(Tales of the Zombie I#1 (fb)) - After Simon Garth had a particularly tense meeting with his business partner, Layla approached Garth and needed his signature for some documents, informing him that his upcoming flight to Haiti was booked.

(Tales of the Zombie I#1 (fb)) - Having ambushed Garth and restrained him, Gyps brought him to the cultists, and they tied him onto a stone slab to be sacrificed by Layla. Discovering their human sacrifice was her beloved, Layla promised Garth that he would not die by her hand.

(Tales of the Zombie I#1) - Layla pretended to perform the sacrifice, but instead cut Garth's restraints, allowing him to flee into the swamp and giving him a head-start against Gyps and the other cultists. However, Garth was eventually captured and slain by Gyps anyway. Garth was then buried in the bayou, but Gyps felt Garth had too quick a death and had not suffered enough, so he threatened to kill Layla unless she performed the ritual to transform Garth into a zombie. Garth was brought back as a shell of a person and attacked the cultists until one of the cultists was able to get one of the Amulets of Damballah around the Zombie's neck, giving its twin to Gyps, so that he could control the monster.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Layla was seemingly unaware of subsequent events surrounding the Zombie's time in the bayou and New Orleans, as his control transferred from Garth to a string of others, and continued practicing her Voodoo rituals near the Zombie's grave site.

(Tales of the Zombie I#8 (fb) - BTS) - Layla however, felt abandoned by both the practitioners and the Loa themselves. She continued working for Garwood Industries, and one of her fellow secretaries, Dora, felt that Layla lorded over her.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6) - Two years later (see comments), while performing another ritual, Layla's group was attacked by the Zombie (who had been trying to return to his grave, but was driven for vengeance by the sounds of rituals drums). The Zombie attacked the ritualists and they set him on fire. After seemingly killing all others, the Zombie turned to Layla, but Layla was able to convince him to stop (see comments) and was able to help him put the fires out by getting him to enter the swamp. Layla led the Zombie through the bayou in an attempt to return him to his grave, but she became lost. Spotting some lights, they came across a run-down hotel now being used as a house. While Layla made the Zombie wait on the outskirts nearby, Layla approached the house herself. Initially, Joan Masterson tried to get rid of Layla, but her deranged husband Eric Masterson lured Layla into the house, knocked her out, then carried her out to a heavily reinforced outhouse which held his monstrous son, Teddy. Curious to see what the feral Teddy would do to Layla, Eric locked her in with him.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6 - BTS) - Layla came to as Teddy began to tear at her, ripping her skirt as the pair briefly struggled, but Layla displayed no fear, confident that as a Mambo her voodoo power over the creatures of nature would protect her, and used this power to calm his troubled soul.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6) - Back in the house and unaware Layla was in no danger, Joan Masterson fled the house, refusing to be involved in Layla's death at Teddy's hands. Fleeing, Joan ran into the Zombie and her scream brought Eric to the scene, armed with an axe. However, attacking the Zombie with an axe merely served to annoy it, and Eric fled back to the outhouse, releasing Teddy to attack the Zombie. Seeing that Teddy was equally unable to damage the Zombie, Eric fled into Teddy's cell and locked himself in.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6 - BTS) - Seeing Layla was still alive, Eric tried to kill her, so she took the axe from him and killed him in self defense.

(Tales of the Zombie I#6) - Outside, Jean had just calmed Teddy down when they heard Eric's death scream, A few seconds later, Layla stepped out wielding the bloody axe and confirmed Eric's demise. Pausing briefly to comfort Teddy, she then took the Zombie's hand and returned with him to the bayou.