CHAPTER#108

"Great." Mike sipped the tea. It spread its warmth through his chest, chasing away his fatigue. Letting out a sigh, he slid down in his chair a bit. "The last couple of days have been awful."

"I'm afraid you will have many days like this," Sofia warned him. "It is true that there will be times of peace. But there will also be times of hardship."

"I'm ready for some peace." Mike sipped the tea again, smacking his lips. "Peace and quiet. And I have all of you to help me now."

"Indeed." Ratu grinned. "Perhaps I will stop by sometime?"

"We would love to have you. When do we leave?"

"As soon as we're ready." Beth said, standing up from her chair. "I wish there was more I could do to help. I feel like the outsider here."

"Uh, well, yeah, I get that. You kind of got sucked into this whole mess when I gave you Jenny. I'm really sorry."

Beth waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's my job to help you settle in, remember? And if that means getting rid of a coven of witches who are camped out on your lawn because they want to steal your house from you, then count me in."

Mike laughed. "Well, the good news is that we know the trouble we're headed for. So that'll be a nice change."

-

"This is not good." Zel held Dana's eyelids open with her hands, examining her face under the bright lightbulb in the garage. The centaur let go, then made some more notes in the notebook she carried with her. Dana was sitting in a chair that Lily had borrowed from the dining room.

"What's wrong with her?" Lily asked.

"She's dying." Zel's tail swished, her pencil furiously scribbling.

"I thought I was already dead." Dana looked at Lily. "Or undead. However you put it."

"Technically, you're only mostly dead." Zel rummaged through her saddlebag. "Human cells live, replicate, and die. Over and over again, until the whole body dies. You take in food, water, and air, the cells get energy, they keep living, the process continues. You, however, are now dead. Your body won't digest food, and you don't need to breathe. So where does the energy come from?"

"Um..." Dana had no idea.

"Think. Why do zombies eat the flesh of the living?"

"Because they're hungry?"

"Right. But why? They don't need to eat. Technically, zombies don't digest food. So why do they eat human flesh at all? Why consume something that can't be digested?"

"Wait. If they don't digest it, wouldn't they get full?"

"Aha!" Zel flipped to another page in her book. "Precisely! Zombie legends state that a zombie eats with abandon. In every legend, there is some kernel of truth. You obviously require nourishment, but why? What is it about the living that makes a zombie hungry for them?"

"I don't see the point of these questions," Lily added. "If zombies eat human flesh, then we need to figure out where to get her some."

"Daryl told me I might go feral." Dana held out her hands. Her skin had gone very pale. "I'm starting to decay, aren't I?"

"That's the question, isn't it? You are starting to decay because your cells are dying. But eating food won't replenish them. So again, I ask - why? Of what possible benefit is eating to a zombie?"

"Hold up, shhh!" Lily put a hand out for silence, her face screwed up in concentration. "It's on the tip of my tongue, I know it. Yes! Think about the lore for a minute. Zombies will consume the flesh of the living, but there is something the stories say that they desire far more."

"Brains?" Dana asked.

"Yes! The brain is the seat of consciousness for a mortal. By consuming a brain, you take in that person's essence."

"You mean like eating their soul?" Dana shook her head. "I don't want to do that!"

"No, not their soul. Listen. Your body and your soul are two different things. Humans have an untapped energy source, your life force. It acts as a glue, in a way. If I were to drain someone of this essence, their soul would leave their body. Humans shed this stuff like hair. It's in your blood, your breath, but it will be most concentrated in the place where souls and body are linked the strongest."

"In the brain." Dana hung her head. "Shit. So what now? I have to eat another human?" The pain in her gut was intensifying, but instead of cradling her stomach, the sensation had turned into something else. A hole had formed inside of her, a gnawing sensation that she knew could only be the start of a zombie's hunger.

"Currently, you are experiencing the beginnings of hunger." Zel was digging through some of her old journals now. "I imagine zombie hunger is worse than normal. Your whole body is degrading at the same time, meaning you will need a rapid influx of something to sustain you above hunger levels. Whereas some people will begin to feel discomfort, you are in agony."

"So my hunger is magnified."

"Precisely. I'm afraid it will take some willpower from you to buy us some time."

"Willpower?" Dana was starting to feel lightheaded.

"Like you're on a diet. You need to avoid the urge to... snack."

Lily looked at Dana, then at Zel. "Is there anything else you can do for her?"

"Hmm. I might be able to mix her up something to buy her more time." Zel pulled out another notebook. "If your theory holds up, I may be able to put something together to keep her from binge eating."

"You do that. I think I might have an idea." Lily knelt down so that she was eye level with Dana. She took Dana's hand in her own, leaning in close. The smell of cinnamon and sulfur washed over Dana, making her stomach lurch. "I need you to hold on for a bit. Can you do that?"