delay. Barnes and Coley stand at ease. The people with the rifles keep them trained on me, ready to blast me to hell if I show the slightest sign that I’m about to try to break free.
Eventually someone comes running towards us. ‘Let me see! Let me see!’ a panting man cries and the guardsaround us part.
I spot a fat man in a sailor suit prancing across the deck. The suit is too small for him and his stomach is exposed. It’s hairy and there are crumbs stuck in the hairs.
The fat man crouches next to me and stares, eyes wide, lips quivering. He notes the hole in my chest and studies my face. His smile fades. ‘It’s a girl. I thought it would be a boy.’
‘I didn’t knowyou had a preference,’ Barnes says. ‘Does it make any difference?’
The fat man purses his lips. ‘I suppose not. I just assumed . . .’ He shrugs and smiles again. ‘Make her talk, Barnes. Make her talk for Dan-Dan. I want to hear her before the others. I want to be the first.’
Barnes looks at the guard in the suit and glasses, who has followed behind the guy dressed like a sailor. Theguard shrugs. Barnes carefully removes my gag and shifts out of my way.
The fat man nods at me, grinning like a lunatic. ‘Come on, little girl. Talk for Dan-Dan. Let me hear you.’
I look Dan-Dan up and down, slow as you like, then smile lazily. ‘You’re about three sizes too large for that ridiculous suit, fat boy.’
Dan-Dan’s jaw drops. Some of the guards smirk. Coley snorts with laughter.Barnes just stares at me.
‘You . . . you . . .’ Dan-Dan sputters. He starts to swing a hand at me, to slap me. Then he remembers what I am and stops. His smile swims back into place and he blows me a kiss. ‘You’re wonderful,’ he gurgles. ‘A spirited, snarling, she-snake. Everything I was hoping for and more. We’re going to have so much fun with you, little girl.’
Dan-Dan lurches to his feet and claps his handsat Barnes and Coley. ‘Don’t stand there like fools,’ he barks, going from buffoon to commander in the space of a few seconds. ‘Bring her through to the Wardroom. The others are waiting and we’re not renowned for our patience.’
As Barnes and Coley pick me up again – pausing only to stick my gag back in place – Dan-Dan sets off ahead of us. He waddles like a duck but there’s nothing funnyabout him now. I’m in serious trouble here. And while the farcically dressed fat man is nowhere near as scary as Mr Dowling or Owl Man, he’s probably more of a threat than either of them. Both of those freaks chose to let me run free, but I’ve a horrible feeling that Dan-Dan wants me for keeps.
Barnes and Coley carry me across the deck, down a flight of stairs, then towards the rear of the cruiser, which they refer to as the aft. Dan-Dan trots ahead of us, skipping at times, singing to himself.
Dan-Dan opens a door and we enter a long room dominatedby a massive table. It could easily seat a couple of dozen people, but only five individuals are sitting around it. They’re spread out, as if they don’t want to sit too close to one another. There are ten guards in the room, standing by the walls, surrounding the table. All have handguns and are pointing them at me.
Coley chuckles uneasily. ‘You guys want to lower those? If you fire offa shot accidentally, you might hit Barnes or me.’
‘There will be no accidents here,’ a woman at the table says. She’s in her forties or fifties. Dressed to the nines, dripping in necklaces and diamonds. If she looked any posher, she’d be a queen.
Dan-Dan takes a seat and chortles. ‘Lady Jemima is correct, as always. If we shoot you, it will be on purpose.’
Barnes ignores the veiledthreat and helps Coley set me on my feet. ‘Her name’s Becky Smith,’ he tells the six people at the table. ‘She’s one of the talking zombies.’
‘It’s true,’ Dan-Dan gushes. ‘I heard her speak on deck. She insulted me. I didn’t like that—she’s a naughty little minx who must
Eventually someone comes running towards us. ‘Let me see! Let me see!’ a panting man cries and the guardsaround us part.
I spot a fat man in a sailor suit prancing across the deck. The suit is too small for him and his stomach is exposed. It’s hairy and there are crumbs stuck in the hairs.
The fat man crouches next to me and stares, eyes wide, lips quivering. He notes the hole in my chest and studies my face. His smile fades. ‘It’s a girl. I thought it would be a boy.’
‘I didn’t knowyou had a preference,’ Barnes says. ‘Does it make any difference?’
The fat man purses his lips. ‘I suppose not. I just assumed . . .’ He shrugs and smiles again. ‘Make her talk, Barnes. Make her talk for Dan-Dan. I want to hear her before the others. I want to be the first.’
Barnes looks at the guard in the suit and glasses, who has followed behind the guy dressed like a sailor. Theguard shrugs. Barnes carefully removes my gag and shifts out of my way.
The fat man nods at me, grinning like a lunatic. ‘Come on, little girl. Talk for Dan-Dan. Let me hear you.’
I look Dan-Dan up and down, slow as you like, then smile lazily. ‘You’re about three sizes too large for that ridiculous suit, fat boy.’
Dan-Dan’s jaw drops. Some of the guards smirk. Coley snorts with laughter.Barnes just stares at me.
‘You . . . you . . .’ Dan-Dan sputters. He starts to swing a hand at me, to slap me. Then he remembers what I am and stops. His smile swims back into place and he blows me a kiss. ‘You’re wonderful,’ he gurgles. ‘A spirited, snarling, she-snake. Everything I was hoping for and more. We’re going to have so much fun with you, little girl.’
Dan-Dan lurches to his feet and claps his handsat Barnes and Coley. ‘Don’t stand there like fools,’ he barks, going from buffoon to commander in the space of a few seconds. ‘Bring her through to the Wardroom. The others are waiting and we’re not renowned for our patience.’
As Barnes and Coley pick me up again – pausing only to stick my gag back in place – Dan-Dan sets off ahead of us. He waddles like a duck but there’s nothing funnyabout him now. I’m in serious trouble here. And while the farcically dressed fat man is nowhere near as scary as Mr Dowling or Owl Man, he’s probably more of a threat than either of them. Both of those freaks chose to let me run free, but I’ve a horrible feeling that Dan-Dan wants me for keeps.
Barnes and Coley carry me across the deck, down a flight of stairs, then towards the rear of the cruiser, which they refer to as the aft. Dan-Dan trots ahead of us, skipping at times, singing to himself.
Dan-Dan opens a door and we enter a long room dominatedby a massive table. It could easily seat a couple of dozen people, but only five individuals are sitting around it. They’re spread out, as if they don’t want to sit too close to one another. There are ten guards in the room, standing by the walls, surrounding the table. All have handguns and are pointing them at me.
Coley chuckles uneasily. ‘You guys want to lower those? If you fire offa shot accidentally, you might hit Barnes or me.’
‘There will be no accidents here,’ a woman at the table says. She’s in her forties or fifties. Dressed to the nines, dripping in necklaces and diamonds. If she looked any posher, she’d be a queen.
Dan-Dan takes a seat and chortles. ‘Lady Jemima is correct, as always. If we shoot you, it will be on purpose.’
Barnes ignores the veiledthreat and helps Coley set me on my feet. ‘Her name’s Becky Smith,’ he tells the six people at the table. ‘She’s one of the talking zombies.’
‘It’s true,’ Dan-Dan gushes. ‘I heard her speak on deck. She insulted me. I didn’t like that—she’s a naughty little minx who must
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