Button Hill by Michael Bradford Read Free Book Online Page A

you.”
    â€œYou haven’t caught us yet,” said Dekker. He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled.
    Cobb looked behind him, but nothing was there. He sneered. “Oooh, you whistled. You almost hurt my ears. You weren’t trying to call that pathetic dog, were you? Yeah, I don’t think he can hear you anymore.”
    Dekker’s stomach clenched. First Riley, now Captain Tom. What else can go wrong?
    Harper glanced at Dekker. “Any other ideas?” she said.
    â€œRun!” He grabbed her hand, and they took off toward the frozen pool.
    â€œAfter them!” Cobb pointed, and his army of sharpened soldiers fanned out to either side. As they ran, they grew until they were the size of toddlers, and they wrenched their boots off their green plastic bases. They bared sharp green teeth and snarled as they charged around the pond. Dekker searched the ground for anything he could use to protect himself, but all he saw was a fallen branch. As he picked it up, an electric spark jumped into the wood from the mark on his palm, and the stick crackled with energy. The first soldier lunged at Dekker with its arm like a bayonet, and Dekker slapped the soldier on the helmet with the stick in an effort to push it back. As the stick made contact with the helmet, the soldier’s green plastic flesh began to melt. The smoking soldier stumbled back, arms up in front of its face. In moments it had disintegrated into green ooze. The other soldiers moved back, snarling but less certain.
    A flash of inspiration hit Dekker, and he turned to Harper. “The mark on my hand powered up that stick somehow. Quick—the backpack!”
    Confused, she reached into the backpack and pulled out Cuddles, Riley’s well-loved plush leopard. “This stuff is useless.”
    â€œNo, it’s Cuddles, Riley’s favorite stuffie,” he said. He grabbed the toy and squeezed it around the middle. He felt a little spark of energy jump out of the dark mark on his palm. “Grow, Cuddles, grow!” shouted Dekker. Sparks ran up and down the leopard’s paws, and it let out a low growl as it began to swell. Dekker dropped the stuffed animal, and in an instant a lean jungle cat with huge paws and razor-sharp claws stood beside him. It hissed at the sharpened soldiers, who started to back away. Harper gasped.
    Dekker pointed. “Cuddles, attack! Defend us from those soldiers.”
    The cat looked at Dekker—its eyes were still the button eyes of a toy—then bounded into the middle of the soldiers. It was a biting, scratching, twisting, lashing death machine. Green arms and legs flew everywhere. The soldiers were suffering heavy casualties, but they continued to advance slowly. One swerved past the cat and lunged at Dekker. Dekker ducked to the side, and the soldier landed in the thorny hedge. The hedge shuddered, and the thorns hooked into the soldier, drawing it into the bush. Its green plastic boots vanished completely beneath the rustling leaves.
    Dekker pulled the comics from the backpack and pressed his hand against each one. “Comics, aerial attack. The leopard’s on our side.” The comics glowed briefly with his touch, and he flung them into the air. They spun out of control for a moment, then swooped forward awkwardly, pages unfurling like pterodactyl wings. The comics were erratic and began to burn as they landed on top of the advancing army.
    â€œHow are you doing that?” Harper cried.
    â€œI don’t know, but it’s working! What else is in that backpack?” said Dekker.
    Harper rummaged frantically in the bottom. “Only these Pop Rocks.”
    â€œGimme. I’ll unwrap, and you throw.” Dekker ripped open the candy packet with his teeth and squeezed the bag until the candy inside was crackling with energy. Harper grabbed the bag and launched a spray of the candy in a wide arc. There were loud bangs as the Pop Rocks hit the ground, and a plume of