"Dexter?" Her voice rings around the short corner, and I throw myself down towards Kyler, who is half in the car, half out, his legs resting in the backseat. I can hear the blood gushing out of his head. "Are you okay?" I get up again, efforts of manually shoving him under the car superficial. I swing a roundhouse kick to the side of his faceless body, and he legs hop out of the car, he's lying on his back, and Rita's in sight.

The darkness blankets us, but not entirely, not enough to miss a body bag at my feet. "What's going on?" She asks simply, concern furrowing her brow.

"Camping."

"Sorry?"

"Camping supplies. I have them in my car, thinking of buying a cabin, and they ... fell out." The words come out in a jumble, before I can lie to my fullest ability. I guess my icy, murderous subconscience is charitable today.

"Oh, I can help you with that." She grabs Kyler's head, and helps me hoist him into the backseat. I've never felt closer to her. I half-expected for her face to bunch up, for her to point at it: Dexter, this isn't ... ? But she never did, instead she helped me lay him across the backseat, and on her way out, kneed him in the crotch. My darling.

"Astor will be out in about ten minutes, you can come inside if you want." I follow her through the door, and into the inside of her charming home. The walls have been repainted "candy apple green", a dainty light shade of green. I helped her paint it. I asked her to pick "scarlet sensation", and she said it was too passionate.

Everything is silent, the kind of quiet where you can hear Rita's heart pumping her hot blood. "So," she says with a giggle. Her voice tosses and turns restlessly with a series of "uhm"'s and "uh"'s before she finally spits out what ever she's chewing and kisses me. It's a different kiss, an emotional kiss, a Kodak moment. If I felt anything, I'd feel it now.

Astor's pink and flustered face appears in the hallway, scared to interrupt and scared not to. "Mom?" Rita pulls back automatically, like a piece of ungreased machinery, like her joints are sandpaper.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I was just thanking Dexter for taking you."

"No, it's not that ..." Astor sighs, and her eyes dance around the room in serious need of distraction. Her shaky hands pull up her shirt slowly, revealing her blotchy, pale skin. Looks like quaratine no more.

"Oh, Astor. You have the chicken pox too?" Rita says this, half-pity, half-frustration. She bends down to Astor, a dainty hand resting on Astor's bony shoulder.

"I suppose. I didn't even go near Cody."

"She didn't have to. A pillow, a towel, a toothbrush, tooth paste even." I interject, opening my arms out, shrugging. I wonder if Kyler has flies.

"Oh, Dexter, I'm sorry you had to come out here."

"It's fine, Rita." I bend down, and kiss her once, and leave without another word.

Kyler isn't as bad as I'd feared, a bit smelly, a bit ... mushy, but overall, he isn't the calibur of decomposition I'd worried. Whatever the rate, my previous friend the alligator was all to eager to sink his teeth in. The cracking of the bones reminds of those poppers on the Fourth of July, the same interesting and unparelled pop.

What to do with the chew toy remains that he leaves me, I'm not sure, maybe burnt, maybe dumped in the water, maybe buried, maybe tossed. I don't know. It's just an open book.

ENGLAND

"She's not dead, madam, merely in acoma." Spoke a doctor between his teeth.

"But, she looks so ..." Spoke a mother between her sobs.

"Lila West is alive and well,I promise you."