Read Online Revenge of the Giant Robot Chickens by Alex McCall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alex McCall
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jolly, just dim and creepy. Someone broke the silence with a nervous chuckle.
“OK, who’s having a laugh? No mucking around, OK?”
No one answered.
“Is everyone here?” I asked.
There was a quick counting of heads – not easy with each others’ torches shining in our eyes – and we found someone was missing.
“Alright, split up,” ordered Jeremy. “Find Stevey. And if he’s having a laugh I’ll kill him.”
“No, we can’t do that,” Glen exclaimed.
Everyone turned to him. “Why not?” asked Jeremy slightly agressively.
“Haven’t you ever seen Scooby Doo? Something bad always happens when they split up.”
That helped to lighten the atmosphere a bit. I felt myself momentarily missing Jesse and his jokes. He’d probably have said something similar.
“Well, don’t be Shaggy then,” Jeremy said and everyone split into small groups.
Glen stuck close to Blake and me. I had half a mind to suggest we leave then. No one would notice us go. Butthey might waste time looking for us. And if there really was something in here, and it wasn’t just Stevey having a laugh or wandering off, I didn’t want to abandon them.
Blake led us back to the main door, where his guard was standing nervously, looking back into the store.
“Have you seen anything?” Blake asked.
The guy shook his head. “It was all quiet until the scream,” he said. “What’s going on?”
Blake shrugged. “I don’t know. Stay here and call if you see anything. Be on your guard; there’s something about this I don’t like.”
“You and me both, Blake,” the boy said but he stayed where he was, standing guard faithfully.
We trekked back into the darkness and headed towards the cluster of bobbing head torches.
“Have you found Stevey?” I asked the others.
“Yep,” came back Jeremy’s grim voice. “Come and see.”
I hurried over and looked down at a shape lying on the floor. It was Stevey and he was unconscious. And not just any kind of unconsciousness. I recognised it.
“Oh no,” I muttered to Blake. “It’s here.”
He nodded back, something of a smile on his face. “The chicken from yesterday. I get to fight it.”
I was more interested in what this meant. Only Jeremy had known we were coming on this trip today. Was he the spy?
Glen seemed to be paying more attention to the scavengers. They were shifting around, looking uneasy. “I think we should get out of here,” one of themmuttered.
Jeremy stared at Stevey’s unconscious body for a second then nodded. “Grab his arms someone. We’d better get where we can actually see what’s going on.”
We pulled Stevey along the slick tile floor as gently as we could. Just as we were reaching the door something occurred to me. “Do we have everyone?” I asked.
Another quick headcount revealed that we were two short.
This time the screams were blood-curdling.
Something broke inside the scavengers. They dropped Stevey’s arms and ran for the door. Jeremy ran after them fast, getting ahead and throwing out his arms.
“Now, wait a moment. There are more of us than there is of it. We’re not going to abandon Stevey just because we’re spooked. Now get back there and grab him.”
And that’s when the darkness came alive and ate him.
It was like Sally all over again. Plating seemed to materialise from mid-air and crawl over Jeremy’s skin, enveloping him. Jeremy barely had time for a startled expression before being yanked backwards and away. And replacing him was the black mask of a chicken’s face.
The next ten minutes were a muddle of confusion. We all panicked and scattered, the head torches’ dancing beams adding to the craziness of the situation. The robot chicken strode between us, striking outwith its wings and buffeting us over. It seemed to be everywhere. Blake would charge towards it, swinging his shock-stick and half blinding everyone, and it would melt away only to reappear again behind us.
Blake bellowed at us, herding us
“OK, who’s having a laugh? No mucking around, OK?”
No one answered.
“Is everyone here?” I asked.
There was a quick counting of heads – not easy with each others’ torches shining in our eyes – and we found someone was missing.
“Alright, split up,” ordered Jeremy. “Find Stevey. And if he’s having a laugh I’ll kill him.”
“No, we can’t do that,” Glen exclaimed.
Everyone turned to him. “Why not?” asked Jeremy slightly agressively.
“Haven’t you ever seen Scooby Doo? Something bad always happens when they split up.”
That helped to lighten the atmosphere a bit. I felt myself momentarily missing Jesse and his jokes. He’d probably have said something similar.
“Well, don’t be Shaggy then,” Jeremy said and everyone split into small groups.
Glen stuck close to Blake and me. I had half a mind to suggest we leave then. No one would notice us go. Butthey might waste time looking for us. And if there really was something in here, and it wasn’t just Stevey having a laugh or wandering off, I didn’t want to abandon them.
Blake led us back to the main door, where his guard was standing nervously, looking back into the store.
“Have you seen anything?” Blake asked.
The guy shook his head. “It was all quiet until the scream,” he said. “What’s going on?”
Blake shrugged. “I don’t know. Stay here and call if you see anything. Be on your guard; there’s something about this I don’t like.”
“You and me both, Blake,” the boy said but he stayed where he was, standing guard faithfully.
We trekked back into the darkness and headed towards the cluster of bobbing head torches.
“Have you found Stevey?” I asked the others.
“Yep,” came back Jeremy’s grim voice. “Come and see.”
I hurried over and looked down at a shape lying on the floor. It was Stevey and he was unconscious. And not just any kind of unconsciousness. I recognised it.
“Oh no,” I muttered to Blake. “It’s here.”
He nodded back, something of a smile on his face. “The chicken from yesterday. I get to fight it.”
I was more interested in what this meant. Only Jeremy had known we were coming on this trip today. Was he the spy?
Glen seemed to be paying more attention to the scavengers. They were shifting around, looking uneasy. “I think we should get out of here,” one of themmuttered.
Jeremy stared at Stevey’s unconscious body for a second then nodded. “Grab his arms someone. We’d better get where we can actually see what’s going on.”
We pulled Stevey along the slick tile floor as gently as we could. Just as we were reaching the door something occurred to me. “Do we have everyone?” I asked.
Another quick headcount revealed that we were two short.
This time the screams were blood-curdling.
Something broke inside the scavengers. They dropped Stevey’s arms and ran for the door. Jeremy ran after them fast, getting ahead and throwing out his arms.
“Now, wait a moment. There are more of us than there is of it. We’re not going to abandon Stevey just because we’re spooked. Now get back there and grab him.”
And that’s when the darkness came alive and ate him.
It was like Sally all over again. Plating seemed to materialise from mid-air and crawl over Jeremy’s skin, enveloping him. Jeremy barely had time for a startled expression before being yanked backwards and away. And replacing him was the black mask of a chicken’s face.
The next ten minutes were a muddle of confusion. We all panicked and scattered, the head torches’ dancing beams adding to the craziness of the situation. The robot chicken strode between us, striking outwith its wings and buffeting us over. It seemed to be everywhere. Blake would charge towards it, swinging his shock-stick and half blinding everyone, and it would melt away only to reappear again behind us.
Blake bellowed at us, herding us
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