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The Laughing Corpse :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 42 из 213The soul was still inside both bodies. How? How in Jesus' name did she do it?
"The souls. The souls are still in the bodies." My voice held the distaste I felt. Why bother to hide it?
"Very good, chica."
I went to stand to her left, keeping Enzo in sight. "How did you do it?"
"The soul was captured at the moment it took flight from the body."
I shook my head. "That doesn't explain anything."
"Don't you know how to capture souls in a bottle?"
Souls in a bottle? Was she kidding? No, she wasn't. "No, I don't." I tried not to sound superior as I said it.
"I could teach you so much, Anita, so very much."
"No, thanks," I said. "You captured their souls, then you raised the body, and put the soul back in." I was guessing, but it sounded right.
"Very, very good. That is it exactly." She was staring at me so hard that it was uncomfortable. Her empty, black eyes were memorizing me.
"But why is the second zombie rotting? The theory is with the soul intact, the zombie won't decay?"
"It is no longer a theory. I have proved it," she said.
I stared at the rotted corpse, and it stared back. "Then why is that one rotting, and this one isn't?" Just two necromancers talking shop. Tell me, do you raise your zombies only during the dark of the moon?
"The soul may be put into the body, then removed again, as often as I wish."
I stared at Dominga Salvador now. I stared and tried not to let my jaw drop, not to let the dawning horror slip across my face. She would enjoy shocking me. I didn't want her taking pleasure from me, for any reason.
"Let me test my understanding here," I said in my best executive trainee voice. "You put the soul into the body and it didn't rot. Then you took the soul out of the body, making it an ordinary zombie, and it did rot."
"Exactly," she said.
"Then you put the soul back in the rotted corpse, and the zombie was aware and alive again. Did the rotting stop when the soul went back in?"
"Yes.»
Shit. "So you could keep the zombie over there rotted just that much forever?"
"Yes."
Double shit. "And this one?" I pointed this time, like I was doing a lecture.
"Many people would pay dearly for her."
"Wait a minute, you mean sell her as a sex slave?"
"Perhaps."
"But … " The idea was too horrible. She was a zombie, which meant she didn't need to eat or sleep or anything. You could keep her in a closet and take her out like a toy. A perfectly obedient slave.
"The souls. The souls are still in the bodies." My voice held the distaste I felt. Why bother to hide it?
"Very good, chica."
I went to stand to her left, keeping Enzo in sight. "How did you do it?"
"The soul was captured at the moment it took flight from the body."
I shook my head. "That doesn't explain anything."
"Don't you know how to capture souls in a bottle?"
Souls in a bottle? Was she kidding? No, she wasn't. "No, I don't." I tried not to sound superior as I said it.
"I could teach you so much, Anita, so very much."
"No, thanks," I said. "You captured their souls, then you raised the body, and put the soul back in." I was guessing, but it sounded right.
"Very, very good. That is it exactly." She was staring at me so hard that it was uncomfortable. Her empty, black eyes were memorizing me.
"But why is the second zombie rotting? The theory is with the soul intact, the zombie won't decay?"
"It is no longer a theory. I have proved it," she said.
I stared at the rotted corpse, and it stared back. "Then why is that one rotting, and this one isn't?" Just two necromancers talking shop. Tell me, do you raise your zombies only during the dark of the moon?
"The soul may be put into the body, then removed again, as often as I wish."
I stared at Dominga Salvador now. I stared and tried not to let my jaw drop, not to let the dawning horror slip across my face. She would enjoy shocking me. I didn't want her taking pleasure from me, for any reason.
"Let me test my understanding here," I said in my best executive trainee voice. "You put the soul into the body and it didn't rot. Then you took the soul out of the body, making it an ordinary zombie, and it did rot."
"Exactly," she said.
"Then you put the soul back in the rotted corpse, and the zombie was aware and alive again. Did the rotting stop when the soul went back in?"
"Yes.»
Shit. "So you could keep the zombie over there rotted just that much forever?"
"Yes."
Double shit. "And this one?" I pointed this time, like I was doing a lecture.
"Many people would pay dearly for her."
"Wait a minute, you mean sell her as a sex slave?"
"Perhaps."
"But … " The idea was too horrible. She was a zombie, which meant she didn't need to eat or sleep or anything. You could keep her in a closet and take her out like a toy. A perfectly obedient slave.