Page 14 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“I’m not gonna argue that point. What I don’t know is why it’s messing things up and what to do about it. I put the word out and haven’t gotten anything useful back from any of my colleagues. I just… It’s frustrating, Wendall. More than that, really.”

I leaned my head on Muriel’s shoulder, and she patted my thigh. I hated the defeat in her voice. I should be upset because she didn’t know how to help me. Instead, I was upset that she doubted herself.

“I don’t think there’s a priest or priestess out there more capable than you. Most likely, they wouldn’t have been able to reanimate me at all. At least you gave me a chance, and I’ve found more enjoyment after my death than I ever did alive.”

“Oh, honey, that is a sad statement and makes me want to adjust the curse I placed on your aunt and uncle. I don’t think I was nearly harsh enough with them.”

I softly laughed. Muriel had refused to tell me what she did. She said it wasn’t something I needed to worry about, that it was her decision and her burden to bear, and she was happy to take on the responsibility. I was a child in Muriel’s eyes. Most likely, Johnny and Mr. Moony felt that way too. If I were still alive, I’d be twenty years old. Not a lot in human years either, but enough to be considered an adult. Since the death of my parents, I’d had to grow up fast and long ago figured my numerical age didn’t match my maturity.

“I’m sure whatever you did, they regret their life choices.”

“Damn straight,” Muriel said with a huff before she deeply sighed, the action shifting my head as her shoulders rose and fell. “Oh, sugar, I don’t want to lose you.” Muriel’s fingers carded through my hair, shifting my waves and curls. I was amazed none of my strands caught on her rings.

“I don’t especially want to belost, but I understand.” That didn’t mean I wasn’t pissed and disappointed. Someone else might have gotten hung up on the whole reanimated thing. Lots of humans believed that once you were dead, you should remain that way. Zombification had wiggled its way through even conservative legislature because the argument was that the human soul was long gone and only the flesh remained. That didn’t seem to upset their religious beliefs too much, or at least not enough of them to make human zombification illegal. Zombification was profitable. Personally, I figured it was the revenue that truly swung the vote.

“I don’t want you tounderstand. I want to fix this mess.” Muriel pushed off my love seat and began pacing. “There has to be something else.” She shook her head, making me wonder all over again how the heavy wrap stayed beautifully in place. “I need to speak with Ray. There has to be a reason he contacted me. He’s keeping secrets. Fairies are good at that.” Muriel sounded more than a little bitter at the last. “They expect us to divulge all of ours but keep theirs carefully hidden.”

Humans didn’t have a lot of secrets, at least not like Muriel spoke of. What you saw was pretty much what you got when it came to us. Fairies quickly figured that out.

Talk of Ray made me uneasy. Twisting my fingers, I tugged at my t-shirt. “Ray makes me nervous,” I admitted.

Muriel grunted something in a language I didn’t know. “Sugar, if he didn’t, I’d think you lost some of your self-preservation instincts when I reanimated you. Anyone with half a brain is wary around fairies.”

That didn’t settle my nerves. “Why do you really think he’s interested in me?” I asked. Licking my dry lips, I added, “The fairy queen never paid me any attention when I was alive. Why am I so important now that I’m dead?”

“Good question. Unsurprisingly, Ray didn’t exactly illuminate that issue when we spoke. I can try asking him again, but it’s anyone’s guess what I’ll get out of him. Most likely, a lot of nothing. Still, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“Maybe when he checks in on me again? It’ll be a week tomorrow.” I’d told Muriel about my strange interaction with Ray at the bar. Besides a slight arch of her eyebrow, she hadn’t let on that she’d been surprised.

“He’ll want my input too. You want me to be there with you when he stops by? I’ve got a couple of reanimations scheduled for tomorrow evening, but I could rearrange things so—”

“No.” I stood. Pulling my false bravado around me, I said, “I can tell him myself. Those corpses won’t hang around forever.”

“Pfft, don’t you worry about that. Back in the day, before we had cold storage, that was true, but now…the timetable isn’t as strict.” Muriel’s grin was wicked and probably frightened anyone but me. I just smiled.

“The wonders of the modern world.”

“Ain’t no wonderin’ about it, hon.” Muriel tapped the side of her head. “Humans might do idiotic things, but one thing I’ll give them credit for is using their noggin. The human brain just might be the best part of their whole body. It’s probably why zombies crave it.”

I didn’t know if Muriel was right or not. I just smiled and hugged her before she left.

* * *

Ray showed up like clockwork. I didn’t break a glass this time, but I did jump and utter a few words unsuitable for early Saturday morning television.

“Should I begin announcing my presence?” Ray asked. The words and tone shouldn’t have sounded as condescending as they did. The cocky tilt of his head, his long braid shifting over his shoulder and brushing his hip, probably had something to do with it. Or maybe it was the mocking tilt of his lips. Yeah, that was definitely it.

Ignoring the jab, I set down my wet towel. I’d just finished cleaning a load of glasses. My fingers should have pruned by now. My reanimated flesh didn’t so much as softly wrinkle.

“I’ve got more spots,” I said without a lot of preamble. It wasn’t like I knew how to make small talk with a fairy anyway. Beyond the drop of fairy blood corrupting my body, we had zip in common.

“I am aware.” Ray didn’t sound overly exuberant about that fact. “Show me,” he demanded.

Swallowing my huff of annoyance, I dutifully pulled up the sleeve of my right arm. The spot hadn’t grown since Muriel saw it last night. The spot next to my belly button now had an unwanted friend.

Ray’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move closer. “And the others?”

This time, I did roll my eyes. Muriel had been a little more honest than I thought necessary.

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