‘No. You listen.’ Blue’s voice was hoarse and croaky, his throat dry. ‘We’ve got to do it properly. You hear me? Once and for all. We’ll flush them out, then arrange regular patrols, inside and out. You got to be serious about it. You lost friends tonight. You don’t want to lose any more. And you also got to find out how these doors got open.’

‘OK. But that’s enough for tonight. This is the last door. No more, yeah?’

‘No more.’

‘The lock doesn’t look damaged,’ said one of Boggle’s boys. ‘I reckon someone must have definitely unlocked it.’

‘I don’t get it,’ said Boggle. ‘Why would anyone do that?’

‘Someone don’t like you,’ said Blue.

‘But who?’

‘Don’t ask me. I’m new here myself.’

‘Blue,’ said Boggle, his voice wavering again. He lowered his torch so that nobody could see that he was crying.

‘What?’

‘Thanks.’

‘Don’t mention it. Seems all we do lately is other people’s dirty work.’

‘I hope you’ll stay. We need people like you.’

‘We’ll stay. Least for a while. We ain’t got no other home to go to.’

‘This can be your home now.’

Yeah, thought Blue, nice place. There was a thump and a wail from the other side of the door. Blue kicked the door and swore loudly.

Bloody grown-ups …

Achilleus was sitting on the main stairs at the back of the central hall, Jackson on one side, Paddy the Caddie on the other, the rest of their team spread out behind him. They’d found no grown-ups anywhere on the upper levels and had checked that any connecting doors were securely locked. He was actually enjoying doing nothing. Letting others do the blood, sweat and tears for a change. His wounds hurt a whole lot more than he wanted to let on. He needed painkillers. And sleep.

He grinned as kids started to drift back from the green zone. Lewis strolled over, his spear slung over his shoulder, eyes half closed.

‘Didn’t find nothing,’ he said, scratching his messy Afro. ‘Just one crump old mother what couldn’t hardly even stand up. Brap! She won’t never stand no more. RIP mum. Apart from that, zeros, dude. We’ve went through all the galleries, shining our light into, like, every gap and behind every dead animal. All we’ve seen was bugs, birds and old bones. You?’

‘Nothing,’ said Achilleus. ‘Looks like I’m having the night off.’

At that there was a shout and several museum kids came running through from the blue zone.

‘They need help,’ one of them yelled. ‘There’s too many of them!’

Lewis looked at Achilleus, who grunted and hauled himself to his feet. Tried not to wince as he set off at a slow jog.

The night wasn’t over yet.

Chapter 5

5