Zom-B Underground by Darren Shan Read Free Book Online Page B

chest.
    Gokhan squared up to Rage and it looked like things were going to kick off, but Dr. Cerveris coughed politely and said, “Please, boys, no fighting.”
    I think Gokhan would have ignored him, but as soon as the doctor called for peace, Rage took a step back and muttered an apology.
    “Why do you suck up to them so much?” I asked once Dr. Cerveris had left. I thought Rage would prickle at that but he only shrugged.
    “They’re the new masters now. If we’re to have any hope of getting out of this place, we need to play ball. Besides, they’ve taken good care of us. We should be thankful. They could have left us to rot with the zombies. They’re doing their best to look after us and make our lives easier. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
    I haven’t seen much of the complex yet. Reilly never varies the route when he leads me to or from my cell. The others haven’t seen much more of it either, though they’ve been to the places where the reviveds are housed.
    According to Mark, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of zombies locked up in the pens. He thinks they’re being held for experimental purposes. This is a giant laboratory, not a prison.
    The reviveds are a mix of adults and children. But nobody’s seen any grown-up zom heads. We’ve been segregated by age for some reason. There must be adult revitalizeds, conscious as we are, but they’re either being held in a separate part of the complex or in a different building. I don’t know why they’d want to divide us this way. Maybe they’re worried that we’d start a big zom head family if they let us mix together freely.
    There’s no doubt that I’m an outsider–nothing personal, I’m sure it’s purely because I’m new to the fold–but I was getting along all right with most of the zom heads until a couple of days ago. Cathy was the only one who actively disliked me. She wouldn’t talk to me unless it was to say something critical. Then we had
hairgate
and I’ve been snubbed by the rest of them ever since.
    I’d just finished filing down my teeth and was studying myself in the mirror. I ran a hand over the stubble on my head and muttered, “I hope this grows back soon. I fancy a change of style.”
    Cathy laughed hysterically. “Did you hear what dopey B said?” she cawed to the others.
    “What’s so funny about that?” I growled.
    “You think your hair will grow back.”
    “Why the hell wouldn’t…?” I stopped and groaned as I caught on.
    “You’re dead, dumbo,” Cathy sneered. “Your hair won’t ever grow again. You’re stuck with that G.I. Jane look for life.”
    She kept on mocking me until I lost my cool. With a bellow, I rushed her, grabbed her ponytail and dragged her down onto the floor. She squealed and slapped at my hands but I was too strong for her. The others crowded round, egging us on.
    “They don’t let us have knives in here,” I said, “but these bones sticking out of my fingers are every bit as good. If they can cut through skulls, hair shouldn’t be much of a problem. I’m going to shave you even balder than I am, bitch.”
    “No!” Cathy screamed as I started hacking at her hair. “Don’t, B, please!”
    I ignored her and severed her ponytail. As it came free, I held it up in the air and whooped.
    “Now for the rest of it,” I jeered, waving my hand in front of her eyes, letting her see what I’d already cut away.
    The fight drained from her when she saw her hair, and she started making loud moaning noises, the closest she could get to crying. I paused uneasily and watched her shaking. She reached out, took the hair from my fingers, clutched it to her chest and wailed, a dry, choking, wretched sound.
    “Nice going,” Tiberius snarled. “That won’t grow back. She can never replace it.”
    “You didn’t do much to stop me,” I challenged him, and glared defiantly at the others, who were all looking a tad too self-righteous for my liking. “You just stood there,