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"Yes," Coley says, and I can see that he's seething. He never did like it when things didn't go his way. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.176546 | 7.1 |
"Well, that's a real kick in the teeth," Dan-Dan huffs. "How did you sneak up on us like that, you clever boy?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.177399 | 7.1 |
Rage frowns. "You don't sound too petrified." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.178252 | 7.1 |
"I accept the fact that I'll have to die one day, but I doubt it will be today," Dan-Dan says chirpily. "It would be different if we were alone, but you know that if you infect me, my guards will execute you on the spot. Your girlfriend too." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.179104 | 7.1 |
"Girlfriend?" Rage snorts. "You're way off the mark." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.179957 | 7.1 |
"Then why risk so much to save her?" Dan-Dan asks. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.18081 | 7.1 |
"Yeah," I say, shuffling out from under the truck. "What gives? Where did you pop out of ? And why put your life on the line? You don't care about me." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.181663 | 7.1 |
Rage pretends to look sorrowful. "Oh, the ingratitude. Didn't I come to your rescue on the _Belfast_ too?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.182516 | 7.1 |
"That was different. You tagged along because the odds were in our favor and you wanted to get in on the action." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.183369 | 7.1 |
Rage laughs. "I can't deny it. Although, in your position, I wouldn't be so quick to reveal all that to this lot. We should be putting on a show of unity, let them think we believe in that all-for-one crap." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.184222 | 7.1 |
I curse beneath my breath. The most annoying thing about Rage is that he's right so much of the time. "Just tell me how you got here," I snarl. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.185075 | 7.1 |
He shrugs. "It's hardly an epic story. I waited outside for the rest of you. I heard all the commotion and was pissed I couldn't be involved. Then I saw the trucks leaving and spotted you on top of one. I followed, keeping back so that I couldn't be seen. Well, obviously I _could_ have been seen, but I figured their attention would be focused on the zombie clinging to the roof. I slipped up behind the trucks while Sinbad here was chatting with you. Waited for my moment. And here I am." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.185928 | 7.1 |
"Some of your team should have been keeping watch, Coley," Dan-Dan tuts. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.18678 | 7.1 |
"Normally we would have had several lookouts in place," Coley grunts, his cheeks reddening. "But the last few minutes have been crazy. In the chaos and confusion, our standards slipped. My apologies, sir. It won't happen again." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.187633 | 7.1 |
"Assuming I let you live to command another day," Dan-Dan says pointedly. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.188486 | 7.1 |
I edge over beside Rage and his prisoner. Nobody tries to stop me. Owl Man is studying us with an indecipherable expression. "What now?" I mutter. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.189339 | 7.1 |
"We back off slowly and let these guys go on their merry way," Rage says. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.190192 | 7.1 |
"You think they won't shoot us?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.191045 | 7.1 |
"Not as long as I keep the captain here under lock and key." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.191898 | 7.1 |
"You really shouldn't make jokes about my costume," Dan-Dan says. "It's rude and insensitive." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.192751 | 7.1 |
"Like I care," Rage laughs, and starts to back away. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.193603 | 7.1 |
"Hold it," Coley barks. "You're going nowhere until you release Lord Wood." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.194456 | 7.1 |
Rage pauses and cocks an eyebrow at me. "This guy's Daniel Wood? Why didn't you tell me?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.195309 | 7.1 |
"I didn't think you'd have heard of him." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.196162 | 7.1 |
"Are you kidding? He was infamous. The newspapers called him the Child Catcher. Nobody could ever make charges stick because he operated in out-of-the-way countries where judges and the police could be bribed." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.197015 | 7.1 |
"They could be bribed in less out-of-the-way places too," Dan-Dan chortles. "I traveled more freely than the media reported." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.197868 | 7.1 |
"I'm impressed," Rage says. "You're a celebrity. I must get your autograph before we go." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.198721 | 7.1 |
"No one's going anywhere until you release Lord Wood," Coley says again, pushing up his sunglasses to glare at us. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.199574 | 7.1 |
"Don't be stupid," Rage says. "I'm not gonna do that. You'd shoot me before I made it to the top of the hill." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.200426 | 7.1 |
"I can't let you leave with him," Coley retorts. "You'd kill him once you were out of sight." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.201279 | 7.1 |
"What if I promise to set him free and cross my heart and hope to die?" Rage smiles. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.202132 | 7.1 |
Coley shakes his head and returns the smile. "You're already dead." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.202985 | 7.1 |
"Then it looks like we have a problem." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.203838 | 7.1 |
I stare at Rage. "Surely you have a plan. You can't have just charged in and risked everything without thinking it through." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.204691 | 7.1 |
"You should have left me to the racists," I groan. "At least then they wouldn't have known we were bloody amateurs." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.206397 | 7.1 |
"If I may make a suggestion," Owl Man intercedes, and all eyes settle on him. "We have Becky's friend, Vinyl, in one of the trucks." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.207249 | 7.1 |
"So it _was_ Vinyl you were after!" I shout. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.208102 | 7.1 |
Owl Man raises an eyebrow. "You guessed that he was my focus?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.208955 | 7.1 |
"The second I saw you on the road, when you were traveling here." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.209808 | 7.1 |
He smiles. "We are getting to know so much about one another, as good friends or enemies always do." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.210661 | 7.1 |
"You let me see you on your way to New Kirkham," I accuse him. "You sent the dog to lure me in. You wanted me to come after you." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.211514 | 7.1 |
Owl Man spreads his hands. "Guilty as charged." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.212367 | 7.1 |
He shrugs. "To see what you would do. Most of your friends perished in the first wave of zombie attacks. I lost track of any who survived. When I saw Vinyl with you in Hammersmith, I figured he might be a useful bargaining chip farther down the line. But first I needed to find out if you would risk everything to save him, so I called up the boys in the hoods—I've had them on standby for months now, for something like this." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.214072 | 7.1 |
"You never told me about that," Dan-Dan says petulantly. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.214925 | 7.1 |
"I do not share everything with my associates," Owl Man says. "Especially those who cross me where the undead are concerned. You should not have done that, Daniel. This is my field of expertise. My wishes should have been respected." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.215778 | 7.1 |
"It was a conflict of interests," Dan-Dan says. "To you she's a zombie, to me she's a plaything. We had to clash sooner or later. I won't hold it against you." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.216631 | 7.1 |
"He takes setbacks so manfully, doesn't he?" Owl Man says to me. Then he purses his lips thoughtfully. "You can have Daniel. We will take Vinyl. When you return to London, bring Daniel to us and I will arrange a swap. We can iron out the finer details then." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.217484 | 7.1 |
"Wait a minute," Dan-Dan squawks, losing his cool. "You can't leave me in the clutches of these foul brutes." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.218337 | 7.1 |
"We have no choice," Owl Man says. "If you had let Becky go, as I asked, this could have been avoided. As things stand..." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.21919 | 7.1 |
"But they'll kill me!" Dan-Dan roars. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.220043 | 7.1 |
"No," Owl Man says. "Vinyl is one of Becky's oldest, dearest friends. She came back to save him. She will not harm you if she knows that she can swap you for him later." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.220896 | 7.1 |
"What about the others?" I ask. "They're just as important to me." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.221748 | 7.1 |
"Are they really?" Owl Man looks skeptical. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.222601 | 7.1 |
"I wasn't sure that you had Vinyl," I tell him. "I chased after the trucks to try to help the people in the cages." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.223454 | 7.1 |
Owl Man sighs. "You have changed in so many ways. I am proud of what you have become. I wish I could care as much about people as you do." He thinks about it for a moment. "I can make no promises, since there are lots of different factors involved, but I give you my word that I will do my best to have them returned along with Vinyl, assuming you are happy to restore Lord Wood to us." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.224307 | 7.1 |
"You expect me to trust you?" I snort. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.22516 | 7.1 |
"What other option do you have?" Owl Man says sweetly, then turns his back on us and calls his dog. "Come, Sakarias, the jeep awaits. Mr. Coley, will you and your people get back in your trucks and escort us?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.226013 | 7.1 |
Dan-Dan sighs. "Is there any other way we can resolve this?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.227719 | 7.1 |
Coley licks his lips and thinks about it, then spits with disgust. "Not that I can see." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.228571 | 7.1 |
"Then we'll have to hope he knows what he's doing. If the girl hasn't delivered me to you within seventy-two hours, kill the boy slowly and painfully, along with everyone else from this rat's nest of a town. Now get the hell out of here so that this dratted beast can release me. I have a terrible crick in my neck." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.229424 | 7.1 |
The guards and Owl Man mount up and set off. I hate having to stand here helplessly, but given the way things turned out, we've pushed this as far as we can. To be honest, I'm amazed we've gotten away with this much. Best not to ride our luck any further. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.230277 | 7.1 |
As the trucks trundle away, Rage gives Dan-Dan some space, but holds on to him, using him as a shield in case there are any long-range snipers onboard. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.23113 | 7.1 |
"Thanks," I tell Rage softly. "You didn't have to do this." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.231983 | 7.1 |
"I know," he sniffs. "But what a kick! To take on those guys and force a standoff..." He punches the air. "That's the most fun I've had in an age." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.232836 | 7.1 |
"You'll regret it in the end," Dan-Dan says. "Anyone who has ever annoyed me has lived to wish they'd given me a wide berth." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.233689 | 7.1 |
"Maybe," Rage laughs. "But I'm like you, Dan-Dan. I believe in living for the moment. We could all be worm food tomorrow, so we've got to make corn today." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.234542 | 7.1 |
"It's make hay," I correct him. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.235394 | 7.1 |
Dan-Dan stares at Rage. "You remind me of myself when I was younger. If I get out of this mess, maybe I'll let you live. The world's a more interesting place with people of our caliber in it to add spice to the mix." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.2371 | 7.1 |
"I'm welling up at the compliment," Rage chuckles. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.237953 | 7.1 |
Dan-Dan's gaze turns my way and his eyes narrow. "As you know, young man, I'm fabulously wealthy. I can give you anything you want. From what Becky said, there's no love lost between you, and you didn't seem to care much about the others on the trucks. Name your price for my freedom and the girl." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.238806 | 7.1 |
Rage mulls it over and studies me coldly. I stand firm and get ready to fight. Then he grins and I relax. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.239659 | 7.1 |
"Sorry, Lord Wood," he says, "but I don't think you could match my price." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.240512 | 7.1 |
"You don't know until you ask," Dan-Dan gurgles. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.241365 | 7.1 |
"True," Rage smirks. "But luckily for Becky, I'm not in an asking mood." He flashes his teeth at me. "At least not today. Try me again later if she gets on my nerves." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.242217 | 7.1 |
"Some hero," I growl, but although I try to maintain an offended expression, I can't, and soon I'm smiling like a cat who's used up all nine of her lives only to be given yet one more. Stepping into line with Rage, we turn with our hostage and head back to see what's left of New Kirkham. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.24307 | 7.1 |
It's hard to tell what's going on from this far away, but the fact that thousands of zombies are milling around outside the walls makes it look like Jakob managed to shut the gate—otherwise they'd surely all have poured inside to feast. Whether he was in time to save the humans from the undead assailants who had already slipped in remains to be seen. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.244776 | 7.1 |
We quickly realize that getting Dan-Dan into New Kirkham is going to be a challenge. We can't just slip a living human through the hordes of zombies packed around the perimeter. All three of us would be ripped to pieces before we got anywhere near. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.245629 | 7.1 |
Rage comes up with a plan. "I'll head back by myself. If anyone's still alive, I'll get them to tell us where the entrance to one of their tunnels is. We can sneak him in that way." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.246482 | 7.1 |
"But the tunnel entrances are a secret," I remind him. "Vinyl wouldn't tell us before, said it was against the rules." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.247335 | 7.1 |
Rage makes a growling noise. "If Shane and the others have succeeded, we've just saved the town from the Ku Klux Klan. I think they'll be happy to bend the rules this once." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.248188 | 7.1 |
He heads off, leaving me alone with the despicable Dan-Dan. I want the creep to cower, but he lies back, picks a blade of grass and studies the clouds, a content smile plastered across his face as he tickles his chin with the grass. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.249041 | 7.1 |
"Owl Man was wrong," I say softly. "I didn't like Vinyl that much. He'd moved to a different school. Our friendship had run its course. And the others mean nothing to me—we don't care about the living. You're dead meat." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.249893 | 7.1 |
Dan-Dan chuckles. "Nice try, but I've played poker with the finest gamblers in Las Vegas. Your bluff won't work on me." He looks over. " _Owl Man_. I like it. That's what I'm going to call him from now on." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.250746 | 7.1 |
"What's his real name?" I ask. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.251599 | 7.1 |
"Heaven knows. He changes it all the time. He's Petrus one day, Agamemnon the next, Zachary another. Occasionally Bob or Jack. Most of us refer to him as the guy with the large eyes, or simply Eyes Guy." He makes a face. "Adults have such weak imaginations." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.252452 | 7.1 |
I lie down close to Dan-Dan, hoping to make him feel uneasy. "How did you hook up with Owl Man? Last I saw of you, you were zipping along the Thames like a bat out of hell." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.253305 | 7.1 |
"Oh, we've been doing business together for years," Dan-Dan says. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.254158 | 7.1 |
"Years?" I snap. "You mean you knew him in the days before the zombies?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.255011 | 7.1 |
"Yes. He knew the end was coming. He helped us prepare for it." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.255864 | 7.1 |
"How did he know?" I bark. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.256716 | 7.1 |
Dan-Dan shrugs. "He has his ways and means. Anyway, we've been allies for a long time. When the world fell, I made my base on the HMS _Belfast_ with the other members of the Board. Owl Man warned us against it. He said we'd be safer elsewhere, in a more secure facility. We ignored him, but had a plan B in place in case he was right. Hell, we had plans C, D and E." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.257569 | 7.1 |
"And now?" I ask. "Where have you holed up since we ran you off?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.258422 | 7.1 |
He smiles. "You'll find out when you swap me with your friend. I'm not going to tell you too much in advance, giving you extra time to scheme and plot against me. I'm not as dumb as I act." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.259275 | 7.1 |
I glower at the giggling child-killer in the ridiculous sailor's outfit. I wish I didn't feel responsible for Vinyl and the others. I'd love to give this psycho a taste of his own medicine. But Owl Man read me like an X-ray. I'm not going to harm Dan-Dan as long as he holds the key to the humans' safety. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.260128 | 7.1 |
We don't say anything else. Dan-Dan watches the sun as it moves across the sky and dips. I keep an eye out for Rage. Finally, not long before nightfall, he returns. He takes his time, not even bothering to jog. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.260981 | 7.1 |
"Glad you didn't rush on my account," I growl when he crests the hill. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.261834 | 7.1 |
"Nothing to hurry back for," he says. "Everything's fine. Once we shook up the Klan and threw them into chaos, the tide swiftly turned. Biddy Barry and her crew got their hands on all the weapons that the Klan had come with, turned them on their owners and then on the zombies who'd poured through the gate while it was open. They lost a lot of people in the battle, but they've regained control of the town and their defenses are solid. The surviving Klanners are being dealt with, as are the traitors who helped them take over the town in the first place. It's all cool." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.262687 | 7.1 |
"And the tunnel?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.263539 | 7.1 |
"Sorted. Follow me. One of the others is coming to open it from their end." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.264392 | 7.1 |
The entrance isn't far away, a steel door set in the ground, covered over with very realistic-looking fake grass. Rage lifts the grass and knocks four times on the door. When it opens, I spot Shane inside. He scuttles out and high-fives his mate, bumps fists with me, then glares at Dan-Dan. "This the one you were telling us about?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.265245 | 7.1 |