Page 11 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

If my sexual preferences leaned more toward the feminine, I would have had the worst crush on Lizbeth.

“We could use some more napkins,” Johnny called, head barely turned in my direction.

I darted back to the stockroom. I’d floundered in the beginning, unsure where everything was. Knowing the layout and general expectations, I enjoyed working at Dusk. Mr. Moony paid me a good wage, and since I was dead to the IRS, I didn’t have to pay taxes. Mr. Moony also didn’t have to pay into a social security account, so I got that too. Johnny helped me take out a checking account, and since I was currently living rent-free, my savings were adding up quickly. I’d offered to pay Mr. Moony rent, but he’d flatly declined and said to consider it part of my wages.

Honestly, I thought he paid me too much. I didn’t have any experience to base that on, but I figured I’d landed a pretty sweet deal. My reanimated life could have turned out a lot worse.

With a stack of napkins in hand, I rushed back out to the bar, restocking the pile and swiping another bin of dirty dishes.

“Anything else?” I asked. “If not, I’ll go back to washing.”

With a tilt of his head, Johnny said, “I’ll holler if I need anything. Go on.” Johnny flashed me a crooked grin, which I easily returned.

Dusk’s music softened when the door swung closed. I could still hear it, but it felt like I was up in the nosebleeds instead of directly in front of the stage.

I filled the sink with fresh, soapy water and got busy. My mind instantly went back to what it had been mulling over before. The million-dollar question was, if my aunt and uncle hadn’t been responsible for killing me, then who had?

Muriel said there was a witness and they’d reported the incident as intentional. They’d said the car purposefully sped and swerved onto the sidewalk, killing me. They’d sped away, no license plate on the car.

The rinse water was too hot, so I added a little more cold. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but I could still feel temperature changes. I didn’t think my feeling was as good as it had been when I was alive. Muriel told me I needed to take care and pay more attention. Otherwise, I might damage my skin. Glancing down at the decayed spots on my arm, I didn’t think hot water would be my skin’s downfall.

“Good evening, Wendall.”

I jumped, a glass slipping through my fingers and shattering on the floor. If my heart still beat, it would have hammered an unpleasant drumbeat in my chest.

With wet, soapy fingers, I clutched my t-shirt, the wordDUSKwrinkled within my fisted hand.

“Wendall, are you okay? I thought I heard… Oh, it’s just you.” Johnny’s concerned frown eased, and his eyes rolled. “The boy’s already died once, Ray. He doesn’t need to be scared into a second afterlife.” Johnny’s face disappeared behind the swinging door as he headed back to the bar.

“Apologies,” Ray said, one eyebrow cocked. “I did not mean tosneak upor frighten you. That was not my intention.”

I waved off his apology despite my continued unease. “I-it’s not that big of a deal,” I easily lied while bending over and picking up the larger pieces of glass. I’d use a broom and dustpan for the smaller bits.

Ray’s silence unnerved me. When I raised back up, larger pieces of glass in hand, he was still there, hands jammed into the pockets of his loose dress slacks. The sides of his crimson hair were braided and pulled back, leaving the remainder to cascade down his back. Ray’s tipped ears were pale against all that red. His irises were red-rimmed but not glowing and not full of the fire I’d heard reported in the past. Ray’s expression was inscrutable. I got more from Mr. Moony than the fairy.

Dumping the glass into a nearby wastebasket, I cautiously asked, “Is there something I can do for you?” I sincerely hoped not. Getting involved in fairy business never turned out well. Fairies didn’t exactlyhatehumans, although they’d certainly put us in our place. I wasn’t sure there was a species fairies were especially fond of. Sometimes, I even wondered if they liked each other.

Ray didn’t answer. He silently stood, eyes skimming over my body with clinical ease. When his gaze landed on my necrotic skin, I pulled my arm back, tucking it to my side while I rolled down my shirt sleeves.

“You’ve spoken with Muriel.” It was more a statement than a question.

“I speak with her all the time.” I was confused. “Is there something about her you need to know? If so, it’s probably best to speak with her directly. I doubt I know much about—”

“Your arm,” Ray interrupted. “Muriel spoke with you regarding your deteriorating body.”

I sucked in an unneeded breath. Zombies and vampires had that in common. We didn’t need to breathe to continue our second lives. We did need to fill our lungs to speak, but that could easily be done without dramatic sighs and harsh intakes of air. Instinct was a damnable thing, one that even centuries spent in their second lives didn’t completely eradicate from vampire culture.

I remembered what Muriel said, that I had some minuscule amount of fairy blood somewhere in my lineage and that even the fairy queen herself was interested in my current affairs. Flitting around in the back of my mind, I wondered why she cared now. Why hadn’t Queen Silvidia been interested when I was alive?

“I… She stopped by yesterday,” I hesitantly answered, unsure what else to say.

“And did the priestess have a solution?” Ray’s tone was flat, all business, as if he weren’t contemplating my deteriorating existence.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’re going to tryadjustingmy diet.” If I were capable, my cheeks would have flushed. I’m not sure why I was ashamed about eating brains. Some species ate a whole lot of weirder shit than that. Maybe it would have been different if I’d eaten brains all my life. As it was, my current diet was a relatively new development.

“I see.” I wasn’t sure if that was true or not. “And how long does Muriel believe it will take to determine whether this dietary change is successful?”

I gave the question some thought but wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. Honestly, I don’t think Muriel knows. This is all kind of new to her.”

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