"Some sort of what the fuck?"

"Have you not got the word yet in your zombie universe? Bunch of universes, some of them apparently full of zombies? Until just now I didn't know it was possible to walk between them, but I don't know how else to explain all this."

"We have not got word of this, why do you keep calling me a zombie, is it because I don't have my own cat?"

"Yes. You don't have a daemon, therefore you don't have a soul, therefore you are a zombie."

"Well, that's just peachy, isn't it."

"And she probably wouldn't be a cat," he adds. "Maybe a sheep or something."

"I'm nearly certain that you are attempting to insult me."

"Well spotted."

Ivan rolls his eyes. "Well, this has been fascinating. Budge over, let me have a go at the door."

He moves aside, as does the cat. The cat keeps well out of Ivan's way, in fact.

Ivan isn't touching the talking cat soul. The talking cat soul is weird. Ivan tugs at the door.

"Okay. I'm trapped in a - an interdimensional bar with a person who hasn't introduced himself and his talking cat soul. Well, at least it's not the inside of a seawall, that would just get repetitive."

"The inside of a seawall?"

"When I was on Earth I got briefly kidnapped and stuffed in aforementioned. Can't say I recommend the experience."

"But it sounds like so much fun. Anyway, I'm Ethan."

"I'd say I'm pleased to meet you, but I'm preoccupied with this door."

"I'd suggest breaking it down, but for all I know it might explode. I've never been to an interdimensional bar before."

"Nor I." Ivan pauses, then pulls a sort of wandlike object out of his pocket and gestures with it. "Aaaaand no signal, so I can't summon help from the other side."

"Eh?" he says, peering at the object.

It is projecting holograms into the air! Then it's not; Ivan pockets it again. "Network signal doesn't reach in here, so I can't send a message to Mireille or m'cousin or anyone."

"They have weird phones in zombie world," Ethan concludes.

"If that's what you want to call it. It's a holo-pen."

"I guess zombies have to do something with their time, might as well be inventing gadgets."

"What, does having a soul-cat take up a lot of your days off? Cleaning up hairballs?"