It turned out that the grin was infectious. In a good way. Before Mattie knew it she was laughing a bit too, holding his hand against her cheek. The coughing made her grin fade just a little and her grip loosen. But it only lasted a moment; the next moment she was smiling just as much as before. [i]The blood loss will have weakened his immune system. He's probably just inhaled some dust.[/i] 

"I'm an Amazon warrior, that's why I'm crazy. My crowbar is...was... Excalibur. Given to me by the Lady of the Electrical Closet. It granted me magical zombie-killing powers." To emphasize her warrior status, Mattie flexed an arm that wasn't all too muscly. "You'll want me on your side. I work out [i]all[/i] the time. Even now." And just to make Nicholas laugh, she let go of his hand and dropped to the floor. 

[i]This was a mistake,[/i] she reflected calmly, as it became apparent that one push-up was a real challenge for her. It had, in fact, made her winded. "Looks like you caught me on a bad day."