text
stringlengths 6
45.4k
| book
stringlengths 3
133
| pos
float64 0
1
| smog_index
float64 6.6
7.1
|
|---|---|---|---|
"None other." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.267804 | 7.1 |
Shane shows his fangs. "Let's kill him." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.268657 | 7.1 |
"Easy," I intervene. "We need this bugger alive so that we can swap him for all the people that the Klan took." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.26951 | 7.1 |
Shane shakes his head. "If we let him go, he'll kill more kids. I feel sorry for the prisoners who got carted off, but how can we justify letting this creep live when he'll probably go on to kill far more than the Klanners are holding hostage?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.270362 | 7.1 |
"I didn't realize you thought about things so deeply." I wasn't expecting an argument like this with the normally monosyllabic Shane. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.271215 | 7.1 |
"I might not be a genius," Shane says, "but I can count. If we return this merciless mug, we'll save sixty or seventy lives—that's how many we think they got away with. But if we kill him, we'll maybe save hundreds." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.272068 | 7.1 |
"Dan-Dan can't kill that many children," I argue. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.272921 | 7.1 |
"Of course he can," Rage says. "He killed that many in the old days, if the rumors were true, and that was when the world was an orderly place. Now that he has a free hand, he could maybe run the numbers up into the thousands." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.273774 | 7.1 |
"We made a deal," I say stiffly. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.274627 | 7.1 |
"I didn't," Shane replies, and looks to Rage for support. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.27548 | 7.1 |
"I know where you're coming from," Rage says after a pause to consider his answer, "but I've got to side with B on this one. Lord Wood's a serious player. If we kill him, there will be repercussions." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.276333 | 7.1 |
"Like what?" Shane snorts. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.277186 | 7.1 |
"Like blowing up your beloved County Hall for a start, you silly boy," Dan-Dan snaps. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.278038 | 7.1 |
I'm surprised. "I didn't think you knew about that." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.278891 | 7.1 |
"We didn't," he says. "Not until your dashing Dr. Oystein rescued you and we were forced to flee the _Belfast_. Justin and I were furious. We were all set to send out a search party to track down the lot of you and exterminate you like the vermin that you are. Owl Man had to admit that he knew about you already. He didn't want your do-gooder of a doctor harmed. He wouldn't tell us his reasons, but he threatened to cut us off if we acted without his backing. We relented, since he is useful to us, but if you break our deal now, Justin will level the place." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.279744 | 7.1 |
"Thanks for the warning," Shane grins. "We'll skip County Hall before she blows." He raises a menacing hand and moves forward. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.280597 | 7.1 |
Rage and I block his path. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.28145 | 7.1 |
"That's not your call," Rage says. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.282303 | 7.1 |
"County Hall is Dr. Oystein's base," I tell him. "He's the only one who can make a decision like this." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.283156 | 7.1 |
"We'll take the sap back with us," Rage smiles. "If Dr. Oystein gives us the thumbs-up, Dan-Dan's yours." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.284009 | 7.1 |
"The hell he is," I snarl. "I want first dibs on him." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.284861 | 7.1 |
Shane scowls. "I don't care who kills him, just as long as he _is_ killed." He steps back. "But you're right. It's for the doc to decide. Come on, let's hurry, I don't want to miss all the hangings." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.285714 | 7.1 |
_"Hangings?"_ I frown, but he's already jumped back into the tunnel. With an uneasy feeling, I let Rage and Dan-Dan go ahead of me, then follow after them, shutting the door on the world behind, before pressing through the gloom to face whatever storms are brewing in New Kirkham. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.286567 | 7.1 |
The town is awash with blood and corpses. The survivors are already gathering the bodies of the dead and cracking their skulls open for the brains inside—I guess they'll send most of them back with us, for the Angels to store and feast upon. It's a deal Dr. Oystein has struck with many of the compounds. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.288273 | 7.1 |
When they've scraped the heads clean, they douse the bodies with gasoline and add them to a growing mound that they'll set alight later. No time for any ceremonies. They can't leave the corpses rotting for fear they'd attract insects capable of spreading the zombie virus. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.289126 | 7.1 |
They've made a separate mound for the corpses of the undead, and Shane tells us that when the flames die down, a specially trained team will gather the remains and crush them up, then bag the bits and bury them deep. They have to be careful. Zombies are still contagious even after their brains have been destroyed. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.289979 | 7.1 |
The humans work in solemn silence. Some people are weeping, but only a few. Most have seen this before, when civilization crashed. It's nothing new to them. There's work to be done. If they feel like crying, they'll save the tears for later. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.290832 | 7.1 |
Shane leads us to the main square, where the Ku Klux Klan were running riot just a few short hours ago. Now a lot of them are dangling from ropes. Biddy Barry and her crew have hanged them from lampposts, chimneys, out of bedroom windows. Some are still alive, writhing while they choke, faces turning purple. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.291684 | 7.1 |
Others are being led to their death. Most don't go quietly. They either beg for mercy or howl and curse their executioners. Quite a few laugh hysterically and vow to oversee the completion of their racist mission from Heaven. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.292537 | 7.1 |
The insiders who worked with the KKK are also being hanged. They're treated even more harshly, kicked and beaten as they're dragged along. Many are stripped and humiliated. Some are attacked and torn to death before they can be hoisted from the ground. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.29339 | 7.1 |
Biddy Barry is coordinating everything from the center of the square. She roars commands at those around her, demanding updates, sending out scouts to sweep the town again, telling them to check under every bed and in every cupboard, not to overlook a single traitor or Klanner, to also make absolutely certain that no zombies remain at large. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.294243 | 7.1 |
The Angels are gathered nearby. I do a quick headcount and I'm pleased to see that everyone made it. Some are wounded, but all are standing, so I don't think any of the injuries are too serious. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.295096 | 7.1 |
"You should not have deserted us," a grim-faced Ashtat criticizes me as I join the group. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.295949 | 7.1 |
"I'd hardly call it deserting," I protest. "I had other fish to fry." I nod at Dan-Dan, who's beaming at the hanging Klanners, approving of how they're being dealt with, showing his supposed allies not the slightest bit of loyalty. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.296802 | 7.1 |
"You should have helped us secure New Kirkham first," Ashtat snaps. "The hundreds of people here should have taken priority over the dozens on the trucks." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.297655 | 7.1 |
I start to argue, but she's probably right, so I simply nod meekly. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.298507 | 7.1 |
"Any idea where they took the prisoners?" Carl asks. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.29936 | 7.1 |
"No. Fatty here will tell us later." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.300213 | 7.1 |
"It's a good thing I'm thick-skinned," Dan-Dan sighs. "You can be so hurtful." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.301066 | 7.1 |
"Are you okay?" I ask Carl. His left arm is hanging loosely and there's a nasty gash along his forehead. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.301919 | 7.1 |
"Yeah. It happened in the crash. Nothing a dip in a Groove Tube can't cure." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.302772 | 7.1 |
"And the rest of you?" I look around. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.303625 | 7.1 |
"I lost a couple of fingers," Pearse says glumly, showing me his right hand. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.304478 | 7.1 |
I grimace. "Did you save them? Dr. Oystein might be able to reattach them." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.30533 | 7.1 |
"That'd be hard," he winces. "A revived chewed them off and swallowed them. I didn't get a good look at its face. I'd have to slice open every corpse to try to find the fingers, and they probably wouldn't be in any shape to sew back on after an ordeal like that. I'm not bothered. I can do without them. As long as I'm able to scratch my bum, I'm happy. I won't even go in a Groove Tube, not for a minor thing like this." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.306183 | 7.1 |
"That's stupid," Conall huffs. "Who are you trying to impress?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.307036 | 7.1 |
"Not you, that's for sure," Pearse retorts. "Where were you when I was having my fingers bitten off?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.307889 | 7.1 |
"Stopping the zombies behind that one from bashing your skull open," Conall tells him. "Now I wish I hadn't bothered." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.308742 | 7.1 |
The pair scowl at one another, then laugh and bump fists, Pearse using his good left hand. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.309595 | 7.1 |
"Sorry I had to cut out on you," I mumble to Jakob. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.310448 | 7.1 |
"You should be," he says without looking at me. He's studying the hanging humans. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.311301 | 7.1 |
"But I did return with Dan-Dan," I note. "If we can swap him for the prisoners, my gamble was worth it, right?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.312154 | 7.1 |
Jakob grunts. "What about Owl Man? Did he get away with the others?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.313006 | 7.1 |
"Yeah. I didn't get a chance to–" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.313859 | 7.1 |
I stop. I've just thought of something. I turn to Rage to ask him a question, but I'm interrupted by the booming tones of New Kirkham's mayor, the formidably blunt Biddy Barry. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.314712 | 7.1 |
"Is this the ruthless she-wolf who gave pursuit?" She steps up and beams at me. There are bloodstains on her fisherman's sweater and bruises on her cheeks where she was struck. But otherwise she looks much the same as she did when we first met earlier today. "What's your name?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.315565 | 7.1 |
"B Smith," I answer. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.316418 | 7.1 |
"I admire the hell out of a girl who has the balls to think she can take down a couple of truckloads of fanatics by herself," Biddy laughs. "I'd shake your hand if I could, but the way things are, you'll understand why I'm keeping my distance." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.317271 | 7.1 |
"No worries," I smile. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.318124 | 7.1 |
"And you brought one back for us," Biddy growls, eyeing Dan-Dan viciously. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.318977 | 7.1 |
"We need him to–" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.319829 | 7.1 |
"–swap for the captives," she cuts me short. "Yes, your hulk of a friend told us. I hate to lose any of my people, but are you sure they'd want us to let this worm off the hook? I read plenty of horror stories about Child Catcher Wood back in the day. If the choice was mine, he wouldn't be walking out of here in one piece, regardless of the dozens of lives that hang in the balance." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.320682 | 7.1 |
"We can't think that way," I disagree. "We don't know how many children Dan-Dan will go on to murder. Maybe we'll get another chance to kill him before he can harm anyone else. Or he could have a heart attack." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.321535 | 7.1 |
"He certainly looks ripe for a stroke," Rage laughs. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.322388 | 7.1 |
"Hardly," Dan-Dan retorts. "I'm in perfect health. I'm just big-boned, is all." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.323241 | 7.1 |
"We can't give up on them," I tell the glowering mayor, ignoring Dan-Dan's contribution. "If we don't fight for each and every survivor, we risk becoming like him." I point at the child-killer. "Or them," I add, nodding at some of the hanging Klanners. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.324094 | 7.1 |
Biddy Barry sighs. "I don't like being given a lecture by a zombie, but I can see what you're saying. Okay, Lord Wood is yours. But give him a little love bite from me once the others are in the clear, okay?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.324947 | 7.1 |
"Tread carefully, Mayor Barry," Dan-Dan says hotly, "or I might decide to swing back through here one day and finish what I started." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.3258 | 7.1 |
"If you ever swing back this way," Biddy smiles sweetly, "it won't be the only swinging you'll do." She points at the dangling members of the Ku Klux Klan, then turns her back on us. "Hate to love you and leave you, but I've got to make the hardest call of my life now." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.326652 | 7.1 |
"What's that?" I ask. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.327505 | 7.1 |
She pauses to look back at me and her eyes fill with sadness. She jerks a thumb at a huge group of humans standing motionless at the far side of the square. I hadn't paid them any attention before. Now that I look more closely, I see they're being held in place by guards with guns. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.328358 | 7.1 |
"Those are the people who did nothing when the Klanners invaded," she says, suddenly sounding weary. "It's easy to deal with racist scum and traitors. But what do you do with people whose only real crime is cowardice?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.329211 | 7.1 |
"You can't hang them!" I gasp. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.330064 | 7.1 |
Her features harden. "That's what I have to figure out." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.330917 | 7.1 |
As she marches away, I stare at the rest of the Angels with horror. "Are we going to let this happen?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.33177 | 7.1 |
"How can we stop it?" Carl asks glumly. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.332623 | 7.1 |
"There might be nothing to stop," Ashtat says. "They might settle it amicably." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.333475 | 7.1 |
"And if they don't?" I bark. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.334328 | 7.1 |
Nobody says anything. They all look uneasy. Then Rage scratches the back of his head and scowls. "Well, I guess we can either stay and watch the show, or head home early." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.335181 | 7.1 |
"What the hell?" I yell. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.336034 | 7.1 |
"We're not human," he snaps. "We rescued these people from the Klanners and gave them back control of their town. Where they go from here is their business, not ours. We don't have any right to lay down the law for the living. We deal with our own and they deal with theirs. We wouldn't let them come to County Hall and call the shots, so we can't dictate to them here. It's their turf. Their people. Their _kind_." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.336887 | 7.1 |
I stare at Rage miserably. "But we can't just... we have to..." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.33774 | 7.1 |
"What?" Rage asks quietly. "Fight Biddy Barry and her supporters? Kill them like we killed the Klanners? Take the side of the neutrals over those who tried to stop the Klan from doing whatever they wanted? That's our only option here, B. We're undead killing machines, not some diplomatic peace corps." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.338593 | 7.1 |
I try to think of a response to that, but nothing comes to mind. I hate to admit it but he's right. We're powerless now that the fighting has stopped, just a bunch of living dead teenagers who can do nothing further to shape the destiny of the people we have saved. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.339446 | 7.1 |
"Okay," I croak. "I'll keep out of it. Does that make you happy?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.340299 | 7.1 |
"No," Rage says glumly. "This one time, I don't wish I was right at all." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.341151 | 7.1 |
Then we trail after the mayor to watch events unfurl and find out if the living can be even more heartless and vengeful than the children of the damned. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.342004 | 7.1 |
It swiftly becomes apparent that the survivors who fought back are divided about those who stood by and let the KKK slice through the town at will. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.34371 | 7.1 |
About a hundred white people resisted. They're in control now, along with the three hundred or so black or foreign residents who were rescued and released. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.344563 | 7.1 |
Nobody made a case for the Klanners or traitors. Pretty much everyone agreed that they should be hanged. But it's harder for the group to decide what to do with those who took a neutral stance. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.345416 | 7.1 |
"Neutrality is no excuse," an elderly man thunders. "Those who stood by and did nothing are just as guilty as those who were rounding people up." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.346269 | 7.1 |
"But they didn't do anything wrong," a woman with two children argues. "They were scared." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.347122 | 7.1 |
"Some roared encouragement," a black man growls. "I saw a few of the bastards laughing and smiling." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.347974 | 7.1 |
"Maybe," the woman says. "But many others were crying and shaking." | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.348827 | 7.1 |
"Should we split them up?" another woman asks. "Save those who were afraid, hang those who were approving?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.34968 | 7.1 |
"We can't punish a person just for smiling," someone else protests. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.350533 | 7.1 |
The debate rages on. Biddy Barry listens silently, considering all arguments, letting everyone have their say. I do a rough head count of the people being held. I reckon there's three hundred and fifty or thereabouts, mostly men and women, but some children too. Adding them to the four hundred or so judges, and those who were taken away on the trucks, I figure this town of a thousand people must have lost about two hundred souls to the Klanners or zombies. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.351386 | 7.1 |
As I'm counting, I spot Emma and Declan, the mother and son we escorted from London. They shouldn't be in there with the neutrals. They'd only just arrived, they didn't know anyone, the attack would have shocked them and left them with no idea who was on their side and who was against them. I want to call out to Emma, march across and drag her and Declan to safety, but when I catch Emma's eye, she looks away and wipes tears from her cheeks. It seems like she feels guilty, even if I don't think she should. And the other citizens of the town feel that way too. They're making no allowances. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.352239 | 7.1 |
Finally someone shouts for Biddy to give her opinion. Others take up the call and all faces turn in her direction. She nods softly and a hush falls over the crowd. Biddy looks around, measuring her words, then sighs. | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.353092 | 7.1 |
"First things first. Does anyone want to punish the children?" | Zom-B Clans - Darren Shan | 0.353945 | 7.1 |