Actually, if treated promptly with the notoriously painful series of shots (in the shoulder muscles these days, so not nearly as bad as in the old days of stomach muscle injections with a dagger length needle) even someone who has been directly exposed through the bite of a frothing rabid animal will survive. But if untreated it is as bad a way to go as one can possibly imagine. About ten years ago my daughter was bitten by a sickly raccoon and started the series of shots before they tested the animal and found out it was not rabid. Nasty shots but nothing like the old style treatment.
I was treated after exposure to a bat. The injections are no more painful than a tetanus shot. They are given in the upper part of the arm of your choice. 5 injections spaced out over about a month.