"Laurell K. Hamilton - Strange Candy" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

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.