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I’ at a desk, ars shackled toat the table, jaw slack, thinking back to what happened with the zo at the h his brain, helping kill hi across fro I listen to the hu I like it here, away from the zom heads, zombies, all that crap I’d be happy if they never took me back

The door opens and Dr Cerveris steps in He’s seething Glares at me as if I’ve insulted his mother Sits with Burke and Josh on the other side of the table

"Is she secure?" he snaps

"Yes," Josh says

"You’re certain?"

"We don’t take chances"

Dr Cerveris sneers at irl"

"Get stuffed," I snort, and he quivers indignantly Before he can retort, I lock gazes with Burke "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I’m a consultant," he says in a deadpan voice

I laugh at the sheer absurdity of it "What happened to being a teacher?"

He smiles thinly "There isn’t much call for teachers these days Education has slipped down the list of priorities That’s what happens when you find yourself caught in thedead"

"Careful," Josh says warningly "Don’t forget the restrictions we discussed"

"Don’t worry," Burke sighs "I won’t give away any of your precious secrets, though I don’t see what you gain by withholding inforrayer than it was six s underneath He stinks of coffee

"What was that about in there?" Burke asks me "Why did you flip?"

"If you’d ever stuck a spear through someone’s head, maybe you’d understand," I mutter

"It didn’t bother the others," Burke says

"Well, it should," I snarl "We were burning and hacking up people When the hell did that become acceptable?"

"I told you before you went in," Josh growls "They’re not people They’re monsters"

"No, we’re the monsters They can’t help theain "You remember Tyler Bayor?"

He has to think for a moment "Tyler Yes He didn’t make it"

"That’s because I threw him to the zombies"

Burke raises an eyebrow and I quickly tell hi at me to throw Tyler to the undead e needed to stall them, the way I obeyed

"You tried to warn er of becoe my ways I didn’t listen until it was too late But I’ve thought a lot about it since I ca hard to be a better person in death than I was in life I’ve been given a second chance, and I don’t want to screw it up"

"That’s admirable," Burke says without any hint of condescension "But I don’t see what it has to do with this"

"Your kind were all the same to my dad," I mumble "Blacks, Arabs, Pakis" I catchless than us, not worthy of being treated as equals I knerong, but I never called hi Tyler to the zoht about different races about you the way I pretended to believe those things too" I glance with shame at Mr Burke, then with spite at Josh and Dr Cerveris "It’s how you lot see zo," Dr Cerveris protests "Racists hate for no valid reason, because of the color of a person’s skin or their religious beliefs Reviveds, on the other hand, are unnatural beasts, savage killers brought back to life by forces beyond our comprehension They shouldn’t exist They’ve wreaked irreparable dae and will destroy the world coure out what makes them tick"

"We experiment so that we can learn and understand," Josh says "I know it ht not seem that way It could look like torture and execution to a neutral But there are no neutrals here It’s us against theht between We use the zoet closer to the reviveds than we can, test theht help restore control of this planet to the living Zombies are dead They can’t be cured Would you rather we let them run free and kill?"

"No," I scowl "I understand why you have to stop them, why you lock them up, even why you execute them But there ly to Burke "There must be"

"Of course there are," Burke says

"Billy" Josh growls

Burke waves away the soldier’s objection "She’s not a fool You’re right, B It is cruel It’s inhus wearily "But we’re at war That’s not a great excuse, I know I certainly wouldn’t have let et aith it in class if they’d tried to use that argument to justify war crimes But this is where we’re at I don’t call the shots and I don’t have the right to pass judgainst everything I once believed in" He nods at Josh and Dr Cerveris "These gentlemen would appreciate it if you would too"

I shift unco"

"Yes," Burke says "But we’re asking you to cooperate regardless"

"You were better than that once," I whisper