Zombiefied! Read Free Page A

ground.
    â€˜Ahh . . .’ I muttered. ‘Sorry, Tank. My mistake.’
    â€˜Yeah, it was your mistake,’ he said, staring down at me. ‘A mistake you won’t make again.’
    A few people had gathered around. They looked like they were hoping for a fight.
    â€˜Well, like I said,’ I began, as I climbed to my feet and brushed the dirt off my knee, ‘I didn’t see you there, Tank.’ Some of the crowd laughed, because saying you didn’t see Tank was like saying you didn’t see an elephant when it was standing right in front of you. ‘Umm . . . what I mean is . . .’
    â€˜You sound like you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’,’ said Tank, suddenly leaning down so his nose was only inches from mine. Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ was Tank’s favourite saying. ‘Are you cruisin’ for a bruisin’, little Benny?’ he said in a high-pitched voice, like he was talking to a kid in Year One.
    â€˜Fight!’ someone yelled from the crowd. Then they all started chanting: ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’
    Tank pulled back his fist and took aim at my face.

5
    I closed my eyes and braced myself. Getting hit by Tank would be pretty much the same as getting hit by an actual tank. It was not going to tickle . . .
    â€˜What’s going on here, boys?’ asked a voice.
    I opened my eyes. Mr Crumpet, the Chemistry teacher, was staring down at us. I breathed a sigh of relief. Tank wouldn’t dare punch me in front of a teacher, even though Mr Crumpet was probably the softest teacher in the school.
    â€˜Umm,’ said Tank, thinking fast. Or at least trying to think fast. ‘Umm . . .’
    I had to admit, it was pretty hard to think around Mr Crumpet. The man was kind of weird. I mean, it’s not every day you see someone wandering around with a raven on their shoulder!

    Mr Crumpet had found the bird when he was just a chick. He called him Corvus and kept him as a pet. Corvus wore a little hood over his eyes, so he wouldn’t fly away.
    Now the bird turned his head toward the sound of our voices and made a soft clicking noise with his beak.
    â€˜It looks like Ben fell off his bike,’ said Mr Crumpet, ‘and you were helping him back onto his feet. Is that what happened, Tank?’
    Tank nodded slowly, staring at the bird.‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’s exactly what happened.’
    I nodded too. It was such a relief not to get punched in the face by Tank, I would have agreed to anything. ‘I’m OK. Thanks, Tank, for your . . . help.’
    Tank glared at me and disappeared into the crowd.
    â€˜Looks like you’ve grazed your knee,’ said Mr Crumpet, peering at my leg, where a drop of blood was running down my shin. ‘It might be a good idea to go and give that a wash before class starts.’
    â€˜Sure, Mr Crumpet,’ I said.
    Mr Crumpet never told us to do anything. He never even made us do homework! Instead, he just ‘suggested’ it would be ‘in our best interests’ to do things, like revise around exam time. Funnily enough, everyone worked just as hard in his class asthey did in any other class. Maybe it was because Mr Crumpet seemed so gentle, none of us wanted to disappoint him.
    I wheeled my bike through the school gates. Of course Sophie was just on the other side of them, looking pleased with herself.
    â€˜I won!’ she said, pulling her bike in beside mine. The Fuzzil was still stuck on her shoulder.
    â€˜Yeah, whatever,’ I said. How could she just ride right past me when I’d fallen off my bike? And where was she when I was attacked by the school bully? Some friend! I sped up and pushed my way through the crowd.
    â€˜What’s the matter? It didn’t seem like the fall hurt that much,’ she said, running to keep up with me.
    I didn’t answer. If she couldn’t figure it out, why should I tell her? Angrily, I shovedmy