"You know, I'm supposed to be the one making the quippy remarks, Katie my love." Despite their light bantering Merrick is quick to edge around the corpse on the floor, his chair held awkwardly at his side by one leg as the students around them scream and cry. "I'm sticking to you like a fat man's leather jock strap on a summer day, okay?"
One student in particular gets way to close for the pooka's comfort and the man flinches even as he swings the chair out catching her in the stomach viciously and sending her reeling back -- he could pretend that he thought she was a zombie but his forte is lying to others not himself.
The simple truth is that Merrick didn't know her and didn't care to.