42 - Egg Monsters from Mars by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Read Free Book Online

frantically against the glass. “Let me out of here!
You can’t do this!”
    The glass was thick and hard. No way I could break through.
    “Let me out!” I uttered a final scream.
    When I turned back into the room, the egg creatures stopped chattering. They stared up at me with their black, button eyes.
    They didn’t quiver or bounce. They stood totally still. As if they had
frozen.
    I’m going to freeze! I realized. I rubbed my bare arms. But it didn’t
help warm me. My hands were ice cold.
    Icicles are going to form on me, I thought. I’m going to freeze to death in
here. I’m going to turn into a human Popsicle.
    The egg creatures stood so still. Their eyes were all locked on me. As
if they were studying me. As if they were trying to decide what to do about me.
    Suddenly my egg creature broke the silence. I recognized it by the blue veins
down its front. It started to chatter loudly.
    The other egg creatures turned, as if listening to it.
    Was it talking to them? Was it communicating in some weird Martian chatter
language?
    “I hope you’re telling them all how I saved your life!” I called to it. “I
hope you’re telling them what a good guy I am. You almost went down the drain—remember?”
    Of course the egg creature couldn’t understand me.
    I don’t know why I was shouting at it like that. I guess I was totally losing
it. Totally freaked.
    As the egg creature chattered on, I stared at the others. They all listened in silence. I started to count them. There were
so many of them—and so few of me!
    Were they friendly? Did they like strangers? Did they like humans?
    How did they feel about being locked up in this freezing cold room?
    Did they feel anything at all?
    These were questions I didn’t really want to know the answers to.
    I just wanted to get out of there.
    I decided to try the window again. But before I could move, my egg creature
stopped talking.
    And the others started to move.
    Silently, they huddled together. Pressed together into a wide yellow wedge.
    And rolling faster than I could imagine, they attacked.

 
 
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    “Hey—!” I uttered a startled cry and backed up.
    The wedge of egg creatures rolled forward. Their bodies slapped the floor
wetly as they bounced toward me.
    I retreated until my back hit the window.
    Nowhere to run.
    “What do you want?” I screamed. My voice came out high and tight in panic.
“What are you going to do?”
    I turned and banged on the window again, pounding with open hands. “Dr. Gray!
Dr. Gray! Help me!”
    Did they plan to roll over me? To swallow me up?
    To my surprise, the egg creatures stopped a few inches in front of me. They
twirled and bounced until they had formed a circle once again.
    Then, moving quickly and silently, they shifted back into a big yellow
triangle.
    I stared down at them, shivering, my teeth chattering.
    They’re not attacking, I decided.
    But what are they doing?
    Why are they forming these shapes? Are they trying to talk to me?
    I took a deep breath, trying to calm my panic.
    You’re a scientist, Dana, I reminded myself. Act like a scientist. Not a
frightened kid. Try to talk back to them.
    I thought hard for a few seconds. Then I raised my hands in front of me. And
I formed a circle with my pointer fingers and thumbs.
    I held the circle up so the egg creatures could all see it. And waited to see
if they did anything.
    The yellow blobs had formed a wide triangle that nearly filled the room. I
saw their round black eyes go up to the circle I had formed.
    And then I watched them bounce and roll—into a circle!
    Were they copying me?
    I straightened my fingers and thumbs into a triangle.
    And the egg creatures formed a triangle.
    Yes!
    We’re communicating! I realized. We’re talking to each other!
    I suddenly felt really excited. I felt like some kind of pioneer.
    I’m the first person on earth to communicate with Martians! I told myself.
    These creatures are friendly, I decided. They’re not