Zombies! (Episode 7): Conflicts of Interest Read Online Free PDF

Naughton sat by and waited for Heron to finish his fit, knowing that he had said the wrong thing. The job may have had its perks, but they were hardly worth the price. No one else would do the job the way Heron did.
     
     
    "Okay, Lance," Heron said through short bouts of laughter. "It was nice talking to you. If you want to talk about this some more, bring a court order with you."
     
     
    Naughton took a moment to calm himself. It was the first time in a very long time that he'd actually needed that moment. Then he rose from the chair, said goodbye, and walked out the door.
     
     
    ***
     
     
    AFTER that, Naughton took a walk around downtown Manhattan. He seldom took walks anymore. Who had the time? But he was upset by his conversation with Heron and needed the time and the fresh air to clear his thoughts. It was cold, colder than he liked for walks, and there was the smell of snow in the air. The weathermen hadn't forecast it, but he had a nose for such things. He walked for forty five minutes. When his thoughts were organized and his head was clear, he was in the village. He grabbed something to eat and then headed for the train station. From there, he went to Arthur Conroy Memorial Hospital .
     
     
    Ludlow found him almost an hour after he had arrived. Naughton was in the Zoo , just staring into the cage at one of the zombies. The Zoo had, at one time, been a ward for highly contagious patients. The rooms were sealed tight so that the patient couldn't get out. There had been a bed in those rooms, as well as a chair and a television. They had been amenable if not pleasant. Now they were bare. Zombies didn't need amenities. The room into which he was staring held one zombie. They were feeding him and he and his living space were both covered in the remains of his food. It both sickened and fascinated Naughton.
     
     
    "Doesn't he ever move?" Naughton asked.
     
     
    Ludlow shrugged. "I don't often come down here. I only came because Denise asked me to come."
     
     
    That seemed a queer thing to say. "To get me?"
     
     
    He nodded. "She noticed you on the camera a few minutes ago."
     
     
    "Why not come down herself?"
     
     
    Ludlow glanced over his shoulder, right at the camera, then back at Naughton. "What are you doing here, Lance?"
     
     
    Naughton didn't answer for a long time. He just stared in at the zombie, who stared back at him. It didn't move. It sat on the floor in its filthy cage and just looked at him. The expression on its face was so human that he could hardly believe it was a zombie. In fact, he was sure he would have preferred the moaning, clawing thing that he saw in the movies.
     
     
    "Aren't they supposed to rot?"
     
     
    Ludlow shrugged. "The bacterium keeps the body intact, I suppose."
     
     
    "You suppose?" Naughton looked directly at him. "You’re the doctor, aren't you? Hell, it's your bug."
     
     
    Cowed by Naughton's admonition, Ludlow sniffled and wiped at his nose with his finger. "I don't know what to say to that, Lance."
     
     
    "Nevermind. It's not your fault. You know that, Rudy, don't you?"
     
     
    Ludlow breathed. "Human beings are stupid, arrogant animals. And doctors are the worst of the lot. I suppose this makes me the worst of the doctors. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping at night."
     
     
    "How does it keep the body healthy?" Naughton asked, flipping the subject back on track.
     
     
    "It's difficult to explain. It sort of…transforms."
     
     
    "Into what?"
     
     
    "Whatever you need," said Ludlow. "It's not as simple as that, really. It takes pockets of them to do it, but we've managed to recreate it a couple of times in the lab."
     
     
    "So it essentially repairs the body."
     
     
    "I think remakes the body is a better way of saying it."
     
     
    Naughton paused, then looked Ludlow over from head to toe. "Has anyone caught it from you, yet?"
     
     
    "Just poor Lucy," Ludlow whispered and looked down the corridor to where Zoe Koplowitz was being held.