It's not lying. It's being considerate of it bothering you.

[And that they're kind of alike besides the face and the features, but that's another time and place he is certain.]

But yeah, totally not related, because trust me, we never had this Rising thing.

No, not zombies. Lakewood has a small problem with killers.

[Which is saying it way more lighthearted than he is comfortable with but if he makes it a joke, the pain isn't as bad.

Sure. Lying to himself doesn't work either.]

Lost good friends. Lost not so good people. Thought we had finished it for good. Now... we've lost someone close to us again. So either we attract them, or our last killer had a sidekick.

[He is betting on sidekick. It's a better thought than just another random killer.]