Ears still ringing, you nearly drop your corn dog as you whirl around, trying to isolate the source of the keening howl. In the process you draw a few curious stares from onlookers. Turning, Jerry shoots you a look of irritation.

"Kid, stop spazzing out. You look like you're having a seizure."

"You didn't hear that? That… that godawful wailing?"

"What? What did you hear?"

"I, I don't know, it was… kind of a howling noise, like a pack of wild dogs or something. You seriously didn't hear that? It was so loud."

"I didn't hear anything," Jerry says with annoyance. "Now shut up, I'm trying to listen to this." Turning away, he resumes listening to Cindy McBigboobs' acceptance speech with rapt attention.

All well and good for Jerry, but just as you start to think maybe you imagined it, the howling resumes, this time accompanied by an explosion of pain. Grabbing your head in agony, you stumble away, the crowd eagerly parting to let the weirdo through. Not paying any attention to where you're going, you stagger toward an abandoned clearing on the far side of the fairground. An unfamiliar instinct is telling you to get as far from others as possible, but it's quickly overwhelmed by the searing heat cracking your skin, exuding from every pore.

It's funny - from school you know the genesis of the word "excruciating" stems from the pain of crucifixion, but it's always remained an abstract concept until now. Gasping, you collapse to the ground as your guts tie themselves in knots. Your head swims as you struggle to rise, blood boiling acid hot in your veins. Unbidden, your mind flashes back to the strange flower you found in the woods last week, the one that withered and died as soon as you plucked it; but the fleeting thought is driven from you by the cascade of fire lancing down your spine. Craning your neck, you try to focus on the moon as a distraction from the exquisite agony of your bones rearranging themselves. Round, fat moon. Thick and red, full of blood and hunger and the chase. It's mocking you, isn't it? Hovering up there, remote, untouchable. You fix it with baleful yellow eyes, open your jaws, and let loose a challenging howl. It echoes impossibly long, exactly like the one you no longer remember hearing just minutes ago.

The pain is gone now, but before you can appreciate that fact, screams break into your reverie. You turn to see Cindy up on stage, wild eyed and pointing at you. For a split second you wonder why, but it's soon replaced by the realization that Cindy looks good. Really good, actually. Unconsciously your tongue lolls out and you lick your lips appreciatively. Bounding toward the stage, you cover the distance quicker than you would have thought possible, but the fairgoers have begun to scatter and all the movement distracts you momentarily. When you finally reach the stage Cindy is nowhere to be seen, but a sharp glance to your right shows you something almost as good: several people have broken away from the crowd and are running into the corn maze. You follow at a sprint, slowing down only when you enter the maze and reach the first fork. Momentary indecision overtakes you, but a quick sniff of the air tells you that Cindy and a male - Todd, you think? - have taken the right path, while Jenny and someone you can't quite place have gone left. It's time to make a decision.

If you choose to pursue Todd and the corn queen, click HERE.

If Jenny and her companion appeal to you, click HERE.