Alligator Action (3 page)

Josh and Danny stared at each other across the brown envelope. Josh tore it open. Inside was a piece of lined paper. He expected a letter—some explanation, maybe, about where she'd gone and why. But it wasn't a letter. It was a list in Petty's scrawly handwriting.

He and Danny sat down on Petty's tiled doorstep to peer at the list.

1.
 
DADDY LONGLEGS DISCO—COLLECT.

2.
 
IF UNSEEN, ENTER.

3.
 
DUCK. FAST.

4.
 
WALK THE STAINS.

5.
 
AFTER THIRD STRIKE, DO NOT BREATHE UNTIL THE BIRD CALLS.

6.
 
WASH UP. USE GLOVES.

7.
 
EXIT BACK ON ALL FOURS.

8.
 
ONE MINUTE FROM RED DOOR.

9.
 
WORKING LUNCH.

10. ONE MINUTE FROM RED DOOR!

“What on earth does all that mean?” squawked Danny.

Josh was creasing his brow trying to figure it out. “It's instructions. Something we have to do.”

“Walk the stains?” Danny said. “Daddy Longlegs Disco? She's lost it. Completely. I mean, we always knew she was bonkers, but now she's totally gaga!”

“No.” Josh smoothed the paper out on the step. “There's logic to it. It's like crossword clues. We have to get one or two of them and then the others will start to make sense.”

“OK,” Danny said with a shrug. “Let's start with Number One . . . Daddy Longlegs Disco . . .”

Josh puzzled. Danny puzzled too. They flopped down on Petty's doorstep with big sighs. It had been a freaky enough day already without having to figure out cryptic clues!

Then Josh's eyes widened, and he gave a shout. “Whoa! Wait! This is EASY!”

“What?” Danny sat up straight.

“Daddy Longlegs Disco!” Josh said. “Don't you remember? When we were daddy longlegs, we went out, didn't we? We flew toward the light where loads of other creepy-crawlies were boogying about and head-butting the bulb.”

“Yeah—that hurt,” remembered Danny. Josh
was looking up. Right
up
above them. At the little square porch light over their heads. “It's where we found a REPTOSWITCH cube, isn't it?” Danny jumped to his feet. “She's hidden something else in there! Quick—help me up!”

Checking first that nobody was watching, Josh hoisted Danny up on his shoulders. “Eeeeeugh!” he heard Danny call down. “There're dead things in here!”

“Don't be a wuss!” hissed Josh. “Find the thing . . . whatever it is. Quickly. You're breaking my neck!”

Danny made a few more whimpers as some disembodied legs and wings floated down. But then he whispered, “Got
it
!” He jumped off his brother's shoulders and waved a door key.

“Right,” Josh said, consulting the list. “Number Two. ‘If unseen, enter.'”

Danny looked around again and then shoved the key into the lock of Petty's front door. It turned easily.

“Hang on,” Josh said.

Danny pushed the door open.

“Wait a bit,” Josh said, grabbing his arm. But Danny had already stepped through.

“DUCK!” screamed Josh! “FAST!”

Danny hit the floor. Josh followed . . . a little too late.

There was a sudden thump of air and a powerful roar.

A ball of flame was flying toward them.

They didn't have time to scream. Flames filled the doorway. Facedown on the welcome mat, Danny felt the heat blast across his shoulders. Josh felt the heat too . . . in his hair.

The flame was there and gone in seconds. Except for the bit in Josh's hair. Little flickers of flame were dancing through his short blonde crop. Danny threw himself at Josh's head and batted the flames out.

Then they sat very still on the doormat and stared at each other. Josh's hair was singed. It smelled awful. But the flames had not reached his skin. In fact, the ball of fire had done very little damage to the hallway. It had obviously been designed to fly directly through the front door at around chest height. If they had not ducked—fast—they would have been barbecued.

“Petty's security system!” whispered Josh. “We DO NOT MOVE . . . not until we've figured out the next two or three instructions!”

Danny nodded, carefully closing the front door so they could sit and think without being seen.

“Number Four,” Josh said, in a slightly shaky voice. “Walk the stains.”

They looked around them. “Walk the stains,” murmured Danny. “Erm . . . do you think she means those stains?” He pointed across the hallway carpet. It was a very old carpet that had once been a cream color. There were lots of stains on it, but Danny saw that some were more noticeable than others—five or six darker ones leading down the hall like stepping stones.

“The brown ones?” Josh said.

“Yeah . . . chocolate cake stains,” Danny said. “Petty's always eating chocolate cake . . . I think she's dropped some chocolate icing deliberately—to mark a path . . .”

“So . . .” Josh pondered. “If we walk on those chocolate cake stains, it should be a safe path through to . . . the kitchen, by the looks of it.
Because Number Six is ‘Wash up. Use gloves.'”

“OK,” Danny got up and went to step out.

“Wait!” Josh grabbed his arm. “We need to be sure of what's coming next! Number Five is this: ‘After third strike, DO NOT BREATHE until the bird calls.'”

They screwed up their faces again, trying to figure this one out. “What bird?” Danny said. “I can't see a bird anywhere.”

“OK,” Josh said. “Let's just walk the stains first—see how that goes.”

Danny stepped across to the first dark splodge. His foot landed on it. He froze, waiting for something terrible to happen. Nothing did. He shrugged and stepped to the next splodge. Josh followed his path. Danny could feel his heart thumping hard in his chest. He knew that, at any moment, something extremely violent could happen. Petty left nothing to chance. Outside, the sun went behind a cloud, and the hallway grew dimmer.

“Josh! Look!” Danny froze and carefully pointed to his right. In the dimness, he could see a needle
of blue light shining down from the ceiling. And now Josh could see several more of them—piercing though the dark of the hallway at different angles.

“Lasers!” breathed Danny. “If we hit one of those . . .” He gulped. He had no idea what would happen if they hit a laser beam—but he knew it would be nasty.

“We won't hit one,” Josh said. “Not if we follow the cake stains!”

It seemed Josh was right. A minute later, they were safely by the kitchen door. And that's when they heard a chime. Two chimes. Three.

“HOLD YOUR BREATH!” squeaked Josh, remembering Number Five—“
After third strike, DO NOT BREATHE until the bird calls
.” With half a second to spare, he and Danny dragged in a swift lungful of air and held it, their eyes bulging with anxiety.

On the fourth strike, there was a loud hiss, and two plumes of purple gas suddenly punched out of the wall on either side of the door. Danny could feel it stinging his eyes. He screwed them shut, desperate to hold onto the safe air in his
lungs for as long as possible. The clock chimed on from the other side of the closed kitchen door—five . . . six . . . seven . . . Danny felt as if his lungs were going to burst. Eight . . . nine . . . ten . . . . Josh was twisting around, desperate to see some kind of bird somewhere through the fading purple gas. Eleven . . . twelve . . . thirteen.
THIRTEEN
? Danny felt his mind flip. Had he lost count? Or was the clock really striking thirteen? Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen . . . . Josh felt faint. He must breathe soon! But no bird had called. And the air might still be poisoned!
Eighteen . . . nineteen . . . .

CUCKOO! CUCKOO! CUCKOO!

Danny and Josh exploded with exhaled air and pushed through the kitchen door, gasping. On
the wall was a cuckoo clock, from which a little wooden bird was calling.

At last the cuckooing stopped. Josh and Danny stood, panting and shaking, ready for their next instruction.

“
Wash up
,” puffed Josh. The washing-up bowl was full of cold water and crockery. Little bits of orangey grease and lumps of unidentifiable food floated across the surface, along with a semi-submerged scrubby sponge thing.

Danny stepped over and went to pick up the scrubby sponge thing.

“STOP!” Josh yelled. “
USE GLOVES
!” Danny paused. He grabbed a pair of limp yellow rubber gloves from the draining board.

“There's no telling what Petty put in that washing bowl,” muttered Josh. “Skin-melting acid, I bet. Or a deadly virus!”

Danny didn't wash up. He took all the cups and bowls and spoons and forks out of the water. He laid them down in a scummy puddle on the draining board. He looked for something hidden underneath them. “Bingo!” he said, lifting up another key.