Tick Tock, You're Dead!

by RL Stine

  “You’re not the boss of me!” Denny yells. He rushes toward the intersection.

  “Stop!” you yell again. Denny turns around and kicks you, hard, in the shin. You are so mad you grab him in a headlock. “Say you’re sorry!” you yell.

  “You’re not the boss of me!” Denny screams again.

  This time the other you jumps into the fight. While you hold on to Denny’s neck, the you from the future pokes him in the chest.

  “Say you’re sorry,” you demand, tightening your hold on his neck. “Say it.”

  This time you don’t even see the truck bearing down on you and your family. It’s too much fun having two of you to gang up on Denny!

  THE END

  You decide to sneak in through the air duct. Jarmal leads you through the trees to the back of the power plant. The air duct is a small opening near ground level. Slipping the red box of explosives under your shirt, you climb into the opening. Then you begin to inch your way along the duct.

  The duct is so small you can scarcely move. As you go farther in, the space becomes even tighter. You crawl another foot — then realize you are stuck! You can’t go forward, and you can’t go back. And your hands are trapped at your sides. You can’t reach the explosives or the chronometer.

  You are about to yell for help when you hear shouting outside.

  Whump!

  Laser guns fire. The robots must have found the rebels!

  “The small human is in the air duct, Commander!” a robot says. “We’ll close the air duct so it can’t breathe!”

  CLANG!

  The cover of the air duct bangs shut.

  Looks like you’ve picked the wrong side in this battle, human. Sadly, your adventure has come to a breathtaking

  END.

  You tear down the corridor to the Hydroponics area.

  What a jungle! Thick, green leaves and winding vines creep all around the room. Strange-looking plants grow everywhere. You notice they’re all potted in a pink solution that is bubbling furiously.

  You watch the doorway as you look around. The robots may catch up to you at any minute.

  “Denny!” you call. “Are you in here?”

  You wander past odd-shaped leaves, strange-smelling flowers, and heavy, colorful fruits. You’ve never seen anything like them. You wonder if something in outer space caused ordinary earth plants to mutate into strange new forms.

  You come to a large sign that reads DANGER.

  Huh? What could be dangerous in a room of plants?

  Then you see it: a vine with a stem as thick as an elephant’s leg. Its flower is huge, with sharp-looking petals.

  You step forward for a closer look. Suddenly the flower lunges at you, its petals snapping shut an inch from your nose!

  Back away onto PAGE 70.

  You follow the sign to Teletime. It’s a spacious room full of electronic equipment. A large panel in the center of the room contains dozens of TV monitors.

  On the monitors you can see several scenes from the past: Alexander the Great’s army, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the landing on the moon. A robot in a white lab coat watches the monitors and doesn’t notice you.

  Maybe the robot can help you return to your own time. You’re about to ask for help when an alarm sounds.

  “ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL!” a loudspeaker squawks. “BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR AN INTRUDER!”

  The robot scientist whirls around and spots you. He pulls out a laser gun. “Explain yourself!”

  What do you do now? Tell the truth and ask the robot for help? Or try to trick it?

  Ask for help on PAGE 125.

  Trick the robot on PAGE 99.

  “I know the answer,” you tell the wizard. “To make time run backward, you have to twist the head of the cuckoo.”

  The wizard waves his arms. A moment later there is a brilliant flash of light and the wizard disappears. In his place stands Denny.

  You never thought you’d be so glad to see your little brother.

  “Denny!” you cry. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  “I’ve been hiding from you!” he replies.

  You glance at the chronometer. Now there’s less than thirty minutes till your two hours are up. “Denny,” you tell him, “we’ve got to go back to Dr. Peebles’s laboratory. We’ve got to go now —”

  “You’re not the boss of me!” he exclaims.

  “Come on!” you insist. You reach for his hand, but he yanks it away.

  “I don’t want to go!” he cries. He runs into the mist and disappears at the back of the Lair.

  Turn to PAGE 114.

  You step through a door labeled TO KING RUTHBERT’S THRONE ROOM and climb a short flight of steps. At the top, you enter a huge stone room.

  Colorful tapestries hang on the walls between narrow, arch-shaped windows. Ladies in long gowns sit on wooden benches. Around the room, knights in armor stand stiffly at attention.

  At the far end of the room, a wooden throne stands on a raised platform. Sitting on the throne is a fat, bearded man wearing a red robe and gold crown.

  King Ruthbert, you realize.

  Next to him, on a smaller throne, is a small person. His crown is too big and slips down over his face.

  A nearby knight draws his sword and raises it to your throat. The sword lightly pricks your skin.

  “What are you doing here, stranger?” the knight demands.

  “I’m a traveler from the future,” you quickly explain. “I’m looking for my brother. He has red hair and —”

  “Silence!” the knight shouts. “I’ll not listen to any more of your lies! You’re a spy for King Henry!”

  Turn to PAGE 23.

  As you reach for a weapon, you notice an apple tree planted alongside the moat. Suddenly you have an idea — and it’s just what you need to put a chink in this knight’s armor.

  “I choose the club,” you tell the knight. “But we’ll duel according to my rules.”

  “Very well, stranger,” the knight says. He hands you the club.

  “See that apple tree?” you say. “Pick one of the apples and toss it toward me. I’ll hit the apple with the club. Then I’ll throw an apple for you to hit. Whoever hits the apple farthest will win the duel.”

  “A strange challenge indeed,” the knight grumbles. “But I accept.”

  Last year you were the best batter on your baseball team. Now you’re hoping your batting average will pay off. Can you beat the knight at baseball? To find out, flip two coins.

  If both coins come up the same, heads or tails, turn to PAGE 30.

  If one coin comes up heads and the other comes up tails, turn to PAGE 116.

  The knights drag you to a platform above the pot of boiling oil. With a gulp you look down into the seething black fluid. In another second you’ll be sizzling like fried chicken!

  You twist your hands behind your back. But the ropes are too tight to break through.

  The king and Denny climb up to the roof to watch.

  “Do you have any last words, spy?” the king asks.

  “Yes!” you say. “Please let me take Denny … er … your son away from here. If he stays he’s doomed!”

  “Never!” the king roars. “Prepare to carry out the sentence!”

  “Denny!” you plead. “You can’t let him do this! You’ve got to listen to me! Tell him not to do it!”

  Hear Denny’s reply on PAGE 132.

  You’ve got to warn your family. “Stop!” you cry as you dash across the street. “Go back to the hotel!”

  At first they all ignore you. Then your mom’s eyes grow wide. She looks back and forth between you and the other you.

  “I don’t have time to explain what’s happening!” you shout at her. “Don’t cross the street! Mom, please! It’s dangerous!”

  But now your family is hurrying to get away from you. They’re totally freaked out!

  “Stop!” you cry again.

  “I don’t know who you are or why
you’re pretending to be my child,” your father says angrily. “But if you don’t leave us alone, I’m calling the police!”

  “Please!” you beg. “Just stop for a minute! You have to listen to me! I’m trying to save your —”

  “I mean it,” your dad says. “Get out of here or you’ll be sorry!”

  Turn to PAGE 78.

  The truck picks up speed as it approaches the corner. There’s no way your family can get out of the way.

  In another moment they will be flattened like pancakes, and there’s nothing you can do!

  But maybe …

  You touch the chronometer. Maybe you can go back in time and stop the accident before it happens.

  Should you go back in the past a few minutes and try to stop your family? Or go back farther in time and try to stop the truck?

  To stop your family, turn to PAGE 31.

  To stop the truck, turn to PAGE 34.

  The knight uses his sharp sword to slash the ropes around your arms. You’re free!

  Before the knight can question you further, you jump up and karate kick the sword from his hand.

  The sword falls to the ground. You can’t believe the karate lessons you took last summer worked! You karate kick the knight again.

  And lose your balance.

  You reach out and grab Denny and tumble to the ground, hitting a button on the chronometer.

  You sprawl on the ground, dizzy. And then you hear it. “All hail the king! All hail the king!”

  You gaze up and gasp. You’re in a strange land. And hundreds of people are chanting and bowing. Bowing to you!

  You are the king!

  You stand up and give your first order. “Take this slave boy away,” you say, pointing at Denny. “I am the boss now.”

  THE END

  You follow the robot into a big, glass-walled building. He leads you to a courtroom. A shiny robot dressed in black sits behind a tall desk.

  The judge, you realize.

  “You are accused of appearing in the streets, human,” the judge says. “How do you plead?”

  “Guilty, Your Honor,” you say. “But I didn’t —”

  “Silence!” the judge cuts you off. “There are no excuses. For punishment, you may have your choice: You will be sentenced to school or to the zoo.”

  School? The zoo? What kind of punishment is this? To find out, make a choice now.

  Get sentenced to school, turn to PAGE 9.

  Go to the zoo on PAGE 55.

  “A red-haired boy is visiting the space station,” you tell the robot. “Can your machine find him?”

  “Of course,” the robot says, twisting some dials.

  Denny’s face ripples across the screen. He’s crouched underneath a table that holds a large computer. As you stare at your brother you realize the table is in this very room!

  “Denny!” you cry. You run toward the table. Denny is still huddled there, too scared to move or speak.

  Swiftly, you duck past the robot and under the desk.

  “No!” the robot cries, coming after you. But you grab your brother’s hand, then press the top and bottom buttons on the chronometer. As Dr. Peebles instructed, you hold them down for five seconds.

  Travel to PAGE 75.

  You roll right into the knight’s path.

  “EEEYOW!” the knight cries as you hit him hard. He falls over backward, and Denny sails out of his arms.

  Denny cries out as he hits the roof. But he immediately scrambles to his feet.

  “Quick!” you tell Denny. “Untie my hands! We’ve got to get out of here!”

  “You’re not the boss of me!” Denny says. But for once he actually does what you say.

  Now the knight is on his feet again, his eyes burning with rage.

  “I’ll destroy both of you!” he bellows. He lunges for you and your brother.

  Quick! Grab the chronometer and press a button — any button! Then turn to PAGE 96.

  You crawl through the small opening. In the darkness the red lights glitter like jewels.

  Sticky, ropelike strands hang from the walls and ceiling. At the end of each strand there’s a big gray lump.

  You move closer to the strands and shudder.

  The strands are part of a big spiderweb! And the big gray lumps are the bodies of giant insects!

  “Help me!” a voice cries out.

  As you stare at the web you realize one of the wrapped-up insects is much larger than the others.

  “Help me!”

  It’s Denny! A giant spider has wrapped him up in its silk!

  Quick! Turn to PAGE 39.

  You take off after the knight on horseback. The enormous stone castle stretches toward the sky. Flags fly from its turrets.

  You imagine living there. Cool! you think.

  Suddenly you notice that the knight has disappeared. Where did he go?

  You hurry over a drawbridge, which stretches over a moat. The moat surrounds the castle.

  The sound of thundering hooves breaks the silence. The knight is returning, at full speed. And now he’s holding a spear — and pointing it at you!

  “Hey!” you call out. “I’m not your enemy! I’m a visitor from the future!”

  But the knight doesn’t pay attention. His horse gallops closer and closer. The tip of the knight’s spear gleams in the sun.

  Uh-oh. This guy looks pretty serious. Are you ready to face him? Or should you jump into the moat below, even though you’re a terrible swimmer?

  Face the knight on PAGE 22.

  Jump into the moat on PAGE 108.

  Quickly, you pull the chronometer from around your neck and put it in the keyhole.

  “RRAAAOOORRRGGGHHH!” the dragon bellows, filling the small room with flames and more smoke.

  The woman shrieks in terror. You turn the chronometer in the lock. To your surprise, the lock pops open. The woman quickly pulls off her chains, then grabs your hand. “This way!” she cries. “The dragon can’t follow!”

  She leads you through a small door and slams it. Behind the door, the dragon roars angrily.

  “Thank you for saving me,” the woman says. “Is there any way I can repay you?”

  You explain that you’re looking for your brother. “He has red hair,” you say, describing him.

  The woman nods. “I’ve seen a young boy who looks just like that in the Throne Room.” She points to a door labeled TO KING RUTHBERT’S THRONE ROOM.

  You glance at the chronometer. Time is running out! You’ve got only half an hour to find Denny and return to the present.

  “Good luck.” The woman smiles. “And thanks again.”

  Turn to PAGE 83.

  You yank your hand away from the lion. To your surprise, it lets you go. But just as you are about to press the buttons on the chronometer, the lion pounces on your brother, knocking you both over.

  The chronometer flies out of your hand. At the same moment, there’s a loud pop! Denny disappears into the air. With a squeak of surprise, the lion disappears, too!

  You look all around, but there’s no sign of either your brother or the beast. And the chronometer lies smashed on the floor.

  Oh, no! Now you’ve done it. Maybe the wizard can help you.

  You wander back through the castle, trying to find the wizard’s lair. At last you come to the door labeled: LAIR OF THE WIZARD.

  See the wizard on PAGE 19.

  You press the button under your middle finger and immediately feel a tingling sensation. When it stops, you’re standing near small trees. In the distance long-necked dinosaurs are grazing on some plants.

  Dinosaurs! How far back in time have you gone? You don’t have time to think about it when Denny says, “Look at these weird rocks!”

  Denny’s standing next to six round, speckled boulders. They’re not rocks, you realize. They’re eggs. Dinosaur eggs! As you stare at the rocks, you hear a steady tapping sound. Then one of them begins to crack.

  “Wow!” you cry. “I think this egg’s
about to hatch!”

  “I want to do something else,” Denny whines. “I’m bored.” He grabs the chronometer and runs off.

  “Denny, come back!” you scream. But he keeps running.

  You’re going to have to go after him. But if you do, you’ll miss the coolest thing that’s happened since you got here. What should you do?

  Watch the egg hatch on PAGE 130.

  Chase Denny on PAGE 61.

  The squealing of brakes fills the air. The truck lurches to a stop right before your family.

  CRASH!

  A taxicab slams into the back of the truck. Horns blare and several drivers jump from their cars as a horrible stench fills the air.

  What’s going on?

  You leap out of the truck and run around to the back. Luckily, the driver of the taxi is fine, but the truck’s back doors have been smashed in. And now a river of dead, slippery fish is flowing out of the back, onto the taxicab’s hood, and into the street.

  P.U.!

  You grab the chronometer and push down on the buttons.

  You’re sorry about leaving Denny behind in the future, but, as he always says — you’re not the boss of him.

  THE END

  The space shuttle finally docks at a huge, orbiting space station. The doors glide open. You walk off the shuttle and enter a corridor.

  Inside the space station, robots and humans hurry along the walkway. Denny might be here somewhere — but where?

  A pair of robots wearing security badges stare right at you. All the other humans are wearing bright yellow uniforms, you notice. You’d better find one right away, before someone tries to stop you.