67

THE RUN

We ran out of the green room.

We ran down the steps.

We ran out past the desk – where Mr Hamm-Rolle was still hiding – and across the street.

Well, I didn’t run across the street. Running across the street is not safe.

I stopped and looked both ways.

‘Hils. Don’t run across the street,’ I said. ‘It’s not safe.’

Hils stopped.

‘RUN,’ she shouted. ‘BEHIND YOU. RUN.’

‘WHAT? WHAT IS BEHIND PAVAROACHI?’ said Pavaroachi.

I looked behind me.

There was the Exterminator. He was angry, he was dizzy, he was limping, he was trying to scrape bugs off his face and pick cat poo out of his nose and he was still coming after us.

With his huge mallet.

I ran.