"Oh," said Lisa with a blank look on her face. He was used to people being immediately judgmental of where he came from. "My family's Ukrainian," she said.

Now Kaveh froze, considering European demographics. "Jewish?" he said, narrowing his eyes. He tried hard not to be hypocritical.

"Maybe," she said. "They never told me anything about where we came from. They wanted me to fit in." Kaveh relaxed. He was used to hearing this too. Everybody in America was from somewhere else, but nobody seemed to remember anything about it.

"I don't want to forget my past," said Kaveh. "I want my restaurant to serve real Persian food. There's nothing like it around here." His lungs felt tight, but he forced himself to continue if there was any chance left of getting the loan. "I know where to get the best price on lamb."

Lisa's mouth smiled, but her voice was harsh. "I wish you could have had your restaurant."

Kaveh didn't move. Speedy had given him more hope than he'd had in years. They could have made something great. He could have been proud of his culture again. Now the last chance for that dream was dying. It felt like someone was squeezing his heart.

His anger rose, filling every word. "I was never gonna get the loan, was I?" He wanted her to say he was right, to admit the system was built on bigotry. He wanted to show Speedy they'd never get what they wanted by keeping their heads down and playing nice.

"I don't make those decisions," said Lisa. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, even when she thought he was dying. The pain in Kaveh's heart became like a knife. "I told you," she said, "I fill out the forms, then I make a recommendation. That's all." Her boss was dead, but she was still hiding behind him.

"I don't want to hear that." Kaveh tried to stand up, but his limbs felt like rubber. He hadn't been hurt that bad. He couldn't understand it. There was no rational explanation for what was going on, only Lisa's insane ideas about zombies.

When Kaveh had first seen the creatures a week before, one of his neighbors was pushing some of them off her porch with a broom. Now he'd seen those things tear people apart. He'd shot them through the heart and watched them keep coming. His arm smelled like spoiled beef. He shuddered. His skin was pale, just like theirs.

Fuck. Lisa was right, wasn't she? His head spun. They were real. His lungs were getting tighter, and his throat hurt. He couldn't fight it anymore. He was dying. Everything he'd ever known or done was about to disappear. He looked at Lisa. "What if it was your decision?" he said. "What if you could grant loans?"

Her eyes changed, and for the first time, he saw the sadness in them. She was so beautiful. "I would have loved to have some of your cooking. You deserve that restaurant."

With his good arm, he put the gun on the ground between them. "There. You make the decisions now." His adrenaline spiked with the understanding of what he'd just done. He tasted blood. He fought the urge to reach for the gun.

"What the hell are you doing?" Speedy shouted in a voice too loud for the tiny space.

"I don't wanna be a zombie," Kaveh shouted back.

Finally, Lisa picked up the gun.

From the corner, the blonde's weak voice tried to catch up to the situation. "He's a zombie?" She stood up, her blue eyes trying to focus. "What are we gonna do?"

"Don't shoot him," said Speedy.

Kaveh held up his hand. His throat felt like a brick. "Speedy. They killed me."

Lisa stood up, using the wall for support.

"So?" said Speedy, moving again between Kaveh and Lisa, the baseball bat held high.

Kaveh forced the air out of his lungs. "So stay back." He was still Speedy's boss. The sous chef soldiered up and did what he was told. Kaveh slumped against the wall.

Lisa stepped to the center of the vault speaking slowly, her voice cracking. "It's the way zombies are," she said. "They don't have any sympathy for us, so we can't have any sympathy for them." She raised the gun.

Kaveh looked down the barrel, thinking what a shame it was to waste their only bullet on him. He thought again about the full clip outside the door, but there was no way for them to get to it. He looked into Lisa's eyes. "Wait," he whispered, "I think I can save you."