Lisa used the baseball bat to force herself to stand. She knew what Speedy really wanted. She didn't want to argue, but she wanted to go outside even less. She pointed at Helen and bowed her head. "I have to stay. She needs my help."

Speedy clenched his hands and stood up. He took a step towards Lisa, towering over her.

She stared him down. "Go check outside," she said, but her voice came out louder than she intended again. She covered her mouth and regretted saying anything, but it worked. Speedy turned and walked out of the vault, and the voice of authority hadn't attracted any zombies. Then she realized she still had the bat. He was out there without a weapon.

She turned around to find Helen on the floor, stuffing a deposit pouch into her purse. The situation was getting completely out of control. She needed her pills. "What are you doing?" She leaned down, using the bat as a cane, and tugged on the pouch. "I'm responsible for that."

Helen tugged back. "Dooon't," she said in a drawn out whine.

"That money belongs to the bank," said Lisa.

Helen said, "They're not paying us enough to go through all this."

Lisa tugged harder. "I'm gonna lose my job."

Speedy came back around the corner, and the two women stopped pulling.

He stood still outside the vault, the gun in his hand, his grin long gone. He looked like he was fighting back both tears and vomit. Had he been bitten? He motioned with the hand holding the gun for them to follow and walked away.

Lisa had to know what had caused his reaction. She let go of the money and went to the door. "Come on, Helen," she said. Helen zipped up her purse and followed.

Before she even rounded the corner, Lisa saw the first two bodies, their heads blown open, brains oozing out of their skulls. She walked past them into her bank, and it was nothing like a movie.

The smell reminded her of the maggot covered deer she'd found once on the shoulder of Route 10. Sprawled corpses covered the floor of the room where she'd spent countless hours. None of them moved, but she knew more might climb their way in any second.

Most of their features were rotted away until they barely looked human, but she recognized the security guard, Vince. His body was ten feet closer to the vault than before, his vacant expression showing no reaction to the bullet hole just above his right eye.

In the center of the room, Speedy stood over his friend. Kaveh was dead, and a large part of his intestines were gone, but his head was still intact.

Lisa looked at the young Mexican. "Okay Speedy, shoot him."

Speedy shook his head. "No," he mumbled, the tears still not far off.

She looked down. Kaveh's face held the same defiant expression as when he'd been alive. "He didn't want to be a zombie," she said.

Speedy's forehead furrowed in anger. "Leave him alone." He shouted, "Haven't you done enough?" Was he blaming her for leading them into the vault, for getting Kaveh killed? Speedy stood still, except for the raising and lowering of his shoulders with each breath.

Lisa looked down again at Kaveh. She couldn't blame Speedy for wanting to leave the body in peace. When she'd pointed the gun at him, she hadn't been able to pull the trigger either. There was a strange warmth in her chest, something she didn't recognize. The muscles in her hands twitched. Her breathing was heavy.

She held two fingers to her neck and felt her pulse pounding. Circulation was the first thing to shut down when people became zombies, so at least she knew she was human. She couldn't explain what was happening, but she wouldn't let it include a seizure. She needed her purse.

She said, "Let's just get outta here. Check the doors?" Speedy's forehead went back to normal, and he went to the front doors.

She thought that would give her a chance to collect herself but looked over to find Helen staring at her, and all her paranoia came rushing back.

"What's wrong with you?" asked the teller.

Lisa felt the heat of her face blushing and the numbing panic rising up from inside her shoes. "What?" she said to buy time.

Helen looked her in the eyes. "I've never seen you so jumpy."

Lisa looked around the room to avoid eye contact. "You're one to talk, Helen. You were screaming your head off before." Her voice shook.

"But I'm always like that," said Helen. "I didn't think anything could get to you. If you're scared of those things..." She trailed off. Her eyes glazed over as she went back into shock. Lisa wondered if the same thing was happening to her.