"What is it? Are you hungry? You just slept so it's not that."

Natalie smiled, her eyes still milky and lifeless, despite her expression. "Huunnnggghhh..."

Andrew shook his head, "I don't understand. Do you..." He stopped short. Natalie was pulling at her clothes. Andrew raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

Natalie turned and headed towards the bedroom, or at least that's what Andrew thought. But instead of continuing down the hall, Natalie took a left into the bathroom. The light was still on, and Gerry was starting to smell a little, but not so much that the neighbours would notice. Probably just a little bowel evacuation. Nothing that couldn't be cleaned up, given that the guy was already in the tub.

Andrew watched Natalie's expression, trying to decode what she was saying.

"Hnnnnnggghhh..."

"What, you want a bath?"

"Hnnnggggnnn..." Her tone seemed different somehow. Andrew was mostly certain he had it right this time.

"Oh. Well let me get this put away and I'll pour one for you. Sound good, babe?"

"Hnnn..." She was smiling broadly, her teeth gleaming.

"Do you want to watch some TV while I take care of this?" He was on a roll now, and really seeing how this abnormal relationship could actually function.

"Hnnngg..." Natalie left the bathroom, doing that zombie-shuffle Andrew recognized from so many late night gorefests on HBO. Her foot dragged slightly, but he was amazed at how quietly she moved. He had to strain in order to hear it. No wonder she'd been able to sneak up behind him. It certainly gave him a new respect for her kind. He'd have to include it in the novels if they were to represent zombies accurately.

Natalie sat down on the couch and stared vacantly at the television. Andrew surfed through the channels until he found an old Gene Kelly musical that prompted the reaction he was waiting for.

"Hnnnhh..."

"This one?" Andrew asked. "Good choice." The glow of the television reflected in her eyes as Andrew draped an afghan over her lap and kissed her forehead.

While Natalie watched the movie, Andrew got to work in the bathroom. The electric carving knife buzzed contentedly as Andrew dismembered and butchered the maintenance man's remains. Andrew stored each piece in a large Ziploc freezer bag, placing some in the fridge for immediate use and the rest in the freezer for upcoming meals. He gathered Gerald's clothing into a garbage bag and set it aside for disposal.

People would be looking, so it couldn't go out with the trash. He'd have to take it out somewhere and burn it. The bones were another matter. Maybe he could grind them up somehow. He'd worry about that later. For now, he just needed to get things back to normal so Natalie could bathe.

The TV station was showing several of those old Gene Kelly flicks back to back, which suited Andrew fine. By the time he heard the closing credits to Brigadoon, Andrew was pouring a nice hot bath, topped with bubbles.

Natalie stood patiently while Andrew helped her out of her pyjamas and into the steaming tub. Her smile was childlike, and her giggles sounded so innocent. Andrew could scarcely believe that this beautiful creature was capable of anything so horrible as rage or hatred. More likely, her need to feed on humans was akin to humanity's need to feed on livestock.

It is what it is, he thought.

The bubbles crawled up over Natalie's knees and breasts and shoulders and she slipped down deeper, letting the dried blood on her body reliquefy and muddy the water. Despite the vacancy in her eyes, Andrew thought she was truly stunning.

He helped to bathe her using a hand towel soaked in the soapy water. He resolved to stop by the nearest grocery and pick up a few feminine items, including one of those froofy things that makes suds, the kind women always seem to have hanging from the taps. And some better shampoo. And maybe some nice smelly soaps.

He started to make a list in his head while Natalie soaked, and it occurred to him briefly before it was dismissed that he'd never spent this sort of time with a woman. Nor had he much considered before what made women happy.

"How's that?" He asked.

"Hhhnnnnnnggg..."

"Good," he said and continued to bring the towel up and wring it out over her soft dead shoulders.