PENGUIN READERS

Run For Your Life

Stephen Waller
The big street with its cafes and shops and people was
behind them now. They walked slowly.
It was quiet. Away from the cars and the noise, Kim
was excited. She held on to Dave's hand.
They were in a narrow street of tall houses and small
shops, They heard a radio through an open window. A
woman singing. Kim stopped and listened, but she did
not understand the words. Her Spanish was good, but
not very good!

I
It was the fourth day of their stay in Barcelona. Today Kim and Dave were not with their school
Kim and Dave were seventeen. They had the same friends. Dave did not want to go by bus. He wanted to

Spanish teacher at school in Liverpool, a big town in look round the old town. Not the famous buildings.
England.
£

Do you want to talk Spanish?' their teacher Not the big shopping streets with the banks and cafes
said /Well, go to Spain!* and bookshops. He was interested in the little streets
There were eight of them from the same behind the old market. The 'dangerous' old town,
4

school on this holiday. They went to people said. But Dave was not frightened. There are
hi
school every morning and talked dangerous" streets in Liverpool, too,' he said.
Spanish. Then, in the afternoons,
they usually went out by bus and
saw something in Barcelona —
importan t buildings, famous
pictures, old photographs.
Something new every day.
 They did not try to remember the names of the Suddenly, there was a noise in one of the houses. A
They did not have a street plan. At every comer
streets. door opened and a man in a black shirt and jeans ran
they stopped and looked. Then they came to an out. He stood at the open door and looked back into
interesting little street It was very narrow. Very old, they the house. Then he ran across die street.

thought. Dave took a photograph. 'Ishe coming over here?' Kim asked. There was
something frightening about the man.
Dave did not answer. The man ran to the corner and
looked around. Then he ran away

Kim looked up. The houses were very tall. The

windows up there were in the sun. But down in the
street it was dark.
They came to a little open place with two or three
trees and sat down. It was quiet.

I 5
 There were shouts from the house. A second man There was, a brown box in the bin. E>ave took it out
ran out into the street. He had long hair and dark and opened it. A small white bag fell out.
glasses. He stood in the road arid looked round. 9

'Drugs! he said/We'll take this to the police/

'Perhaps he's looking for that man in the black shirt;

said Dave. 'And look! He's got a gun!'
Kim looked, Dave was right! The long-haired man
ran across die street and went round the corner Kim took the little white bag and held it in her
'Let's get away from here; Kim said. 'I don't like this*' hand. She was suddenly very frightened. She looked
But Dave was excited. 'Let's go and have a look in round. Behind them there was a man, there under the
that rubbish bin/ he said. Watching them.
trees.

6 7
 The man moved, Kim looked at die fejatg in her hand. Kim opened her mouth but the words did not conic
Suddenly she knew. 1

out. 'Oh, Dave, she thou gin, 'do something!' But Dave
'Dave, that man - he's back! He's here! she
1

said. did not move-

1 he man was very near diem now. He was not very Then she saw the knife in the man's hand. She
tall, with a thin, white face and dark, dangerous eyes. She ran into a small
started to run. street on the left.
1

( live it to me, he said in Spanish. lis frightening

I She ran down two or three
eyes moved quickly from Kim to Dave and back to
Kim.
 1

"Quick, she thought. 'I can't stop,' Kim looked round, There was a door in the building.
But all the streets were the same. Where was she She ran to it, It opened! She went in and shut the door
now? Suddenly, she came round a corner and her legs behind her.
went cold. The street did not go through - it stopped.
There were some cars and a big old building. An old
mien perhaps. But there was no road through.
1.1,

Kin looked back. The man stood at the corner and

i

waited. He started to walk slowly down the street.

Noise. People, Women. Talking, shouting, moving

their arms. The market! She was in the market in the

old town, near the big shopping street. That door was a
back door to the market and the big street w as
r
very
near.

1 I
 She started to walk through the market. She was in a
slow-moving river of people with heavy shopping
bags. She moved with the river. Every time one
person stopped and looked at some fruit or fish,

all of them stopped. Kim wanted to go

quickly but it was not easy. All

these women with bags of food

for the familv!

Then, in the sea of faces,

Kim saw those same dark

eyes again. Watching
hen He was here in

the market!

Kim started to rim. There were

shopping bags under her teet. She
fell and got up again. People shouted at

her. One woman tried to catch hold of her,

but Kim did not stop,
Then she looked back.The man was not behind her
now. Perhaps she was wrong. Those eyes - perhaps it
was not the same man. She saw the big street now. She
saw the sun and the trees.

12. 13
 Suddenly, a hand came down on her arm and held Kiin sat in the car with Dave. There was a man with
on to her, Ana. He had long hair and dark glasses. Now Kim
'Arc yon Kim Steele?' the woman asked. She was understood: he was a policeman, too.
tall, about thirty. She had a friendly look. She gave Ana the white bag and asked about
little

Kim did not understand. 'Yes,' she started to say/but the man with "He sells drugs, is that it?'
the knife.

how do you T . . .
'That's right/ Ana said. She looked at the Ion g-h aired

Then, in the woman's hand, she saw a photo and, in man. *Nacho here nearly caught him in his house. You
Spanish, the word POLICE, saw diat.Vidal - that's his name - was lucky. He got
away. But we want him, and you can do something for
us.'

Nacho smiled.
'Y-y-yes,' Kim said slowly/but . .
.*

The policewoman smiled, *Your friend Dave found

us, I !e s in the car. Conic with ma

14 15
 Kim said 'yes' and Nacho talked on the car radio. She was back in the same street now. There was the
Then they drove round behind the market, Kim got house, The door was shut. And there was the rubbish
out and shut the car door. She walked to the corner, bin- Two or three people came down the street. Kim
then she looked back. Ana smiled at her. Dave s face walked slowly across the road. She looked round, then
was very white. up at the windows of the houses. She waked.

Kim was frightened. These things were exciting in

the cinema, but this was not a game. Ana and Nacho
were there - she knew that. Bnt this Vidal was clever.
Perhaps he knew about their little plan. And he was
dangerous.

IS 1:9
 Then sfce saw him. The black shirt, the thin face, A car drove round the corner very quickly and
those eyes - it wasVidal. He was very near hen stopped. Ana and Nacho jumped out. They held guns.
Ana shouted.

Vidal suddenly jumped at

Kim and caught her, Kim tried

to hit him, to get away, but he held

on to her hair. He was thin, but strong.
Then she saw the knife.
1
'You'll be sorry, Vidal! Naeho shouted.
"You can't get out of here. Think, man!*

Kini looked across the street. She was ready to run,

then she heardVidal. He said something, the same thing
again and again.
'Whats he saying?' Kim thought. Ms he talking to
me?'
She looked at him. He did not move. Only his

mouth moved. This time she understood the words.

'Give it to me or you're dead,' he said.

21
 ButVidal held on to Kirn. He shouted to the police. Suddenly, tjiere were excited shouts from behind the
'Get back in the car, or I'll do itV police car. It was Dave. He ran across the street.
7

He held the knife near Kim's face. She shut her eyes. 'What's he dmn^? Kim thought/Does he
Time moved very slowly. She saw a face at the window want to see me dead?'

of one of th e houses across the road. Ana tried to stop him. 'Come
Ana and Nacho moved back to the car. Their guns back! Tins nun is dangerous!' she

were ready, but Vidal stood behind Kim. shouted.

Dave ran to the rubbish bin.
He stopped, took the bin
in his hands and held it up
over his head. Then he
threw it +

22 23
 The rubbish bin went over Kim's head and hit Vidal. Later, they drove back to the hotel in a police car. Kim
Rubbish fell round his feet, He fell. Kim quickly took looked at Dave.
the knife from his hand and threw it away.

Don't say it! I know. It

was dangerous. But I saw the bin

and I thought, well* you know . . . I

wanted to do something. I see these

things in the cinema, There's always
a strong man. Today I was the
strong man.

There were excited shouts. Kim looked up. It was

Ana and Nacho,
'He's all yours, now,' said Dave,
Nacho held Vidals hands behind his back and took
him away. Kim fell into Ana s arms,

24
25
 .

ACTIVITIES 7 Read pages 20-26. Who says these things? Write Kim, Vidai,
Ana, Dave or Nacho.

Before you read

a
l

Give it to me or you're dead

1

1 Look at the pictures on pages 1-10, What are the people b We've got guns. 1

c This man is dangerous.'

doing? Where are they? What are they going to do?
at the Word List at the back of the book,
d 'I wanted to do something.'
2 Look
a What are the words in your language? e Tou can't see a town only from a bus. 1

b Can you see any of these things in the pictures?

After you read

While you read

8 Why are these things important in the story?
a a white bag b dark eyes c a rubbish bin d a bus
3 Read pages 1-4, Which word in italics is right?
9 Talk about the people in the story. (How old are they? Where
a Kim and Dave are Spanish / English

b They live in England /Spain. are they from? What do they do? .,,)

c They are on holiday in Liverpool /Barcelona.

4 Are these sentences right (/) or wrong pf)? Writing

a Today Kim and Dave want to do some shopping, 10 Here are some sentences about Nacho.

b The old town is dangerous, Nacho is Spanish. He is tall and he has long, dark hair. He is

c Dave is frightened, about 30 years old. He is a policeman. He likes catching had

5 Read pages 5-14. What comes first? And after that? Write people.

the numbers 1-6. Now write about Kim, Dave, Ana and Vidal.

a Kim and Dave find some drugs in the rubbish bin. 11 Work with a friend. You are Kim and a policeman. Write
b Kim goes into the old market. questions and answers. Start with this question:

c Kim and Dave see a man in a black shirt. Policeman: Where did you find the drugs?

d Kim talks to a policewoman. 12 You are on holiday with your school friends in a famous town.

e Kim starts to run through the old town. Write a fetter to your family.

f ..... The man comes back and he has a knife, 13 What do you know about Barcelona? Read or ask people
g The man puts something in a rubbish bin. about it, and then write six sentences about Barcelona.

6 Read pages 14-19. Finish the sentences on the left with

words on the right.

a The man with long hair f wants to catch Vidai.

b Ana g want to use Kim. Answers hook ate available from the Penguin Readers website.
tor the Activities in this

wants the bag of drugs. A free Activity' Worksheet h also available from the website. Activity Worksheets arc
c The police h
tin- Penguin Teacher Support Programme, which :\ko includes Progress Tests
f\uf ul

d Dave stays in the police car. .md Graded Reader Guidelines. For more information, please visit;
\y.\ ,
.v.-;x t:. ,il.l!l:.
,
,niiT -. i HIM
e Vidal ..... j
is a policeman.
bin (n) We cioirt
WORD

wane
LIST with vxanipk scuU'nn-*

that old food. Put it

'

m the bin.
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