Virus Attack by Andy Briggs Read Free Book Online

pulled on his companion’s sleeve. “Knock it off, Knucks. We’ve got a … er … class … remember?” He jerked a thumb across the yard.
    To Pete’s amazement Knuckles backed off and they hurried across the yard without another glance. From bitter experience Pete knew he should at least have gotten a numbing punch in the arm.
    Mr. Rush gave Pete a stern glance when he ran into the classroom.
    â€œAh, Peter Kendall. Good of you to take time from your busy schedule to join us.”
    Snickers of laughter rippled across the room.
    â€œSorry, sir. I was—”
    â€œOut saving the world, I would imagine. Now sit down, we have a lot to get through today. I’ve teamed you up in pairs. You’re with Miss Forshaw.”
    Pete glanced at Toby, who had been paired with a cute Asian girl. Pete reluctantly moved to his seat next to a girl who was almost twice his size and scared him almost as much as Knuckles did.
    The lesson crawled along as Mr. Rush extolled the virtues of the book they were being forced to read. Pete had been told it was a classic, but he couldn’t see why. Nothing happened and all and the characters spoke in an old-fashioned way. But he dutifully took notes as the teacher tried to explain
why
the story was so important.
    A slight noise made Pete glance up and he saw Toby had knocked his pen off the desk. Either that or the pen had tried to commit suicide out of boredom. Toby reached down, and his arm extended by half its length so that he could comfortably pick up the pen. His arm looked as though it was made from rubber.
    Pete watched, stunned. Toby stared at his arm, which had now shrunk back to normal. He quickly looked around the room to check that nobody had seen that display of inhuman power. No one paid him any attention. When he noticed Pete staring dumbly at him itseemed, to Pete at least, he
tried
to act surprised and mouthed the word, “Wow!”
    Pete felt crushed. His suspicions had been confirmed: Toby had been downloading superpowers without the rest of them knowing. Toby and Lorna fought for days when she had suggested that they should let the world know about their abilities and cash in on the fame. Pete had sided with her; fame certainly meant money. And right now his family was penniless. But Toby had taken the moral high ground, telling them all to act responsibly.
    The traitor!
    Pete didn’t listen for the rest of the class. His mind was elsewhere as he stared at the words in the book. He thought about how he was going to confront Toby. He felt sick from the betrayal.
    Pete shot up a hand. “Sir—I feel sick!”
    He didn’t wait for permission, but ran from the classroom holding his stomach.
    The corridors were mercifully empty as Pete ran down them. The queasy feeling in his stomach had ebbed the moment he left class. He exited the block and walked out into the teachers’ parking lot, where he leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
    Why would Toby lie?
    A sudden thump startled him as the door he’d come through was kicked open and hit the wall with force. Knuckles and Big Tony sprinted out wearing frightened expressions. They froze when they caught sight of Pete and looked wildly around before accepting that he wasn’t a threat. Then their panic changed to a predatory gaze.
    A quick glance around the empty parking lot confirmed that Pete was trapped and alone. Big Tony nervously glanced back the way they had come.
    â€œCoast’s clear,” he said.
    Knuckles composed himself. Deliberately stretched his neck from one side to the other with a horrible crack, and then popped the knuckles on both his fists.
    â€œHow’s it going, Prof?” he said, advancing a step. “Shouldn’t you be in class, like a good brainiac?”
    Pete’s eyes darted side to side as he looked for an exit. He felt the words tumbling out before he could stop them. “Shouldn’t you both be back in