Handling The Undead

by John Ajdive Lindqvist

  ‘How is it?’

  Anna stared at the dark television screen. Her gaze was without expression. She said, ‘It isn’t Elias.’

  Mahler did not answer. A pain that started in his heart region radiated out along his shoulder, the arm. He leaned back against the cushions, trying to will his heart to be still, stop fluttering. His face was contorted in a grimace of pain when a hot hand gripped his heart, squeezed and…let go. His heart took up its usual rhythm. Anna had not noticed anything. She said, ‘Elias doesn’t exist any longer.’

  ‘Anna… I,’ Mahler panted.

  Anna nodded at her own statement, adding, ‘Elias is dead.’

  ‘Anna, I’m… sure that it is… ‘

  ‘You misunderstand me. I know that it is Elias’ body. But Elias no longer exists.’

  Mahler did not know what to say. The pain in his arm subsided, leaving behind a peace, the calm after a successful battle. He closed his eyes, said, ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘Take care of him, of course. But Elias is gone. He lives in our memories. That’s where he should be. Nowhere else.’

  Mahler nodded, said, ‘Yes… ‘

  Meant nothing by it.

  Solna 08.45

  The taxi driver had spent the night transporting patients from Danderyd and was talking about how stupid people were. Scared of the dead in the way they’d be scared of ghosts, when that was not the problem. The problem was bacteria.

  Take a dead dog in a well. After three days the water is so toxic that you’d be risking your life to drink it. Or take the war in Rwanda: tens of thousands dead, sure, but that in itself wasn’t the great tragedy. It was water. Corpses had been tossed into the rivers and then even more had died from lack of drinking water, or from drinking what was there.

  The bacteria the corpses brought with them. There was the real danger.

  David noted that the driver had a box of tissues attached to the control panel under the meter. He did not know if what the man was saying was true, but the very fact that he believed it…

  He stopped listening when the man started to talk about the meteorite from Mars that had landed four years ago. The guy was clearly obsessed, and David paid no attention to the rigmarole about secret test results that had been concealed from the public.

  Were they planning to perform an autopsy on her? Had they already done it?

  When they arrived at the Karolina Institute campus the driver asked for a more specific address, and David said, ‘The Medical Examiner’s Department.’

  The driver looked at him. ‘Do you work there, or what?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Lucky for you.’

  ‘Why?’

  The driver shook his head and said in the tone of one confiding a secret, ‘Let me put it this way… they’re a fairly cuckoo lot, some of them.’ When David stepped out of the car outside a mundanelooking brick building, the driver looked at him and said, ‘Good luck’ before driving away.

  David went up to the reception and explained his business. The receptionist, who did not appear to have the least idea what he was talking about, made various calls and eventually found the right person. She asked David to have a seat and wait.

  The waiting room consisted of a couple of vinyl-covered chairs.

  These surroundings conjured up a feeling of anxiety in him and just as he was about to get up and wait in the parking lot, someone came through the glass doors that led to the inner region.

  Without having thought about it, David had expected a giant of a man in a blood-spattered apron. But it was a woman who came toward him. A small woman in her fifties with short, greying hair, and blue eyes behind enormous glasses. No blood on the white coat. She stretched out her hand.

  ‘Hello. Elisabeth Simonsson.’

  David took her hand. Her grip was firm and dry. ‘David. I… Eva Zetterberg is my wife.’

  ‘Oh. I see. I am terribly… ‘

  ‘Is she here?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Despite his determination, David grew nervous under the

  scrutinising gaze she directed at him, as if searching his innards for the trace of a crime. He crossed his arms over his chest to shield himself.

  ‘I want to see her.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I understand how you must-feel. But it’s out of the question.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because we are in the process of… examining her.’

  David grimaced. He had caught the brief pause in front of the word ‘examining’. She had been planning to say something else. He balled his hands into fists, said, ‘You can’t do that to her!’

  The woman tilted her head. ‘What do you mean?’

  David waved his arms toward the doors the woman had come out of, towards the… wards. ‘You can’t bloody do an autopsy on someone who is still alive!’

  The woman blinked and then did something that David had not been expecting. She burst into laughter. Her little face unfolded in a network of laugh lines that quickly disappeared again. The woman waved her hand, said, ‘Excuse me,’ pressed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose arid went on, ‘I understand that you are… but you shouldn’t be concerned.’

  ‘Oh really, then what are you doing?’

  ‘Exactly what I said. We are examining her.’

  ‘But why are you doing it here?’

  ‘Because… well, for example, I’m a toxicologist, that is, a specialist in detecting foreign substances in dead bodies. We are examining her under the assumption that something has, so to speak, been introduced. Something that should not be present. Exactly as we do in the case of suspected murder.’

  ‘But you… cut people up here. Under normal circumstances.’

  The woman wrinkled her nose at this description of her place of work, but nodded and said, ‘Yes, we do. Because we have to. But in this case… we also have access to equipment that does not exist elsewhere. That can be used even when we are not… cutting people up.’

  David sat down on the vinyl chair, cradled his head in his hands.

  Foreign substances… something that has been introduced. He did not understand what they were looking for. He only knew one thing.

  ‘I want to see her.’

  ‘In case it’s any comfort to you,’ her voice softened somewhat, ‘you should know that all of the reliving have been isolated. Until we know more. You are not the only one.’

  The corners of David’s mouth twitched. ‘The bacteria, right?’

  ‘Among other things, yes.’

  ‘And if I don’t give a damn about the bacteria? If I say I want to see her anyway?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. You will have to excuse me. I understand how you… ‘

  ‘I don’t think so.’ David stood up and walked toward the door. Before he left, he turned back. ‘I may be wrong, but I don’t believe you have any right to do this. I’m going to… I’m going to do something.’

  The woman did not reply. Just looked at David with a pitying, owl-like gaze that made him furious. The door banged mutely against the doorstop as he flung it open and stormed out into the parking lot.

  Attachment 1

  Newspapers

  [From Aftonbladet, 14 August 2002]

  Corpses dug up,

  try to flee Military open graves

  It is six weeks since the 87-year-old died, and his body is in an advanced state of decomposition. But he lives, and early this morning he tried to elude the military cadets who were opening his grave. Shocking scenes such as this were enacted as the military began their work of examining at least 200 graves at the Stockholm Forest Cemetery.

  ‘It is abominable, the worst thing I have ever experienced,’ said a young national serviceman.

  At half past one this morning, their fears were realised: the buried were alive. Aftonbladet was on the scene when the military began their operation at the Stockholm Forest Cemetery. An 87-year-old man was the first to be uncovered. He lived, although six weeks have passed since his
burial. His body was in an advanced state of decomposition. The man attempted to flee the scene, but was restrained. Sections of the man’s flesh peeled away at the touch. With the aid of the burial shroud, soldiers were finally able to force the man to the ground. Two people were needed to restrain him.

  Tried to flee

  ‘There is no alternative, but it is only a temporary measure,’ Colonel Johan Stenberg said about the fence that the cadets had just started to construct. In order to restrain the dead the army engineers erected an enclosure. Meanwhile others were digging up coffins without opening them.

  ‘It isn’t pleasant, but what can we do?’ Colonel Stenberg said, shrugging. The enclosure was finished at two-thirty in the morning and the cemetery was fiIIed with military personnel. No hospital transports were to be seen. The opening of the coffins was begun and a horrifying sight awaited.

  The dead attempted to find their way out, fumbling, uncertain. Many tried to elude the military but were quickly brought back.

  Psychological pressure

  ‘This is hell on earth,’ a cadet said, sitting apatheticaIIy next to the enclosure. Behind him stood fifteen of the dead, pressed up against the fence. They stared toward us with their empty eye sockets. The cadet threw himself headlong onto the ground, holding his hands over his ears.

  ‘We assumed this would happen,’ johan Stenberg said. ‘That is why we have so much personnel. I feel sorry for the kid. Psychological pressure.’

  It was obvious that the colonel did not mean what he was saying.

  The ambulances arrive

  Three more corpses were dug up before the ambulances arrived. Quarrels erupted in several quarters. Commanding officers had to intervene in several fights. As we went to press, the situation at the Forest Cemetery had basicaIIy been reduced to chaos. A few of the dead may have escaped. Nearby residents are urged to keep their doors locked. Today the rest of the graves are scheduled to be opened and then the work wiII continue at the rest of the eighteen city cemeteries.

  [Editorial, ExpressenJ

  The impossible happened last night. Two thousand Swedes, either declared dead or buried, returned to life. How this is possible and what will happen remains to be seen, but even now a fundamental question may be posed: after this, can we regard death as the end?

  Probably not.

  One of the definitions of man is that he is an animal who is conscious of the fact that he will die. Perhaps the only one. The events of last night will force us to reformulate the conditions of our own existence.

  Death is another word for the cessation of metabolism. If we rule out religious or paranormal explanations, then only one alternative remains: the biological mechanism that is our body has the capacity to restart the process of metabolism. At this point there is no definitive research, but there are many indications.

  None of the classic signs of death are valid now. We no longer have a way to declare someone dead. Everyone may come back.

  During the 1980s a trend began called cryogenics. Wealthy individuals stipulated in their wills that their bodies should be frozen after death. In the USA, in particular, there are thousands of people resting in this state.

  It would not be surprising if the much-maligned cryogenics now experiences an upswing. A solution that allows us to preserve our dead body must at least be discussed.

  In all likelihood, researchers will be able to determine what

  has caused the dead to become reliving. Possibly they will be

  able to repeat the results. A serum against a certain disease can be produced from the blood of a patient who has overcome it. Tonight we have seen thousands of people overcome death. What will we be able to learn?

  Our present method of handling the corpse of a human being is basically organised around destroying it. Either quickly, through cremation, or slowly by way of decomposition in the ground. In the future it must be up to each individual to decide what is to be done. In a month, a year, or perhaps ten years-we may find ourselves with a cure for death.

  Who will want to be cremated then?

  Radio

  [From Morning Echo 06.00]

  According to military sources this morning, there are around one hundred and fifty graves left to be opened. All of Stockholm’s cemeteries will, however, remain closed to the public for the rest of the day…

  Twelve people are still missing. In three of the cases, the graves have been found dug up, and the deceased removed…

  Press conference currently underway in the Stockholm parliamentary building…

  [From Morning Echo 07.00]

  Family members of the reliving have gathered outside Danderyd Hospital. Head physician Sten Bergwall tells an Echo reporter that at present they cannot allow visitors.

  ‘We still don’t know enough. The reliving have been isolated but are receiving the best possible care. As soon as the situation is considered safe we will let in visitors. That could be today, that could be in one week.’…

  …from the press conference just ended:

  Minister of Social Affairs: At the parliamentary meeting this evening we have decided to prohibit all burials and cremations for an indeterminate amount of time. The four people who have passed away in the Stockholm area during the night have admittedly not shown any signs of awakening, but…

  Journalist: Is there room to store so many bodies?

  Minister: Yes, for the moment at least. The morgues have never been this empty.

  Journalist: But down the track?

  Minister: Down the track… we will have to think of something. As you can imagine, there is quite a lot that must be… thought of in this kind of situation.

  … the police have now found two of the reliving who were missing. In both cases, family members had concealed them in their

  homes…

  [From Morning Echo 08.00]

  Staff at Danderyd Hospital with whom Echo news teams have spoken say that the situation has been chaotic throughout the night. In certain wards cooperation has been impossible.

  At a crisis meeting earlier this morning it was decided that staff from all wards would be shifted around in order to offset further conflicts…

  Even military sources report certain phenomena breaking out in cases of direct contact with large gatherings of the reliving…

  Sten Bergwall discusses the practical difficulties of caring for

  the reliving, particularly those who have been retrieved from the ground, ‘Well, technically they are dead, with all the resulting consequences for the human organism. In order to put this more simply, we have had people here all night with equipment in order to change our ordinary rooms to cold storage… on ethical grounds we would rather not use the morgue, but… we are talking of close to two thousand people… ‘

  The funeral home Fonus says that they will naturally comply with the government’s recommendations, but they request a swift notification on technical grounds…

  Television

  [TV4 morning news 08.30]

  In the studio: STEN BERGWALL (SB), head physician at

  Danderyd. JOHAN STENBERG US), Colonel. RUNO

  SAHLIN (RS), PhD in Parapsychology.

  Interviewer: If we could start with practical matters. How many reliving are currently at Danderyd?

  SB: One thousand nine hundred and sixty-two. A few more may have been admitted as we are sitting here.

  Int: From what I’ve heard there have been several reliving who have… died again during the night.

  SB: That is correct.

  Int: Do we know why?

  SB: Not really, no. But primarily this involves a few reliving who were… in a very bad state to begin with.

  Int: How do you know they’ve died?

  SB: [smiling] I could say ‘you just know’ because that is the case, but more concretely there is a certain… electrical activity in the cerebral cortex that can be measured with an EEG, and when this ceases, there is death. According to current definitions. And the EEG that has been
taken on the reliving shows that a certain rudimentary brain function has restarted.

  Int:]ohan Stenberg, there has been talk of telepathic phenomena?

  JS: Yes.

  Int: Is it true that those of you who have been in direct contact with the reliving have been able to read their thoughts?

  JS: No, the phenomena that have been reported have exclusively involved the living.

  Int: Can you tell me about the conflicts that have broken out?

  [JB looks at SB, passing the question over to him.]

  SB: Well, I don’t know what has occurred at the cemeteries, but it is true that we have experienced some… differences of opinion at the hospital.

  Int: Because you’ve been able to read each other’s thoughts?

  SB: There are conflicts in all staff teams and in a stressful situation they have a tendency to come to the fore. We have no reliable evidence that it really is… mind-reading that is the basis for this.

  Int: Runo Sahlin…

  RS: I think it’s remarkable to see two grown people deny evident facts only because it happens not to fit their world view, and the facts are as follows: when a large group of the reliving assembles a kind of force field arises that makes it possible for people around them to read each other’s thoughts. I have been to Danderyd myself and experienced this.

  Int: Sten Bergwall. How do you explain this?

  SB: [sighing] The electrical activity in their brains… the amplitude is at most half a microvolt and the frequency of the alpha waves alternates between one and two Hertz. The frequency can therefore be compared to that of a newborn and the amplitude, that is, the strength of the electric current, is so weak that… what would be the comparison? Someone who is going to die in a few seconds. That weak.

  RS: You’re trying to explain this field not by the fact that their electrical activity is so strong, but that it’s so weak?

  SB: What I’m saying is that we have never seen patterns like this

  in living, fully grown humans. It is not impossible that certain kinds of… side effects could arise. We are still waiting for the RMV’s results in order to be able to say anything about how it is biologically possible that these bodies can live. [Sarcastically, to RS] But maybe you already have an explanation?