Read Cracks for Free Online

me!’ But he carries on walking, head down and hands in pockets.
    I run faster from Pigface’s pounding footsteps behind me.
    ‘I’m coming to get you, Cal!’ His voice has slowed down to a terrible drawl.
    The boy opens a door near the end of the corridor and disappears through it. I run after him, praying it will open, and it does. I fumble with the lock on the inside of the door and can hear
Pigface’s fists thump against it in frustration.
    The boy is facing a big window with his back to me.
    ‘Hey!’ I shout but he ignores me. His shoulders start heaving up and down like he’s laughing or crying. I can’t tell which. Light blazes into the room so the edges of him
are all fuzzy and undefined. Maybe he’s got a knife. Maybe he’ll turn round and plunge it straight into me. But I want to see his face. Talk to him. I can’t seem to get near
though; it’s almost like I’m walking on the spot. I start running as fast I as can, my feet slamming against the stone floor.
    Sharp pains creep up my arms and legs. I can’t get my breath now and my lungs pull and strain for air. A voice whispers something right next to me.
    ‘Who’s there?’ I gasp, spinning round to look but there’s no one else in the room. It’s just me and the boy. A harsh beep, beep, beep starts up all around
until I think my eardrums are going to pop like balloons. Suddenly, the noise stops and everything goes silent. The boy turns round.
    And I’m looking into my own face.

 

 

    I ’m in deep water. I want to stay here but I can’t stop myself from soaring upwards towards the surface. There’s an explosion of
light and sound and I gasp as I break the skin. My mouth feels like an animal died in it and there’s a horrible sick smell around me.
    I’m huddled in the corner of a room looking up at a face. The face belongs to a man who’s thin and pale, with glasses. He’s bald. He smiles and stretches out a hand but
something seems to shrivel inside me and I don’t want to touch him for some reason.
    ‘Welcome back, Callum. You’ve been away a long time,’ he says in a posh, deep voice.
    I gawp and try to speak but all that comes out is a croaking sound. I try again.
    ‘What happened?’ My voice sounds rusty, like it hasn’t been used for ages and my throat hurts like mad.
    The man gestures with his hand. ‘Let’s get you on your feet and then I can answer your questions.’
    I’m wearing hospital-like clothes and I can feel my hair is hanging down around my collar. How long have I been here? I get unsteadily to my feet and look around.
    Along with Baldy there’s another bloke, younger, with a beard, wearing blue hospital scrubs. I’m in a room that looks like it hasn’t been used for ages. There are piles of
boxes and a mop in an old bucket, just like the one I used at Riley Hall.
    I have so many questions but I can’t get my mouth to work properly. A wave of nausea swirls inside me.
    ‘Steady,’ says the other man but I bend over and puke all over the shoes of Baldy, who yelps and jumps back.
    ‘Sorry,’ I mumble.
    ‘It’s fine,’ says Baldy, shaking the sick off his shoe with a grimace. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up, Callum.’
    ‘Cal,’ I say, even though it’s about the least important thing I could possibly say at this moment. ‘It’s Cal.’
    I don’t know what will happen next. Dogs could start talking and it could rain pink frogs right now. It wouldn’t be stranger than what’s already happening.
    ‘Right,’ says the man. ‘Let’s get you back to your room and we can talk.’
    My room? My room ?
    ‘Where am I?’ I say at last.
    ‘Well, at the moment you’re in an old storeroom. Looks like you went on a walkabout. We had some trouble finding you this morning. But I’ll explain properly when we get you
back to your room, as I said.’
    OK, now I get it. I went mad, just like I thought, and got myself locked in a loony bin. I bet Des loved it when they carted me away.
    I dumbly