The Poison Factory by Oisin McGann Page B

lines and lines of them stretching out before them.
    ‘How are we going to find the little guy in here?’ Damo groaned softly, his hands waving in front of him. ‘This is freaking me out. I think we should get out of here, and call in the cops.’
    ‘They’d never believe us. They know what we’re like,’ Gaz replied. ‘We’re going to have to find him ourselves. We’re going to get him out of here, and then I’m going to give him a right kick up the bum for scaring us. Now, come on.’
    They walked past the stacks of containers until they came to the wall of a building. The sound of an engine made them duck behind a pile of metal barrels, and a forklift drove past. It had driven out of a large door off to one side. Gaz waved at the others to follow him, and they crept inside the building.
    There were more pallets inside, with thousandsof small bottles and packages stacked up and bound with plastic sheeting.
    ‘Hey guys!’ Damo whispered. ‘Check it out! There’s pirates here!’
    He was pointing at a label that had a skull-and-crossbones on it. Hayley thumped his arm.

    ‘That’s the sign for poison , you tur nip!’ she sneered. ‘Don’t you know anything?’
    ‘They’ve all got that label,’ Gaz said. ‘Everything in here’s poisonous. I wonder what it is?’
    ‘Oh, all sorts of useful things,’ a voice said from behind them.
    They all spun round, and then froze. Standing right there, right in front of them, was a tall, spindly manwith a sticking-out belly, large, bony hands and feet, and a face that looked like it had never seen a good night’s sleep. Dressed in a white coat, he was smiling, showing teeth that barely clung to his gums.
    ‘It’s alright, there’s no need to be afraid,’ he reassured them. ‘I just work here, I’m nobody. My name’s Cornelius. Welcome to the factory! Are you here to inquire about our poisons?’
    ‘We’re looking for–’ Gaz began.
    ‘We have whatever you need!’ Cornelius cut him off. ‘And this year our range is bigger and more exciting than ever! Our customers come from all over the world, and from every walk of life. From secret agents to evil queens; from wicked witches to sinister sorcerors …’
    ‘We’re trying to–’ Gaz tried to interrupt.
    ‘… from alien invaders to desperate babysitters; from pygmies to politicians, gangsters to grandmothers, mad scientists to– eh?’
    He stopped short when Gaz poked him in the belly.
    ‘We’re looking for my little brother,’ Gaz said, folding his arms and sticking his chin out to hide his nervousness. ‘He came in here a few minutes ago, and then we heard him screaming. Now he’s gone missing. If you know where he is, you’d better tell us, right?’

    The man lifted one hand to tap a long fingernail against his teeth. The teeth r attled with each tap.
    ‘Screaming, you say? Hmmmm. Missing?’, he muttered, looking more and more worried as he tapped. ‘Hmmmmmm. Not good. Not good at all.’
    He threw a fearful glance towards the dark shadows of the warehouse. Then he bent down and spoke to the children in a careful whisper.
    ‘It sounds as if your young friend has fallen into the hands of our Head Of Security, Molars. An ogre of a man; over-large and ever-so-slightly monstrous. I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt your young friend, but his appearance alone can be a cause for alarm. It’s the extra eye, you understand, and the nose covered in warts. And the teeth sticking out of his chin … I sometimes feel like screaming when I look at him – and I’ve known him for years.’
    ‘What … what do we do?’ Hayley asked, her teeth gnawing away at the last of her thumbnail. ‘How do we get Joey back?’
    ‘You’ll need to bribe Molars,’ the man told them. ‘He’s a terror for kidnapping people, but he’s got a real sweet tooth. Now, let me see here …’
    He fumbled around inside his coat, searching for something.
    ‘Ah! Here we are!’
    Pulling a bag from his pocket, he held it