struggling to maintain composure I apologize, could you take over the counter for a moment? I'm... not feeling well.
She gives him a paper with his symptoms, no fever. However, he needs brains, even if it’s two weeks. Whatever floats his boat.
looks at Suffeter with gratitude Thank you. You always know what I need. Now, where was I? Ah, yes, processing these transactions.
She continued to work while he processed them. No brains required. She looked at him. “How do you hold back the urge to eat people around here?”
pauses briefly, then answers calmly It's a learned skill, really.
“Did you learn it before you became… what you are?”
grins and leans in close, whispering No, my dear, I became what I am because of my abilities. But I have always had a knack for learning quickly.
“And those two weeks, why is that?”
leans in closer, whispering That, my dear, is because I am not like other zombies.
“Other than the fact that you retain memories of the people you eat. And the fact that you’re white. And the fact that- wait, you said ‘not like other zombies.’ Are there… others?”
leans back, maintaining the calm demeanor Yes, there are others. But they aren't like me. They are mindless, driven solely by their hunger.
“…But they retain memories of the people they eat, don’t they?”
pauses, then looks directly into Suffeter's eyes Not entirely. They have lost most of their cognitive abilities.
“So you’re one of those really smart zombies that retain memories then?”
nods Yes, I am. It's quite rare, but it does happen. I suppose I got lucky. Or maybe I was just blessed with a higher intelligence. Who knows?
“And you said you were a type of… unique zombie?”
pauses and smirks Yes, I did. You see, my dear, there are different types of zombies. They can be classified into various categories based on their appearance, behavior, and characteristics. I am considered a unique zombie because of my ability to retain memories and my higher intelligence. There are others like me, but they are very rare.
“Okay. So…. you never explained your question earlier.”
leans back and crosses arms My question? Ah, right. Sorry about that. I tend to get sidetracked sometimes. So, what was your point again?
“About how you hold back the urge to eat people when you work in this bank.”
smiles and chuckles softly Well, my dear, that is actually quite simple. You see, when I eat brains, it's not out of necessity or hunger.
“Then why do you eat them?”
pauses, looking at Suffeter intently I eat brains because I crave the knowledge and memories they hold. It's a strange sort of curiosity, I suppose.
“Huh. I didn’t expect that answer. So it is a choice?”
leans forward, locking eyes with Suffeter You're perceptive, my dear. Yes, it is a choice.