The End Read Free Page B

Someone was going to have to look in the room.
    Achilleus stepped forward. ‘I’ll do it.’
    Paddy tucked in behind him. ‘You sure, Akkie?’ he said.
    ‘Relax,caddie, I got it covered.’
    Achilleus moved towards the storeroom door. It was made of metal and there were dents around the handle where someone had attacked it. Probably whoever had first broken into the gallery rather than grown-ups. One of the hunters aimed a torch at the door. It was open a couple of centimetres.
    ‘Shine it in there,’ said Achilleus, and he turned to anotherhunter. ‘When I say, pull it open wide and stay clear.’
    The hunter nodded and gripped the door handle. Paddy could tell that he was nervous too. They all were. Except Achilleus, of course. He was cool. Always cool. Paddy watched as he took up position in front of the door, legs planted, hands wide apart on his spear, ready to stab. Paddy held the Gáe Bolg out in front of him.It would keep any grown-ups away. Ryan and the other guy had their dogs held tight, gripping the heavy chains. That left one hunter, who was armed with a big sharpened crowbar and standing just behind and to the right of Achilleus.
    ‘You and me, soldier,’ said Achilleus. ‘If any of them try to get out we knock ’em down.’
    ‘Safe.’
    Achilleus called over to the guy holding thedoor handle.
    ‘Open the box …’
    And the hunter yanked the door back. The torch beam shone inside. There was a big square room, some old benches stacked on one side, chairs as well. Some sheets of wood against the wall. And at the back, coming awake, blinking in the light, stinking and filthy, what looked like about twenty grown-ups, all piled on top of each other, like a nestof rats. And something else. Something dark and inhuman.
    Paddy strained to see what it was, the sick rising in his throat again.
    ‘Close it,’ Achilleus said, and the hunter didn’t need to be told twice. He slammed the door and leant against it.
    ‘Too many to take on in there,’ said Achilleus. ‘Not worth the risk. We should try to get them outside where there’s more roomand more of you lot to deal with them.’
    ‘They ain’t gonna want to go out in the sunlight,’ said Ryan.
    ‘We could try to burn them in there,’ said a hunter.
    ‘Except we got nothing to burn them with,’ said Ryan.
    ‘I got some smoke grenades left,’ said the guy with the torch.
    The grown-ups were starting to push against the other side of the door.
    ‘OK,’ said Ryan. ‘Lobone in – it might help, but be careful. They seem pretty keen.’
    The grown-ups were hammering now.
    ‘They’ll follow us, smoke or no smoke,’ said Achilleus. ‘If they don’t all come out we can come back in and mop up the stragglers. But I ain’t going in there with twenty of them.’
    ‘I wanna use a smoke grenade,’ said Torchboy. ‘I never get the chance.’
    ‘OK,’ said Ryan.
    ‘I can’t hold them much longer,’ said the hunter at the door. ‘They really do wanna dance.’
    ‘Let’s do it.’ Ryan nodded to his team. Torchboy took a smoke grenade out of his pack and got it ready. The guy with the other dog started to walk back the way they’d come. Ryan followed him. Their dogs would scare the grown-ups, maybe keep them from following. Achilleus slapped hishand on the shoulder of the kid with the crowbar.
    ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Zulficker.’
    ‘Well, Zulficker, you and me and the caddie here are gonna have to make sure they follow us. OK?’
    ‘OK.’
    Achilleus looked at the guy holding the door.
    ‘You can just leg it. OK?’
    ‘OK.’
    ‘You as well.’ Achilleus was talking to Torchboy now. ‘Get the smoke in there and get out of ourway.’
    ‘Sure.’
    ‘Here we go then.’
    Torchboy struck his smoke grenade, which sparked and then started to pump out thick white smoke. The other kid pulled the door open. The grenade went in, turning over and over. Already it was getting hard to see in the corridor.
    The two guys set off fast,