Free Zombies! (Episode 9): The Changing of the Guard by Ivan Turner Page A

There were so few people to whom he could talk.
     
    Paul nodded, smiling. "Hey, this is my last rotation. Do you want to grab a beer when it's over?"
     
    It was a tempting offer. Ludlow had so few friends in the States and had shied away from forming relationships. "Maybe."
     
    Paul nodded again, this time with an air of finality, and began his long walk to the other end of the Zoo .
     
    Can I come?
     
    Ludlow looked in at Todd. Now he was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a tight black shirt. He looked a bit healthier, a bit more filled out.
     
    "You can't come," Ludlow said. "I'm sorry."
     
    Then what are you doing here?
     
    "I wish I knew."
     
    You wouldn't have come if you weren't going to let me out.
     
    "If I let you out, Paul will stun you and put you back into your room. Then he'll arrest me and where will we be then?"
     
    That's a good point. I'd miss our little talks.
     
    "Well, that makes one of us."
     
    Ha ha. That's a good one, Rudy.
     
    But Ludlow didn't feel much like laughing. Instead he sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Todd's cell and stared in at him. When he blinked, Todd returned to his normal self, naked and dirty. But he was still standing up against the glass, his empty eyes pointed toward Ludlow.
     
    What do you want to talk about, then?
     
    Ludlow didn't answer and Todd didn't say anything else. They just stood there like that until Paul wandered back over.
     
    "Rudy?" he asked dubiously. "What are you doing?"
     
    Ludlow didn't answer at first. Then, when Paul prompted him again, he asked, "You do see him, don't you, Paul?"
     
    Paul looked through the glass. There was Todd, standing right up against it, fingers splayed out on the smudged surface. "Of course, I do. But I try not to really look at them. You probably shouldn't either."
     
    Paul wasn't stupid. He knew that Ludlow didn't really have any business in the Zoo . The behavior specialists came to stand and stare at the zombies for hours. Some brought laptop computers and chairs. But Ludlow's work was in the laboratory with tissue samples. His frequent visits were becoming alarming.
     
    "This one is special," Ludlow said with pity in his voice.
     
    Paul looked at it and then back at Ludlow. "How so?"
     
    "He talks to me."
     
    "No kidding." Paul smiled and reached down to help the other man to his feet. "I think you ought to go."
     
    Getting up, Ludlow focused his eyes on the guard. "Why should I do that? I have clearance."
     
    "It’s not the clearance, Rudy." He tapped his head. "It's the clearance ."
     
    That didn't make any sense.
     
    "That doesn't make any sense."
     
    Helping Ludlow to his feet, Paul took him gently by the arm and nudged him toward the door. "Why don't you get your things together and then we can go have our beer? I'm only on for another twenty minutes."
     
    Ludlow stopped and turned back to Paul. Furtively, he glanced at Todd. Todd was wearing a long sleeved polo shirt with a cream yellow sweater over it. He had on these ridiculous knickers and a beret. He took a mock swing with an imaginary golf club.
     
    "Rudy?"
     
    "He wants me to let him out," Ludlow confessed. "To make up for what I've done."
     
    Paul's hand found the panic button on his radio.
     
    He's going to sound the alarm! Todd shouted.
     
    "There!" Ludlow cried, turning and grabbing Paul by both of his arms. "Did you hear him? He just cried out."
     
    Paul struggled free. "Rudy, don't make me…"
     
    "He's behind you!"
     
    Too late, Paul turned. Todd was strong and coordinated, unlike any other zombie Ludlow had seen. He spun Paul on his heels, keeping complete control of the hapless guard's arms. Then he reached up, grabbed Paul by the head and broke his neck. Without hesitation, he stripped Paul of all of his clothing, set the clothing aside, and began to feast on his flesh.
     
    Plastered up against the wall, Ludlow could do nothing but watch. Disgusted by what he was seeing, he knew now that his