Toy Terror: Batteries Included Read online

  “Uh, yeah.” You glance over at the motionless dog. Saliva still drips from its mouth, which is frozen in a snarl.

  It looks so real!

  This place is cool, you decide. You can’t wait to see what’s inside!

  Follow Bobaloo to PAGE 55.

  The shattered halves of the robot’s body fall away.

  WHIRRRR …

  WHIRRRR …

  There, in the wreckage, are two smaller robots. Two Annihilator 1500s!

  They each look exactly like the Annihilator 3000. But half its size.

  They roll forward, blinking their little lights and beeping. They seem to move much faster than the Annihilator 3000.

  Then you notice. One of them has a smile on its face. And one has a frown.

  “Hel-lo,” the smiling one says in an electronic robot voice. “I am ready to serve you.”

  “Destroy. Destroy,” the mean-looking one says as it rolls from the room.

  On the way out, it shoots a laser beam. A pile of papers on your dad’s desk whoosh into flames.

  This one is even more powerful than the big Annihilator, you realize with horror.

  You douse the fire with a pitcher of drinking water on the desk. Then you take off after the bad robot.

  Catch up with the bad robot on PAGE 4.

  “Nooooo!” you cry as the soldiers fire their weapons. You squeeze your eyes shut.

  SSSSSTTTTTTT!

  An instant later, you feel something sticky falling on your face. In your hair. On your arms and legs.

  Yuck! They’re squirting you with cans of Instant Spiderweb! The gooey threads cover you — trapping you in a tight net.

  You struggle to move. To run.

  But your arms are pinned to your sides by stringy spiderwebs. Your legs are trapped, too.

  “Help!” you cry, hoping Benny can hear you. “They’ve got me, Benny! They’ve got me!”

  CLOMP-CLOMP-CLOMP. The soldiers’ boots stomp the floor as they march up to take you prisoner.

  They hoist you onto their shoulders. Eight soldiers on each side. Then they carry you into the factory — where Nasty Kathy is waiting. She looks angrier than ever.

  “Good work,” she tells the soldiers. “Now let’s show this kid how it feels to be treated like a toy!”

  Turn to PAGE 48.

  Nasty Kathy barks orders into her megaphone.

  “Keep moving, barf bags! You with the ugly face! Start loading the batteries.”

  One of the ninjas springs onto the conveyor belt. It opens a compartment in the foot of the first life-sized doll. It drops in several batteries, then clicks the compartment shut.

  “Put a police uniform on it,” Nasty Kathy snaps to another ninja. “And then turn it on.”

  A minute later, the big doll stands up and shakes itself.

  It looks completely and chillingly human.

  It snaps a salute at Nasty Kathy. “Officer Murphy reporting for duty, ma’am.”

  “Never mind that,” Nasty Kathy growls. “Get out there and do the job you’ve been programmed to do.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the policeman replies. “But, first, what shall I do about the security problem?”

  “Security problem?” Nasty Kathy snaps. “What security problem?”

  The officer turns slowly until it’s facing the glass wall you’re crouched behind. Then it lifts its hand and points — directly at you!

  Turn to PAGE 71.

  The instructions will help you stop this maniac toy, you decide. You’ll just reach over and try to pick them up.

  WHIRRRRRRR …

  The Annihilator is still watching you. Still waiting.

  You crouch down slowly. You reach out. Grasp the piece of paper between two fingers. Pry it open and tilt it so you can read it without making any sudden moves.

  WHIRRRRRR …

  Your heart sinks. It’s not the instructions at all. It’s a note from your mom!

  Hi, Kiddo,

  Gone to pick up Geoffrey at day care. But weather channel said there might be a hurricane — could trap me on other side of town. If I’m not home by 5:15, go next door to Mrs. Carlyle’s. I’ll call you if I have a problem.

  Love, Mom

  You gulp.

  A hurricane? Things just went from bad to worse.

  You glance out the window. The sky is growing dark. It’s after five o’clock now. Maybe your mom is trying to call.

  But she can’t. The phone is dead!

  Turn to PAGE 86.

  You decide to go straight to the doll aisle and search for the key. The sooner you turn off the toys, the better.

  Let Benny scream, the pig said. Or neither of you will get out of here alive.

  You run along the cement-block wall in back of the warehouse, then turn toward the dolls in Aisle Two.

  “Attention all monsters and soldiers,” Nasty Kathy’s voice booms over her megaphone. “Attack human scum in Aisle Two!”

  A chill runs up the back of your neck.

  How does she keep finding you?

  SQUISH. FLAP.

  You hear your least favorite sound. The sound of the Zorgs’ feet as they suck and release the floor.

  You’ve got to hurry!

  Quick. Look for the key on PAGE 73!

  You decide to go ahead and stick the disc in IT’S TIM.

  You’ve got to. The pig said you’d never get out of here alive if you didn’t!

  You cram the small CD into the slot in the back of the Incredible Talking Spelling Thinking Intelligent Machine.

  SFFFFFFZZTT!

  A flash of white-hot light nearly blinds you.

  Then you hear a terrible hum. A hum so loud, you feel your bones shake.

  Then silence.

  You open your eyes. And gasp.

  All the toys are … dead! Or, really, they’re just toys again. They’re not moving. Or breathing. Or talking.

  For a moment, it seems strange. You were getting used to them. And you were getting downright fond of that little pig.

  Then you snap out of it. And run over to find Benny in the action toys aisle.

  Hey. How come he’s just lying there? Stiff?

  “Benny?” you call as you race toward him. “It’s safe now.”

  You gasp when you get close enough to see his feet.

  Turn to PAGE 111.

  “I’ll take the tour,” you tell the man.

  “Fine,” he says. He gives you an address. “Be here at four o’clock Saturday afternoon.”

  “Thanks!” you say. Then you add, “Hey, how did I win this prize, anyway?”

  But the man doesn’t answer. He’s already hung up.

  The next day, you call your friend Benny and invite him to come with you on the tour. Benny just moved into the neighborhood — you’ve only known him for a couple of weeks. But your best friend is grounded for the third time this year. So you’ve been hanging out with Benny. He’s funny, and he’ll try anything once.

  “Tour the Hasley Toy Company?” Benny says. “Cool!”

  At four o’clock on Saturday, the two of you jump off your bikes in front of the factory. On top of the big white building a sign trumpets: WORLD’S LARGEST TOY SELECTION.

  You open the door and step into the lobby.

  The first thing you see is teeth. Two rows of glistening, sharp fangs!

  It’s a snarling guard dog! And it’s headed straight for you!

  Leap out of the way on PAGE 37.

  You open your eyes and blink.

  Your mom is sitting by your bed. In your own room!

  “Mom?” you squeak, surprised. “What day is it?”

  Your mom leans forward. “Tuesday, honey,” she says, stroking your forehead. “I kept you out of school. You have a concussion.”

  “But the storm — the Annihilator,” you murmur, still feeling weak and strange. “The … the house was on fire. And Patches was going to burn up, and —”

  Your mom frowns. “No, sweetheart,” she reassures you. “Y
ou must be a little confused. Patches is fine. And lightning did strike the house, but it didn’t do much damage. Except — I hate to tell you this, sweetie — that toy you won … it burned up. We found it in the kitchen, all charred and ruined.”

  What a relief!

  “But don’t worry,” your mom goes on. “I called the Hasley Toy Company, and they’re sending another one.”

  “Oh, no!” you groan.

  You’d like to close your eyes. But you know you’d better keep them open from now on. Because there’s one thing you know about the Annihilator.

  It will be back!

  THE END

  You dash into the living room. Patches is on the mantel over the fireplace. Her back is arched. The hair along her spine is standing straight up.

  The Annihilator has her trapped! It zaps laser beams at her, but she keeps leaping out of the way.

  Sparks flash against the stone chimney behind her.

  “No more!” you scream. This robot has gone too far! Freezing your hand was bad. Burning up your father’s fortune in baseball cards was worse.

  But trying to blow up Patches — well, now it’s personal.

  You’re still scared — but you’re angry too.

  You’re going to send that toy back where it came from.

  But how?

  If you call the Hasley Toy Company, turn to PAGE 10.

  If you try to trick the Annihilator back into its box, turn to PAGE 88.

  You’ve got to help Benny! you decide. You can’t desert your friend.

  So you jump to your feet and start to run.

  But as you round the corner, you trip again!

  This time you’re running so fast that you literally fly through the air. You’ve got plenty of time to look down and see where you’re about to land.

  In fact, time seems to pass in slow motion as you notice the sea of little green plastic army men below you. The kind you used to play with when you were younger.

  There are hundreds of them. Each holding a little green plastic rifle. Tipped with a little green metal bayonet.

  Pointing straight up at you.

  Uh-oh. Those things look sharp!

  Looks like you’re stuck!

  THE END

  You squirm and wriggle, trying to free yourself. But the Instant Spiderweb is strong. You can’t break through it.

  “You look like a big, fat bug,” Nasty Kathy sneers. “Too bad I already had my dinner.”

  Then she points to the conveyor belt — the one where you saw the life-sized dolls being made.

  “Put the human scum up there,” she orders the soldiers.

  “Wait! No!” you cry. But everyone ignores you.

  “Let’s put our guest through the hair-planting machine!” Nasty Kathy squeals. “The one that punched holes in my scalp to put hair in my head. Let’s see how a human likes that!”

  “No!” you scream again. “Don’t do it!”

  THWACK. KA-CHUNK! You hear the horrible machine start up. Nasty Kathy cackles and hurries away.

  As the soldiers start to lift you onto the conveyor belt, your mind races. Isn’t there some way to escape these toys?

  Maybe you could pretend to be a toy yourself. That police officer doll looked exactly like a person.

  Or maybe you could try a bribe….

  If you pretend to be a toy, turn to PAGE 9.

  If you try to buy your way out of this hairy situation, turn to PAGE 134.

  The new robot suddenly opens its chest panel. A ball of electricity boils and glows inside. Then the ball shoots through the air — straight at the other robot!

  Blue fire surrounds the old Annihilator. Sparks race up and down its body. Then it crashes over on its side. The lights fade from its eyes. The whirring noises stop.

  Whittle lets out a sigh of relief.

  “Sorry about that,” he apologizes. “But somehow when we shipped you your prize, we sent you the wrong model. That was a new test version of the Annihilator 3000. I’ve been trying to give it a brain. But, so far, no luck.”

  “You — it —” you stammer. You don’t know what to say!

  “I knew you were in trouble when I got the robot’s e-mail message,” Whittle continues. “Hope it didn’t do too much damage before I came.”

  “Damage?” You think of the fires. Your cat. “Actually —”

  “Never mind about that,” Whittle interrupts. “I’m sure it was worth it. Especially since now we’ll put your name in the big drawing. You have a chance to win our Super-Extra-Special Grand Prize … the Annihilator 4000!”

  The Annihilator 4000? Oh, no!

  Better get a fire hose ready!

  THE END

  The best way to help Benny is to get out of the factory and bring back some grownups, you decide. There’s no way you can fight off Nasty Kathy’s army alone.

  You tiptoe toward the red light.

  Benny’s screams float down the aisle. “Oooooh — they’re hurting me!”

  “Sorry, Benny,” you mutter. It feels bad to leave your friend. But if you stay, you’re both finished!

  As you approach the red light, your heart sinks.

  It’s not an exit sign.

  It’s just a dumb red light coming from a stupid metal box.

  You’ve backed yourself into a corner — and there’s no door!

  Your heart starts to pound. How will you get away when all those creepy toys catch up to you?

  Try to back out on PAGE 133.

  What is the robot thinking? you wonder. What does it want?

  It’s hard to tell. But if the Annihilator is as alive as it seems to be, maybe there’s some way to trick it.

  It’s worth a try, anyway.

  Your heart pounds as you scan the kitchen. Searching for something good to offer the robot.

  What would it like? you ask yourself. A cookie? A glass of milk? Somehow the Annihilator doesn’t seem like the milk-and-cookies type.

  Then you spot your little brother’s toy fire truck under the kitchen table. It’s a dumb baby toy. But it does light up and make sounds. Kind of like the Annihilator — but not as bad tempered.

  You pick up the fire truck and hold it out to the robot.

  The robot raises an arm. Its eyes glow brighter.

  Then it takes the truck from you!

  See what happens next on PAGE 79.

  You grab the tank. Water sloshes onto your sneakers.

  You look into the tank and see your guppies — Simeon and Seth — flitting around. Opening and closing their little mouths. They’re as frightened as you are!

  You can’t kill Simeon and Seth!

  Put the tank down and go to PAGE 34.

  If you go with Nasty Kathy, you’ll never find the key to turn off the toys. And you’ll never get out of the factory alive!

  You hesitate, pretending to think about it.

  “Come on!” Nasty Kathy bellows. “We don’t have all night!” She drops the tip of her Laser Blaster just an inch.

  It’s the chance you were waiting for.

  “No!” you shout, giving her a shove. Then you take off running in the opposite direction.

  You hear a whine from the Laser Blaster. A red beam sizzles past your head. But you don’t look back. You make it safely down to the end of the preschool toys aisle. Back to the big overhead sign listing all the toys in the warehouse.

  “Yo! Human moron!” Nasty Kathy calls over her megaphone. “You’ll never get away!”

  You’re sweating, and your breathing is heavy. But you can still hear her footsteps as she runs down the next aisle.

  Then you hear her on the megaphone again.

  “Attention all Zorgs. Report to Aisle Four. Dinnertime!”

  Aisle Four?

  That’s where you are!

  Turn to PAGE 26.

  “Let’s try to make it home,” you whisper to Benny.

  Benny frowns. “Okay, but I’m really tired,” he says slowly. “I hope I can pedal my bike.”

&
nbsp; You eye Benny suspiciously. That’s a weird thing to say, considering you’re both being chased by living toys.

  But after all, it has been quite a day.

  You and Benny wait quietly until Bobaloo pulls away. Then you hop on your bikes and pedal slowly toward town.

  When you approach the gas station, you see the owner, Willy Sanderson. He’s talking to Officer Murphy!

  They’re standing under a streetlight. A police patrol car is parked nearby.

  You don’t want to be seen. But you have to know what they’re saying. You and Benny wheel your bikes behind a bush and creep close enough to hear them.

  “How many of us are there?” Murphy asks quietly.

  “Oh, at least fifty,” Sanderson answers. “I’ve lost count.”

  You gasp. Fifty toys pretending to be humans?

  Who are these dolls? Are any of them people you know?

  Turn to PAGE 60.

  Bobaloo swipes a magnetic key card over a panel and pulls open another door. The three of you walk into the huge factory.

  The room is full of chugging machinery and whirring conveyor belts. Wow, you think, gazing around. This is awesome!

  Across the factory is a huge glass wall. Through the glass you can see a warehouse. Its shelves are stacked to the ceiling with toys.

  “This way,” Bobaloo calls, pointing toward the warehouse. He and Benny hurry off.

  You start to follow them — when something catches your eye. Something you can hardly believe.

  A line of dolls in pink dresses are riding on a conveyor belt. One of them suddenly sits up — and looks around.

  For one second, her big blue eyes glance your way. She flutters her long lashes in surprise. Then she jumps off the assembly line and darts behind a machine.

  Whoa. Did you really just see a living doll?