Godzilla 2000 by Marc Cerasini Read Free Book Online Page B

highway. And not a moment too soon...
    With a tremendous roar, the amphibious creature slammed into the hotel. Instantly, every window in the structure exploded outward in a shower of sparkling shards. The roof collapsed next, spilling debris, and several screaming guests, into the huge swimming pool.
    From the area of the first floor near the restaurant, bright crimson flames gushed forth as a gas main ruptured. A secondary explosion quickly followed. The force of the blast sent a geyser of flames into the bright blue sky and knocked the startled creature backward.
    Robin couldn't speak fast enough to describe the amazing event to her millions of viewers. Circling over the destruction, the news team was getting remarkable footage of the devastation. But in the excitement of the moment, the pilot of the INN news chopper had flown too close to the disaster.
    As the creature was rolled onto its back by the force of the explosion, the helicopter was buffeted by shock waves from the blast. As the pilot struggled to regain control of the vibrating aircraft, the helicopter's blades were struck by flying debris.
    Inside the aircraft, Robin Halliday, the satellite technician, and the director were thrown to one side. The cameraman, realizing that the satellite link had been broken, tried to load the camera with fresh videotape even as the chopper tumbled toward the earth.
    Robin screamed. The director paled. The technician fainted.
    But the pilot struggled on. Just when it seemed as if the chopper was going to strike the earth, the pilot twisted the aircraft around and landed it on the soft sand of the beach.
    Despite the sandy cushion, it was a hard landing. The support struts instantly caved in and the chopper tilted to one side. Then the swirling blades struck the sand and dug in, spinning the helicopter around and slamming the fuselage against a copse of tall palm trees.
    The blades shattered, and the main body of the helicopter leaped into the air for the last time and came to a rest in the middle of a huge, manicured garden - part of the resort hotel's luxurious grounds.
    "Everybody out!" the pilot cried when what was left of the helicopter came to a grinding halt. The director kicked open the door and tugged the satellite man out by his collar.
    The technician was out cold.
    Robin, meanwhile, struggled to open her door. The cameraman, bleeding from a cut on his head, pushed past her and slid the door wide open. Then he jumped out, still clutching his camera.
    "Hey!" Robin cried. "How about some help?"
    The pilot rushed over to the shaken intern. Her seat belt was jammed, but the pilot cut her free with his emergency knife.
    As they stumbled away from the demolished helicopter, the fortunate survivors watched in awe as the monster righted itself and moved past the burning building.
    Despite a mild case of shock, the director smiled. "Attaboy, Chuck!" he shouted when he saw the cameraman shooting more footage. The director turned to Robin and patted her on the shoulder.
    "You did good, kid. But that's what I call a pro! " he said, pointing to the cameraman.
    Just then, the monster emitted another piercing, high-pitched squeal. Robin covered her ears.
    While the cameraman filmed, the rest of the team watched as the monster reared up on its long hind legs.
    "It's swelling up like a blowfish!" Robin exclaimed into her dead microphone. "The creature seems to be inflating..."
    As they watched in awe, the bubbles on the armor plating dotting the monster's back and sides began to expand. The entire creature seemed to swell up. Finally, it leaped into the air like some nightmarish giant toad.
    As it left the ground, the creature flew right over the cowering news team. In its wake, a tremendous wind swirled around them, kicking up sand and almost knocking them down.
    The wind lasted for only a few seconds, then subsided. Suddenly, the air all around them smelled very sweet. Robin sniffed the air, then she looked at the director. He was