by Dann Gershon
That all changed when Big Al heard about Nurse Knock-wurst’s discovery of the salt tablets. They had quickly formed a partnership, put together a new crew, and headed back to his old stomping grounds in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Now that the salt tablets had transformed the campers into monsters just as the nurse had promised, it was payday.
“Bring them to me,” Mucho demanded. “Your money is waiting, along with a substantial bonus if these Earth stories are as good as the last.”
Big Al had anticipated this response from Mucho. In fact, he had counted on it. He knew that once Mucho had his monsters, Big Al didn’t stand a chance of getting paid, let alone staying alive, unless he had more to offer in the future. Mucho would get rid of all of them. “Just wait until you see the monsters in these modern stories. Looks like I’m going to have to put off retirement for a while,” Big Al lied. “There’s a fortune to be made on this planet.”
The transmission went dead.
Big Al looked down at the panel and saw the coordinates begin to appear. He stood up and stretched. It would take a few minutes to finish, and watching it wouldn’t make it happen any faster. Suddenly, he sensed another movement. This time he was certain. He looked over at the navigation station and saw a hand reaching for a pair of scissors that someone had carelessly left on the console. The chubby paw looked very familiar. “What are you doing, Fleet?”
“I was looking for the arts and crafts center,” Einstein said, coming out of hiding. “I was going to make you a lanyard as a going-away present.”
1 10 “Still the camp clown, I see.” He picked Einstein up with one hand and tossed him across the room. “I should have done that the first time I laid eyes on you.”
Einstein got up and pointed the business end of the blaster at Big Al’s chest.
Big Al smiled. “I underestimated you, Fleet, but it won’t happen again.”
“Let’s make it interesting, shall we?” Einstein said softly. He placed the blaster in his belt and walked toward Big Al. The two of them circled each other, jockeying for position.
“I’m an expert with this weapon, son.” Big Al laughed. “You have guts; I’ll give you that. You have any smart-ass remarks to make before I spill your guts all over my nice clean floor?”
“Yeah. This camp sucks!” Einstein said. “Now quit stalling and make your move. I haven’t got all day.”
“So long, chubby!”
Big Al drew, but Einstein was faster. The boy fired a single shot and hit Big Al dead center in the chest. A blue field from the surge of the blaster surrounded him as he dropped to his knees. He stared at Einstein in disbelief. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”
“Video games,” Einstein replied.
Big Al leaned over and pushed one of the buttons on the control panel. “The clock is ticking.”
Einstein looked down at the rectangular window on the panel. A series of black numbers flashed across a white screen. It was a very long sequence and it was constantly changing. Einstein suspected that the transporter was calculating the coordinates to lock in location, taking into account all of the variables such as planet rotation, gravitational pull, and other factors. Suddenly it stopped. As soon as it did, the panel next to it lit up and another series of numbers appeared. Big Al was right. Thirty minutes counting down. Einstein removed his journal from his backpack and jotted down a note. He put it back and headed for the door.
“This isn’t over, Fleet,” Big Al said as he collapsed on the floor.
Einstein watched as Big Al began to melt. It was like watch-ing a fire in a wax museum. “It is for you, pal,” Einstein said.
11
Cha p te r
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Day Eight — 2:08 P.M. instein ran back up to the holding area as fast as he could. As he passed through the door, it seemed as if little progress had been made since he left. About half of the campers had been stripped of tape and none of them was awake. He was even more surprised to see Roxie and Greeley standing there doing nothing. “There’s no time for a coffee break, guys. Every-one get back to work!”
Einstein felt something cold and hard pressed against his back. “Put your hands up,” Bucky ordered as he reached into Einstein’s belt and took away the blaster. “Where’s Big Al?”
“He’s up in the main cabin,” Einstein replied. “When I left, he was having a meltdown. The man’s been under a great deal of stress lately.”
“And Nurse Knockwurst?”
“She’s in the lab, catching up on her beauty sleep.” “I can’t take any more of this, kid,” Curly said. He pointed his
blaster at Einstein and waved good-bye. “So long, camper.” Bucky grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Not yet,” he said. “We still need to find the antidote. Where is it, Fleet?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Einstein lied. Bucky looked at the cook. “Check out his . . . Mmmmm!” “What’s a Mmmmm?” Curly asked.
The alien’s face was ashen. “Look behind you, man.”
The cook turned around and found himself face-to-face with one of the mummies. Manny picked Curly up and squeezed him until he dropped his weapon. “Let go of me, you bag of rags!” the cook screamed, gasping for breath. The mummy obeyed and dropped him on his head. Curly hit the floor and tried to reach for his blaster. Manny pinned the cook’s gun hand beneath his foot.
Einstein knelt down and picked up the weapon. “Thanks, Manny,” he said to the mummy. “I owe you one.”
The mummy gave Einstein a big bandaged thumbs-up, and then stomped on the cook’s back for good measure. “Mmmmm!”
Bucky was surrounded by a couple of vampires and were-wolves. One of the werewolves had taken his blaster and had him covered. The vampires were eyeing him like a hot meal. “Is there time for a little snack?” Vinnie asked, staring at Bucky’s neck.
Einstein shook his head. “Maybe later,” he replied. Einstein surveyed the room. All of the campers were awake, but only half had been untied. He looked at his watch. Only twenty minutes left to free the rest and get th
em clear of the barn. “Right now we have work to do.”
The antidote had partially worked. The campers still looked like monsters, but they seemed cognizant of their human side. Einstein put the monster half to work. He ordered the camp-ers who were free to help free the others. The werewolves and
1 vampires used their claws and teeth to tear through the tape, while the mummies used their strength to do the rest. Under Einstein’s supervision, the job was finished quickly. After the campers were freed, he instructed them to toss their ex- counselors into their own individual pods. “Have a nice trip, boys,” Einstein said, “and don’t bother to write.”
“What happened to us?” Billy Armstrong shouted, looking at his paws. The rest of the werewolves looked at Einstein and howled for an answer.
“I can explain everything,” Einstein said, “but we don’t have much time.”
The campers gathered around him in a circle.
“My fellow Creepy Timers,” he began, “in less than twenty minutes a wormhole will open and we will all be sucked into outer space.”
“Vat can ve do?” Vinnie asked.
“There is a time to fight and a time to run,” Einstein replied.
“Mmmmm!” Manny and the rest of the mummies shouted.
“I agree with Manny! Let’s run for our lives!” Einstein com-manded, leading the way out into the corridor. He stopped and looked around. There was a small problem. He was lost. Greeley had transported him into the ship, but he had no clue how to get off. “Does anyone know how to get out of here?”
“I do,” Roxie replied.
“Everyone follow Roxie,” Einstein shouted. “Last one out of the spaceship is a rotten egg!”
Cha p te r
1
IDay Eight — 2:22 P.M.
’ll see you around the campfire, Fleet,” Billy Armstrong said, holding out his paw. “I’m sorry for all the trouble.” Einstein knocked away the paw and gave him a bear hug. “Yeah, me too, Billy.” The werewolf smiled, and then ran out of the barn, picking up a mummy along the way. Einstein shouted after him, “You guys still owe me a box of Twinkies!”
Roxie and Einstein watched the rest of the campers file out of the barn. The vampires turn into bats and flew away. The mummies moved slowly out the door, dragging strands of gauze and blue tape behind them. The werewolves picked them up, one by one, and carried them. Slowly, all the campers disappeared into the desert except for Einstein.
“It’s time for you to go,” Roxie whispered to Einstein. “Get as far away from the barn as you can. When the wormhole opens, everything within a fifty-yard radius of the barn will be sucked into deep space.”
Einstein looked at Roxie and gave it one last shot. “You’re sure that there is no other way?”
“I have a score to settle with Mucho Fahn,” Roxie said firmly, “and nothing is going to stop me from settling it.”
“Nothing?” Big Al said, standing behind them. Most of him had melted away. Other parts were still glowing blue and bub-bling. “We’ll see about that.”
“That’s impossible,” Einstein said to Roxie, his voice shak-ing. “I liquidated him.”
She shook her head. “You liquidated his disguise.”
Big Al’s entire body began to pulsate like a beating heart and what remained of his costume peeled away. A few small cracks of white light appeared, followed by a few more. Sud-denly, Big Al exploded. All Einstein could see was his silhouette standing in the middle of a cloud of dust. The man was about six feet tall, but the alien was a good four feet taller and at least twice as broad. The sight sent shivers down Einstein’s spine.
“It’s time for Plan B!” he whispered to Roxie.
“We don’t have a Plan B.”
“Too bad.” Einstein sighed. “We could really use one right about now.”
Big Al stepped out of the cloud and glared at Einstein. He had eyes like a cobra. They were set into a crablike face with a large retractable jaw that exposed rows of small pointed fangs. His limbs were thick and muscular. They were covered with leathery layers of pale orange skin. The six fingers on each hand had nails as sharp as scalpels. In the middle of his tree trunk of a torso were two oversized bellies. Both were cov-ered with rows of plates that jiggled when he spoke. “Say your prayers, chubby,” Big Al bellowed at Einstein.
“Look who’s talking,” he whispered to Roxie. “He looks like he’s ready to give birth to twins.”
She grabbed Einstein’s hand and ran. Big Al laughed at their attempt to escape, but didn’t follow. As they reached the barn door and tried to pass through, they were stopped dead in their tracks, tumbling backward. Something hard and invisible was blocking their path. It was the force field.
“You’re both trapped,” Big Al roared.
“So are you,” Roxie shouted back. “If we don’t get in that spaceship, we’re all going to die. When the wormhole opens, we will be sucked into space and torn to pieces.”
Big Al seemed to find Roxie’s observation amusing. “Either way we’re dead,” he replied as he started toward them. “Mucho Fahn will kill all of us as soon as we land. The only difference is I’m going to enjoy the look on your faces as I tear you limb from limb.”
They literally had their backs up against the wall and there was nowhere to run. Big Al took his time as he approached, savoring every moment of fear. There wasn’t much time left, but he didn’t need much to do what he had in mind.
“HEY, BONEHEAD!”
Big Al turned around and saw Greeley standing behind him. “I brought you a playmate. I hear it’s lonely up in space,” the ghost said.
Godzilla roared at the alien. She circled him, looking for an advantage, and then charged. Big Al tried to fend her off, but he was clearly outmatched. He grabbed two of her eyes and pulled them off, which only seemed to infuriate the creature. She bit down on his arm and shook him like a rag doll. Big Al screamed in pain, but could not escape her viselike grip.
“Now that’s something you don’t see every day,” Greeley said to Roxie. He smiled as Godzilla tossed Big Al across the
1 barn. Hi
s head slammed against the spaceship with a loud thump. “Bet that’s gonna leave a mark.”
“I was wondering where you went,” Einstein said.
“That big mutant spider was still alive,” Greeley said. “I caught her chasing one of the campers and decided to kill two birds with one stone.”
“So you brought her back here,” Einstein said. “You know something, Greeley? You’re pretty smart for an out-of-work mailman.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Houdini.”
“Oh, boys?” Roxie said, pointing at Einstein’s wristwatch. “Could we finish this conversation somewhere else?”
Einstein took Greeley and Roxie by the hand and they formed a circle. “Beam us out of here, Scotty,” he said, smiling at the ghost.
“Aye, Captain.”
Big Al watched as the three of them disappeared. He was flat on his back, pinned beneath Godzilla. The female sank its fangs deep into his chest, mercifully injecting him with a powerful neurotoxin. Unable to move a muscle, he watched helplessly as the top of the roof of the barn disappeared and disintegrated before his eyes, revealing a dark, ominous funnel forming directly overhead. As the dark hole grew wider, bolts of lightning appeared, accompanied by loud claps of thunder. He stared into the eye of the wormhole and shuddered. It was a whirling dark black void extending into deep space, ominous and forbidding. As the barn itself was pulled farther and far-ther into the wormhole, everything began to spin. With each second, the rotation picked up speed, moving faster and faster. The walls of the barn began to melt as the rotation increased in velocity. “I really hate that kid,” Big Al muttered to himself as his eardrums popped.