‘That’s right, that’s what we are, folks! The Twisted Kids. A bloody mess. A mistake. Thank you and goodnight.’ So saying, he blew the candles out and the platform was immediately plunged into darkness. Blue saw that it was now night outside. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust as all around him the warehouse kids started making an eerie noise, whooping and chirping and clicking, humming and buzzing, mimicking the sounds of a jungle at night. It was spookily realistic and sounded completely inhuman.

Blue’s own crew sat there in confused silence. Not sure how much of what they’d just seen they could believe, and totally freaked out by the insect and animal sounds.

Suddenly Einstein switched on his torch and stood up, calling out over the din as his beam fell on the faces of the warehouse kids, mouths wide, chirping and hollering.

‘Wait!’ he shouted. ‘You have to tell us more. Are you saying the disease originated in the Amazon rainforest and was carried to England by people working for Promithios?’ There was no response. ‘Wait!’ he shouted again. ‘Listen! You have to tell us more!’

Blue jumped as TV Boy popped up by his side and half whispered into his ear.

‘There isn’t any more. That’s the end of the show. That’s all we know. When it comes down to it we’re just like the rest of you. We’re only children.’

Chapter 68

68

Downstairs Jackson and the others were listening to the strange noises coming from the platform.

‘Now what’s happening?’ said Achilleus. ‘Sounds like we’re missing a party.’

‘That’s the jungle lullaby,’ said Skinner. ‘Memories of the big green.’

‘Yeah,’ said Achilleus. ‘Now say it again in English.’

‘It’s one of the things we’re good at,’ said Skinner. ‘Making animal noises.’ He joined in for a few seconds, grunting and croaking like a howler monkey, and then he laughed. ‘We can keep it up for hours.’

‘I saw an animal of some sort in the corridors,’ said Jackson. ‘What was it? At first I thought it was a snake. Couldn’t have been, though. It was too big.’

‘Thing with a long neck?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You’re right. That wasn’t a snake. That was Pencil Neck. He doesn’t live in here with us. He came out the worst.’

‘You mean he’s human?’ said Jackson.

‘Yeah. Mostly. He went feral months ago. Lives out there in the dark, hiding in holes, crawling about the place. God knows what he eats. He was always hard work. Never really fitted in. Can’t talk, you see. Though some of us – like the Queen and Betty Bubble, even TV Boy when he shuts up and listens – some of us can understand him. We tried to look after him, but …’ Skinner trailed off, made a helpless, hopeless gesture.

‘This is one seriously messed-up place,’ said Achilleus.

‘You said it.’