Back Arctic Zoo Save as PDF
Chapters (88)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dear Reader …
  4. Also by Robert Muchamore
  5. PART ONE
  6. Walter J Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. PART TWO
  19. TWELVE
  20. THIRTEEN
  21. FOURTEEN
  22. FIFTEEN
  23. SIXTEEN
  24. SEVENTEEN
  25. EIGHTEEN
  26. NINETEEN
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. TWENTY-NINE
  37. THIRTY
  38. THIRTY-ONE
  39. THIRTY-TWO
  40. THIRTY-THREE
  41. THIRTY-FOUR
  42. THIRTY-FIVE
  43. THIRTY-SIX
  44. THIRTY-SEVEN
  45. THIRTY-EIGHT
  46. PART THREE
  47. Walter J. Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. FORTY
  50. FORTY-ONE
  51. FORTY-TWO
  52. FORTY-THREE
  53. FORTY-FOUR
  54. FORTY-FIVE
  55. FORTY-SIX
  56. FORTY-SEVEN
  57. FORTY-EIGHT
  58. FORTY-NINE
  59. FIFTY
  60. FIFTY-ONE
  61. FIFTY-TWO
  62. FIFTY-THREE
  63. FIFTY-FOUR
  64. PART FOUR
  65. FIFTY-FIVE
  66. FIFTY-SIX
  67. FIFTY-SEVEN
  68. FIFTY-EIGHT
  69. FIFTY-NINE
  70. SIXTY
  71. SIXTY-ONE
  72. SIXTY-TWO
  73. SIXTY-THREE
  74. SIXTY-FOUR
  75. SIXTY-FIVE
  76. SIXTY-SIX
  77. SIXTY-SEVEN
  78. SIXTY-EIGHT
  79. SIXTY-NINE
  80. SEVENTY
  81. SEVENTY-ONE
  82. SEVENTY-TWO
  83. SEVENTY-THREE
  84. EPILOGUE
  85. Discover more books and sign up to the Robert Muchamore mailing list at muchamore.com
  86. Have you read KILLER T?
  87. 1 SLASHED RUBBER
  88. 2 NOT HARRY POTTER

The big Mercedes scraped sideways, two wheels lifting off the ground. Julius’s neck snapped one way, but it was caught by a firework bang as airbags exploded on all sides. Gabe screamed as the truck that had hit them backed away. A man had jumped from the car that stopped them getting through. He aimed an automatic rifle at Jimoh and ordered him not to move.

Jimoh floored the accelerator, hoping to reverse. But the engine was programmed to shut down after an impact. The powdery explosive residue from the airbags fizzed up Julius’s nose and his door wouldn’t open because it was pinned to the scaffold truck.

‘Out of the car!’ men with guns shouted from outside. ‘No funny business!’

Kehinde and Taiwo had got the worst of the crash. When the gunmen realised they were too dazed to get out, two rushed to the side of the Mercedes and grabbed the doors. At the front, Kehinde’s door came open and a man started dragging him out.

‘You listen, listen! Do as you are told!’

But brute force wasn’t enough to untangle Kehinde from popped airbags and a fastened seat belt.

The rear door next to Taiwo had a damaged lock and the second guy was using all his strength to get the door open. This gave Taiwo time to reach behind Gabe, delving into the little storage compartment in the armrest and pulling a Glock pistol.

‘Don’t,’ Julius shouted, instinctively folding himself over Gabe. ‘We’re surrounded!’

But while the plan to stop the car had been thought through, the attackers hadn’t considered difficulties extracting occupants from a car with damaged doors.

Taiwo had a point-blank shot at the man trying to drag his twin out of the front passenger seat. As his head exploded, the gun blast added more smoke and a sound that left Julius’s ears with a ringing that swamped everything else.

Outside, the guy trying to force Taiwo’s door open stumbled back at the bang, while the one up front with the machine gun opened fire. Bullets smashed the windscreen and pelted the front of the car. Taiwo got his damaged door open, using the lever on the inside.

As Taiwo came out shooting, Jimoh grabbed a gun holstered inside his jacket and began shooting through the shattered windscreen.

Julius was deaf. His eyes streamed and he couldn’t understand why none of the bullets spraying the front of the car had hit him. He dived to the floor, then felt Gabe’s shoe on his balls. The ten-year-old was trying to force the sliding roof open, but Julius saw his own way out now Taiwo and some of the smoke had cleared.