"Two," said Sean tersely. He pointed to the left of the crater at a particularly huge, hairy, and hungry-looking creature. "One over there."
"And another one over there." Tyler pointed to his right. It was a smaller one with intelligent eyes, looking at them shrewdly.
The Space Brigade huddled together around the immobile, unblinking Greta.They were muddy, exhausted, and terrified.
The two Arth-Creatures seemed to be communicating with each other.
"GWOOOOOARRRGGH!" roared the smaller one. "GWOG HOGALOG MOGALOG!"
The hairy one listened carefully. "HWWAAA!" it answered.
Sean was feverishly biting his nails--something Nicola had never seen him do in his entire life. "I think we're in trouble," he said.
CHAPTER 29
"Should we make a run for the spaceship?" Sean asked Nicola.
Nicola wanted to scream, I DON'T KNOW! HOW SHOULD I KNOW? YOU'RE OLDER THAN ME!
Instead, she was amazed at how calm and controlled her voice sounded as she said, "We can't leave Greta.Where is the princess? She's got the last grenade."
"There she is," said Shimlara. "What's she doing?"
The princess must have run around to the other side of the crater. Now she was standing halfway between the two Arth-Creatures, with her feet firmly planted in the mud. She looked like a cowboy waiting for a duel, except of course for her mud-splattered yellow pajamas and the tiara still fixed firmly to her head.
"They're at least fifty meters apart," said Tyler. "There's no way she can get both of them with one grenade."
"Yeah, and I think the Arth-Creatures might have worked that out," said Shimlara.
The two Arth-Creatures were now wearing a smug, satisfied look, as if they were heading off to an all-you-can-eat buffet dinner.
The princess wound her arms around in circles and twisted her neck back and forth.
"She's stretching." Sean shook his head. "She's getting ready to freeze one of them. She's crazy!"
"Princess Petronella, that's our last freeze-grenade!" yelled Nicola. "We can't afford to waste it! And have you changed the setting?"
The princess just rolled her eyes.
"Maybe she wants us to die," said Shimlara.
"We did kidnap her," said Katie.
The princess turned toward the larger, hairier Arth-Creature and pointed one finger at it like a dart player taking aim.
Nicola clenched her fists tight in frustration. If the princess used up the last grenade, there would still be one creature left--the intelligent-looking one that was now rubbing its large tummy as if to say, "Good. More food for me."
"Wait till they're together so you can get both of them at once!" shouted Nicola.The princess took no notice.
Should I sacrifice myself to that last Arth-Creature so the others can escape? Nicola felt dizzy with terror as she imagined sharp, cruel teeth savaging her skin, crunching on her bones. It will hurt immensely, but it's the right thing to do.The noble thing to do.
The princess threw her grenade. It spun so fast it was a blur in the yellow sky.
I'll die a heroic death. Nicola's legs trembled uncontrollably. They'll probably make a movie about me.
The grenade hit the huge hairy Arth-Creature right in the center of the forehead with a loud thwock sound like a cricket ball against a bat.
But what about saving Earth? There might not be any Earthlings left to WATCH movies.