You wiggle your human fingers. Whew. That’s a relief!
“That was fun!” Stinko cries. “Let’s do it again!”
The rat leader returns, hovering in the doorway. “The new formula is complete!” he announces.
“Yay!” Zoe cheers.
The remaining rat-people in the lab race through the doorway. The door shuts with a loud bang.
“Wait!” you call after them. “You forgot to tell us how to get home!”
No answer.
The mutants are gone.
You flop down on a table. “Great!” you groan. “We help them — and they leave us here with no way to get back home!”
Flip to PAGE 85.
You gulp in some air and force your way through the bobbing balls. You push your arms forward in a breaststroke and kick your feet. Balls pop up into the air around you.
But finally you reach your little brother.
“Stinko!” you call to him.
He turns at the sound of your voice. His face is twisted into a look of terror. For once he doesn’t try to get away from you.
“Help me!” he cries. He reaches for your outstretched hand.
As soon as Stinko grabs your hand, you both sink down through the balls. “Whoa!” you exclaim.
Then you notice other kids are sinking, too.
Something on the bottom of this pit is sucking you in!
You peer down. There’s a giant Plexiglas tube at the bottom of the ball pit. It’s like a drain!
There’s no stopping the suction now. You’re spiraling downward — and taking Stinko with you.
You take one last desperate gulp of air as you are pulled through the tube.
Come out on PAGE 44.
There’s no way you’re going to send Stinko on such an important mission. Those keys are your only hope for escape. This is no job for a little brother.
You suck in your stomach and start squirming through the bent bars.
“Where are you going?” Stinko whimpers. “Don’t leave me.”
“Don’t worry,” you say. “I can’t. I’m stuck!”
It’s true. Even with your stomach sucked way in, the narrow space between the bars has you trapped.
And you can hear the rat people returning!
“Well, well!” Zoe cheers as she re-enters the room. “I see we have a volunteer!”
Is she talking to you?
Uh-oh …
Turn to PAGE 133.
Join the rat-people’s army?
“No way!” you shout.
You knock the chunk of Switch Cheese out of Zoe’s claw. It falls to the ground.
You turn to run, but David throws himself down on the ground in front of you. You trip over him and fall flat on your face.
You scramble to your feet. But before you can run, David grabs the back of your shirt. And then wraps his stringy rat tail around your right ankle, holding you fast!
“Nice work,” Zoe compliments the rat-boy. She tosses him another bite of cheese as a reward. His nose twitches as he chews it gratefully.
“Time to eat your Switch Cheese.” Zoe’s glittering rat eyes gaze at you. “And this time you won’t get away from me!”
Give up. Just go to PAGE 104.
Yes! You have the tape! Now what was it the voice in the dark said when you asked what was on the tape?
“You will find out when it becomes necessary.”
Hmm. Could the voice have meant now?
You pull the tape from your pocket and pop it into the player. You cross your fingers for luck. Then you push PLAY.
Instantly, ear-splitting cat screeches blast through the room. Howls and wails bounce off the walls.
The mutant rats are terrified! They don’t realize the awful sounds are coming from the tape.
They believe there are dozens of cats in the room!
Hurrying to escape the cats, the mutant rats go berserk. They dive under the counters, climb up the tables, and scurry behind anything that will hide them.
This is your chance to grab the keys and release the other kids. You unlock all the cages.
“This way!” you call. The kids scramble to follow you out the door.
With the cat tape shrieking, the rats scurrying, and the kids running, the whole room starts to shake!
“Hurry!” you cry. “Before it’s too late!”
Run to PAGE 87.
Whoops! You picked the string that’s sure to leave you at loose ends.
You find yourself all alone outside the parachute.
Dangling from the string. In midair!
Stinko and Dare have vanished.
There is nothing above or below you. Cold air blows through you. Darkness folds in around you as you swing back and forth.
Can you please try to be more careful next time? Because nobody likes to be left hanging!
THE END
“Up!” you shout. You pull your brother inside and pound the DOOR CLOSE button. “Close! Close! Close!” you mutter.
Zoe reaches the elevator just as the doors slide shut. You shiver at the sight of the rat-faced baby-sitter. It’s twisted into an expression of fury.
“No!” you hear Zoe snarl. “They can’t get away!”
The elevator motor starts. You and Stinko slide to the floor, huffing and puffing. You lean back against the wall. “We made it,” you breathe.
This is the first chance you’ve had to rest for even a second. You shut your eyes. Stinko leans his head against your shoulder. You’re almost feeling relaxed, when you hear a tapping noise above you.
You glance up and see a giant rat’s claw.
Breaking through the ceiling!
Go to PAGE 48.
You gasp at the sight of the clawed hand. But you’re not going to let your fear keep you from being rescued!
“Thanks for saving me,” you tell the boy as he pulls you to safety. You peer at him. He looks a little older than Stinko, but younger than you.
“I’m David.” He holds out his hairy hand to shake. But when he sees you staring at it, he shoves it into his pocket.
“Wh-wh-what happened to you?” you stammer.
“I don’t know,” David admits. “It started as soon as the KidScare baby-sitter went to check in at the gate.”
“Hey! We came with a sitter from the same agency!” you cry.
“There’s something really weird going on here,” David warns you. “The baby-sitters are evil.”
“Evil?” Your voice trembles. “What do you —”
“Sshhh!” David interrupts you. “Listen!”
You hear voices approaching. One is Zoe’s.
“We can’t let them find us!” David gasps. “Follow me!”
You’re not sure if you trust this kid. That hairy hand of his gives you the creeps.
But so does Zoe! And she’s getting closer.
If you decide to trust this strange boy, go to PAGE 125.
If you’d rather go your own way, turn to PAGE 55.
You remember that there were cave entrances near the ball pit. You step into the cave, hoping that’s where it leads. You blink your eyes, trying to focus in the pitch darkness.
“Who enters my cave?” a deep voice booms.
Fear clutches your throat. What have you gotten yourself into now?
“Uh — it’s just me,” you croak.
“Why have you trespassed?” the voice demands.
“I’m running from a pack of evil baby-sitters,” you blurt.
Oops! You hope you’re not talking to one of them!
“Those baby-sitters are the worst!” the voice growls.
Whew!
“So you’ll let me through?” you ask nervously.
You wish you could see who you’re talking to. You strain your eyes. But it’s just too dark.
“Not so fast,” the voice snaps. “First, you must answer three questions. If you pass my test, I’ll let you pass me.”
Turn to PAGE 31.
“I choose green!?
?? you declare.
Uh-oh. Maybe that wasn’t the right choice. Dare laughs so hard, his tattoos shake, rattle, and roll all over his body.
“Green?” he chokes out. “You choose green? Don’t you know what it means to choose green?”
“Hey!” Stinko exclaims, peering at you. “You’re a frog! A green frog!”
At least, that’s what he tries to say. Actually, what comes out sounds more like, “Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit ribbiiiit!”
But you understand him perfectly. Because all frogs speak the same language.
“Ribbit ribbit, ribbit,” you reply. “Ribbit.”
Which means, “You’re a frog too, Stinko.”
Oh, well. You jump — but not for joy at the way this adventure has come to the
RIBBIT!
(Which, you probably know, means END in froggy talk.)
“I choose NOTHING!” you exclaim.
The horned beast on Dare’s chest roars. It reaches for you with a clawed hand.
“Stop!” Stinko shouts. He runs to your side.
“Get back!” Dare bellows. “This game is just between us!”
Stinko clutches your leg. “I won’t leave you,” he cries.
The beast on Dare’s chest reaches for Stinko!
You try to hang on to him, but the beast is too strong. It drags your little brother into its arms. Then the killer beast tattoo slams Stinko against Dare’s shoulder.
A new tattoo instantly appears. And a whole new arm.
“No!” you shriek. You shut your eyes. You can’t look at the horrible sight.
Stinko is the tattoo creating this new arm!
Dare’s laughter sounds like a cry of victory. “You chose NOTHING,” he shouts. “And NOTHING is what you will get! No points, no brother, no home, no life, no NOTHING!”
You can’t believe your choice is turning out so badly. Stinko is a tattoo! You know you’ll be next.
You can’t let the game end this way.
Can you?
Go to PAGE 101.
You take another step onto the rope bridge. You force yourself to stay calm as it swings wildly. Clutching the railing tightly, you tiptoe across the ropes.
You can hear Zoe and the other baby-sitters talking in the middle of the orange mist. “That kid won’t get away from us,” Zoe snarls. “They never escape for long.”
You hug the rope railing and pull yourself blindly into the thick mist. You know you’re very close to them, but so far they haven’t sensed you.
You just might make it!
Then a loud, shrill shriek pierces the mist.
“That’s the kid alarm!” Zoe cries. “Get the kid!”
Hold your breath until PAGE 97.
You grab the shrunken Cyclops head by its stringy black hair. You swing it around like a lasso. Dare ducks to avoid being hit.
Oops! The one-eyed monster clobbers you on its way around.
You drop the head and collapse. You’re knocked out cold.
You don’t know how much time has passed. You hear Stinko’s voice next to you. “Wake up!” he’s saying.
You open one eye. You’re back in your own room!
In your own house!
“Wake up!” Stinko yells, shaking your shoulder. “They’re back!”
You squint your eyes to see the couple standing in the doorway of your room. “Mom? Dad?” you ask groggily.
“Ready for some fun?” one of them asks.
“And some games?” demands the other.
Oh, no! It’s not your mom and dad.
It’s Zoe and Dare.
Zoe grins at you. A nasty, ratlike grin. “Your mom called. They’re staying an extra week. So — ready for fun and games?”
“This isn’t fun at all!” you wail.
“Then it must be games,” Dare declares.
Go to PAGE 7.
He may be weird-looking, but you trust David. Besides, how much choice do you have?
“Okay,” you agree. “Which way?”
“Follow me,” he whispers. He holds out his claw.
Taking a deep breath, you grasp his furry hand. Shivers race along your neck. But by holding hands and clutching the side rails, the two of you are able to keep your balance.
“Made it!” you cheer, stepping onto solid ground.
David glances over his shoulder. “Hurry. We don’t have much time! The baby-sitters are headed this way.”
This side of the canyon doesn’t look like a forest at all. Instead of lush plants and bushes, you seem to be in a large gymnasium. The towering trees lining the edge of the canyon hid the setup completely, you realize.
“Owww!” You tumble over with a thud. You were so busy gazing around that you never noticed — you walked right into two rows of tires lying on the ground.
David yanks you upright. “Watch where you’re going.”
Lifting your knees high, you dash through the tires. Then you and David come to a towering wall. Ropes dangle from the top of it.
“We’ve got to climb over that?” you gasp.
Go to PAGE 12.
You grit your teeth and pull yourself up, up, up. Stinko hangs on to your ankles.
Finally, you flop onto the drawbridge, dragging Stinko behind you. The dragon shoots out one last fiery blast.
It misses you.
As the drawbridge goes up, you and Stinko slide down and tumble into the castle. You land on a colorful mosaic-tile floor. The bridge bangs closed. A heavy iron bar locks it in place.
You and Stinko survived the moat. And the dragon.
But now you’re trapped inside the castle.
“Welcome to KidScare Castle,” Dare’s voice bellows all around you. “Congratulations! You’ve made it this far! Not many others have survived the games. You may get home yet.”
As he speaks, you glimpse something moving near your foot.
You peer down.
Yuck!
A huge, hairy, red-eyed spider crawls across your sneaker. You recognize it! It’s the spider tattoo from Dare’s left hand.
He lost another tattoo!
Go to PAGE 94.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!” With a howl, you dart across the cluttered basement. Dashing through a doorway, you find yourself in another dim corridor. You have no idea where it leads, but it doesn’t matter. The rats are chasing you.
They’re less than a whisker’s length behind you!
You tear along the hallway. You spot three doors up ahead. Maybe, just maybe, you can reach one of the doors — and save yourself from the rats!
The rats squeak and snap at your heels. Your breath comes in gasps. Hurry! Hurry! you urge yourself silently.
You approach the doors. The rats swarm around you. They make it impossible for you to go through any door but the one in the middle.
A weird thought crosses your mind. Do the rats actually want you to choose that door?
No way, you tell yourself. Impossible!
You yank open the middle door and slam it shut behind you.
“Whew!” you breathe. You lean against the door. “Safe!”
Are you sure?
Find out on PAGE 4.
“Stinko!” you yell as loud as you can.
It’s no use wasting your breath. He can’t hear you. He has sunk from view. Buried in colored plastic balls.
You’ve got to get him out of there. And then you’ve got to get both of you out of the Fun Zone.
But how?
You notice heavy ropes dangling over the pit. If you could just grab one of the ropes, you might be able to swing over the pit and yank Stinko out.
That is, if he comes up to the surface, you remind yourself.
You could dive in. But it would be very hard to find him among all those kids and plastic balls.
You know Zoe is going to show up any minute. And Stinko is definitely not going to come out of the ball pit on his own.
What should you do?
If you jump in, turn to PAGE 42.
If you go f
or the rope, go to PAGE 68.
What’s that? You don’t have the cassette tape?
Too bad.
Listen up. We’re about to tell you something important:
Next time you read this story, make sure you go through the caves!
Meanwhile, it’s time to pay for your mistake.
Pay up on PAGE 133.
“Zoe!” you repeat as the mutant rat-girl completes her transformation. “What —? How —? But —”
“I’m one of them,” she explains. “I was sent among the humans to bring you and Stinko here. You will help us fix the laboratory mistake.”
“We will?” Your voice trembles.
What could these horrible creatures want with you and your little brother?
Before you can ask, Zoe shrieks in agony.
Turn to PAGE 74.
“Noooooo,” you moan in horror. Stinko whimpers beside you. He grabs your hand.
He must be really afraid!
You can’t tear your eyes away from the awful sight. The more you stare, the more you think you recognize the creature.
Unbelievable, but … it looks like Zoe!
But if it is Zoe, she is trapped somewhere between human and rat. Like an experiment gone horribly wrong.
Her head is shaped like a rat’s, but her eyes and lips are human. Her fur is as long as human hair. It covers a rat body with human legs and arms.
Her hands are gnarled masses of fingers and claws. Yellow rat teeth poke, knifelike, out of her human mouth.
Then you see something even worse.
Yes, worse than a giant, mutant rat-person.
Dozens of giant, mutant rat-people.
Coming straight toward you!
Go to PAGE 11.
“No!” you shriek. You’re too terrified to move.
The rats crawl all over you. Their claws scrape your skin. Their teeth graze your flesh.