The Living Dead

The woman leaned forward, cradling her face in her hands. Her slim shoulders shook quietly for a few minutes. I passed another box of tissues her way. She groped for them blindly and then looked up. 'I know you can't bring him back, exactly.'

She wiped at two tears, which escaped and rolled down flawless cheekbones. The purse she clutched so tightly was reptile, at least two hundred dollars. Her accessories—lapel pin, high heels, hat, and gloves—were all black as her purse. Her suit was gray. Neither color suited her, but they emphasized her pale skin and hollow eyes. She was the sort of woman that made me feel too short, too dark, and gave me the strange desire to lose ten more pounds. If she hadn't been so genuinely grief-stricken, I could have disliked her.

'I have to talk to Arthur. That's my husband . . . was my husband.' She took a deep breath and tried again. 'Arthur died suddenly. A massive coronary.' She blew delicately into a tissue. 'His family did have a history of heart disease, but he always took such good care of himself.' She finished with a watery hiccup. 'I want to say good-bye to him, Miss Blake.'

I smiled reassuringly. 'We all have things left unsaid when death comes suddenly. But it isn't always best to raise the dead and say it.'

Her blue eyes stared intently through a film of tears. I was going to discourage her as I discourage every one of my clients, but this one would do it. There was a certain set to the eyes that said serious.

'There are certain limitations to the process.' My boss didn't allow us to show slides or pictures or give graphic descriptions, but we were supposed to tell the truth. One good picture of a decaying zombie would have sent most of my clients screaming.

'Limitations?'

'Yes, we can bring him back. You came to us promptly. That helps. He's been buried only three days. But as a zombie your husband will only have limited use of his body and mind. And as the days go by, that will grow worse, not better.'

She stood up very straight, tears drying on her face. 'I was hoping you could bring him back as a vampire.'

I kept my face carefully blank. 'Vampires are illegal, Mrs. Fiske.'

'A friend told me that . . .you could get that done here.' She finished in a rush, searching my face.

I smiled my best professional smile. 'We do not do vampires. And even if we did, you can't make an ordinary corpse into a vampire.'

'Ordinary?'

Very few people who came to us had even a remote idea of how rare vampires were, or why. 'The deceased would have to have been bitten by a werewolf, vampire, or other supernatural creature, while alive. Being buried in unconsecrated ground would help. Your husband, Arthur, was never bitten by a vampire while alive, was he?'

'No,' she half laughed, 'he was bitten by my Yorkshire terrier once.'

I smiled, encouraging her turn of spirits. 'That won't quite do it. Your husband can come back as a zombie or not at all.'

'I'll take it,' she said quietly, all serious and very still.

'I will warn you that most families find it advisable to lay the zombie to rest after a time.'

'Why?'

Why? I saw the happy family embracing their lost loved one. I saw the family sick, horrified, bringing the decaying corpse to be put down. The smiling relative reduced to a shambling horror.

'What exactly do you want Arthur to do when he arises?'

She looked down and shredded another tissue. 'I want to say good-bye to him.'

'Yes, Mrs. Fiske, but what do you want him to do?'

She was silent for several minutes. I decided to prompt her. 'For instance, a woman came in wanting her husband raised so he could take out life insurance. I told her most insurance companies won't insure the walking dead.' She grinned at that. 'And that is what Arthur will come back as—the walking dead.'

Her smile faltered, and tears came again. 'I want Arthur to forgive me.' She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. 'I had an affair for several months. He found out, had a heart attack, and died.' She seemed to gain strength from the words, and the tears slowed. 'You see that I have to talk to him one last time. I have to tell him I love him, only him. I want Arthur to forgive me. Can he do that as a . . . zombie?'

'I've found that the dead are very forgiving of the living, when they die of natural causes. Your husband will have ample brainpower to speak. He will be himself at first. As the days progress, he will lose memory. He will begin to decay, first mentally, then physically.'

'Decay?'

'Yes, slowly, but after all, he is dead.'

The relatives didn't really believe that a fresh zombie wasn't alive. Knowing intellectually that someone smiling and talking is the walking dead is one thing. Emotionally, it is very different. But they believed as time passed and as he or she began to look like a walking corpse.

'It's temporary then?'

'Not exactly.' I came from behind the desk and sat next to her. 'He could stay a zombie possibly forever. But his physical and mental state would deteriorate until he was not much better than an automaton in tattered flesh.'

'Tattered . . . flesh,' she whispered.

I touched her hand. 'I know it's a hard choice, but that is the reality.' Tattered flesh didn't really touch the white sheen of bone through rotting flesh, but it was a term our boss allowed.

She gripped my hand and smiled. 'Thank you for telling me the truth. I still want to bring Arthur back. Even if it's just long enough to say a few words.'

So she was going to do it, as I had known she would. 'So you don't want him for weeks, or days, only long enough to talk.'

'I think so.'

'I don't mean to rush you, Mrs. Fiske, but I need to know before we set up an appointment. You see, it takes more time and energy to raise and then lay to rest, one right after another.' If she laid and raised quickly enough, Mrs. Fiske might be able to remember Arthur at his best.

'Oh, of course. If possible I would like to talk for several hours.'

'Then it's best if you take him home for at least the evening. We can schedule putting him back for tomorrow night.' I would push for a quick laying to rest. I didn't think Mrs. Fiske could take watching her husband rot before her eyes.

'That sounds good.' She took a deep breath. I knew what she was going to say. She looked so brave and resolute. 'I want to be there when you bring him back.'

'Your presence is required, Mrs. Fiske. You see, a zombie has no real will of its own. Your husband should be able to think on his own at first, but as time wears on, the zombie finds it very difficult to decide things. The person, or persons, who raised it will have control over it.'

'You and I?'

'Yes.'

She paled even more, her grip tightening.

'Mrs. Fiske?' I got her a glass of water. 'Sip it slowly.' When she seemed better, I asked, 'Are you sure you're up to this tonight?'

'Is there anything I need to bring?'

'A suit of your husband's clothes would be nice. Maybe a favorite object, hat, trophy, to help him orient himself. The rest I'll supply.' I hesitated, because some of the color had crept into her face, but she needed to be prepared. 'There will be blood at the ceremony.'

'Blood.' Her voice was a breathy whisper.

'Chicken, I'll bring it. There will also be some ointment to spread over our faces and hands. It glows faintly and smells fairly strange, but not unpleasant.' Her next question would be the usual.

'What do we do with the blood?'

I gave the usual answer. 'We sprinkle some on the grave and some on us.'