Tick Tock, You're Dead!

by RL Stine

  “Wait a minute!” you protest. “You can’t leave me here!”

  “I’m sure you will be comfortable,” the robot tells you. It zaps its gun again, and the force field goes back up.

  “No!” you cry, trying to push through the force field.

  Then a group of robots approaches. Two little ones point and make strange coughing noises.

  What are they pointing at?

  Find out on PAGE 102.

  You decide your best chance for escape — and for finding Denny — is to go to the past.

  The teacher finishes questioning the girl in front of you. Before the robot gets to you, you press the left-hand button on the chronometer. You feel a tingling sensation, and the classroom disappears.

  The next thing you know, you are standing on a familiar-looking sidewalk. Across the street, a robot strolls along, looking in shop windows.

  Is this the past? This is the same spot where the robot policeman picked you up!

  But it’s nighttime now, you realize a minute later. You’ve traveled to the past, just not very far back.

  You hear approaching footsteps and quickly duck into a doorway. You stay very, very still.

  Then you feel a hand come down, hard, on your shoulder.

  Turn to PAGE 35.

  You step through the door labeled TO THE LAIR. You find yourself in a very narrow passageway. Smoking candles along the walls give off a little light as the path twists and turns. You’re beginning to wonder if you made the wrong choice when you see something on the path:

  A squashed Gummi Bear.

  Your heart stops. There were no Gummi Bears in medieval times. Denny’s been here!

  You hurry along the corridor and see more squashed Gummi Bears. Your brother has definitely come this way. But where is he now?

  You come to a narrow staircase. You follow the cold stone steps downward. At the bottom is a big wooden door. Over it, a sign says LAIR OF THE WIZARD.

  Next to that door is a tiny door about a foot high. The sign over the small door says LAIR OF THE LIZARD.

  You think again about the knight’s last words to you: “Beware of the Lair.” But which lair did he mean?

  Approach the Lair of the Wizard on PAGE 19.

  Check out the Lair of the Lizard on PAGE 113.

  You look over at your future family. The future Denny and the future you are laughing and pointing at the shower of money.

  Your parents are watching, too. Then your father points to his watch and says something. The others nod and start for the corner again.

  “No!” you shout.

  A split second later, the green truck hurtles toward the crowded intersection. Brakes squeal and horns blare. You freeze, barely able to watch the scene unfolding in front of you.

  Your mother lets out a blood-chilling scream.

  Have you saved your family?

  Find out on PAGE 21.

  In just a moment you’ll be safe in another part of the future.

  “Stand and answer!” the robot demands, pointing at you.

  You stand. You’re holding the chronometer with your finger on the right-hand button.

  “What,” the robot asks, “is the quallicork of —”

  You don’t wait for the rest of the question. You press the button. You feel a tingling sensation, and the next instant …

  You are still standing in the classroom and the robot is still speaking: “— on the right-hand adjubibble in Jupiter?”

  You press the button again, but you’re still in the same place. Is the chronometer broken?

  You glance at the dial while you press again. Now you see with horror that it is taking you into the future — but only five seconds at a time!

  Go to PAGE 73.

  “Pull the bird out three times!” you cry.

  “WRONG!” the wizard thunders. Instantly, there’s a brilliant flash of light. You find yourself in a misty corridor. With a sinking feeling, you realize you are in the Corridors of Time.

  In the distance you see an old man trudging along, with the help of a cane. You hurry to catch up. The man has a white beard and thinning gray hair. There’s something familiar about him….

  “Hi,” the old man says in a creaky voice.

  It’s Denny! Somehow the Corridors of Time have turned him into an old man!

  You grab his arm. “Denny,” you say, “come on. Maybe we can find a way out of here.”

  He shakes off your hand. “You’re not the boss of me,” he grumbles. Then he bops you on the head with his cane. “I’m older now — and I’m the boss of you!”

  Too bad. You’re stuck in time with your older younger brother!

  THE END

  You take off after your brother. But by the time you reach the tree where you last saw him, he’s gone.

  Then something on the ground near the tree catches your eye. It’s the chronometer. But where’s Denny? And why did he leave the chronometer behind?

  You scoop up the device and run your finger over the buttons. Denny said he wanted to do something else. He was probably bored with the past and decided to go to the future.

  You quickly press the button on the right and feel a tingling sensation.

  A purple mist surrounds you. Everything turns blurry. You close your eyes, hoping your dizziness will pass.

  You open your eyes again. And blink. Twice.

  A futuristic-looking city looms in the distance.

  Enter the city on PAGE 101.

  Are you serious? Would you really rather look for your brother than take a trip in time? Well, then, you’re reading the wrong book! GOOSEBUMPS readers only have time for adventure.

  Take a minute and think it over … then go back to PAGE 5 to choose again!

  Turn to PAGE 5.

  You’re heading over to the green truck when you feel Abe’s heavy hand on your back. “Get in,” he says, shoving you into the back of the red truck. “You’ve got to unload at the other end.” He slams the door. You’re locked in. There’s no way you can help your family now.

  You’re squeezed in with all the boxes you loaded. Even though you loaded dozens of them, you never really looked at them. Some light is coming in from a crack in the roof, so you can make out the address on the boxes: BROOKDALE LABORATORY.

  Then you notice that there are small holes in the boxes. You put your eye right up against one of the holes and you see an eye staring back at you!

  Creepy.

  Turn to PAGE 135.

  A hideous lion stands at the entrance to the cave. It’s enormous — bigger than any lion you’ve seen at the zoo. Its head is covered with yellow-brown fur and a thick mane. Its eyes glitter as it looks you up and down.

  Then you recognize the beast.

  It’s the lion from the tapestry in the entranceway to the castle!

  In terror, Denny ducks behind you.

  “You’ll do just as well!” the creature snarls as it rushes toward you. It grabs you by the arm, licking its lips hungrily.

  You glance at the chronometer in your hand. The lion is touching you, so if you press the chronometer buttons now it will travel to the future with you and Denny. But if you don’t go to the present soon, you and Denny will be lost forever.

  Should you stay here? Or return to Dr. Peebles’s laboratory with both Denny and the lion?

  To escape now, turn to PAGE 72.

  To stay and fight the lion, turn to PAGE 95.

  The huge tyrannosaur towers over the other dinosaurs. It’s bigger than you ever imagined. Its teeth are as long and sharp as carving knives.

  The enormous creature lets out a roar as it crosses the grassy plain. You freeze. Your heart pounds in terror.

  The other dinosaurs all start to run away. But one, who was grazing on ferns, is slower than the others. The tyrannosaur easily catches up to it, and tears off the small dinosaur’s head in one bite!

  Then the tyrannosaur swings its head and stares straight at you! You take off as fast as you can. The tyrannosaur foll
ows. Closer and closer.

  Ahead there’s a swampy patch of land. You race toward it. Something small is sitting in the middle of the swamp.

  It’s Denny!

  But what’s he doing? Why isn’t he moving?

  You glance back over your shoulder. The dinosaur is still right behind you.

  “Denny!” you call out. “Run!”

  “I can’t,” he yells back. “I’m stuck in quicksand!”

  Help your brother on PAGE 110.

  A tingling sensation races through your body as you’re transported back to the present and the Museum of Natural History. When the misty air clears, you’re back in the time exhibit, standing near a sundial.

  “Come on,” you say to Denny, sighing with relief. “Let’s go find Mom and Dad.”

  “No way,” two voices reply in stereo. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “Oh, no,” you moan out loud as you realize what you’ve done.

  Both Dennys have returned to the present with you!

  You’ve saved your brother’s life, but ruined your own.

  THE END

  You’ve got to hit the brakes. The truck is speeding along even faster than before. You try to reach the brake pedal with your foot — but you can’t reach!

  With horror you watch as your family steps into the intersection. You dive down to the floor of the truck. Using both hands, you push on the brake pedal as hard as you can.

  SCREEEEEECH!!!!

  Will it stop?

  Turn to PAGE 97.

  You get ready to make your escape from the classroom. You need to find your brother before his time runs out, but it’s too dangerous to stay here.

  Now the robot is questioning the girl sitting in front of you. While she stammers out an answer, you grasp the chronometer.

  Where should you go? Do you think you might find Denny in a time farther in the future? Or perhaps he’s in the past? Maybe you should return to Dr. Peebles’s laboratory and ask his help in finding your brother.

  Whatever you decide to do, choose now! The teacher is about to question you!

  Return to the laboratory for Dr. Peebles’s help? Try PAGE 127.

  Seek Denny farther in the future? Go to PAGE 59.

  Or look for him in the past? Turn to PAGE 56.

  You lean against the wall of the corridor, trying to calm yourself. The only person who can help you find Denny is Dr. Peebles. You pull the chronometer from under your uniform and press the top and bottom buttons to return to his laboratory. You’ve got to escape before anyone — or anything — comes after you again.

  But nothing happens.

  You press the buttons again, and nothing happens.

  Oh, no.

  What will you do now? You glance up and notice the sign pointing to TELETIME. Maybe it has something to do with time travel. Maybe there’s another way to get back to the present.

  Enter Teletime on PAGE 81.

  As you back away from the vicious flower, its curling vine sends out new shoots.

  Beyond the plant you see a sign marked EXIT. Can you get around the vine and make your escape?

  Or, off to your right is a rack of garden tools. You see a long rake that looks pretty sharp. Maybe you’d better get the rake first and fight off the vine.

  Quick! Make a decision! Will you grab the rake first? Or run straight for the door?

  To grab the rake, turn to PAGE 123.

  To try to go through the exit, turn to PAGE 43.

  “I’m ready to travel through time!” you tell Dr. Peebles.

  “Good,” the white-haired man replies. He punches some numbers into the computer keyboard. The computer starts to hum. The square doorway between the clock and the computer fills with a strange, shimmering glow. “The Chronoport is almost ready,” the scientist says, pointing to the frame. “I only need to adjust —”

  But before he can continue, you hear pounding footsteps. You turn to see Denny racing toward you.

  “Denny!” you cry. He’s heading straight for the Chronoport. “You can’t go in there!”

  “You’re not the boss of me!” Denny yells. He runs straight through the glowing frame. There’s a soft pop before he disappears completely.

  “Oh, no!” Dr. Peebles cries. “He went before I made the final settings! If you don’t bring him back within two hours of real time, he’ll disappear into timelessness forever!”

  Race on to PAGE 47.

  You grab Denny’s hand and press the chronometer buttons to escape.

  Nothing happens.

  “What’s going on?” Denny whines, tugging at your arm.

  “I don’t know,” you snap.

  You let go of Denny’s hand and stare closely at the face of the chronometer. It looks okay. Same as always. You wonder what went wrong.

  Then the lion roars. Loudly!

  You shake the chronometer up and down. And try pressing the buttons again. Your body starts to tingle.

  It’s working! you think. You shut your eyes tightly. Your fingertips tingle with what feels like an electric current.

  You open your eyes. You can’t believe it! You’re not back in Dr. Peebles’s lab. You’re still in the castle. In front of a door that says KING RUTHBERT’S THRONE ROOM.

  The lion is gone. But where is Denny?

  And then you remember — you didn’t hold Denny’s hand. You’ve lost him all over again! And time’s running out!

  To search for Denny again, go to PAGE 83.

  Frantically you start to press the other button, for the past. The robot rolls over to your side. It grabs the chronometer away from you. “No playing with toys during class!” it shouts. “Now answer the question!”

  You have no idea what quallicorks or adjubibbles are. And you don’t think you’ll have time to find out.

  Too bad — but it looks as if the answer to your question this time is:

  TIME’S UP

  You follow the purple sign and rush into the Engine Room area. It’s crammed with machinery and monitor screens. At the center is a control panel with banks of blinking lights. Next to the control panel is a clear plastic chamber, about the size of a car, labeled ANTIGRAV.

  Inside the chamber is a small figure that’s floating and turning in midair.

  It’s Denny! You yank open the door. “Denny!” you call. “We’ve got to get back to the present right now!”

  “I don’t want to,” he whines.

  You step into the chamber, but your feet don’t touch the floor. There’s no gravity here — you’re weightless! You get a funny feeling in your stomach as you start to float around.

  You grab for your brother — but he easily twists away. You find yourself upside down. If you weren’t so worried about returning to your own time, this would be fun. “Come on, Denny!” you beg.

  “You’re not the boss of me.” He sneers at you.

  You grab for him again — and miss. Then you glance outside the chamber — a robot guard has his laser gun pointed straight at you.

  Turn to PAGE 115.

  An instant later, you find yourself back in the laboratory at the Museum of Natural History.

  “Welcome back.” Dr. Peebles looks relieved to see both you and Denny. “How was your trip?”

  “Exciting,” you say.

  “Boring,” Denny whines. He punches you. “I’m hungry!”

  You gaze at your brother with exasperation. You know that if it weren’t for you, he would have disappeared forever. You think of everything you had to go through to save him. And for just a moment, you wonder if it was such a good idea.

  THE END

  The screams echo against the dark walls. You wish you could turn around and get out of here. But you have to find your brother.

  “Denny!” you shout.

  You put your hand on the walls to guide you. A light appears up ahead, and you follow it into a circular room.

  Inside the room are three doors. You just came through one of them. The other two are labeled TO KING RUTH
BERT’S THRONE ROOM and TO THE LAIR.

  You remember that the knight warned you to “Beware of the Lair.” Did he mean this lair?

  What about the Throne Room? Judging by this spooky castle, that could be pretty dangerous, too.

  Which door do you choose?

  Enter the Throne Room on PAGE 83.

  Step into the Lair on PAGE 57.

  Strolling down the block in front of you is a familiar-looking family: a father, a mother, and two kids. There’s a very good reason why the family looks so familiar. It’s your family.

  You watch as your Mom, Dad, Denny, and you continue down the block. Your parents are talking to each other, and you and Denny seem to be arguing — some things will never change.

  You watch as Denny gives you a karate chop in the arm, and you punch him back.

  It feels so strange to watch yourself like this. There are two of you in the same place! What would happen if you spoke to your future self?

  You still haven’t decided what to do when your family reaches the corner. The light changes and they start to cross to the other side of the street.

  A moment later you hear frightened screams and shouts, and then loud honking. You turn toward the noise. A green truck is speeding down the street.

  The truck shows no sign of slowing down, and it’s headed straight toward your family!

  Quick! Turn to PAGE 87.

  “Yeah, get out of here!” Denny adds. A karate chop lands on your arm.

  You can’t help it. You punch him back. “Don’t be a jerk!” you say. “Turn around now! If you don’t, something terrible will happen!”