Read Online CHERUB: Mad Dogs by Robert Muchamore - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert Muchamore
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we’re back on campus.’
‘Whatever,’ Dana shrugged. ‘All I want is sleep.’
‘Night then,’ James said, sounding a touch wounded.
As they backed away from each other, Dana whispered a warning. ‘And don’t go anywhere near the third bush on the left beside the big tree. I just did something that you wouldn’t want to put your boot in.’
9. WOOF
Meatball was an eleven-month-old beagle. Bred for experimentation, the little dog had been rescued by James Adams’ sister Lauren when they’d infiltrated an animal rights group the previous summer.
CHERUB agents aren’t allowed to keep pets, so when the mission was over Meatball ended up living with chairwoman Zara Asker and her family in their detached house half a kilometre from CHERUB campus.
Although Zara’s kids got rough at times, Meatball had settled into a comfortable routine, with a cosy dog basket beside the sofa, a big garden to run around and visitors from campus who made a fuss and took him for walks.
But on this particular Thursday, Meatball had worked out that something was wrong. Zara or Ewart always brought the kids home from nursery before it got dark. None of the house lights were on, his water bowl was dry and he ended up huddled under the telephone table, where he usually went to sulk after getting yelled at for chewing something.
Meatball sprang up when he heard a key in the front door and started barking when he recognised Lauren’s smell through the letterbox.
‘Hello, Meatball,’ Lauren said fondly, as she ran her hands through his bristly coat and felt his tongue lap at her bare ankle. ‘Is you a lonely doggykins? Did they all go out and leave you on your own?’
Meatball had reached adult size, but he was still a young dog and he liked to play. Lauren hadn’t visited for over a week and was pleased to see him, but she couldn’t get Gabrielle’s fight for life out of her mind. The whole of CHERUB campus was on tenterhooks.
Meatball scratched at the door, wanting a walk, then realised it was feeding time as Lauren headed for the kitchen. She flicked on the light and reached into the cupboard above the oven. Lauren was vegetarian, and it pleased her that the Askers had stuck to their promise to feed the animal she’d given them with vegetarian food.
After refilling the water bowl, Lauren snipped open the plastic food packet and smiled when she found Meatball standing with his tail wagging and a set of legs on either side of his food dish. He’d never sussed out that you can’t put the food into a bowl if you stand on top of it.
‘Dozy dog,’ Lauren complained, as she lifted up his back legs and squeezed the packet of food into the bowl.
The result looked uncannily like a turd, but Meatball stuck his head in the bowl and began wolfing his dinner as the phone in Lauren’s jeans started to vibrate. It was her friend, Rat. He’d been Lauren’s boyfriend for a while, but they were both only twelve and after a couple of months the novelty of snogging had worn off and they’d gone back to being mates.
‘Hey,’ Lauren said urgently. ‘What’s happened?’
Rat was under strict instructions to ring Lauren with news about Gabrielle, on pain of an arse-kicking if he forgot.
‘Still in surgery the last we heard,’ Rat said, in his Australian accent. ‘We thought you might know something, seeing as Ewart asked you to check on the dog.’
Lauren tutted. ‘Maybe Meatball will open up on the matter after his sachet of VeggyPet, but I wouldn’t put money on it.’
‘OK, don’t bite my head off. We just thought there was a chance you might have heard something.’
‘So what’s going on up there?’
‘They’ve turned on the heating in the chapel. The vicar is coming in from the village and everyone who wants to can go and light a candle.’
Rat had spent the first eleven years of his life living in a strict religious commune, and tended to freak out at the slightest mention of religion.
‘Are you going?’
‘Whatever,’ Dana shrugged. ‘All I want is sleep.’
‘Night then,’ James said, sounding a touch wounded.
As they backed away from each other, Dana whispered a warning. ‘And don’t go anywhere near the third bush on the left beside the big tree. I just did something that you wouldn’t want to put your boot in.’
9. WOOF
Meatball was an eleven-month-old beagle. Bred for experimentation, the little dog had been rescued by James Adams’ sister Lauren when they’d infiltrated an animal rights group the previous summer.
CHERUB agents aren’t allowed to keep pets, so when the mission was over Meatball ended up living with chairwoman Zara Asker and her family in their detached house half a kilometre from CHERUB campus.
Although Zara’s kids got rough at times, Meatball had settled into a comfortable routine, with a cosy dog basket beside the sofa, a big garden to run around and visitors from campus who made a fuss and took him for walks.
But on this particular Thursday, Meatball had worked out that something was wrong. Zara or Ewart always brought the kids home from nursery before it got dark. None of the house lights were on, his water bowl was dry and he ended up huddled under the telephone table, where he usually went to sulk after getting yelled at for chewing something.
Meatball sprang up when he heard a key in the front door and started barking when he recognised Lauren’s smell through the letterbox.
‘Hello, Meatball,’ Lauren said fondly, as she ran her hands through his bristly coat and felt his tongue lap at her bare ankle. ‘Is you a lonely doggykins? Did they all go out and leave you on your own?’
Meatball had reached adult size, but he was still a young dog and he liked to play. Lauren hadn’t visited for over a week and was pleased to see him, but she couldn’t get Gabrielle’s fight for life out of her mind. The whole of CHERUB campus was on tenterhooks.
Meatball scratched at the door, wanting a walk, then realised it was feeding time as Lauren headed for the kitchen. She flicked on the light and reached into the cupboard above the oven. Lauren was vegetarian, and it pleased her that the Askers had stuck to their promise to feed the animal she’d given them with vegetarian food.
After refilling the water bowl, Lauren snipped open the plastic food packet and smiled when she found Meatball standing with his tail wagging and a set of legs on either side of his food dish. He’d never sussed out that you can’t put the food into a bowl if you stand on top of it.
‘Dozy dog,’ Lauren complained, as she lifted up his back legs and squeezed the packet of food into the bowl.
The result looked uncannily like a turd, but Meatball stuck his head in the bowl and began wolfing his dinner as the phone in Lauren’s jeans started to vibrate. It was her friend, Rat. He’d been Lauren’s boyfriend for a while, but they were both only twelve and after a couple of months the novelty of snogging had worn off and they’d gone back to being mates.
‘Hey,’ Lauren said urgently. ‘What’s happened?’
Rat was under strict instructions to ring Lauren with news about Gabrielle, on pain of an arse-kicking if he forgot.
‘Still in surgery the last we heard,’ Rat said, in his Australian accent. ‘We thought you might know something, seeing as Ewart asked you to check on the dog.’
Lauren tutted. ‘Maybe Meatball will open up on the matter after his sachet of VeggyPet, but I wouldn’t put money on it.’
‘OK, don’t bite my head off. We just thought there was a chance you might have heard something.’
‘So what’s going on up there?’
‘They’ve turned on the heating in the chapel. The vicar is coming in from the village and everyone who wants to can go and light a candle.’
Rat had spent the first eleven years of his life living in a strict religious commune, and tended to freak out at the slightest mention of religion.
‘Are you going?’
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