Tunnels: What Happens Next? - Merchant Taylors’ School 11+
Source extract
Will gazed up at the arching roof of the cavern above them. 'You know, by now we must nearly be under the High Street.'
Peering into the windows and soaking up the strangeness of the ancient shops, they kept walking, driven by their careless curiosity until they came to a place where the tunnel split into three. The centre fork appeared to descend into the earth at a marked angle.
'Right, that's it,' Chester said resolutely. 'We're leaving now. I'm not going to get lost down here.' All his instincts were screaming that they should turn back.
'All right,' Will agreed, 'but - '
He was just stepping off the pavement on to the cobbled road when there was an ear-splitting crash of iron on stone. In a blinding flash, four white horses bore down on him, sparks spraying from their hooves, breathing hard and pulling behind them a sinister black coach. Will didn't have time to react, as that very instant they were both yanked off their feet and hoisted into the air by the scruffs of their necks.
A single man held them both, dangling helplessly, in his huge gnarled hands.
'Interlopers!' the man shouted, his voice fierce and gravelly as he lifted the pair up to his face and inspected them with a look of repugnance. Will tried to bring his spade up to beat him off, but it was wrestled from his grip.
Will caught sight of a five-pointed star of orange-gold material stitched into the man's coat. Their massive, menacing captor was clearly some sort of policeman.
'Help,' Chester mouthed silently at his friend, his voice deserting him as they were buffeted about in the man's vice-like grip.
'We've been expecting you,' the man rumbled.
'Put me down!' Will tried to swivel around, kicking out at the man.
'No use wriggling.' The man hoisted the struggling boy even higher in the air. In sheer desperation, Chester tried to head-butt the man. He jerked his face away, but not before Chester, with a wild swing of his arm, had swiped his helmet. But Will hardly noticed any of this. His attention had been seized by a tall, thin individual standing beside a lamp-post, whose hard face was set atop a stark white collar and long, dark coat that reflected the light as if it was made from polished leather. He stood out strikingly from the squat people about him, his shoulders slightly bent over like a highly strung bow. His whole being emanated evil and his dark eyes never left Will's, who felt a wave of dread wash over him.
Writing task
What happens next?
Carry on from where the Tunnels extract finishes. Start with the line, 'His whole being emanated evil and his dark eyes never left Will's, who felt a wave of dread wash over him' and continue the story. You don't have to end the story; write 3-4 detailed paragraphs in which you describe what happens next.
💡 Writing Tips
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- Use the exact compulsory first line.
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- Keep Will, Chester and their captors in the scene.
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- Write three or four full paragraphs.
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- Develop one danger rather than many unrelated surprises.
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- It is fine to finish on a cliffhanger.
📝 Sample Answer
His whole being emanated evil and his dark eyes never left Will's, who felt a wave of dread wash over him. “Bring them here,” the stranger said. His voice was quiet, yet the enormous policeman obeyed at once. Will and Chester were lowered to the cobbled street, although a heavy hand remained on each shoulder. Above them, the black coach waited with its horses stamping impatiently.
Will tried to meet Chester’s eyes. His friend looked pale, but he gave the smallest possible nod towards a narrow alley behind the lamp-post. Their spade lay beside the policeman’s boots. If only they could reach it. The tall man unfolded a scrap of paper and studied Will’s face. “You have been digging where you do not belong,” he murmured. “And now you have found something we have been trying to hide.”
A bell sounded somewhere in the underground town. Instantly, the policeman turned his head. Chester seized the chance to twist free and dart towards the alley. “Will, run!” he shouted. Will stamped on the giant’s foot and slipped from his grip. They raced between the buildings as angry cries rose behind them.
At the far end of the alley stood an iron door, barely visible beneath trailing vines. Chester pulled at its handle. Locked. Then Will saw a five-pointed star carved into the stone beside it—the same symbol on the policeman’s coat. From the street behind them came the slow tap of a walking stick. The stranger was approaching.
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