Chapter 24

chapter twenty-four The next few minutes unfold faster than fast. Mission Operation: Cheer Up Dirk has morphed into Mission Operation: Dirk and the Great Zombie Hive Mind. And it's all hands on deck. The Wi-Fi's satellite dish is loaded into Big Mama. Quint's football helmet—the one he was using to try to pick up the tail's energy—goes on Dirk's head. The helmet connects to Big Mama's stereo. Car keys go into the ignition. Dirk lies down in Big Mama's truck bed. Quint sits beside him, strapped into the seat, the satellite nearby. "You guys ready?" I ask. Dirk and Quint nod.

第二十四章接下来的几分钟展开得飞快。 任务操作：振作起来德克已经变成了任务操作：德克和伟大的僵尸蜂群思维。 所有人都在甲板上。 Wi-Fi的卫星天线被装入“大妈”。 昆特的橄榄球头盔戴在德克的头上，他就是用这个头盔来收集尾巴的能量的。 头盔连着大妈的音响。 车钥匙插进点火装置。 德克躺在大妈妈的卡车床上。 昆特坐在他旁边，被绑在座位上，卫星就在旁边。 “你们准备好了吗？”我问。德克和昆特点了点头。

Over—Qir energy amplifierP check, Prainwave absorber check, Inside Big Mama's glove box is a map of Wakefield and the surrounding area. I'm unfolding it as June says, "I'll drive." And I don't argue, 'cause it's an argument I'd lose. Partly 'cause June's got a bone to pick with the Tower that's threatening the family she just found out is still alive. And partly 'cause I'm a lousy driver. "Good luck," Warg says. She stands outside the tree house, with Rover at her side.

Over-Qir能量放大器检查，草原波吸收检查，在大妈的手套箱里是韦克菲尔德和周边地区的地图。 我打开它的时候，琼说：“我来开车。” 我不会争辩，因为我肯定会输。 部分原因是琼要找塔那边的人算账塔那边威胁着她刚发现还活着的家人。 部分原因是我开车很烂。 “祝你好运，”Warg说。她站在树屋外面，罗孚在她身边。

And then the keys are turning and the engine is roaring and we're all just hoping.... We drive and drive. June steers us in a spiral, starting at the tree house, then spreading out like a pinwheel, wider and wider, so we don't miss anything. It's like holding up your cell phone, hoping for enough bars to make a call to get a ride home from soccer practice. Except, Dirk's head is the phone and this call is the key to everything. Fingernails are bitten. Dials are adjusted. Lips are chewed. Suddenly, over the stereo—I hear something. It's so soft, I wonder if I'm just imagining it. It's kinda like when you hold a seashell to your ear and you hear the ocean. But it gets louder.... I spin around in the passenger seat. In the back of Big Mama, I see Dirk's lips moving and his face is stiff with pain. His eyes are shut so tight it's like they're Krazy-Glued.

然后钥匙转动，引擎轰鸣，我们都希望.... 我们开啊开啊。琼把我们带进了一个螺旋，从树屋开始，然后像风车一样散开，越来越宽，所以我们不会错过任何东西。 这就像拿着你的手机，希望有足够的酒吧打个电话，让人从足球训练中搭车回家。 不过，德克的头就是电话而这个电话是一切的关键。 指甲被咬了。表盘调整。 嘴唇被咬坏了。突然，从音响里，我听到了一些声音。 太柔软了，我怀疑这是不是我的想象。 这有点像当你把贝壳放在耳边，你会听到海洋的声音。 但是声音越来越大....我在副驾驶座位上打转。 在“大妈妈”的后面，我看到德克的嘴唇在动，他的脸因痛苦而僵硬。 他的眼睛闭得很紧，就像被粘疯了一样。

Quint adjusts the satellite, tilting it, and Dirk starts speaking louder and faster. It's incredible: these words are the direct thoughts of an entire interconnected horde of zombies— and they're being blasted into his brain and shot out through our stereo! Quint adjusts the satellite once more and I crank the volume on the stereo. Dirk's in the back, spewing a strange stream of words. tail. Fine, what?

昆特调整了卫星，倾斜了一下，德克开始说得更大声、更快了。 难以置信：这些话是一群相互联系的僵尸的直接想法——它们被炸入他的大脑，并通过我们的音响播放出来！昆特再次调整卫星，我把立体声的音量调大。 德克在后面，滔滔不绝地说着奇怪的话。 尾巴。好,什么?

You ever wonder what zombies think? I can tell you.... There's a lot about eating. Eating the sort of stuff nobody wants to hear about. Maybe sometime, after I've had enough ginger ale, I'll tell ya. But there are other things, too. A jumbled mess of words: "Move. Go. Speaking. Tail. Now." And then— "Rolling. Sliding." Each word out of Dirk's mouth is spoken in a slightly different voice. It's him talking, for sure —but he's channeling the zombies. Then he says two more words—and as he says them, his eyes flash open. "WATER. MONSTER." I gasp with realization: "The Scrapken! It's watching the zombies! And the zombies see The Scrapken!" "Left! To the pier!" I shout as I stab at the map. June spins the wheel, and we slide out onto the avenue. Then we're speeding across town, flying up the hill past the library.

你有没有想过僵尸是怎么想的？ 我可以告诉你....关于吃有很多。 吃着没人想听的东西。 也许什么时候，等我喝够了姜汁汽水，我会告诉你的。 但也有其他的事情。 一堆乱七八糟的字：“走开。 走了。说话。尾巴。现在。”然后——“滚动。” 滑。”德克嘴里说出的每一个字都是用一种略微不同的声音说出来的。 肯定是他在说话，但他在与僵尸沟通。 然后他又说了两个字——他说的时候，眼睛一闪而过。 “水。怪兽”。我意识到这一点，倒吸了一口气。是看僵尸！而僵尸们看到的是Scrapken!”“左!到码头去！”我一边戳着地图一边大叫。 琼转动方向盘，我们滑到大街上。 然后我们飞驰着穿过城镇，飞过图书馆，向山上飞去。

And on the way back down the hill, I see it. It's a blip in the distance. Miles away. But it's there. The Tendrill. It surges along like a branchy, viney Ferris wheel off its hinges. If I squint hard enough, I can see the zombies. Every zombie from the farm, dotting the Tendrill. Like sprinkles on an ice cream cone. Like the sprinkles scattering in the air as Bardle fell. "Dirk," I say, jerking my head back. "Dirk, you did it. You can take the helmet off." Quint immediately reverses it. The helmet bangs across the truck bed as Dirk rolls over onto his side. Beads of sweat trickle down his face and he gulps air....

在下山的路上，我看到了它。 那是远处的一个光点。 英里远。但它就在那里。 Tendrill。它就像一个枝繁叶茂的摩天轮离开了铰链。 如果我眯着眼睛，就能看到僵尸。 农场里的僵尸，遍布藤钻街。 就像冰淇淋蛋筒上的糖屑。 就像巴德尔倒下时洒在空中的点点滴滴。 “德克，”我说，把头往后一摇。 “德克，你做到了。你可以把头盔摘下来。” 昆特立即把它颠倒过来。 头盔砰的一声撞在卡车床上，德克翻了个身。 汗珠从他脸上滴落下来，他大口吸气....