42 - Egg Monsters from Mars (7 page)

“Maybe I
will
take a look around.” That’s what I thought I heard Dad
say.

Was I dreaming it?

No. I heard Dr. Gray mumble something. Then I heard Dad say, “Sometimes Dana
sneaks into places where he doesn’t belong. He’s so interested in science, he
may have sneaked in through a back door, Dr. Gray.”

“Yes!” I cried happily. Every time I lost all hope, I somehow got another
chance.

I jumped up and hurried to the window. I crossed my fingers and prayed Dad
would walk to the back and see me.

After a few seconds, I saw Dad and Dr. Gray at the far end of the long, white
hall. Dr. Gray was leading him slowly, opening doors. They peered into each lab,
then moved on.

“Dad!” I called. “Can you hear me? I’m back here!”

Even though I had my face pressed up to the window glass, he couldn’t hear
me.

I banged on the glass. Dad kept walking with Dr. Gray. He didn’t look up.

I waited for them to come closer. My heart was banging against my chest now.
My mouth was dry. I pressed up close to the window.

In a few seconds, Dad would peer into the window and see me standing here.

And then I would be out—and Dr. Gray would have some real explaining to do.

With my hands and nose pressed against the glass, I watched them move
forward. The hall was dark on this end. But I could see them clearly as they
peeked into the labs at the other end.

“Dad!” I shouted. “Dad—over here!”

I knew he couldn’t hear me. But I had to shout anyway.

The two men disappeared into a lab for a few seconds. Then they came out and
stepped toward me.

They were talking in low tones. I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

Dad had his eyes on Dr. Gray.

Turn this way, Dad,
I silently urged.
Please—look to the end
of the hall. Look in the window.

Chatting softly, they disappeared through another door.

What on earth are they talking about? I wondered.

A few seconds later, they were back in the hall. Moving this way.

Dad—please! Here I am!
I pressed up eagerly against the glass.

I pounded my fists on the window.

Dad looked up.

And stared into the window.

He stared right at me.

I’m rescued! I realized.

I’m
outta
here!

Dad stared at me for a few seconds.

Then he turned back to Dr. Gray. “Thanks for showing me around,” he said.
“Dana definitely isn’t here. Sorry I wasted your time.”

“Dad—I’m right here!” I shrieked. “You’re looking right at me!”

Was I invisible?

Why didn’t he see me?

“Sorry I wasted your time, Dr. Gray,” I heard Dad say again.

“Good luck in finding Dana,” Dr. Gray replied. “I’m sure he’ll turn up really
soon. He’s probably at a friend’s house and forgot the time. You know how kids
are.”

“Nooooooo!” I let out a long wail. “Dad—come back! Dad!”

As I stared in horror, Dad turned away and started back down the long hall.

With another cry, I began to pound on the window glass with both fists. “Dad!
Dad! Dad!” I chanted with each slam of my fist.

Dad turned around. “What’s that noise?” he asked Dr. Gray.

Dr. Gray turned too.

I pounded the glass even harder. I pounded until my knuckles were raw and
throbbing. “Dad! Dad! Dad!” I continued to chant.

“What’s that pounding noise?” Dad demanded from halfway down the hall.

“It’s the pipes,” Dr. Gray told him. “I’ve been having a lot of trouble with
the pipes. The plumber is coming on Monday.”

Dad nodded.

He kept walking. I heard him say good-bye to the scientist. Then I heard the
door close behind him.

I knew that this time he wouldn’t come back.

I didn’t move from the window. I stared through the glass down the long hall.

A few seconds later, I saw Dr. Gray coming toward me. He had an angry scowl
on his face.

I’m his prisoner now, I thought glumly.

What does he plan to do?

He stopped outside the window. He clicked on the hall light.

In the bright light, I could see beads of sweat on his forehead. He frowned
and stared in at me with those cold blue eyes.

“Nice try, Dana,” he said sourly.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I choked out. My legs were trembling. Not from the
cold. I was really terrified now.

“You almost got your father’s attention,” Dr. Gray replied. “That wouldn’t
have been nice. That would have spoiled my plans.”

I pressed both palms against the glass. I tried to force myself to stop
trembling.

“Why couldn’t Dad see me?” I demanded.

Dr. Gray rubbed a hand over his side of the window. “It’s one-way glass,” he
explained. “No one can see into the room from the hall—unless I turn on the
bright hall light.”

I let out a long sigh. “You mean—?”

“Your father saw only blackness,” the scientist said with a pleased grin. “He
thought he was staring into an empty room. Just the way you did—until I turned
on the light.”

“But why didn’t he hear me?” I demanded. “I was shouting my head off.”

Dr. Gray shook his head. “A waste of time. The room you are in is totally
soundproof. Not a sound escapes into the hall.”

“But I can hear you!” I declared. “I could hear every word you and Dad said.
And now you can hear me.”

“There is a speaker system in the wall,” he explained. “I can turn it on and
off with the same control unit that locks the door.”

“So I could hear you, but you couldn’t hear me,” I murmured.

“You’re a very smart boy,” he replied. His blue eyes flashed. “I know you’re
smart enough not to try any more tricks in there.”

“You have to let me out!” I screamed. “You can’t keep me here!”

“Yes, I can,” he replied softly. “I can keep you here as long as I like,
Dana.”

“But—but—” I sputtered. I was so frightened, I couldn’t speak.

“It’s my duty to keep you in there,” Dr. Gray said calmly. He didn’t care
that I was so scared and upset. He didn’t care about me at all, I realized.

He must be crazy, I decided.

Crazy and evil.

“It’s my duty to keep you here,” he repeated. “I must make sure that the egg
creatures haven’t harmed you. I must make sure that the egg creatures haven’t
given you strange germs that you might pass on to others.”

“Let me out!” I shrieked. I was too frightened and angry to argue with him
now. Too angry and frightened to think clearly. “Let me out! Let me out!” I
demanded, pounding on the glass with my aching fists.

“Get some rest, Dana,” he instructed. “Don’t tire yourself out, son. I want
to start doing tests on you in the morning. I have many, many tests to perform.”

“But I’m f-freezing!” I stammered. “Let me out of here. At least let me stay
somewhere warm. Please?”

He ignored my plea. He clicked off the hall light and turned away.

I watched him make his way down the long hall. He disappeared through a door
in front. And closed the door hard behind him.

I stood there, trembling, my heart pounding.

I was cold—and very scared.

I had no way of knowing things were about to get a
lot
scarier!

I was so desperate to get Dad’s attention, I nearly forgot about the egg
creatures. Now I turned from the window to find them scattered around the room.

They stood still as statues. They didn’t bounce or quiver. They all seemed to
be staring at me.

Dr. Gray had turned off all the lights except for a tiny, dim bulb in the
ceiling. The little egg blobs appeared pale and gray in the dim light.

I felt a chill at the back of my neck.

Was it safe to go to sleep in the same room with them?

I suddenly felt exhausted. So tired that all my muscles ached. My head spun.

I needed sleep.

I knew I had to rest so I could be alert and sharp tomorrow. Alert and sharp
so I could find a way to escape.

But if I fell asleep, what would the egg creatures do?

Would they leave me alone? Would they sleep too?

Or would they try to harm me in some way?

Were they good? Were they evil?

Were they intelligent at all?

I had no way of knowing.

I only knew I couldn’t stay awake much longer.

I dropped down to the floor and curled up in the corner. I tried to stay warm
by tucking myself into a ball.

But it didn’t help. The cold swept over me. My nose was frozen. My ears were
numb. My glasses were frozen to my face.

Even wrapped up tightly, I couldn’t stop shaking.

I’m going to freeze to death, I realized.

When Dr. Gray comes back tomorrow morning, he’ll find me on the floor. A
solid lump of ice.

I gazed at the egg creatures. They stared back at me in the dim light.

Silence.

Such heavy silence in the room that I wanted to scream.

“Aren’t you cold?” I cried out to them. My voice came out hoarse, weak from
all the screaming I had done. “Aren’t you freezing to death too?” I asked them.
“How can you guys stand it?”

Of course they didn’t reply.

“Dana, you’re totally losing it,” I scolded myself out loud.

I was trying to talk to a bunch of egg lumps from another planet! Did I
really expect them to answer me?

They stared back in silence. None of them quivered. None of them moved. Their
little dark eyes glowed in the dim light from the ceiling.

Maybe they’re asleep, I thought.

Maybe they sleep with their eyes open. That’s why they’re not moving. That’s
why they’ve stopped bouncing. They’re sound asleep.

That made me feel a little better.

I tucked myself into a tighter ball, and I tried to fall asleep too. If only
I could stop shivering.

I closed my eyes and silently repeated the word, “sleep, sleep, sleep” in my
mind.

It didn’t help.

And when I opened my eyes, I saw the egg creatures start to move.

I was wrong. They weren’t asleep.

They were wide awake. And they were all moving together. All moving at once.

Coming to get me.

“Ohhh.” A low moan escaped from my throat.

I was already shaking all over from the cold. But now my entire body
shuddered from fear.

The egg creatures moved with surprising speed.

They were bunching together in the center of the room. Pressing into each
other, making wet smacking sounds.

I tried to climb to my feet. But my legs didn’t work.

My knees bent like rubber, and I landed back on the floor. I pressed back
into the corner—and watched them move.

They slapped up against each other. Loud, wet slaps.

And as they pushed together, they rolled forward. Rolled toward me.

“What are you doing?” I cried in a high, shrill voice. “What are you going to
do to me?”

They didn’t reply.

The wet smacks echoed through the room as the eggy creatures threw themselves
into each other.

“Leave me alone!” I shrieked. Once again I tried to stand. I made it to my
knees. But I was trembling too hard to balance on two feet.

“Leave me alone—please! I’ll help you guys escape too!” I promised.
“Really. I’ll help you escape—tomorrow. Just let me make it through the
night.”

They didn’t seem to understand.

They didn’t seem to hear me!

What are they doing? I asked myself, watching them creep forward. Why are
they doing this?

They had waited until I nearly fell asleep, I realized.

That means they wanted to catch me off guard. They wanted to sneak up on me.

Because they were about to do something I wasn’t going to like. Something I
wasn’t going to like at all.

I pressed my back against the wall.

The egg creatures moved quickly now, pale in the gray light.

Squinting hard at them, I realized to my horror that they had all stuck
themselves together.

They were no longer dozens of little egg creatures.

Now they had joined together to form
one enormous egg creature!

I was staring at a big, quivering
wall
of egg! A wall so big it nearly
covered the floor of the room.

A wall that was rolling toward me. Rolling to get me.

“Whoa! Please—whoa!” I choked out.

I knew I should climb to my feet. I knew I should try to run.

But where could I run?

How could I escape from this huge, solid egg wall?

I couldn’t.

So I lay there and watched it come. Too frozen. Too frozen to move.

“Ohhhh.” I moaned as the front of the wall of eggs rose up over my shoes.

It was moving so fast now. Crawling somehow.

Crawling over me.

The egg wall swept over my shoes. Over the legs of my jeans. Over my waist.

I lay there helpless as it swept over me.

Too frozen. Too frozen.

Helpless, as it poured over me.

Trapping me beneath it.

Smothering me.

I should have moved.

I should have fought it.

Too late. Too late now.

The sticky, warm egg creatures—all glued together—rolled over me like a
heavy carpet.

I pushed up both arms. I raised my knees. I tried to squirm away.

Too late.

I tried to roll out from underneath. But the heavy, living carpet had me
pinned on my back. Pinned to the floor.

It rolled over my waist. And then quickly, over my chest.

Was it going to sweep over my head? Was it going to smother me?

I punched at it with both fists.

But it was too late to push it away. Too late to do it any harm.

Too late to stop it as it crept closer to my neck. So warm and heavy.