Chapter Eleven

Death by killer maggot

They burst through the cargo doors as if their boots were rocket powered.

‘Help!’ yelled Scrummage. ‘HELP! There’s a maggot in my underpants!’

Amazingly, the crew swung into action like the well-trained team that they weren’t. Maxie grabbed the small yellow fire extinguisher type thing. Yargal rummaged frantically through the first aid box with all her six tentacles. Even Gizmo helped Scrummage strip off his safety gear.

‘Hold still!’ said Maxie, thrusting the yellow sprayer into his overalls.

‘I can’t  … ’ Scrummage wriggled. ‘It’ll get me  … ’

WHOOSH!

A fountain of bright green steam spewed everywhere, terrifying Snuffles who yowled and yelped and strained at his lead.

‘Aaaargh!’ yelled Scrummage.

‘WOOF, WOOF, HOOOOOOOWL!’

Harvey grabbed the hound’s lead. ‘Down, Snuffles, down!’ he yelled, struggling to hold him.

It was chaos on the Toxic Spew – but then, what’s new?

Suddenly Scrummage froze.

‘It’s bitten my bum!’ he gasped.

Harvey was stunned to see Yargal stab Scrummage in the neck with what looked like a metal pen. But not as stunned as Scrummage, who instantly keeled over and thudded onto the deck, out cold.

Ouch, thought Harvey.

‘Get him to the sick room!’ ordered Medical Officer Yargal.

‘I think I’m dying!’

The sick room of the Toxic Spew looked exactly as it sounded. A room where someone had been sick – horribly sick – and was too poorly to clear it up afterwards.

Maxie and Gizmo had gone back to the command bridge. But Harvey was worried about Scrummage. He wasn’t sure about taking Snuffles into a medical area but soon saw the room was so filthy it couldn’t do any harm. Harvey didn’t like to think what had caused the marks on the walls and ceiling, but it looked a lot like dried vomit.

Scrummage lay on a bed and groaned pathetically. Computer cables trailed across him like spaghetti and eventually plugged into a Medi-Monitor on the wall. The screen showed complicated charts and graphs.

Weakly, Scrummage held out his hand to Harvey. ‘Captain,’ he groaned. ‘I think I’m dying!’

Harvey didn’t know what to say. He was used to players getting injured on the football pitch but this looked a whole lot worse.

Yargal squelched her slug-like way through bits of bandage, old sticking plasters and clumps of cotton wool littering the floor. Picking up what looked like a wind-up torch in one tentacle she shone the beam over Scrummage.

A single sentence appeared on the Medi-Monitor:

DON’T WORRY – HE’S FINE!

‘Well, that’s a relief,’ said Yargal and then, turning to Harvey, added, ‘Captain, shouldn’t you be on the bridge? I can bring Scrummage up when he’s feeling a bit better.’

‘Right,’ said Harvey, kicking himself. As the captain he should probably have gone straight to the bridge and left the Medical Officer to look after Scrummage. Maxie would be having a good laugh about that behind his back, he thought.

‘Er  …  what shall I do with Snuffles?’

‘You could send him to his basket but he hates being on his own. Why not take him with you?’ said Yargal, unplugging the Medi-Monitor. ‘It’s up to you. You’re Captain!’

(Can I just make this clear – Harvey absolutely wasn’t scared of Snuffles. But he didn’t know if the hound would do as he was told. Fine captain he’d look if he couldn’t even order the ship’s dog around, he thought. Especially in front of Maxie.)

So he said: ‘Snuffles, to your basket!’ The hazard hound nudged Harvey’s hand with his meatball nose, whined and looked up with pleading eyes.

‘TO YOUR BASKET!’ commanded Harvey again, firmly. To his surprise, Snuffles obediently shot off.

(Did I say surprise? More of a shock, really.)

Snuffles yanked him right off his feet, out of the sick room and along the corridor.

‘You might want to take his lead off first  … ’ called Yargal helpfully.

‘Wooooah!’ yelled Harvey  …  then, ‘STOP!’  …  then, ‘HELP!’  …  And then, when no help came: ‘SIT!’

Snuffles instantly sat and grinned at Harvey, showing all his terrifying teeth.

‘Good dog,’ said Harvey, patting him on the head. Snuffles did the nudge with the meatball nose and the pleading look again. Harvey sighed, and took Snuffles with him to the bridge.