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Authors: Anthony McGowan
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‘Look over there!’ Jenny squealed, pointing to a part of the fence on the opposite side of the tower to the tunnel.
I followed her pointing finger. At first I couldn’t see anything. Then I noticed that the bottom of the fence had been peeled back to make a little doorway.
‘That’s it,’ I said. ‘Our path to freedom! Let’s go, before Zoltan finishes chomping on Dockery’s bum.’
‘Well, there is quite a lot of it,’ said Jenny, which made us all laugh, again.
Chapter Fourteen
THE ESCAPE
I PUT THE photo album back in the pretty box, picked it up and led the way down the stairs.
It was a lot easier than running up, on account of the Law of Gravity, which Jamie once called the Law of Gravy in school, which even made Miss Walsh laugh. At the bottom we crashed out of the doors and ran full speed for the corner with the broken fence.
It was looking good.
We were going to make it.
Or so I thought.
The first thing I noticed was Rude Word pricking up his ears. And then I heard what I been dreading – the distant sound of a savage dog, barking. The others heard it too, and everyone ran faster.
I looked back and, yes, there was Zoltan on our trail. And behind him, as ever, the nasty guard. But the fence and the hole were only a few metres away.
Looking back was my big mistake. First I felt a slight squelchiness. And then I found that I couldn’t run. It was as if my legs had been grabbed by some kind of creature that lived in the ground, some sort of earth ogre, say, or a giant spider. Then I looked down and saw it was far, far worse.
I was trapped in the deadliest substance known to humankind.
Sinking mud.
Or, possibly, quicksand.
Somehow the rest of them had all missed it , but I was trapped, and being gradually sucked down. The mud patch was about as big as the mat you use to play Twister. The more I struggled, the more I sank.
It was a classic mistake.
When you get stuck in sinking mud (or quicksand), you must not struggle but try to pull yourself out using a handy tree branch. But there weren’t any. I tried to remember what else you should do.
Oh yes, that was it.
‘HHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!’
Noah heard and turned. The others were already at the fence. He called to them and they all ran back to me together.
Rude Word was the first to reach me, but rescuing boys from quicksand (or sinking mud) was definitely not one of his skills. He sat down and did a bit of bum-licking.
My legs had now sunk in up to the knees. If the mud reached my waist I’d be as good as dead.
The others reached me.
‘Throw me the box,’ said The Moan. ‘It’s making you sink.’
I tossed him the box, and he caught it nicely.
‘Give me your hand,’ said Jamie, stretching out.
I reached and reached, but couldn’t make it.
‘That dog’s nearly here,’ said Noah.
‘I know, I know,’ I said, trying to control the panic rising in my breast.
I suppose I’d been waiting for this moment all my life. It was the moment of destiny. The moment when I showed what a true leader I was.
‘Save yourselves. Just leave me. You’ll have time to escape while he savages me.’
‘Never,’ said Noah, and the others all grunted in agreement. ‘We’ll get you out.’
Zoltan was almost there. We could hear his panting breath, hear his pounding hooves. I mean paws, but they sounded like hooves. And the shouts of the guard reached us now as well.
Then I remembered the supplies.
‘Jamie, the scotch egg – throw it to Zoltan, it may slow him down.’
With surprising speed, Jamie got the scotch egg out of his bag, took a quick bite out of it – like a US Marine pulling the pin out of a hand grenade with his teeth – and hurled it towards the beast.
As the scotch egg fell, so Zoltan leaped. He caught the scotch egg in mid-air, and swallowed it without even pausing.
‘The sausage roll, Jamie, now!’
Jamie threw the sausage roll to the side of Zoltan. It
‘Look over there!’ Jenny squealed, pointing to a part of the fence on the opposite side of the tower to the tunnel.
I followed her pointing finger. At first I couldn’t see anything. Then I noticed that the bottom of the fence had been peeled back to make a little doorway.
‘That’s it,’ I said. ‘Our path to freedom! Let’s go, before Zoltan finishes chomping on Dockery’s bum.’
‘Well, there is quite a lot of it,’ said Jenny, which made us all laugh, again.
Chapter Fourteen
THE ESCAPE
I PUT THE photo album back in the pretty box, picked it up and led the way down the stairs.
It was a lot easier than running up, on account of the Law of Gravity, which Jamie once called the Law of Gravy in school, which even made Miss Walsh laugh. At the bottom we crashed out of the doors and ran full speed for the corner with the broken fence.
It was looking good.
We were going to make it.
Or so I thought.
The first thing I noticed was Rude Word pricking up his ears. And then I heard what I been dreading – the distant sound of a savage dog, barking. The others heard it too, and everyone ran faster.
I looked back and, yes, there was Zoltan on our trail. And behind him, as ever, the nasty guard. But the fence and the hole were only a few metres away.
Looking back was my big mistake. First I felt a slight squelchiness. And then I found that I couldn’t run. It was as if my legs had been grabbed by some kind of creature that lived in the ground, some sort of earth ogre, say, or a giant spider. Then I looked down and saw it was far, far worse.
I was trapped in the deadliest substance known to humankind.
Sinking mud.
Or, possibly, quicksand.
Somehow the rest of them had all missed it , but I was trapped, and being gradually sucked down. The mud patch was about as big as the mat you use to play Twister. The more I struggled, the more I sank.
It was a classic mistake.
When you get stuck in sinking mud (or quicksand), you must not struggle but try to pull yourself out using a handy tree branch. But there weren’t any. I tried to remember what else you should do.
Oh yes, that was it.
‘HHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!’
Noah heard and turned. The others were already at the fence. He called to them and they all ran back to me together.
Rude Word was the first to reach me, but rescuing boys from quicksand (or sinking mud) was definitely not one of his skills. He sat down and did a bit of bum-licking.
My legs had now sunk in up to the knees. If the mud reached my waist I’d be as good as dead.
The others reached me.
‘Throw me the box,’ said The Moan. ‘It’s making you sink.’
I tossed him the box, and he caught it nicely.
‘Give me your hand,’ said Jamie, stretching out.
I reached and reached, but couldn’t make it.
‘That dog’s nearly here,’ said Noah.
‘I know, I know,’ I said, trying to control the panic rising in my breast.
I suppose I’d been waiting for this moment all my life. It was the moment of destiny. The moment when I showed what a true leader I was.
‘Save yourselves. Just leave me. You’ll have time to escape while he savages me.’
‘Never,’ said Noah, and the others all grunted in agreement. ‘We’ll get you out.’
Zoltan was almost there. We could hear his panting breath, hear his pounding hooves. I mean paws, but they sounded like hooves. And the shouts of the guard reached us now as well.
Then I remembered the supplies.
‘Jamie, the scotch egg – throw it to Zoltan, it may slow him down.’
With surprising speed, Jamie got the scotch egg out of his bag, took a quick bite out of it – like a US Marine pulling the pin out of a hand grenade with his teeth – and hurled it towards the beast.
As the scotch egg fell, so Zoltan leaped. He caught the scotch egg in mid-air, and swallowed it without even pausing.
‘The sausage roll, Jamie, now!’
Jamie threw the sausage roll to the side of Zoltan. It
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