400 Minutes of Danger Read online

  ‘Where’re the snakes, kid?’ The man touched the blade to Harry’s throat, with just enough pressure that Harry could tell how sharp it was. A doctor had once removed a suspicious mole from Harry’s shoulder. There had been no pain because of the anaesthetic, but he had felt the razor point of the scalpel. This sensation was similar.

  If he told the truth, the man would think he was lying. If he lied, the man might think he was telling the truth. But what would he do next?

  He opened his mouth to speak—

  25:45 And then the floorboards outside the bathroom squeaked. His parents were walking back towards their room.

  The man put a finger to his lips, warning Harry not to speak. Harry shut his mouth. If Mum and Dad came into the bathroom, what would the man with the knife do to them?

  ‘Do you think that was a prank?’ Dad was saying.

  ‘He looked like a real cop,’ Mum said.

  ‘I know, but who would break into the reptile house? And why would they try to hide on our street?’

  Harry could practically hear Mum shrugging. ‘I’m not a criminal mastermind. How would I know?’

  They walked past the bathroom without coming in. Harry let the air out of his lungs. He heard one of them open their bedroom door.

  24:15 ‘Just a second,’ Dad said. ‘I’m going to check on Harry.’

  Harry’s heart leaped into his throat.

  ‘You might want to wake him up,’ Mum said. ‘Interrupting the sleep cycle can help night terrors.’

  ‘He needs his sleep, Jude.’

  ‘That’s the point. He can’t keep going on like this much longer.’

  ‘I’ll just see how he looks. If he seems distressed, I’ll get him up.’

  23:50 Dad’s footsteps thumped towards Harry’s room.

  The man pressed the knife harder to Harry’s neck, warning him to stay quiet.

  Harry’s bedroom door creaked open.

  ‘Jude,’ Dad shouted. ‘He’s not here!’

  ‘What?’ Mum demanded.

  ‘Harry’s not in bed!’

  ‘Call out to them,’ the man whispered. ‘Tell them everything’s fine.’

  Harry hesitated.

  ‘Do it,’ the man insisted.

  ‘I’m in the bathroom,’ Harry yelled. ‘Don’t worry.’

  The man took the blade away from Harry’s neck. He walked over to the door and waited. If Mum or Dad opened it, he would be able to catch them by surprise.

  22:55 He heard Dad approach the bathroom door.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m fine.’ Harry said. He reached behind himself, fumbling for a weapon. ‘I woke up and needed to go to the toilet. Don’t come in.’

  ‘Why don’t you have the light on?’

  22:20 ‘I didn’t want to wake you.’

  ‘OK,’ Dad said. But he didn’t move away.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Harry said again. ‘Go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.’

  21:45 ‘All right,’ Dad said finally. He walked away and Harry heard his parents’ bedroom door close.

  Bravery is doing the right thing, he told himself, even when you’re scared.

  ‘Smart boy,’ the man whispered. ‘So, where are my—’

  Harry hit him in the face with the toilet brush.

  The man yelled and spluttered as the bristles scraped his nose and cheeks. He swung the knife at Harry, but the toilet brush was a longer weapon. Harry was able to keep out of reach as he blocked and parried like a fencing champion.

  20:30 ‘Mum! Dad!’ he yelled. ‘Run! The snake thief is in here!’

  He heard Mum and Dad coming towards the bathroom.

  ‘No!’ Harry cried, blocking another stab with the brush. ‘Don’t come in! Run away! Call the police!’

  His parents didn’t listen. Perhaps they thought he was having a nightmare. Dad pushed the bathroom door open.

  20:00 The man with the knife whirled around to face Harry’s father.

  Dad screamed. Seeing his father scared made Harry even more frightened, but he didn’t give up. He lunged forward and grabbed the thief’s arm, stopping him from swinging the knife at Dad.

  19:35 The man roared with rage and shook Harry off, but Dad had already darted back out of reach.

  ‘Jude!’ he yelled. ‘Call the police!’

  Harry ripped a towel off the nearest rail and tossed it over the thief’s head. As the thief tried to untangle himself, Harry slipped past him. He dragged Dad out the bathroom door and pulled it shut.

  A moment later he felt the thief wrenching at the handle from the other side.

  ‘Help!’ Harry yelled. ‘He’s too strong!’

  Dad grabbed the handle and held the door shut. ‘Go with your mother,’ he shouted. ‘Get out of the house!’

  ‘Where are my snakes?’ the man in the bathroom was screaming.

  ‘We can’t leave you,’ Harry told Dad.

  ‘Go!’ Dad roared.

  18:10 Mum grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled him down the corridor at a run. She had her mobile phone in one hand. The screen was glowing—she had already touched the emergency call button.

  They turned the corner and sprinted to the front door—

  ‘Wait!’ Harry cried, and grabbed Mum’s wrist.

  She tugged on his hand. ‘Harry, come on!’

  ‘Look!’ he insisted.

  The front porch, where the police officer had been, wasn’t empty. Something which looked like a stack of bicycle tyres lay on the concrete.

  Mum skidded to a stop. ‘What is that?’

  17:05 A coiled-up snake raised its fearsome head.

  They both screamed and scrabbled backwards. The snake’s golden eyes flickered as upside-down eyelids blinked. Its nostrils flared. A forked tongue probed the air like the stalked eyes of a snail. It unhinged its jaw, revealing enormous fangs backed by pink glands swollen with venom.

  They had found a stolen snake—and it was blocking their escape route.

  Snakes are cold-blooded, Harry told himself. Without sunlight to keep it warm, this one would be too sleepy to attack.

  16:40 The snake struck.

  Bang! It hit the screen door, which was still closed. The frame rattled. A mist of venom rained down around the snake. When it withdrew, Harry saw a tear in the flyscreen left by its teeth.

  The summer air must be warm enough to keep the snake awake. It examined the tear in the screen, and slipped its head through the hole. Centimetre by centimetre, the snake fed itself through the door into the house.

  15:50 ‘The back door,’ Mum whispered. ‘Quickly!’

  They ran in the other direction. Harry had locked the back door earlier—it took Mum a few seconds to unlock it when they got there.

  ‘Dad,’ Harry shouted as she worked.

  ‘What are you still doing here?’ Dad demanded.

  ‘There’s a snake coming into the house through the front door!’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘A snake!’

  14:55 Mum had gotten the door open. ‘Come on!’

  Harry hesitated. If the snake came up the corridor and found Dad, he would have a terrible choice: let go of the bathroom door and face the man with the knife, or stay where he was and hope the snake didn’t bite him. How could they leave him under those circumstances?

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ Dad yelled. ‘Just go!’

  14:00 Harry and Mum ran out the door into the balmy night. The shadows of the backyard were still. The dry grass scratched at the soles of Harry’s bare feet.

  There was no gate connecting the backyard to the front. To get away from the thief and the snake they would have to climb the neighbour’s fence.

  It was one of those things Harry had assumed would be easy, until he was actually faced with doing it. The fence was powder-coated steel in flat sheets, with nothing to hold onto. It was taller than him—Mum too. How would they get over?

  13:10 Mum was already grabbing a two-person garden seat. ‘Help me carry
this,’ she grunted.

  Harry ran over, gripped one end of the chair and lifted. They dragged it over towards the fence—

  And then they heard smashing glass.

  Harry whirled around. The thief had broken the bathroom window. He must have given up on trying to get past Dad, who was still holding the bathroom door.

  11:30 The thief kicked off the last few shards of glass from the frame and pushed his legs out the window. It would only take him a few seconds to climb down—and then he would be in the backyard with them.

  He still had the knife. Harry could see it glittering on his belt.

  There was no time to get over the fence. ‘Quick!’ Harry hissed. ‘Back into the house!’

  10:40 ‘What about the snake?’ Mum demanded.

  ‘Just trust me!’

  Mum followed him to the back door. They slipped inside, closed the door and locked it. Once the thief was in the backyard, he wouldn’t be able to get into the house again. The bathroom window was too High.

  09:25 Harry scanned the darkness for signs of the snake. He couldn’t see it. As they tiptoed into the corridor, he peered around the corner. There it was, still feeding itself through the hole in the front door. The snake was so long that it would take it another minute at least to get all the way in.

  They ran to the bathroom and found Dad, still holding the bathroom door shut.

  ‘He’s climbed into the backyard,’ Mum whispered. ‘You can let go.’

  Dad’s face was pale in the gloom. ‘What about the snake?’

  ‘Snakes can’t open doors,’ Harry said. ‘We’ll shut ourselves in my bedroom. We’ll be safe there.’

  08:40 ‘Why not our bedroom?’ Mum asked.

  ‘Your window faces the backyard,’ Harry said. ‘Mine faces the street. It’s safer.’

  Mum nodded. She and Dad followed Harry to his room. When they were all inside, he closed the door.

  ‘Did you get through to the police?’ Dad asked.

  Mum got out her phone and sat down on the bed. ‘Calling now.’

  07:55 Harry took a deep breath. His family was safe. The police would be here soon to catch the thief and the snake. It was over.

  But something was bothering him. Half an hour ago when he had tried to open his bedroom door, the handle wouldn’t turn. But minutes later the door had opened on its own.

  At the time Harry had assumed he was dreaming. Later he guessed that the thief had been holding the handle for some reason and when he had released it, the door opened.

  But if that was the case, Harry would have heard the floorboards squeaking as the thief walked away down the corridor. So if it wasn’t the intruder, what had been keeping the door shut?

  07:00 Harry heard echoes of the thief’s voice in his head. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want my snakes back.

  He hadn’t said snake.

  He had said snakes.

  Harry turned to look at Mum, who was sitting on his bed, talking on the phone.

  ‘No, no-one’s hurt,’ Mum was saying, ‘but we need animal control as well as police. There’s a snake on the front porch … What kind? I have no idea. A big one.’

  06:20 ‘Mum,’ Harry said.

  ‘Come quickly,’ Mum continued. ‘The man’s getting away!’

  ‘Mum,’ Harry said. ‘Come here.’

  Mum looked at him. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Don’t panic,’ Harry said. His back was pressed against the wall. ‘Just come towards me. Slowly.’

  Mum’s eyes widened. She stood up. ‘Why?’

  05:50 The snake under the bed watched her ankles. It was bigger than the one on the front porch was. The scales were as big as coins. The tongue flicked the air, seeking prey.

  ‘Come on,’ Harry said, holding out his hand.

  Mum walked over to his side of the room. The snake watched her go, yellow eyes shining in the dark.

  ‘Don’t scream,’ Harry said, when Mum turned around to look at where she’d been sitting.

  05:20 She didn’t, but she let out a shocked gasp as soon as she saw the coiled snake under the bed. The snake raised its head and looked from her, to Dad, to Harry.

  This was so much worse than his nightmares. Now there really was a monster under his bed.

  ‘What do we do?’ Mum cried.

  ‘We wait for animal control?’ Harry suggested. It was terrifying, staring down this alien creature in such a small room, but he didn’t think they had a choice. The other snake was loose in the rest of the house, and they already knew it was violent. It wasn’t safe to leave the room.

  04:35 But nor was it safe to stay. The big snake was emerging from under the bed. Its head crept across the carpet as its massive body uncoiled behind it.

  There was a hiss from the closet. Harry remembered the black object which he had thought was a scarf. Could there be a snake in the closet too?

  04:10 Mum and Dad whimpered. The giant snake had Harry hypnotised—he couldn’t take his eyes off it. He was in full fight-or-flight mode, ready to dive aside as soon as it struck.

  But the other snake had been so fast when it attacked the door. Harry had hardly seen it move. How could he hope to dodge such a quick, ruthless attack?

  The snake slithered closer and closer, hissing like a punctured car tyre. There was still no sign of animal control. They were doomed.

  03:25 Harry reached for the nearby desk, looking for something he could throw at the snake. But there was nothing substantial. Just a comic book, a plastic pen—

  And the remote for the air conditioner.

  The snake bared its jaundiced fangs.

  Harry hit a button on the remote.

  The air conditioner beeped above his head. The fan whirred to life. A blast of cold air swept out.

  02:35 The snake kept slithering towards Harry, licking its smooth lips …

  And then it hesitated.

  As the air in the room became colder, the snake looked confused, as if its prey had suddenly become something less interesting, like trees or furniture.

  Harry waited, sweating in his pyjamas.

  01:35 Finally the snake closed its mouth, lowered its head into its coils and shut its eyes.

  Mum, Dad and Harry stared at it for a long time.

  ‘Is it dead?’ Dad asked.

  ‘Asleep, I think,’ Harry said. ‘Or hibernating, maybe. They need warmth to move.’

  ‘I hope animal control gets here before it wakes up,’ Mum said shakily.

  Harry thought there was a good chance of that. He could already hear wailing police sirens. As long as the air conditioner kept the snake cool, he didn’t think they were in danger.

  00:20 Movement caught his eye through a gap in the curtains. The thief was standing under the streetlight, a black sack hanging from one hand. The shape made it look like something round and flat was inside—another snake, perhaps.

  This was the first time Harry had seen his face clearly. He had thin eyebrows, perfect teeth, and silver-grey eyes which shone in the glow from the street light. They almost looked like coins.

  The thief saw him looking. He stepped backwards into the shadows and disappeared.

  00:00 Harry never saw him again, in real life or dreams.

  THE ISLAND

  40:00 One slip-up, and you’re dead. Mercer’s voice echoed through Kelsey’s head. Remember your training. List will seem nice, but it’s an act. The last person who went undercover in his organisation woke up in a rubbish compactor.

  ‘And how old are you, young lady?’ Jasper List asked.

  ‘Thirteen,’ Kelsey said. ‘I start Year Eight this year.’

  She was actually fifteen, and her school didn’t have years. It had ranks. Students started out as Recorders. Some passed enough tests to be upgraded to Analysts. The best Analysts were promoted to Field Observers. Kelsey was the only Field Observer under the age of seventeen. She spoke five languages and had developed an almost photographic memory.

  Technically, the training centre
was called the School for Pupils of International Intelligence, but the students just called it ‘SPII school’.

  39:20 If List was suspicious, he didn’t show it. ‘Well, I appreciate you coming here on your holidays, Nika,’ he said. ‘Your parents were very keen to have you here.’

  They weren’t actually her parents. They were doctors—married to each other—who had become suspicious of List after he hired them as medical support. They thought he was stealing rare animals, hacking robots and committing other bizarre crimes.

  They had sent a coded message to the police. The police had called SPII, and SPII had sent Kelsey to List’s private island, posing as Nika—the real-life daughter of the two doctors.

  38:45 Kelsey wished they didn’t look so nervous. Dr Lenova had chewed off all her lipstick, and Dr Jessen had jammed his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket, stretching the zip. They were going to blow her cover. She had to get List away from them.

  ‘So,’ she said, looking around the quiet lobby. ‘How big is this place?’

  ‘I’ll give you the tour,’ List said. He pointed at Lenova and Jessen. ‘You two—get back to work!’

  38:05 He said it like a joke, but everyone in the room knew it wasn’t. The two doctors hurried off. Kelsey was alone with List. This was what she had wanted, but it still made her uneasy.

  List keyed in a code, opening steel sliding doors on one side of the lobby. Kelsey followed him through into a corridor beyond.

  She already knew the layout of the facility from the drone flyovers. It covered most of the artificial island and featured a wind farm, an airfield, a port and a fish-processing plant. There was also a training camp for the on-site security force. The island was completely self-sufficient.

  But the drones had never been able to see inside the stadium-sized dome in the middle of the facility. There were no windows. What was List doing in there? Finally Kelsey would be able to find out.

  37:30 She followed List up the long, straight corridor with curved walls and a rounded ceiling. It was like walking down the throat of a giant snake.

  List didn’t look rich, or crazy, or evil. He wore a T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He had thin eyebrows, straight teeth, and grey eyes which shone like newly minted coins. According to the file, he was thirty-eight years old, a hundred and seventy centimetres tall and weighed eighty kilograms.