Free Zom-B Gladiator by Darren Shan Page A

difference?’
    ‘If you fighthim, he stands a chance,’ Justin says. ‘And if he comes up short, at least he can die with honour.’

    ‘I couldn’t care less about honour,’ I sniff.
    ‘Do it,’ Justin yaps and Vicky fires three times in quick succession. The man’s head explodes and he slumps, truly dead now. The zombies around him snarl and dart at the hatch, angered by the attack and tempted by the scent of human brain. They slam into the glass but it barely quivers. Vicky shuts the hatch and moves to another—there areseveral of them set in the panels in different areas.
    ‘Oh my God!’ I scream, covering my ears with my hands. ‘You did it! I didn’t think you’d really do it!’
    ‘We never bluff,’ The Prince drawls, smiling as if he’d just won a war.
    ‘Well, I don’t either,’ I jeer, lowering my hands and dropping the hysterical act. ‘You lot are mugs. What do you think I am, zombie Spartacus or something?I don’t give a toss about these walking corpses. Shoot them, fry them, chop them up into pieces if you want. I don’t care.’
    Justin frowns. ‘You won’t stand up to protect your own?’
    ‘They’re nothing to do with me,’ I tell him. ‘I don’t have anything in common with these brain-dead abominations. Hell, I’ve finished off plenty of them myself over the last few months.’
    ‘Interesting,’Justin murmurs. ‘Then I suppose we’ll have to try a different tack. Daniel, will you go and fetch us one of your darlings?’
    ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!’ Dan-Dan crows. ‘I was hoping for this. But I want to be the one who does it if she forces our hand. They’re mine. I won’t let Vicky or any of the others cheat me out of my prize.’
    ‘Perish the thought,’ Justin says. ‘The honour will beall yours.’
    ‘In that case, I’ll be back before you can blink.’ Dan-Dan shoots out of the room as if in a hurry to get to a party.
    ‘Is this really necessary?’ The Prince asks with a pained look.
    ‘Yes,’ Justin says.
    ‘It would have been so much simpler if you’d just fought when asked,’ The Prince admonishes me.
    ‘What’s happening?’ Coley asks Justin. ‘Where did Lord Wood go?’
    ‘To bring us something truly dreadful,’ Justin whispers, his eyes dark and sad, yet bright and excited at the same time.

Dan-Dan returns several minutes later and my heart sinks. Or would, if I had one.
    He has a couple of kids with him, and both of them are alive.
    ‘These are my darlings,’ Dan-Dan coos, rubbing their heads and pointing them towards me. ‘Say hello, my dears.’
    The children mumble a frightened hello. One is a boy, the other a girl. Neither is more than seven or eight years old. They’re dressed in sailor suits similar to Dan-Dan’s. The boy looks like he’s been crying. The girl’s eyes are dry but she’s clearly scared. Both are trembling.
    ‘What’s going on?’ Barnes asks sharply.
    ‘Surely you must have heard the rumours back in the day about thechild-killer Daniel Wood?’ Justin chuckles.
    ‘Children had a habit of meeting with an unfortunate end whenever Daniel came to town,’ Vicky trills. ‘He was such a naughty little boy.’
    ‘My darlings,’ Dan-Dan beams, hugging the children. ‘They keep me company. I have nightmares when I’m by myself. My playmates help me keep body and soul together.’
    ‘The trouble is, Daniel plays rough,’Lady Jemima notes, smiling cynically.
    ‘He kills each child in the end, when he grows bored of them,’ Justin grunts.
    ‘Allegedly,’ Lord Luca beams. ‘Nothing was ever proven in a court of law. Why, he was never even prosecuted.’
    Vicky Wedge winks at me. ‘The advantage of having an unholy amount of money, and associates like me in high places.’
    ‘You never told me any of this before,’Barnes snaps.
    ‘Why should we?’ Justin yawns. ‘You’re hired help.’ He turns his attention to me. ‘Now, Becky Smith, you might not care about the dead, but what about the living?