Jimmy--"

"So, new plan. The planes should be dug out by tomorrow, I should be jetting out of there by then."

"Jimmy--"

"You gotta believe me, if I could use my superhuman strength to yank a plane out a snowbank and use my superintelligence to fly to you--"

"Jimmy!" comforted Donna, "Breathe for me, all right, baby?"

Jimmy took a deep, audible breath for his future wife to hear over the phone.

"Jimmy, it's not like I'm standing at the altar here. The snow's going to melt eventually. Just get to LA when you're able to. We've got the rest of our lives to worry about not seeing each other."

"Thanks," deadpanned Jimmy, "Now I'll probably die in a plane crash."

"Well, it could make a nice sob story for the eventual network coverage." Donna switched to a mock sobbing voice. "I told him to be paitent, but he just HAD to take that early flight!"

"Oh, you evil bitch!" chuckled Jimmy.

"I am evil," she vocally grinned, "And you're going to be fine. 36 hours from now, you're really going to find out what Hell is when I start planning for the wedding during sex."

"I'm looking forward to it already. Talking about dress colors makes me hard."

As Jimmy passed Brookville Apartments, he caught a familiar glimpse of a girl with blonde hair out of the corner of his eye. He smiled, nodding to no one in particular, just out of some reflex.

"Listen," Jimmy spoke into the reciever, "Why don't you call me back in about five minutes? I need to say hi to a student."

"All right, babe, talk to you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Jimmy folded up his cell phone and slipped to a stop, poking his head out of the window as he held on to the brake. Yep, that was Elza, all right, and she was helping a guy into the car. And since he didn't look like he was related to her, he had to assume that he was simply a lucky bastard.

And now his assumption was confirmed as he saw the two lovers neck each other in the parking lot. His smile turned stupid as he slammed his fist on the horn and screamed "What the fuck is your problem? You can't PDA outside of school grounds! It's not right!"

Elza looked up, shook her head, smiled. "Hey, Doc!" she responded as she motioned to her boyfriend to wait up, "How're the roads?"

"Garbage, as one would expect," replied Jimmy.

Elza walked towards him. "What are you doing out on the roads anyway?" she asked.

"I was trying to get a flight out to LA," he said, "I just asked Donna to marry me."

Elza gasped. "Get the hell out of here!" she exclaimed, leaning into the window to give her professor as big a hug as she could manage, "Way to go!"

"Thanks, Elza," said Jimmy, still caught in her embrace.

"Oh, hey, speaking of lovers," diverted Elza as she broke her hug, mentioning the boyfriend, a swell looking kid of Elza's age, brown hair, glasses, to come on over. "I should introduce you two. Doc, this is my boyfriend, Curtis. Curtis, this is Doc McNeil. People think I'm boning him for an A."

"Nice to meet you," said Curtis, shaking Jimmy's hand, "I wouldn't blame her if that's true."

"Oh, good," said Jimmy, hoping his wit showed through because if it didn't, well, that would just be creepy. "Anyway, I'm heading home to curl up with Arrested Development until they dig out a plane to LA."

"Well, I'm dropping off Curtis at Tennyson Hall, so...I guess I'll be following you."

"All right, then."

UNIVERSITY ROAD
Within Regal Falls University

Jimmy drove carefully through the ice-slicked roads, smiling at thoughts of radio and television stations informing him of when he could meet Donna again. He could even swear that he heard their song playing - whoops, his cell phone was ringing.

He reached to the passanger seat to grab it.

"Well, despite the hitting on you thing, he seems like a good guy."

"Don't read too much into it," said Elza, "He likes to bust chops." Her eyes went soft and her smile grew wide as she watched Doc's SUV ahead of her. "The whole thing started in class when he did a quick, on-tangent lecture about professors who sleep with students," she recalled, "He used me as an example, pretended to flirt, and I just shot it right back at him, because, you know, I like to bust chops too."

"Obviously."

"But, look, you should know that he's not some perverted guy and I'm not some slut. He took me to his office and made it clear that nothing was going to happen between us. He's actually getting married, and he really loves her. You should hear him talk about her. It can be gross sometimes."

"I...I don't know," muttered Curtis, "I still...forget it. Despite what I might think, he seems like a great guy either way."

"Hey, don't be afraid to speak your mind! Am I going to stop seeing him because you don't like him? No. But I'm not gonna get all bitchy about it. I can see where--"

"HOLY FUCK!"

It all happened so fast, it could only be seen in stills. The woman that went under the truck. Doc jumping out of his car. Elza and Curtis bolting to Doc's side. Doc checking for a pulse. Curtis walking around in circles unsure of what to do with himself.

And the look. The look on that woman's face. Her bloodless, lifeless, white face and jaundiced eyeballs.

Jaundiced eyeballs...?

Not since years ago had Elza ever known to be stiff, as in unmoving, as in not having feeling in any part of her body below her jaw. Her lungs started to shake, her leg, her hand, her eye started to twitch and Jesus Christ, not now!

A hand on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. She looked at Curtis and heard "Is everything all right?"

She looked at Doc, trying to get a pulse from the woman's Doc's hands are near the mouth!

"Doc, GET AWA--"

There was a CRUNCH and a scream and a sickening squeeze as the body chewed into Doc's hand, and Elza threw her body into Doc, ripping his thumb from the ghoul's jaws as they tumbled into the snow outside the road. Doc yelled out for yelling's sake, as if he could force the pain out of his mouth and tearducts.

"ELZA!"

Elza swung her foot around and sent her - the zombie, it was a zombie, Jesus Christ - flying back. She could almost feel her body going on automatic pilot then, her memory a blur of kicks and dodges and her vision going read, her mind becoming clear only when the zombie's head was under the rear wheel of Doc's SUV.

"CURTIS! GET IN THAT SUV AND HIT THE GAS!"

"WHAT'S GOING--"

"RIGHT NOW, GODDAMMIT!"

She saw Curtis bolting to the SUV. She saw him jump into the front seat. The zombie was gnashing and thrashing around, Elza struggling against everything to avoid her--its bites. She grunted, drumming up the strength to keep its shoulders pinned on the icy ground.

She looked at Doc, passed out. He had to be passed out, no way does T-virus act that fast.

"GRAH!" Elza jumped away and she felt its disgusting teeth narrowly miss her ear. Its shoulders were up once more. Elza could feel its legs jerk from under her - she flew back into its face and beat her back to the ground.

"CURTIS!"

"HANG ON!"

"CURTIS, THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH! SLAM THAT FUCKING GAS NOW!"

A loud roar from the driver's seat, and the car barrelled forward, rolling over the zombie's head with a loud POP. The brain rocketed out of the zombie's skull and the body went limp once more.

Elza heard a loud SCRREEECH and looked up to see the truck skid on the ice and whip around.

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck.

She saw the car deposit Curtis onto the road and breathed a sigh of relief as the car tripped into a roll, finally coming to a stop by crashing into a snowbank.

In...and out...in...and out...in...out...in...

Elza shot up and ran towards Curtis, slipping and skidding on the ice but never, never stopping her run no matter what slowed her down. She found herself at Curtis's side on her hands and knees.

"Whee," breathed Curtis.

"Anything broken?" asked Elza.

"I don't...what's up with Doc?"

"I'm fine," responded Doc, weak. "There's a first aid kit in my trunk, can it be accessed?"

Elza looked at the salvageable wreck.

"Curtis, can you walk?"

"What's going on, Elza?"

"CAN YOU WALK?"

"TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"Listen to me very carefully. What we just killed is a zombie. You know what that is? They're the same creatures that destroyed Raccoon City. In about a few hours, these...THINGS...will be all over the city and the only law that will apply to Regal Falls is Darwinism. Now, before that happens, though, I'm counting on us to be WAY out of the city limits and on our way to Boston, because the only other option is being eaten alive. Now, do you two understand EVERYTHING I've just told you?"

Doc nodded. Curtis said "Yes."

"Do either of you want to be eaten alive?"

The both of them shook their heads.

"Then here's where we start. Curtis, get your ass to the car right now and GET THE GODDAMN FIRST AID KIT."

---

(A/N: Song lyrics from "God Killed the Queen" by Louis XIV.)