Robin Jarvis-Jax 02 Freax And Rejex (34 page)

He waited until the Doggy-Long-Legs’ quivering nostrils caught the scent of the trail he and the girls had made earlier. It wasn’t long before the creature grew agitated and started slavering.

“Yeah, you like that, don’t you? Just follow your snotty nose to the end and you can feed your pugly face with that slimy gloop.”

He snipped at the trainer laces and jumped back smartly, closing the door between them.

Gnasher’s three crippled legs flopped down uselessly, but the other five stretched then stamped and shakily lifted the hairy body. After being tied up so long, it took a few hesitant, tentative steps. Then it stumbled around
and snarled at the door, barking shrilly at Marcus’s shadowy figure inside.

“Shut up!” the boy muttered, waving it away. “Get lost, go on – go get your din-dins.”

The Doggy-Long-Legs butted its face against the door – hitting the board nailed over the hole it had chewed there the other day.

“It’s trying to get back in!” Spencer exclaimed in alarm.

Marcus looked worried but Gnasher quickly gave up. It wasn’t as tenacious as it had been. Stumbling backwards, its jaw hanging open, it appeared almost drunk.

“I think you did more damage than you realised,” Spencer observed.

“Wait,” Marcus whispered.

The Doggy-Long-Legs’ wet nostrils quested the air. This time it really had caught the scent. It scratched at the step with its claws and leaped off, on to the grass. With its face buried in the trail, it scampered away, the broken legs dangling behind it.

“Go on, my son!” Marcus enthused. “You beauty.”

He and Spencer watched it follow the invisible, zigzagging path across the lawn. Then they heard Yikker shout a challenge.

The Punchinello had almost completed a circuit of the perimeter when his large hooked nose twitched and he smelled the unmistakable, nostril-spiking perfumes of that teenage boy he so wanted to kill.

A foul leer spread across his face. The boy was out after curfew and that meant only one thing. He was at Yikker’s mercy, and Yikker wasn’t tainted by any such weakness. The guard thrust his spear forward into the dark.

“Stand and disclose!” he squawked.

The sharp, flowery reek grew stronger. Yikker stared at the gloom. Where was the hated boy? He was nowhere to be seen.

“Disclose!” he demanded more fiercely.

Now the stink had changed position. The human was moving fast. Yikker spun around and charged after the smell.

“You no hide!” he shrieked. “You no escape. Yikker kill!”

The guard heard a snuffling noise close to the ground. He let out a bloodthirsty yell and flung the spear. The weapon plunged harmlessly into the soil and Yikker seethed with frustration.

“Where you?” he bawled. “Where you? I catch – I kill!”

In the cabin, the two boys had to clamp their hands over their mouths to prevent their laughter being heard. Watching the Punchinello dart madly from side to side, trying to keep up with the Doggy-Long-Legs, was the funniest sight they’d seen in ages.

Lee descended the stairs behind them.

“Don’t tell me that stoopid plan is actually working?” he said.

Marcus was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face. He nodded and jumped up and down.

Outside, Yikker was haring to the far left-hand side of the camp; in a moment, the guard would be out of sight, beyond Jangler’s hut.

“Shouldn’t Maggie be coming back now?” Lee asked. “Your pet spider mongrel won’t keep that guard busy forever.”

Marcus wasn’t worried yet. There was still plenty of time. When Yikker realised what he was actually chasing, he was certain to throw a massive tantrum. If Gnasher got caught, then the Punchinello would vent his full fury on it. But if Gnasher managed to escape over the fence, that would drive Yikker insane with rage, thinking it was the boy that had got away.

His laughter ebbed. He wiped his eyes and doubled over to take deep breaths.

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “There’s…”

Suddenly three loud bangs blasted into the night. At first Marcus thought it was fireworks. Lee knew different. He dashed to the door and stared out.

“Jesus!” he cried. “They got guns!”

“What?” Spencer spluttered, backing away.

“Rubbish,” Marcus argued.

Two more shots fired and this time there was no mistaking them. Up in the tower, Garrugaska had heard Yikker’s shouts of frustration and finally
put the media player down. Then he took from his frilled tunic a Colt 1873 Single Action Army revolver, the favoured gun of the Old Wild West, and shot recklessly at the far side of the camp, whooping at the feeling of the lethal power in his hand. White flame spat from the barrel and the Punchinello brayed with excitement.

Beyond Jangler’s cabin, Yikker cast the spear away in disgust when Garrugaska started firing. The Punchinello reached into his own tunic and took out a semi-automatic pistol. Every guard had been issued with his preferred gun. Yikker wasted no time in emptying lead into the confusing darkness, where that stinking, perfumed boy was running around unseen. Spent casings came flying out and Yikker danced a jig of joy. This truly was the way to do it.

The gunfire brought the three other Punchinellos from their cabin. They had grabbed their guns and were firing into the air as they ran about, wondering what was happening.

“Oh, God,” Marcus breathed as the gunshots thundered over the camp. “Maggie – she’s still out there.”

Once Yikker had started shouting, Maggie hurried to feed three more dripping sponges through the door.

“That’s it!” she told Jody firmly. “I’ve no more time.”

“Don’t go!” the imprisoned girl beseeched her.

“I’ve got to – sorry.”

“Come back tomorrow! Please, please!”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“I’m begging!”

Maggie tore herself away. Bucket in hand she hurried back around the main block, keeping close to the wall and the deeper darkness. Then the shooting began.

Maggie froze with shock. She couldn’t believe they had guns. It wasn’t possible. Hidden in the night shadows, she gasped shallow breaths – petrified and numb. She didn’t know what to do and felt her scalp creep as the full danger and hopelessness of her predicament was brought home.
More gunfire heralded the other guards rampaging from their cabin. How could she ever make it back without being seen and shot dead?

Captain Swazzle, Anchu and Bezuel ran to see Yikker shooting wildly at the fence. Without waiting to ask questions, they raised their guns and joined in, firing at the trees beyond the barbed wire. The Punchinellos loved it. They relished the lethal force of these wondrous new weapons. As befitted his rank, the Captain wielded a sub-machine gun. The brutal discharges illumined their ugly faces in stark flashes, the small explosions reflecting in their red-rimmed, lusty eyes. When the bullets ran out, they reloaded in eager, frenzied haste and continued, rejoicing with every violent recoil.

Carrying a lantern, Jangler came shuffling from his cabin in his dressing gown and slippers. The gunfire had jolted him from a very pleasant doze. At first he thought there was a full-scale attack by enemy forces under way. When he saw the guards were firing indiscriminately at the dark woodland, he scowled and struggled to be heard above the din.

“Captain!” he shouted. “Captain! What is going on?”

The Punchinellos ceased firing and turned to grin at him. Their faces were flushed and they were breathless with the intoxicating thrill of their deadly new toys.

“Guns good,” Captain Swazzle said. “We like, very lot.
Blam blam! Bang bang!
”

“So I can see. But what is the meaning of this? Who are you shooting at?”

The Captain looked at him blankly then turned to Yikker for an answer.

“What out there?” he asked.

“Abrant scum!” the guard replied. “Stinkboy. He go – over fence – in trees.”

“One of the prisoners has escaped?” the old man cried. “How did that happen? How did he get over the barbed wire? Were you sleeping on duty?”

“Stinkboy did magick!” Yikker retorted. “Make Yikker not see. But
Yikker smell he sneak by.”

“Magick?” Jangler repeated in disbelief. “Have you been at the wine again?”

“No drink! Yikker smell Stinkboy. Yikker no lie. Stinkboy gone. He out in forest. We go get – quick!”

“Captain,” Jangler asked, turning to him for confirmation. “Can you detect anything out here that shouldn’t be?”

Swazzle sniffed the air and the others did the same. But the acrid fumes of burned gunpowder masked everything and tickled the sensitive hairs sprouting from their noses. They found that sulphurous smell delicious and savoured it avidly.

Jangler gave a grunt of irritation. “Very well,” he said. “We shall have to do a headcount. Get the aberrants out here. We’ll see just who is missing and then decide what action to take.”

All the children were awake. They stared out through the cabin doors, fearfully wondering what was going on. The noise of the guns terrified them and when the Punchinellos came stomping over to drag them on to the lawn, they were sure they were going to be shot.

Yikker stormed across to Marcus’s cabin, just to make certain the boy’s bed was empty. When he saw Marcus standing by the door with Lee and Spencer, the guard’s mouth fell open.

“Stinkboy!” he shrieked in rage. “What you do here?”

Marcus was still mortally afraid for Maggie, but he tried to act as normal as possible.

“How’d you mean?” he asked. “I was fast asleep till the shooting started. I was having a fantastic dream about juicy ripe melons…”

“Lies!” the guard screamed at him, pulling out the pistol. “Is lies, lies, lies!”

The boys raised their hands instantly.

“Calm down, cuz!” Lee suggested. “You don’t want no accidental discharge goin’ on with that gat. We ain’t gonna be no trouble.”

Yikker bared his teeth and waved the gun menacingly in front of
Marcus’s eyes. He pressed the barrel to his forehead. It was still hot from firing. The boy cringed as the sadistic guard dragged it across one eyebrow, then down his bruised cheek.

“You make game of Yikker,” he hissed. “Big wrong, stinkboy. Yikker no like be fool. Yikker make you wish for bullet in face.”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marcus answered. “I’ve been in bed.”

The Punchinello’s finger tapped against the trigger. A bead of perspiration ran down the boy’s temple.

“Hurry up!” Jangler called impatiently from outside. “Bring them out!”

Yikker sneered, then spat and moved aside.

“Go!” he barked.

The three boys hurried to the door.

“Makin’ friends is a life skill you do not have,” Lee whispered at Marcus as they ran on to the grass.

The other children were already gathered out there; most were shivering from fear at what they suspected was about to happen. Alasdair was demanding to know what was going on, but Jangler was trying to do a headcount. Christina was wiping the sleep from her eyes and beginning to wonder where Maggie was; she looked around but couldn’t see the large girl anywhere. Charm was waiting anxiously for Marcus to emerge and ran to him the instant he appeared.

“I don’t know!” he told her, before the girl had time to even ask. “She must still be stuck over there.”

“Then she’s done for!” Charm gasped. “They’ll see she’s not ’ere and go lookin’.”

Captain Swazzle had seen Yikker come out and shouted at him in their own language. Yikker responded with a sullen shrug of those high, humped shoulders and stared at the ground, mumbling a reply. Swazzle screeched something back, which really didn’t need translating. Yikker flinched then glowered at Marcus with fresh hatred.

Jangler was frowning. There did appear to be one person missing. He
was about to do a recount when Swazzle came swaggering over.

“Yikker make wrong,” the Captain told him. “Boy not gone, boy here.”

“What? Then all this commotion was for nothing? You need to have a word with that fellow, Captain. Now wait a moment. I must ascertain there really are twenty-one prisoners here. Get them lined up in rows. It’s nigh on impossible when they’re higgledy-piggledy like this.”

Swazzle shouted at the children and they assembled in their usual lines. Charm looked worriedly at Marcus. This was it. This was when Maggie’s absence would be discovered. Charm gazed around desperately. Then she let out a high scream of terror.

“Spider fings!” she cried, pointing towards the fence. “Two of ’em! Aaaaarggh!”

Chaos ensued. The children fled from their rows and the Punchinellos fired their guns into the dark, which made the panic even worse. Charm was squealing in every direction except the main block, seeing Doggy-Long-Legs everywhere. Up in the skelter tower Garrugaska let out a battle cry and came bounding down the stairs to join in the shooting of those nose-eating vermin.

Seizing this chance, Marcus raced to the main building and found Maggie still frozen against the wall. There wasn’t time to speak. He knocked the bucket from her tight grasp then grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the front lawn where confusion reigned. Shots fired blindly into the night. The Punchinellos couldn’t see any invading Gangles, but they were overjoyed to use their weapons again so soon.

“Stop this!” Jangler commanded once the initial alarm had worn off. “Stop it, I say!”

The guards ceased fire and glared into the surrounding gloom.

“There’s nothing there!” the old man shouted angrily. “You’re shooting at shadows. You, girl – what did you see?”

Charm was a picture of startled innocence. “I coulda swore I saw them ’orrors!” she exclaimed. “Them guns got my nerves so strung out I’m seein’ fings. I’ll have awful nightmares tonight, I will.”

Jangler grumbled under his breath, but he believed her. He supposed she really was stupid enough. The children were pushed into their rows once more. This time the tally was the right one. The old man dismissed them back to their beds then spoke sternly to Captain Swazzle, threatening to take the guns away if another disruptive incident like this occurred.

“Hey,” Lee said to Charm as she made her way back to her cabin.

The girl looked at him questioningly. “You speakin’ to me now then?” she asked.