Sewer Mayhem

by Annie Appleton

‘This is it, Paddy,’ his voice came in my ear, making me jump. ‘Good luck.’

  ‘You too.’

  I watched as Charlie motioned with his paw to his second in command. Roger silently nodded and jumped with a group of squaddies across the sewer to the other side, where they made their way up the tunnel wall without any noise. On my side, Charlie and his rats did the same, all of them making their way up to the blob that hung from the roof.

  I remained where I was and looked down the main sewer. A bit further down Vinnie, Gus and Leo put their noses around the corner of a side-pipe, waiting for things to come. The air was electric and I wondered if the Three Bambini would be able to sense that something was afoot.

  Way back in the distance, I could just make out Daisy, looking on from her prison, her ears forward and whiskers alert. Although she had no idea what was about to happen, I knew she was smart enough not to give us away to the Mob.

  I looked up and saw that the first of the squaddies had reached the blob. No going back now.

  Near Gus and Leo’s old digs, Victor and his two brothers had fallen asleep, surrounded by Gus’ treasure. I could hear their snores from where I was. Victor had taken off his earrings and instead wound a gold necklace a few times round his neck. Further down the rest of the Mafiosi had spread out in the sewer, finding the most comfortable spots to take a nap. Two of them guarded Daisy, but they looked hardly awake.

  The Rat Squad had now surrounded the blob and started gnawing at the edges where it was stuck to the roof. Charlie looked down at me and winked. All was ready. Nerves gripped my throat. It was now or never!

  Taking a few calming breaths, I made my way into the sewer until I was standing right under the blob. I could feel its presence looming over me, dark and gloomy. I was shocked by the effect the thing had on my mood and hoped it would all soon be over.

  Above me, I could hear the Rat Squad gnawing away at the blob and I now also noticed the smell that was coming of the thing. It made me think of fish and chips and my stomach rumbled. How could I be hungry at a time like this?

  I cleared my throat.

  ‘Victor!’ I yelled. My voice rang loud and clear through the sewer. ‘Wake up!’

  The effect was instantaneous. Victor woke up with a start and sat bolt upright, looking about him to see where the voice was coming from. As his eyes focussed on me an evil grin spread across his face.

  ‘Look, brothers,’ he said, poking Dino and Sal awake with a foot. ‘It’s the little Irishman, paying us a visit.’

  Dino and Sal blinked at me as if they couldn’t believe I was really there. Victor got up and strutted towards me, his ears erect and eyes unblinking, not noticing Vinnie, Gus and Leo in the side-pipe.

  ‘You must be tired of your life, Paddy my friend. Why else would you be so stupid to come down here on your own.’ Victor stopped a foot away from me, not close enough yet for our plan to work. I concentrated hard on Victor’s face, to keep me from glancing up at the Rat Squad.

  The other two Bambini were now wide awake and stood behind Victor. They sniggered at Victor’s words and Sal let his muscles ripple under his fur.

  ‘I can’t understand why you hang out with my runty cousins,’ Victor continued. ‘They’re really not the smartest rats in the world, so what does that say about you?’ Behind the Three Bambini, in the sewers, I could see the rest of the Mafiosi slowly waking up. Some of them came closer, ready to pounce at any moment.

  ‘And then take Vinnie,’ Victor said, faking a shiver. ‘That idiot thinks he’s a real Italian, but is too scared to hang out with us. How stupid is that?’

  ‘You know what I think, Victor?’ I looked him deep in the eye without blinking. ‘I think you should pack up your things and leave, before it’s too late.’

  ‘What?’ Victor yelled. He jumped forward and was now nose to nose with me. I could feel his breath on my whiskers. ‘You dare to threaten me? We’ll see about that!’ He motioned with his paw and in a flash the Mafiosi formed a half circle around their boss.

  My heart was in my throat, but I tried to keep calm, pretending I wasn’t fazed by Victor’s power play.

  ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Victor,’ I said. ‘You’d better get out of here quick.’

  ‘Or what? Your little friends are going to turn up and kick us out? Don’t make me laugh.’ He gave me a push with his shoulder. ‘Your time is up, you mangy little bog dwelling runt. You’re the perfect little specimen to make an example of!’

  Dino and Sal jumped forward and grabbed me each by an arm. All I could see was Victor’s face, teeth bared and eyes bulging. Now would be a good time for our plan to start working.

  I tried not to flinch as Victor raised a paw and with care pinched one of my whisker hairs in his fingers. With a quick motion he pulled the hair out. My nose stung and my eyes started watering. I glared at Victor as he jutted his chin at me.

  ‘Fun, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘There’s more where that came from.’ He raised his paw again.

  Suddenly I heard a loud sucking, squelching noise above me. A sense of relief washed over me. It was the sound I had been waiting for.

  The grip Dino and Sal had on my arms slackened. I wrenched myself loose and jumped aside at the same time as Victor and his brothers looked up in confusion, trying to find out where the sound was coming from.

  I made it to the side-pipe just before the blob, with an enormous splash, crashed down into the sewer. It completely engulfed the Three Bambini, trapping them inside.

  Silence came over the sewer as everyone stared at the blob as it lay there, smelling of fish and chips, filling the sewer tunnel.

  Victor managed to get an arm free and wiped the goo out of his eyes. He glared at his Mafiosi, who all had jumped backwards and were now, with wrinkled noses, looking at how the Three Bambini struggled to free themselves from the blob.

  ‘Get me out, you idiots,’ Victor said, spitting out a mouthful of goo.

  The Mafiosi rushed in and started digging through the muck to get their boss out, completely forgetting about me.

  I looked down the sewer and saw that Vinnie, Gus and Leo had already gnawed a hole in the chicken wire that held Daisy captive. As we’d hoped, none of the Mafiosi had been smart enough to leave a guard behind.

  The Rat Squad came rushing down the tunnel walls, ready for the next stage of our plan and I braced myself for what was to come.

  At that moment, a rushing sound came out of nowhere, getting louder and louder. It reverberated through the sewer and the ground trembled under my feet. The ominous sound filled me with dread. Whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  There were a lot of people already at the Fox & Glove, when Jacob and Emily entered. With difficulty they made their way through the gathered crowd in search of Dave and Abe.

  ‘I can’t believe so many people have come here to watch a darts match,’ Emily said, ducking around a guy who suddenly appeared in her way.

  Jacob grinned at her. ‘I told you that Jock Cropper is popular here. He was actually born just around the corner on Church Lane.’

  They spotted Dave and Abe and joined them at one of the bar tables, set up around the pub for the occasion.

  ‘When does it start?’ Emily said.

  Abe looked at his watch. ‘Not for another fifteen minutes.’

  ‘I’ll get some drinks,’ Dave said and started to make his way to the bar.

  Jacob pulled the old school photo Giovanna gave them out of his pocket. ‘Do you recognise this, Abe?’

  Abe studied the picture. ‘Of course I recognise it. It’s a school photo from secondary school.’ He pointed at himself. ‘Look, there’s me.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Emily said, a grin on her face. ‘You were a real geek.’

  Abe glared at her. ‘I wasn’t a geek.’ He looked at the picture again. ‘Well, not very much.’

  Jacob took the picture from him. ‘Can you tell us more about Sarah Miller? She was in your class.�
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  ‘Sarah Miller?’ Abe’s brow wrinkled. ‘I don’t really remember… oh, wait… She was a bit of a wallflower girl. Always got bullied.’ He studied the picture. ‘There she is. She moved away and I never saw her again.’

  ‘Who bullied her?’ Emily said.

  ‘The popular kids, of course. I never paid them much attention. I hung out with a different group of kids.’

  ‘Have you realised that Colleen Frost, the new supply teacher, is actually Sarah Miller?’ Jacob said.

  ‘Really?’ He shook his head. ‘I hadn’t recognised her at all.’

  Dave joined them with the drinks. ‘What are we talking about?’

  ‘Secondary school,’ Emily said.

  ‘Ugh, I never liked it very much.’ Dave pointed a thumb at Jacob. ‘Unlike this one. Top of the class, skipping a year ahead. A regular Einstein.’

  ‘Who were the popular kids in your class, Abe?’ Jacob said, determined to get back to the subject of Colleen.

  Abe looked up at the ceiling. ‘Umm… There were the Baxters. Their father had a large shop on Woolaston Road. And of course the Bandonis with their swarthy looks and fancy restaurant. And then there were the Allsopps. Their father was a horse trainer on the race course.’

  ‘Did Sarah ever want to be one of the popular kids? Or Nate?’

  ‘Nate? No, I don’t think so, although he did hang out with them sometimes.’ Abe took a sip of his pint. ‘But Sarah never wanted to be popular, not that I’m aware of.’

  Peggy appeared at their table.

  ‘I’ve closed the shop,’ she said. ‘There’s no customers any more at all.’

  ‘So Sarah goes by the name of Colleen now, does she?’ Abe said ignoring Peggy. ‘I wonder why?’

  ‘Don’t tell me you are talking about the murders again,’ Peggy said. ‘It’s unhealthy to be so obsessed.’

  Dave snorted. ‘You’re one to talk. You’re nothing but obsessed with that sewer smell.’

  ‘He’s not wrong there,’ Jacob said, then realised what he had said.

  Peggy looked daggers at him. ‘Do you ever want to go for lunch with me again?’

  ‘Ah… err…’ Jacob turned red and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked up to see Emily giggling and Dave winking at him. He glared at them.

  There was a sudden roar in the crowd as on the large TV screen the local darts hero made his appearance.

  ‘Saved by the bell, eh,’ Peggy said, giving Jacob a friendly nudge with her shoulder and a smile. He gave her a quick smile back, then turned his attention to the screen. Saved by the bell, indeed.

  * * *

  ‘I can’t believe he won!’ Emily yelled, jumping up and down in delight. Jacob smiled at Emily’s unexpected enthusiasm.

  ‘You’re turning into a real local girl,’ he said, but she didn’t hear him. Everyone in the pub was going crazy. Jock Cropper’s win was a big deal for Milbury.

  ‘This calls for more beer,’ Dave said and he pushed his way through the dancing and celebrating crowd.

  Jacob looked at his watch. Two hours had gone by and he had consumed several pints. No wonder he needed the loo.

  ‘I’m going to make a quick toilet break,’ Jacob said, but it didn’t seem that any of his companions had heard him. Emily and Peggy were doing a little dance, while Abe tapped a rhythm on the edge of the table.

  Jacob pushed his way through the crowd. To his dismay he could already see a long queue of people waiting outside the corridor to the toilets.

  ‘Is this the end of the queue?’ he said to a little man waving the Union Jack.

  ‘Yep,’ he said. ‘Nothing to do but wait.’

  Jacob nodded and settled in.

  Although the queue moved a little bit, Jacob still hadn’t made it into the actual corridor after five minutes. He wondered if Dave was back with the beer and decided he could wait until he was home again. He dived back into the crowd, giving up his place in the queue. Behind him the visitors of the Fox & Glove kept flushing the toilets, not even thinking about where all the water was going.

  * * *

  Paddy

  The rushing sound continued to get louder and louder. Something had to be wrong.

  Charlie materialised next to me. His eyes glittered and he had a huge grin on his face.

  ‘It worked!’ he said. ‘Now on to Part Two.’ He motioned to his squaddies, who, with almighty roars, pounced on the Mafiosi, who were still digging out the Three Bambini.

  Roger and his rats did the same from the other side and before I knew it, the Rat Squad had engulfed the Mob, pulling at their fur and biting them on the rears.

  Only a few of the Mafiosi managed to fight back, but with their boss still stuck in the goo, they missed the leadership for a coordinated attack. It didn’t take very long before they turned around and fled down the sewer in the direction where Vinnie, Gus and Leo were still gnawing through the chicken wire to get Daisy out.

  ‘Come back, you idiots!’ Victor yelled at them, but it was too late.

  Quite a few of the Rat Squad had stayed behind and with Charlie, they now turned their attention to the Three Bambini.

  Victor spat at them. ‘Don’t think we can’t still beat you.’

  ‘Really?’ Charlie said.

  ‘Yes! You just wait until I get out of this stuff.’ He started clawing the goo to dig himself out, but with little effect. He was well and truly stuck.

  I watched Charlie. Our plan to split up the Mafiosi had worked, but now we still needed to get rid of the Bambini. And to be honest, I didn’t feel like digging them out myself. With my foot I touched a bit of blob that had broken off. It felt squishy and sticky and made a squelching sound as I stepped on it. A shiver went down my back, all the way to the tip of my tail. Ugh… disgusting.

  The Rat Squad was braver than I and started digging the Bambini out. Victor swiped at them with his paw, but to no avail.

  He spotted me and bared his teeth at me. ‘This is all your fault, you runty Irishman! I will get you for this!’

  Ignoring him, I could see in the distance that the Rat Squad had chased the Mafiosi down the sewer past Daisy’s prison. None of them took any notice that there was now a hole large enough for Daisy to crawl through. She was free!

  Vinnie and Leo each grabbed her by an arm and together they rushed to the side-pipe to make their escape.

  Gus, however, instead of ducking into the pipe, ran up to his old digs and started rooting through his treasure. He pulled out a pearl necklace and hung it around his neck, while at the same time, ogling a large pair of diamond earrings. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  ‘Get out of there,’ I yelled at him. ‘Forget about your treasure!’

  ‘No,’ he yelled back. ‘I want to take it with me.’

  ‘Just get Daisy to safety!’ I watched as Gus put two rings around his tail and a third one around his arm.

  ‘Daisy’s safe with Vinnie and Leo,’ Gus said, now rooting through the treasure with both paws and his nose.

  I sighed. How could I make him see sense?

  The ground under my feet trembled, taking my attention away from Gus. I noticed that water had started to trickle past the edges of the blob. With all the things going on, I hadn’t noticed it before. Where did it come from?

  I looked down the sewer and realised that the drains further down had now started spewing water into the sewer at an alarming rate. It rushed past Gus, who was still trying to rescue his treasure. The water level was rising fast and his feet were already getting wet.

  Strangely, my feet were still dry. I looked at the blob as it lay, large and unmoving, in the sewer.

  A shudder went through the walls again. The squaddies that were digging out the Three Bambini, stopped and looked up, sensing something was wrong.

  Charlie came over, his paws sticky with goo. ‘What was that?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ I pointed at the blob. ‘It looks like this thing is keeping the water from flowing out. It can’t go anywhere.’
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br />   Charlie studied the blob. A little water still trickled along the edges of it, but most of it remained trapped behind it. ‘I think you could be right.’

  Another tremor rumbled along.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Victor said. ‘Get me out of this stuff!’

  More water kept being flushed into the sewer, but whatever was upstream behind the blob, couldn’t go anywhere.

  ‘Could it be that the water pressure causes these tremors?’ I said, looking at Charlie.

  He shrugged. ‘I have no idea. This has never happened before.’

  We both looked up at the ceiling. A large crack had appeared in the brick roof above the blob. More tremors ran through the sewer and cracks now appeared in the walls as well. My stomach rolled. This was not good.

  ‘We need to get out of here,’ I said, as I saw from the corner of my eye that the crack in the ceiling widened. Bits and pieces of brick started to fall down.

  ‘You go and warn Gus,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ll take care of the Rat Squad.’

  I ran down the sewer, being splashed by the water that gushed out of the drains, soaking me in no time.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw that Charlie directed the rest of the Rat Squad into the side-pipe, leaving the half dug out Bambini to fend for themselves.

  Gus looked up in confusion when I suddenly appeared beside him. ‘What is happening?’

  ‘We need to go,’ I yelled at him over the sound of the rushing water and started pulling his arm. ‘The roof is coming down.’

  ‘Not without my treasure,’ Gus yelled. He dug his heels in and rooted through the pile of bling some more.

  I glared at him.

  ‘You need to come with me!’ I gave him a kick up his backside to get him moving.

  ‘Ouch, have you gone mad?’ He rubbed his bum with his paw. I didn’t pay him any attention, as at that moment I saw the crack in the roof widen even more, forming little side cracks, like a lightning bolt. Whole bricks, sand and gravel now came down.

  ‘Run!’ I said. ‘We have no time to lose.’