دوستام منو هیولا صدا می زنند فصل 11

My Friends Call Me Monster - Chapter 11

I gasped — and grabbed the banister to keep from falling.

It took me several seconds to realize she was talking to the baby monster. Not to me.

I forced myself to breathe again. I waited for my heart to stop pounding against my chest.

They were out of my sight, already in the second-floor hallway.

I made my way down the attic stairs and peered into the hall. She was leading it down to the first floor.

The monster was walking more steadily now. Mrs. Hardesty gripped its claw in one hand and kept talking gently to it. I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I knew it was probably more goo-goo baby talk.

Yucko.

I stayed back, waiting for them to go down the stairs. I pressed myself against the wall and hid in the shadows.

Finally, it was safe to move again. By the time I reached the kitchen, Mrs. Hardesty was already taking the monster downstairs. To the basement.

I stepped into the doorway. The basement stairs were dark. But if she turned around, she’d see me.

She didn’t turn around.

I remembered that her basement was divided into two rooms. She took the monster to the door on the right. She fumbled around in her pants pocket, then pulled out a key.

I crept down one step. Then one more.

I couldn’t get too close. But I had to see what she was doing with the creature.

I tried one more step. It squeaked loudly under my feet.

I froze.

Did Mrs. Hardesty hear it?

No. She unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Oh, wow. I saw a dimly lit room. And … and … at least a dozen green monsters. All of them stood on their hind legs. All of them turned to watch Mrs. Hardesty bring in the new baby.

Mrs. Hardesty stepped into the room. They lumbered forward to greet her, grunting and mewing.

“Hello, my babies! My cute babies!” she exclaimed.

Cute babies?

They were even taller than Mrs. Hardesty. Their dark green bodies were scaly and lizardy. Their jaws snapped excitedly.

“How are all my little babies?” Mrs. Hardesty asked. She used a tender voice I’d never heard in class.

The monsters formed a circle around her. One of them stuck its black snake tongue out and licked her face.

She laughed. “Sweet! Sweet!”

Then her smile faded. “Soon, I will not have to hide you away down here,” she told them. “Soon, there will be more of US than of THEM!” What was she talking about? More MONSTERS than HUMANS?

A chill ran down my back. What was she planning to do with these monsters she was hatching?

“I made a promise to Commander Xannx,” Mrs. Hardesty said. “We will succeed in our mission. We will take over this planet. And we will TRIUMPH over the weak Earthlings!” I shook my head hard. This was too disturbing.

It was like I couldn’t take it all in. I recognized all the words she said, but they didn’t make sense to me.

She couldn’t be saying what I thought she was saying.

Was Mrs. Hardesty an alien? From another planet? Sent here by some alien commander with a name no human could pronounce?

And was she planning a war — monsters against humans?

No. Please — no.

If it was true, I was the only human on Earth who knew about it. The only human on Earth who could stop her.

But, whoa. Wait. I’m big and I’m strong — but I’m just a twelve-year-old kid.

If I was going to stop Mrs. Hardesty and her monster war, I was gonna need HELP. A lot of help!

I stared into the room. The monsters had closed in on Mrs. Hardesty. One of them was licking her face. Another green scaly beast was licking the back of her hand. Two of them had their front legs around her shoulders and were hugging her.

And she kept cooing to them and saying, “My babies … my babies.”

I had to get away from there. I had to tell someone. Everyone!

The main thing was to escape this house without being caught.

I turned. I gripped the banister. I started to climb the stairs.

I made it up three steps — and then I couldn’t help it. I SNEEZED.