Chaos Descends. Shane Hegarty

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      They hurried the ten members of the Twelve and their assistants from the house without wanting to give the impression they were pushing them out.

      They jumped in the car without wanting to give the impression they were hurrying anywhere in particular.

      They tracked Broonie through Darkmouth without wanting to look like they were tracking anything at all.

      Blip went the scanner.

      “I can’t believe he escaped,” went Hugo.

      “Sorry,” said Finn.

      “Just as the Council of Twelve turns up.”

      “I know.”

      “While Half-Hunters are being vaporised by Mr Glad.”

      “That bit’s hardly my fault,” said Finn. He wasn’t so sure, though.

      The scanner told them the Hogboon was scampering around the centre of the town, apparently in some kind of panic judging by the pattern. In and out of alleyways, trying to find ways into backyards, hugging the edges of every wall. But one thing was clear. He was heading towards Broken Road, and the calm of the unsuspecting people of Darkmouth was about to be shattered.

      “There’s to be no screwing up this time,” said Hugo, with such a grip on the steering wheel that his knuckles were white.

      “You’re the one who left me alone with a choking Hogboon,” replied Finn. “Anyway, you’re just taking all this out on me because the Council of Twelve has shown up and you’re trying to pretend we’re in control of things.”

      “Hold that Desiccator,” said Hugo sternly. “We’re about to turn sharply.”

      He swung the car round a corner while Finn held the Desiccator on his lap, praying it wouldn’t accidentally discharge and shrink the car door. Or the entire car.

      It wouldn’t be the first time Finn had accidentally shrunk something. Almost a year ago, when Mr Glad first turned on them, Finn had desiccated half a fishing boat in the harbour. Still, compared to some unfortunate Legend Hunters of the past, he wasn’t doing too badly. Most famous was André the Clumsy, who had inadvertently desiccated his mother-in-law during their very first meeting – which wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t been on a bicycle at the time. It is said to have taken him four weeks to properly separate the woman from the bike, and even then a bell rang every time she hiccuped.

      “What’s in the briefcase, Dad?” Finn asked.

      “Briefcase?”

      “The one that assistant had chained to his wrist.”

      “I can’t tell you.”

      “I know you’d tell me if you needed to,” responded Finn.

      “It’s the worst thing I can imagine,” said Hugo. “So we’re going to make sure they don’t need to open it. Now tell me where Broonie is on that scanner.”

      “He’s gone into Scraper’s Lane,” said Finn, watching their target move on the map. “Hold on, he’s back out on Broken Road now.”

      At that moment, his father pressed on the accelerator in order to dash through the lights just as they went from orange to red, a short scream of the tyres giving an indication of his urgency. Hugo almost clipped the front edge of a small oncoming car, and gave the driver a wave of forced jolliness that was supposed to make up for the fact he had almost crushed him pancake-flat.

      They arrived at the top end of Broken Road.

      “There!” shouted Finn, pointing towards a spot further down the road, where the scanner said Broonie should be. The place was obscured by parked cars and the usual mix of Darkmouth locals and Half-Hunter tourists. None seemed as yet to have noticed the rogue Legend.

      “Let’s draw up slowly beside him,” said Hugo, keeping his speed steady. “Get good and close for a shot.”

      They СКАЧАТЬ