by C. M. Gray
Sophie looked around at the piles of soap and toilet paper.
‘Maybe I bumped something accidentally, a button or a lever,’ I said, running my hand over another wall.
‘Yeah. Or maybe you imagined it.’ Sophie was staring at me like I’d gone mad. ‘Do you know how weird this sounds?’
‘It was the wooden knob,’ I said suddenly. ‘I tripped and grabbed the knob on the end of the shelf as I fell. That seemed to close the door — maybe it will open it too.’
I raised my hand toward the carved piece of wood, and wrapped my fingers around the knob. The wood felt smooth beneath my skin. I twisted.
8
But the secret door didn’t open.
I twisted my hand the other way. I pulled it forward, pushed it backward and side to side. Still nothing. Standing on tiptoes, I peered at the knob.
‘It’s from the old library,’ Sophie explained. ‘I recognise the shelf. They installed new ones a couple of years ago, just after we moved here. All the old wooden shelves were taken away. I guess they decided to use some of them around the school.’
How fascinating, I thought sarcastically. I was pretty sure I could have figured that out for myself, if I ever went into the library.
I didn’t say that though. I didn’t want Sophie to get mad at me again.
‘I don’t know why it isn’t working,’ I said instead. I picked my way through the clutter over to where the door had appeared. It still looked like a completely normal wall, made of old planks. In fact, it looked like the last wall in the world where a secret door might be hidden.
‘Where were you standing when you saw it?’ asked Sophie.
‘Here.’ I stepped back outside the door. ‘I saw it open right over there.’
Sophie stood behind me, staring at the wall.
‘So you were here, in the hallway?’
‘Yup. The door was swinging shut when I saw something move. So I pushed the door back open again and that’s when I saw it.’
‘Maybe it was a mop falling over,’ said Sophie, nodding toward the wooden handles standing up in one corner, ‘and it just looked like something opening.’
‘It wasn’t a mop.’
‘A broom?’
‘It wasn’t a broom,’ I said. I was starting to feel annoyed. I twisted the knob again. Nothing happened. I pushed it down. Then up. I looked under the shelf at the wooden brackets that held it in place. If only the door would open — that would show her!
‘Why didn’t you get closer? Why didn’t you go inside the cupboard?’ asked Sophie.
‘I was going to,’ I snapped. ‘But I tripped.’
‘Did you see it shut?’
‘Yes! No . . . I don’t know. Slender was there, and when I looked back the door had closed.’
‘Did Slender see it?’
‘I don’t think so. He said it sounded like I hit my head when I fell off my bike.’
‘Maybe you did,’ said Sophie.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Did she practise being annoying?
‘I’ve got to go,’ she added. ‘I’m already late.’
‘Fine,’ I said, not looking at her.
‘Why don’t you come over to my place? Mum just got me Zombie Attack 3. I haven’t even opened it yet.’
‘Awesome!’ I breathed before I could stop myself. Maybe Sophie wasn’t that annoying after all! Zombie Attack 3 was the latest video game — all the kids were talking about it. I really wanted to get it, but there was no way I could afford it, even if I saved every cent of my pocket money for the next three years.
We played for an hour before we managed to get through the first level without being eaten by the horde of hungry zombies. It wasn’t until Mr Knight told Sophie that she needed to turn it off soon, because dinner was nearly ready, that I realised it was almost completely dark outside. I wanted to stay and keep playing, but I knew Mum would be annoyed if I didn’t get home soon.
‘Mum’s working late this week,’ Sophie explained, as she firebombed a few zombies that were trailing behind the others, ‘so Dad’s cooking.’ She made a grossed-out face and I guessed Mr Knight’s cooking wasn’t great.
I headed for the door. ‘Maybe we can look for the secret door again tomorrow.’
She wrinkled up her nose. ‘I don’t want to go into the boys’ toilet again. It’s so gross.’
‘You could wait outside in the corridor while I look for it,’ I suggested.
‘Maybe,’ said Sophie, without taking her eyes off the screen. ‘Bye.’
‘See you.’ I slung my bag onto my back and walked out into the hallway.
‘Ben.’ Mr Knight appeared at the kitchen door. He was holding a pair of tongs and still wearing that flowery apron over his clothes. I pretended not to notice. He dipped his head toward the kitchen. ‘Just come in here for a second.’
I glanced back at Sophie. She was too busy battling the zombies to notice.
In the kitchen, Mr Knight was frying something in a pan. It looked like some sort of vegetable sludge mixed with brown sauce. No wonder Sophie hated his cooking. He poked at a mushroom with his wooden spoon. ‘I heard you talking about a secret door at school.’
I blinked. Had he been spying on us?
I must’ve looked surprised because he quickly added, ‘I just caught it as I was walking past.’
‘Um . . . I found this weird hidden door. It leads into the janitor’s storeroom.’
‘I know the one,’ said Mr Knight casually, looking back at the pan. ‘The storeroom has been there ever since the school was used as a hospital.’
I nodded politely. Everyone knew that Seabrook High used to be a hospital ages ago.
‘It’s not really a secret,’ he added. ‘It was just built to blend in with the wall.’
‘Inside the cupboard is another door. That’s the secret one,’ I blurted out.
‘Ahhh!’ said Mr Knight knowingly. ‘They must’ve blocked off part of the cupboard for a new hot-water system. A wise move. They probably don’t want the kids to know where it is just in case someone vandalises it.’
I stared at him. Did he really think I would believe that?
‘It might not be a good idea to poke around in there — it could be dangerous,’ he continued.
‘OK,’ I said.
‘And I don’t want you or Sophie to get into trouble.’ He glanced at me.
‘OK,’ I said again, wondering why he was making such a big deal about this. Did he know something about the secret door? Why was he so keen for me to stay away from it?
‘You better head home before your mum gets worried,’ he added.
My cue to exit. ‘Bye, Mr Knight.’
Outside, I picked up my bike from where I’d dumped it on the front lawn and headed for the road. Mr Knight sure was acting strangely. First he’d grabbed me around the neck and then he’d spied on us. Since he seemed so interested in what I was doing, maybe it was time I found out a bit more about him! As I walked past the old bus, I stopped and glanced around; the street was deserted. From where I stood, I could hear Mr Knight rattling around inside the kitchen. I lowered my bike onto the grass and crept behind the vehicle. The bus was identical to the one in Revenge of the Brain Munchers. About halfway through the movie, zombies have the good guys cornered inside it, but just as the horde of undead break down the door, the hero realises the back window of the bus pops out and they all escape in the nick of time.
I gazed up at the back window of Mr Knight’s bus; a pair of hinges was attached above it and there was a handle jutting out from underneath. It was obviously an escape hatch in case the bus was in an accident. Who knew breaking into a bus would be so easy? And to think Mum always said I’d learn nothing useful from watching zombie movies!
I climbed onto the back bumper and turned the handle. There was a sharp click and the window swung out. I must’ve been nervous ’cause, even though the night air was cool, sweat ran down my neck. Trying to move quietly, I slipped into the bus.
I haven’t been in that many buses in my time; in fact I’ve only ridden in the big old coaches the school uses during sports competitions. Not that I’m really into sports, but you just about have to be at death’s door before they’ll let you get out of it.
Anyway, the point is that I’m not much of an expert when it comes to buses. But climbing through that window, even I knew enough to realise that this was no ordinary bus.
Instead of seats, the bus contained what looked like an office. There was a comfy-looking chair in front of a desk. A couple of old filing cabinets with overflowing drawers stood against one wall. Beside these was a bookcase crammed with newspapers.
Weirdest of all, every window in the bus had been covered with corkboards. Pinned to these were all sorts of things: newspaper clippings, maps, photos. There were also some old pictures of zombies scattered among the regular photos, which was kind of strange ’cause I didn’t know Mr Knight was into zombies. Notes were scribbled all over them, in messy handwriting.
I walked further into the bus. Behind the desk was a big map. I peered at it; it wasn’t really a map at all. It was actually a plan of a building. And not just any building. In front of me was a plan of Seabrook High.
I swallowed hard. Why would Mr Knight have a plan of the school?
I looked closely; there was the front door that led into the main hallway. There were the classrooms branching off to the left and right. There was the small hallway that led to the boys’ toilets. And there — I could hardly breathe — there was the staircase where I’d found the hidden storeroom. And it was marked with a red cross.
I gaped. Why would Mr Knight mark the spot with a red cross if it was only an old storeroom?
My eyes leapt to another red cross drawn on the plan. This one was in a different part of the building. It only took me a second to realise that it was positioned over the lines that marked one of the classroom cupboards. The cupboard inside Mr Slender’s room.
‘Ben!’
I spun around. Mr Knight was standing at the door of the bus, clutching a huge knife in his hand.
9
‘Did I startle you?’ he said. ‘Here, your mum’s on the phone.’ Mr Knight handed me the telephone, which I hadn’t noticed he was holding in his other hand. I guess I was distracted by the enormous knife!
‘Hello?’ I croaked.
‘Ben! Where are you? You know the rules!’ Mum sounded annoyed.
‘Sorry, Mum, I’m still at Sophie’s house,’ I said. I almost added, I’m in the bus with Mr Knight and he has a huge knife! But I didn’t.
‘I know you’re at Sophie’s,’ said Mum. ‘I was just talking to Gerald. You should be home by now.’
‘I’m on my way. Bye.’ I handed the phone back to Mr Knight and headed for the door. Mr Knight leant to the side so I could squeeze past him. As I rushed down the steps, I heard his voice behind me.
‘Sorry, Lynn, I thought he’d already gone. No problem. He’s on his way now. See . . .’
By then I was out of earshot.
I jumped on my bike and pedalled as fast as I could. My mind was racing. Any doubts that I had seen a secret doorway open inside the janitor’s storeroom were gone. And why did Mr Knight have a copy of the school’s plan pinned to his wall?
I tore home. The night air was cold against my face, but I hardly noticed. The streets looked different: the yards were full of shadows and the houses seemed to watch me with their blank, dark windows.
It wasn’t far to my house, but it seemed to take longer than usual. Finally, I turned into our driveway and glided into the back yard. The shed door was open and, although it was pitch black inside, I rode in and skidded to a stop. I’d done it so many times, I could’ve done it blindfolded.
I jumped off my bike and headed for the back door. Inside, everyone was already eating dinner.
‘Ben,’ said Dad, ‘you’re late.’
‘Sorry,’ I said, dumping my bag on the sofa. ‘Got a flat tyre on the way back from Sophie’s house.’
Mum raised her eyebrows. ‘I thought you were still at Sophie’s house when I rang a couple of minutes ago. Or was I talking to a ghost?’
‘Oh yeah.’ What a rookie mistake! I guess I was still a bit shaky from the shock of seeing Mr Knight in the bus with that knife. Man! That totally freaked me out!
Dad pointed with his fork at my chair. ‘Sit.’
I sat down and stared at my plate.
‘And I don’t want to hear any complaints about dinner,’ Mum added.
I eyed the Brussels sprouts piled on one side of my plate. ‘Mmmm! Meatloaf and veggies. This looks great!’ I stabbed one of the sprouts with my fork and put the whole thing in my mouth. Trying not to gag, I chewed as fast as I could.
‘Ben got detention today,’ Michael said in a happy voice. He smiled across the table at me.
Mum put down her fork. ‘How come?’
I glared at Michael. ‘Dno, glubolem. . .’ I tried to speak, but I still had a mouth full of Brussels sprouts.
‘He was beating up another kid,’ said Michael.
‘WHAT!’ screamed Mum.
I almost choked on the sprout. Finally, I managed to swallow it. ‘I was not! I was late to class, that’s all.’
‘Ooohh!’ said Michael. ‘So you didn’t get detention for the fight, you got it for another thing!’
‘What fight?’ Mum asked.
‘There was no fight!’ I said angrily. ‘I was late to class and Mr Slender gave me a detention. It’s no big deal.’
‘So it wasn’t you who picked a fight with Tank?’ asked Michael. ‘It was some other kid called Benjamin Roy who happens to go to our school and who looks exactly like you?’
‘Why were you late to class?’ asked Dad.
‘I was in the toilets. I wasn’t . . . feeling very well,’ I said.
‘You mean you were in the toilets crying after Tank beat you up,’ said Michael. Bits of meatloaf sprayed out of his mouth.
‘Michael!’ said Mum crossly. ‘Don’t speak with your mouth full.’
‘Who’s Tank?’ asked Dad.
‘Just a kid,’ I said. ‘Anyway, the good news is that I did all my homework while I was in detention, so I don’t have any left to finish tonight.’ Ha ha! Take that, Michael!
‘Did you?’ Mum looked completely stunned.
‘Yup! And I got a head-start on my history assignment.’ Okay, so that wasn’t exactly true either, but I was going to start the assignment soon so it wouldn’t be a lie for long.
‘Well, that’s very good, Ben.’ Mum picked up her fork again. ‘I always say: “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”.’
I’m pretty sure I had never heard Mum say that before, but I wasn’t about to burst her bubble, so I just nodded. ‘And I think I’ll have an early night tonight. Got a big science test tomorrow.’
‘Great idea!’ Mum looked like she was going to explode with happiness.
‘I heard Tank’s pretty ticked off about this morning,’ said Michael.
‘That’ll be twenty cents into the swearing jar, Michael!’ Mum’s idea of swearing started at words like ‘darn’ and ‘jeez’, so ‘ticked off’ was hardcore cussing to her.
‘I’m just saying Ben had better watch his back.’ Michael seemed really annoyed. He shoved the last bit of his meatloaf into his mouth and chewed hard.
‘You’re his big brother. You should be looking out for him,’ Dad said.
‘It’s OK, Dad,’ I said in my bravest voice. ‘I’m used to looking after myself.’
Round one of the night to me.
I was pretty quiet for the rest of dinner. I was too busy coming up with a plan to talk. I had to get into the cupboard in Mr Slender’s room somehow — but first I needed supplies.
After dinner, I waited until Dad was busy with the washing-up and Mum was talking on the phone in her bedroom. I could hear the shower running so I guessed Michael was in the bathroom.
I yawned and stretched. ‘Think I
might head off to bed. Got a big day tomorrow.’
Dad was whistling along to the radio, so I don’t think he even noticed.
I slipped down the hallway. Steam was creeping out from under the bathroom door. It looked just like the mist that always appears in old zombie movies, which kind of suited my mission. Michael always spent ages in the shower — not that it made him smell any better — so I knew he wouldn’t interrupt me anytime soon. The last thing I needed was someone asking awkward questions about what I was doing!
I held my breath and sneaked into the laundry. Mum always adds this smelly stuff to the washing machine so the whole room stinks like flowers. It was a relief when I opened the back door and stepped outside. I crept past the washing line and into the shed, then I felt around on the bench for the torch Dad always keeps there for when the power goes off. I pressed my palm over the end of it and switched it on. Then I arranged my fingers so that just enough light shone through for me to see what I was doing.
Against the wall was an old cupboard where Dad kept what he called ‘emergency supplies’. We’d never had an emergency worse than the water getting turned off for an hour or two, so I’m not sure what sort of thing he had in mind. Inside the cupboard I found some spare batteries for the torch and on one of the shelves was a coil of rope, but when I tried to lift it, I almost fell over — it was too big and heavy to be of any use to me. There wasn’t much else in the cupboard except for an old radio and a fire extinguisher. So much for Dad’s ideas about surviving an emergency. We wouldn’t last five minutes in a zombie apocalypse! I slipped out of the shed with the torch and batteries.
Back inside the house, Michael was still in the shower. Hopefully, he would use up all the hot water so I wouldn’t have to have one.
Feeling relieved I’d made it back inside without anyone noticing I’d gone, I went into my bedroom. And almost screamed.
10
All my soft toys were hanging around the edge of my bed from bits of string. It was so creepy!
