Hunter Moran Digs Deep Read Online Free PDF

bird-gunked statue of St. Egbert.
    Ahead of us is the open schoolyard gate. And ahead of us, for one brief second, is Fred’s skinny brown tail.
    And then he’s gone.
    Completely gone.
    I lean against the brick wall of the school, one bare foot in the air. Next to me, Zack is furious. “That dog is almost as much trouble as Linny,” he mutters.
    I look around, ready to yell, “Give me your paw!” I’m that desperate.
    We circle the school one more time. And then . . .
    Zack’s eyes open wide. He raises one finger to point.
    What does he see?
    Nothing but a brick wall. And behind the bushes, a little graffiti. SCHOOL SUCS . No doubt it was written by Bradley the Bully. I think about his brothers. Bigger. Stronger. Bigger bullies.
    When Sister Appolonia sees it, she’ll have him wash down the wall. She’s the only one I know who’s tougher than he is.
    But then I see what Zack’s looking at. Hidden behind a pile of crumpled leaves, a few sticks and stones, there’s a half-open door, not even kid-sized, it’s that small. “It’s like Snow White and the Eight or Nine Dwarfs,” Zack says.
    â€œYou mean What’s-Her-Face in Wonderland,” I say.
    But then it comes to me. Coal chute. That’s what Yulefski was talking about.
    Zack nods. “Pop told me about that once. In the olden days, they heated the school with lumps of coal. A truck came in and dumped them down—”
    We hear a yip.
    Fred’s yip.
    I open the door farther, stick my head in. Down in the darkness, I see a pair of eyes.
    Fred’s eyes.
    â€œHere, boy,” I say, snapping my fingers.
    Boy doesn’t here.
    â€œIt’s too slippery for him to climb back up,” Zack says.
    I know it. There’s only one thing to do.
    We have to slide down there.
    I try not to think about how we’ll get up again.

Chapter 8
    I poke in my head. It just fits. Suppose I get stuck? I’ll be wedged in here forever, breathing dust, dirt, and sticky cobwebs.
    Think positively, Sister Appolonia would say. All right. My neck’s no problem. It’s skinny as a pretzel.
    But here come my shoulders. Squeeze, I tell them.
    At that moment, Zack grabs my two feet, stones embedded in one of them, and gives me a gigantic push.
    Then . . .
    Yeow.
    I’m not stuck; I’m hurtling down into the darkness, like that rocket on TV. Last Sunday, it headed toward extinction as it crashed into a giant metropolis.
    Steadman screamed through the whole thing.
    I’m screaming now, too.
    Something is crushing me, coming fast.
    It’s Zack behind me, hurtling to extinction as well. I just hope Fred gets out of the way.
    Too bad my mouth is wide open. Something has just passed my teeth, down my throat. It’s one of those huge black spiders, I know it is.
    We reach the bottom, but we don’t stop. We barrel across the dirt floor, heads banging, stones digging into us, arms scraping against cement walls.
    I take a breath.
    Wait a minute.
    I pat the dirt floor next to me.
    Could it be?
    Yes, Fred has led us to the treasure’s burial ground.
    Then it hits me. What about snakes? What about rattlers, cobras, pythons, all guarding the treasure?
    Far above us is a huge sound. The wind—I hope it’s the wind and not Bradley—has slammed the door shut.
    We’re in total darkness, with hardly any room to move. And who knows what venomous things are moving around us?
    The birthday party seems miles away.
    Linny will be furious; we’re supposed to give out the party favors, stale puppy biscuits and rolled-up liver dog treats wrapped in blue cellophane so the guests don’t see what they’re getting.
    Zack and I drag ourselves up against the wall and sit there, just breathing. “Letting the dirt settle,” Zack mutters, trying for a laugh.
    I’m not laughing. No one will look for us until dinner.
    By bedtime, William will have moved