Toy Terror: Batteries Included

by R. L. Stine

  You can almost feel their claws ripping into you. And the stinging purple ooze from their tongues….

  In a panic, you grab the nearest thing — a package of walkie-talkies. You tear off the wrapping, stuff one walkie-talkie into the waistband of your jeans, and hurl the other at your friend.

  “Benny! Catch!” you shout.

  “I can’t!” Benny cries.

  Oops! You forgot. His hands are tied.

  The walkie-talkie bounces off Benny’s stomach and clatters into a corner.

  The Zorgs are coming faster. You head for the doll aisle.

  Hurry to PAGE 73 before the Zorgs get you….

  You turn around slowly. At first you don’t see anyone. Then you glance down — and gasp.

  At your feet on the floor are two small police officers. They’re only a foot tall. But they look very tough.

  Oh, no! you realize. You used a toy phone to call 911 — so they sent toy police!

  The one who tapped you jerks his head toward a small police car. It’s about the size of a shoe box.

  “Get in,” he orders. “You’re under arrest for breaking and entering.”

  “Wait!” you cry. “You can’t arrest me. I called you!”

  The two cops glance at each other and laugh. “The kid says we can’t make an arrest,” the first cop says, and sneers.

  “Ha,” the second cop adds. “We’ll see about that!”

  The officers radio for backup. Soon, six more arrive. A moment later all eight tiny cops are pushing and shoving — forcing you into the backseat of the little squad car.

  They accuse you of breaking and entering.

  Now they’re going to have to break you before you can enter that car!

  Oh, well. Sometimes you just get a bad break.

  THE END

  You decide to take a chance on the front door. The toy policeman might be right on the other side. But facing just one of him beats being trapped in the building with Nasty Kathy and her army of terrible toys!

  You race after Benny. The two of you crash through the front door of the factory. You stumble to a halt outside, trying to catch your breath.

  “What was that?” Benny gasps as the factory door slams shut. “A bad dream?”

  “Sssshhhh! Keep it down,” you whisper. You glance around for any sign of the toy police officer.

  The sky is turning dark. The parking lot is empty, except for one car. An old, rusty sedan parked in the corner. There are two people in the car. One has curly blond hair.

  It’s Bobaloo! The bum who just left you in that freaky factory by yourselves!

  “Come on,” you whisper to Benny, “let’s find out what’s really going on here!”

  Sneak up to the car and listen on PAGE 100.

  “Move out of the way!” Whittle yells at you.

  Then he lunges at you. He grabs your arm. With a strong yank, he pulls you out of the line of fire.

  ZAP! ZZZT. ZZRRTT. ZAP!

  The new Annihilator sends out one laser beam after another — zapping the old robot!

  Instantly, the old robot fires back.

  You can’t believe it. The two toys are battling it out in your living room.

  “What’s happening?” you scream.

  Whittle doesn’t answer. He just grips you tighter.

  Turn to PAGE 49.

  You get up and race after the robot.

  “Hey! Wait!” you call.

  You catch up with the Annihilator as it stalks into your room. “Hold on! Stop!” you cry out.

  At the sound of your voice, the Annihilator whirls around and glares at you.

  Its eyes light up, bright red. And then it grows silent. As if it’s thinking. Even the whirring noises stop.

  Somehow, the silence is creepy. Very creepy.

  Cautiously, you step forward and reach your hand out to the robot. You’ve got to find the OFF switch.

  The robot suddenly spins toward your bed. It raises its arm — and shoots out a laser beam. Whoa! Your bed is on fire!

  What kind of toy is this?

  Flames lap at the posters hanging over your bed.

  You’ve got to do something! Your eyes dart around your room and land on your fish tank. Should you use the water to douse the flames? Or should you try to beat them out with your pillow?

  Hurry — the fire’s getting bigger!

  If you go for the pillow, turn to PAGE 34.

  If you grab the fish tank, turn to PAGE 52.

  You have the silver key to Nasty Kathy’s trunk.

  Ooooh. Too bad.

  The silver key is nice. Very nice.

  The problem with the silver key is that it only opens one thing.

  Nasty Kathy’s trunk!

  You need a different key to survive this story.

  Looks like you won’t be turning off the toys anytime soon….

  Which is unfortunate. Because here come those Zorgs again!

  SQUISH. FLAP. SQUISH. FLAP.

  Uh-oh. It’s going to get ugly this time.

  The Zorgs are heading right for you.

  Crawling up toward your face.

  Nibbling your cheeks.

  They’re …

  Stop! Close the book. This is too much!

  Just face it —

  This is

  THE END!

  Thunder crashes again and again. Lightning flickers every few seconds. Rain lashes the kitchen windows.

  The storm is scary. But you’re not staying here with that maniac robot. You’ve got to get out!

  You glance at the back door. Then you sneak a quick look at the Annihilator.

  Will it let you leave?

  Or will it try to fry you when you make a run for it?

  You take a few deep breaths and gather your courage.

  Then you dart for the door, twist the handle, and …

  EEEEEEEE! A piercing shriek blasts out of the robot.

  It shoots a red laser at your hand. But it misses. Sparks jump from the door frame inches from your hand.

  You swing the door open and run into the windy, rainy night!

  You stumble and try to wipe the rain from your eyes. The wind is so strong, you can barely run against it.

  A bright light flashes behind you!

  The Annihilator! you think. You fall face first into the mud and wait for the laser blast to pierce your back.

  Turn to PAGE 8.

  There’s no time to lose! Without thinking for another second, you dash off to follow the doll.

  You drop to your knees and crawl under a big piece of machinery. Then you snake your way through the factory, toward the big glass wall.

  You see a glass door closing slowly. And a flash of pink.

  The doll must have snuck into the warehouse.

  “Benny!” you shout, running back to find him.

  He’s standing in front of a bank of video monitors with controllers in both hands. Bobaloo is nowhere in sight.

  “This is so cool!” Benny shouts. “Come on — try it!”

  “Forget that,” you answer. “I just saw a doll come to life! You’ve got to help me find it.”

  “Yeah, right.” Benny smirks.

  You grab the controllers from him and toss them down.

  “Come on,” you answer. “I’ll prove it.”

  Drag Benny to PAGE 20.

  As you fall, you reach out and grab at the handle of a tennis racket on a dining room chair. You miss.

  THWACK! The racket flips up. A tennis ball that was resting on the racket flies through the air.

  The ball strikes the face of your mother’s prize grandfather clock. The glass shatters.

  When Patches hears the breaking glass, she screeches in fright. Then she runs from the corner where she was crouched. She races through the living room, into the dining room, and jumps onto a tall, tippy set of shelves by the wall.

  Slowly, you shake yourself, trying to stand up.

  You lift yourself to your knees.

  And then
…

  WHHIRRR …

  The Annihilator walks toward you …

  Just as the tippy shelves begin to topple forward …

  “Oh, no!” you cry as the bookshelves hurtle down.

  Get out of the way on PAGE 108.

  You and Benny duck down and crawl toward the car until you’re within earshot.

  “I had to take care of a glitch in the plan while I was giving those two kids the tour,” Bobaloo is saying. “I told the brats to leave, but they didn’t. Now we’ll have to take care of them.”

  Uh-oh. Your skin begins to crawl.

  Then you notice something even creepier. You nudge Benny. “Look!” you whisper. “Look at the other person in the car. It’s that toy policeman, Officer Murphy!”

  “What next?” the officer asks Bobaloo.

  “Hike into town. Find the gas station on Main Street,” Bobaloo says. “The owner is one of us. He’ll give you a patrol car.”

  One of us? you think. Just what does that mean?

  Is Bobaloo a toy too?

  Turn to PAGE 127.

  You decide to trust Benny. You have to trust someone! This nightmare is too big to carry alone.

  And, besides, you’re the one who invited Benny to the toy factory. Not the other way around.

  Of course, it never occurs to you that Benny might be the person — or the toy — who sent you the letter about winning the tour in the first place!

  Fine. Live in a dream world if you want to.

  But don’t kid yourself. You have to wake up and face the real ending to this story one of these days!

  Until then, enjoy your

  HAPPY ENDING!

  THWACK. KA-CHUNK! THWACK. KA-CHUNK!

  You feel the machine poking holes in your new plastic scalp, and punching in new strands of hair.

  You catch another glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Your mouth is curved into a permanent smile. Your red plastic lips are slightly open.

  Yuck!

  You’re a doll! A dopey, smiling, life-sized doll.

  Nasty Kathy strolls up to you as you sit there on the conveyor belt.

  “So,” she snarls. “Now you’re one of us. Are you going to help us with our plan — or not?”

  Well? What do you want to do?

  If you agree to join Nasty Kathy’s army, turn to PAGE 105.

  If you don’t want to help the toys, turn to PAGE 27.

  “Get off me!” you cry, kicking your leg to shake the monster off.

  But the thing is too strong. It won’t let go.

  It moves incredibly fast. Before you can even get a glimpse of it, it climbs your leg — then grasps your T-shirt. It scuttles toward your face.

  You want to run — but you’re frozen in panic.

  “Listen to me,” it says in your ear.

  Huh? You crane your neck to see what it is.

  It’s a hand.

  And nothing else!

  A rubber bloody hand. Like you would buy at Halloween. It makes a fist on your shoulder and uses its thumb like a mouth.

  “Listen to me,” the hand warns. “That’s the wrong key. Look inside her trunk for the right one.”

  Huh? How did the hand even know what you were searching for?

  The Zorgs appear at the far end of the aisle — running this time. SQUISH. FLAP-FLAP-FLAP! SQUISH!

  Better think fast. Can you trust a rubber bloody hand? Maybe this is a trap.

  If you trust the hand, turn to PAGE 109.

  If you think it’s a trap, turn to PAGE 80.

  Then Bobaloo flips on a light.

  You gaze around. And gasp.

  The Dark Hole is nothing like what you expected. It’s not a dungeon. It’s a big conference room! With charts on the walls. And maps. And a huge fancy oak table.

  “This is our headquarters,” Bobaloo says. “And we’re prepared to tell you everything. But only if you promise not to tell anyone. Ever.”

  You nod silently. You’re too surprised to speak.

  “Let’s show him,” Bobaloo says, smiling at Benny.

  Benny bends down and removes one shoe. He holds up his foot. There’s a battery pack in the bottom!

  “I am a toy,” Benny admits. “My batteries are low. That’s why I worried about riding my bike. Bobaloo is a toy too.”

  “I knew it!” you cry. “And Amy too? And my dad?”

  “No, no,” Benny goes on. “They’re humans. They know nothing about us — or our plans.”

  “What plans?” you ask.

  “We’re on a mission,” Benny replies. “The toys invented us so we could live in the town. Among humans. And change things.”

  “Ch-change what?” you stammer, gulping.

  Hear the plan on PAGE 128.

  “Okay,” you tell Nasty Kathy. “I’ll join you.”

  You don’t think about it for more than a minute. What other choice do you have? You’re a toy now.

  Actually, you think, it’s kind of cool being a doll! Your plastic body is tough. You’ll never have to worry about mosquito bites again. Or sunburns.

  And best of all, now you finally get to find out about the toys’ mysterious plan!

  “Welcome aboard,” Nasty Kathy says, shaking your hand. “Okay, here’s the deal….”

  Find out more on PAGE 56.

  Now you can see that the hole isn’t just a bottomless dirt pit. It’s like a deep well. Made of cement. With a metal ladder running down one side.

  Bobaloo motions for you to climb down.

  “Go on,” Benny says, and he leans toward you.

  “Okay!” you cry. “Don’t push me. I’ll go!” You quickly climb down the ladder into the hole.

  At the bottom, you find a cement floor — and a door. Benny and Bobaloo follow you down the ladder. Then Bobaloo unlocks the door and opens it.

  “Get in,” Bobaloo tells you, motioning for you to enter the dark room.

  “Please don’t lock me in,” you beg. “Please.”

  Bobaloo shoves you into the cold, dark room. He and Benny step in behind you. You tremble in terror.

  Now what?

  Find out what’s in the Dark Hole on PAGE 104.

  You dash to Aisle One. You grab IT’S TIM and load your arms with other cool toys as well. Then you spot the pig — he’s been following you up and down the aisles.

  Why not? You tuck him under your arm. He grunts happily.

  You snake around the edge of the warehouse and into the factory. You reach the front door.

  “Hold it right there, you flesh freaks!” Nasty Kathy suddenly shouts over her megaphone.

  You whip around. YIKES! She’s right behind you! And the Laser Blaster is pointed at your face!

  Without hesitating, Benny tosses a hockey stick at Nasty Kathy. She ducks out of the way. Giving you just enough time to slip out of the factory and slam the door shut.

  “We did it!” you cry.

  “Get back here, humans!” Nasty Kathy shouts from inside.

  Benny grabs IT’S TIM from you.

  “Where’s the key?” he asks impatiently.

  You hand him the computer disc, feeling confused. He shoves it into a slot in the back of the Talking Speller.

  Instantly, there is a flash of blinding white light.

  Then a loud hum that fades into silence.

  Find out what happened on PAGE 132.

  You gasp. Then you cover your head and desperately roll out of the way.

  The bookshelves crash to the floor, crushing everything in their path.

  Including the Annihilator!

  When the crash is over, the toy lies in a twisted, broken heap under the bookshelves. One arm has slid across the floor. The rest of the Annihilator is buried under the weight of two hundred books.

  You get to your feet, still shaking, just as your mom walks in the back door with your little brother.

  She takes one look at the mess and gasps.

  “I can’t believe it!” she cries. “This place looks like a war zone
. What happened? How did you do it?”

  For a minute, you consider telling her the truth. About the evil Annihilator that was after you….

  Then you realize that she’ll never, ever believe you.

  “How did I do it?” you ask with a silly grin. “Just clumsy, I guess!”

  THE END

  The Zorgs are closing in. SQUISH! FLAP!

  Every nerve in your body screams: RUUUN!

  But something tells you that the bloody hand is telling the truth.

  “Find the real key,” it says with its thumb. “When you find it, put it in the Incredible Talking Spelling Thinking Intelligent Machine.”

  “The what?” you demand.

  The creature lets go and falls off your shoulder. With its bloody fingers spread out, it looks like a giant red spider.

  “Aaahhhhh!” it screams all the way down to the floor.

  “Thanks for the hand,” you call. “Uh — I mean, thanks for the advice.”

  Quickly, you unlock Nasty Kathy’s trunk and peer inside.

  Dirty, torn doll clothes. An archery set. A miniature can of spray paint …

  Then you spot a small CD.

  You grab the disc and hold it under the light.

  There’s a picture of a key on it.

  BINGO!

  Snatch the key and race to PAGE 65.

  You pick up your dad’s laptop computer and hand it over to the Annihilator. You don’t want to do it. But you’re terrified of what the robot might do to you if you refuse.

  Then you close your eyes and put your fingers in your ears. You don’t want to watch the Annihilator smash the expensive computer to bits.

  You wait for the horrible smash.

  Silence. Nothing.

  Huh? What’s going on?

  Finally you can’t stand the suspense. You open your eyes.

  You can’t quite believe what you see.