sticks.
Keeping trees between himself and his target, he moved quietly towards the car. There was a point where he had to move across an open patch of ground to get to another tree big enough to give him cover. He hurled a stick above the Mazda and was gratified to see Shane’s head turn sharply away at the sound of it landing. Quickly he crept to the new tree. Only fifteen yards to go now, and Shane’s head was still turned away from him, seeking any glimpse of his friend on the opposite side of the car.
Davey didn’t even need the second stick. He crossed the last few yards like a cat and grabbed Shane’s neck in the crook of his elbow.
‘This is a kidnap,’ he said harshly. ‘Move and you’re dead.’
‘Shit,’ said Shane.
Davey started to manhandle Shane out of the car.
‘You’re hurting!’ yelled Shane.
‘It’s a
kidnap
. It’s got to be realistic,’ panted Davey.
Shane made it more realistic by struggling and trying to punch Davey in the face, while Davey hauled Shane out of the door, pushed him down into the wild garlic, pulled a length of twine from his jeans pocket and tried to tie his hands behind him.
‘Owwww! Shit, Davey!’ Shane wriggled free and knelt up, flushed and angry. ‘You always go too far.’ His mother sometimes said that about
him
, and it had a wonderfully self-righteous ring to it.
‘Oh, bullshit,’ said Davey dismissively. ‘It’s no fun if it’s not real. Anyway, I win.’
‘My turn,’ said Shane, and they swapped places.
Davey didn’t like being the victim half as much as being the kidnapper. Once Shane had disappeared, the sudden silence of the woods was unnerving and wherever he looked the back of his neck always felt exposed. It was as if the trees themselves were watching him. He became aware of his heart beating and didn’t like it. He kept craning round to see where Shane was, but couldn’t see him or even hear him.
Shit. If Shane was going to be better at Kidnap than he was, then they wouldn’t play it again.
He scanned the woods methodically but without luck.
It was creepy, this vast silence under the green canopy. A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves and, from somewhere beyond his vision, a tree creaked and groaned as if in pain. Far above his head, he heard the mechanical drill of a woodpecker.
‘Shane?’ he said tentatively. ‘Hey, Shane! Come out, I just noticed the time. We’d better go.’ It was only five o’clock, but he could say he’d promised to weed the garden or something.
‘Shane?’
Davey wriggled up into a kneeling position and looked out across the back of the car into the darkening woods. He strained his eyes and tried to hear any movement that would give his friend away – but all he could hear was his own shallow breathing and his heart beating in his ears.
‘Shane, you div!’
Something grabbed him so hard from behind that it made him grunt, then yanked him sideways and over the door of the car so that he fell headfirst to the ground. A knee in his back and a mouthful of fern.
‘I win!’ yelled Shane, and pushed Davey’s face once more into the cool leaves for good measure, before standing up, laughing.
Davey was so relieved it was only Shane that for a moment he just lay there, face down, pulling himself together again. Then he arced his fist out to the side and slammed it into Shane’s knee so hard that his friend joined him on the forest floor with a shout of pain.
Davey got up and stood over him. ‘You
cheat
.’
‘I didn’t cheat.’ Shane sat up, holding his knee. ‘You almost broke my leg, you
tosser
.’
Davey was about to come back at him, but suddenly the idea of falling out with Shane and having to walk home alone through the forest made him bite back his own insult.
‘Sorry, mate,’ he said instead, and extended his hand. Shane looked at it suspiciously, then allowed himself to be helped up.
‘You OK?’ said Davey, and his friend’s unusual deference made Shane similarly
Keeping trees between himself and his target, he moved quietly towards the car. There was a point where he had to move across an open patch of ground to get to another tree big enough to give him cover. He hurled a stick above the Mazda and was gratified to see Shane’s head turn sharply away at the sound of it landing. Quickly he crept to the new tree. Only fifteen yards to go now, and Shane’s head was still turned away from him, seeking any glimpse of his friend on the opposite side of the car.
Davey didn’t even need the second stick. He crossed the last few yards like a cat and grabbed Shane’s neck in the crook of his elbow.
‘This is a kidnap,’ he said harshly. ‘Move and you’re dead.’
‘Shit,’ said Shane.
Davey started to manhandle Shane out of the car.
‘You’re hurting!’ yelled Shane.
‘It’s a
kidnap
. It’s got to be realistic,’ panted Davey.
Shane made it more realistic by struggling and trying to punch Davey in the face, while Davey hauled Shane out of the door, pushed him down into the wild garlic, pulled a length of twine from his jeans pocket and tried to tie his hands behind him.
‘Owwww! Shit, Davey!’ Shane wriggled free and knelt up, flushed and angry. ‘You always go too far.’ His mother sometimes said that about
him
, and it had a wonderfully self-righteous ring to it.
‘Oh, bullshit,’ said Davey dismissively. ‘It’s no fun if it’s not real. Anyway, I win.’
‘My turn,’ said Shane, and they swapped places.
Davey didn’t like being the victim half as much as being the kidnapper. Once Shane had disappeared, the sudden silence of the woods was unnerving and wherever he looked the back of his neck always felt exposed. It was as if the trees themselves were watching him. He became aware of his heart beating and didn’t like it. He kept craning round to see where Shane was, but couldn’t see him or even hear him.
Shit. If Shane was going to be better at Kidnap than he was, then they wouldn’t play it again.
He scanned the woods methodically but without luck.
It was creepy, this vast silence under the green canopy. A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves and, from somewhere beyond his vision, a tree creaked and groaned as if in pain. Far above his head, he heard the mechanical drill of a woodpecker.
‘Shane?’ he said tentatively. ‘Hey, Shane! Come out, I just noticed the time. We’d better go.’ It was only five o’clock, but he could say he’d promised to weed the garden or something.
‘Shane?’
Davey wriggled up into a kneeling position and looked out across the back of the car into the darkening woods. He strained his eyes and tried to hear any movement that would give his friend away – but all he could hear was his own shallow breathing and his heart beating in his ears.
‘Shane, you div!’
Something grabbed him so hard from behind that it made him grunt, then yanked him sideways and over the door of the car so that he fell headfirst to the ground. A knee in his back and a mouthful of fern.
‘I win!’ yelled Shane, and pushed Davey’s face once more into the cool leaves for good measure, before standing up, laughing.
Davey was so relieved it was only Shane that for a moment he just lay there, face down, pulling himself together again. Then he arced his fist out to the side and slammed it into Shane’s knee so hard that his friend joined him on the forest floor with a shout of pain.
Davey got up and stood over him. ‘You
cheat
.’
‘I didn’t cheat.’ Shane sat up, holding his knee. ‘You almost broke my leg, you
tosser
.’
Davey was about to come back at him, but suddenly the idea of falling out with Shane and having to walk home alone through the forest made him bite back his own insult.
‘Sorry, mate,’ he said instead, and extended his hand. Shane looked at it suspiciously, then allowed himself to be helped up.
‘You OK?’ said Davey, and his friend’s unusual deference made Shane similarly
Similar Books
