He pulled off the head and smashed it into the ground, but the skull didn't open. That could have been why the others ignored it, but Kaveh knew it'd be worth the effort. There was a whole new brain trapped in there. He cracked it against the edge of the counter and was rewarded with an outpouring of sweet delicious brains.

He closed his eyes, savored the aroma and the texture. The intricately folded pink organ tried to fall apart in his hands, so he moved it quickly to his mouth and managed to have it unravel across his tongue as he chewed. It was delicate and juicy at the same time. Every head he opened seemed to contain the most delicious brains yet.

The taste awakened thoughts and images that flooded his mind, a dirt road snaking up the side of a mountain, cups of coffee over the faded counter of a late night diner, the smiling face of a beautiful woman he'd never seen before. Where were all these thoughts coming from?

A flavor like this deserved to be shared. He opened his eyes and looked around, and that's when he realized he was surrounded by zombies. He stood up, but they ignored him, continuing to feed on the human dead all around him. He looked closer and realized these were the same people he'd led inside, the ones he'd had such a connection with. He noticed the festering bite mark on his shoulder. He looked at his hands to find them pale and bloodless, and he remembered what had happened.

He remembered leaving the vault to protect the others, rushing through the zombies to get more bullets, then turning and shooting whatever came towards him. He looked down and remembered what had happened to his stomach, remembered the zombie that ate his intestines while he was dying, too weak to stop it. He'd kept a count in his mind, saving one bullet for himself, but he hadn't been able to use it.

He cupped his spilling guts and pushed them back inside. He took the apron from the body of the griller and wrapped it tightly around his stomach.

He couldn't believe it. He was dead. There was nothing he could do about it. He had never quite believed death would bring jannah or heaven, but he hadn't expected anything like this. He didn't feel bliss or torment, not even regret. All he felt was more hunger for the thing in his hand.

Wearing an apron again reminded Kaveh of what his life had been. He was a chef. He shared the foods he loved. These people were like him, and he would do anything to feel a sense of community again.

He took the last handful of brains and held them out to the nearest zombie, who looked up, face dripping with blood from the arm he was chewing, his eyes showing no awareness at all. He looked down and went back to the arm.

Kaveh went around the room offering the morsel, but they all looked at him with the same vacant expressions. None of the other zombies were interested in having brains.

He heard the moaning from outside, where the rest of the crowd was waiting. They would be hungry too, so he opened the door.

He held up the brains in his hand as the rest of the zombies staggered in. The crowd ignored him and gathered around the remains of the humans. They were just as interested in his foods as when they had been alive.

One zombie came up and took the last bit of brains from Kaveh's hand. It was the bank manager, Mister Ballard, with the same dull look in his eyes. As the manager ate, Kaveh searched his face for any hint of recognition, maybe a smile at the taste of it. There might have been something, but the blood covered too much, and the manager walked away.

Kaveh refused to accept that. These were his people now, and he wanted more than ever for them to see the world the way he did. If they didn't appreciate brains like this, he'd have to figure out a way they would. There was a kitchen here. He might use that to make a real meal of it, but he was missing the central ingredient.

The crowd of zombies had eaten every last scrap of human and were starting to wander off in search of new victims. They had eaten the rest of the brains in the course of things, but their behavior was still totally mindless. They would wander out there and stumble around, their behavior confirming every stereotype.

If Kaveh was going to give the others brains, he would need to create an irresistible recipe, but first he needed raw materials, which meant finding more of the living. He went out the front door and moaned. The other zombies moaned back, and Kaveh set off with his new friends in search of the living.