روزی در سرزمین وحشت فصل 23

One Day at Horrorland - Chapter 23

“We’ve been tricked!” I heard Dad cry angrily. And then he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Let’s get out of here!” “Run!” the deep voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “You have fifty-six seconds.” Dad started to shout again. But we stopped when a dim light came up, and a disgusting four-armed creature stepped toward us.

“Ohhh!” I cried out without even realizing it.

The size of a gorilla, the monster had huge green eyes surrounded by thick red fur over its face. Saliva drooled from its mouth. And as it opened its jaws wider, two rows of long fangs slid over its thin purple lips.

“Don’t just stand there! Run! This is an obstacle course!” the voice boomed impatiently. “You have fifty seconds to live! At least make a good race of it.” The monster uttered a low growl and lumbered toward us in the dim light. Its jaws were opened wide as if preparing to bite. Its four enormous clawed hands swiped at the air in front of it.

I was too stunned to move, too frightened to run.

But suddenly, I felt a hand grab mine and tug me hard.

It was Dad, I realized, trying to pull me to safety.

I heard the boys screaming in fear. I felt Mom brush beside me as we started to stumble forward.

“Run! Run!” the deep voice urged over the shrieks of the two boys.

I couldn’t see where I was running. The light was so dim, so shadowy. I saw only a blur now, a blur of running feet, of moving shadows.

The monster let out a deafening roar. I covered my ears and kept running.

Its four clawed hands swiped at Dad. Missed.

We hurtled past it.

Only to face two giant birds, at least ten feet tall. They looked like cranes. They squawked and flapped their enormous wings. It sounded like canvas tents flapping in a strong wind.

“Ohh! Help!”

Was that me shrieking like that?

Was I really being wrapped in their hot, flapping wings? Smothered? Choked?

“No—please!”

How did I break away?

Was I being chased now by six growling piglike creatures with sharp, pointed teeth curling from their twisted mouths?

The screams and terrified shrieks of my family rose over the beating birds’ wings, the monstrous growls and grunts.

I heard Dad cry out. And in the dim light, I saw him struggling to free himself from the four-armed creature.

“No!” I screamed as I felt something warm wrap around my ankle. A fur-covered snake!

I screamed again and kicked wildly, sending it flying into the darkness.

But before I could move away, another furry snake spun around my leg, tightening quickly.

I bent and pulled at it as it hissed in protest.

I tossed it aside.

“Run! Run!” the voice on the loudspeaker boomed. “Twenty seconds to live!” More monsters loomed in front of us. Disgusting yellow lizardlike creatures with dark flicking tongues like bullwhips. A hopping furry ball that roared as it hopped, sharp teeth poking out of three mouths.

Hissing snakes, enormous buzzing insects with glowing red eyes, more grunting pig monsters. Then a giant bearlike creature came at us on two legs. It tossed its dark, round head back and laughed like a hyena as its paws punched the air.

“Help me!” I heard Luke shriek. And then I saw him disappear, wrapped inside the beating wings of one of the giant birds.

The bird cawed in triumph as its wings tightened around my brother.

“Ten seconds!” the voice boomed.

“No!” I cried. I lunged toward the bird, grasped the beating wing, and pulled it open.

Luke slid out, and we both began to run.

Monsters growled, and flapped, and grunted, and roared.

“Are we… going to make it?” Luke asked in a tiny voice.

I didn’t have a chance to answer.

Two powerful paws grabbed me around the waist, hoisted me high in the air, then slammed me to the floor.

I landed hard on my stomach. My forehead hit the floor.

Dizzy and hurt, I looked up in time to see an enormous elephantlike creature about to flatten me with its huge furry back foot.

I’m not going to make it, I realized.

I’m not going to make it.