Monster Madness Read Free Page B

more of a freak.
    “I may be a little bit quicker at opening portals,” Charlie replied, somewhat defensively, “but it’s still gonna take both of us to do this thing—no one can open more than one portal at the same time.”
    “Duh,” Theodore said. “Tell me something I don’t know. I opened mine—now you open yours.”
    “Okay, get ready. Here we go.” Charlie stepped through Theodore’s portal and into the Nether. He extended his hand and closed his eyes. Moments later, purple flame crackled across him, and he opened up a portal that looked out on top of the Great Wall of China. Camera-wielding tourists screamed and stumbled backward, startled by the otherworldly sight.
    Brilliant sunlight flooded through Charlie’s portal—illuminating the rocky landscape of the 1st ring of the Nether—then continued on through Theodore’s portal and into Dora’s small room beyond, filling it with light.
    The Darkling instantly recoiled farther under the bed, desperately seeking protection in the shadows.
    “Pull the mattress off!” Charlie yelled. “Expose it to the sun!”
    Violet grabbed one side of the worn mattress as Dora’s father grabbed the other.
    “On three,” she said. “One…two…”
    They yanked the mattress off the bed, allowing the sunlight to blast the cowering Darkling below. The monster howled in agony as its skin sizzled and popped like the bubbles on a cheese pizza. Within moments, it liquefied into an oily pool that drained away through the floorboards.
    Everyone stared in amazement.
    “Is it…?” Dora’s father asked.
    “Yeah,” Charlie replied. “It’s dead. Great job, everyone.” He waved his hand and dismissed the portal to China. The blazing sunlight disappeared as if turned off by a switch.
    “Wow!” Dora said, looking around. “I can’t believe it. It’s so bright in here now!”
    “Get rid of a Darkling, get rid of the darkness,” Charlie said with a grin as he stepped through Theodore’s portal and back into Dora’s bedroom.
    “Plus,” Theodore added, “now that the Gremlins are toast, you can start making toast again—your electricity shouldn’t be so funky now that they’re gone. And we did it all on our own! Congratulations, Addys!”
    But, before they could celebrate, a reeking, green-furred creature the size of a refrigerator leaped through Theodore’s still-open portal and landed on the hardwood floor of the bedroom with a loud crash. It stood upright, like a giant kangaroo, and had two thick, powerful legs and a wide pouch on its expansive belly. It howled obscenely as syrupy drool dripped from its long front fangs.
    “What is that?” Violet said, startled.
    Suddenly, the beast snatched her with its two strong forepaws, lifted her high into the air, and stuffed her, screaming, into its large front pouch. It turned and leaped back through Theodore’s portal, escaping into the Nether beyond.
    “It’s got her!” Charlie shouted. “Theodore, honk the panic horn!”
    “Oh, sure—when I almost get eaten, it’s all ‘we got you, Theodore—don’t honk the panic horn,’ but when Violet gets snatched, suddenly the world’s gonna end!”
    “Hurry! It’s getting away! Just honk the stupid horn already!”
    “Fine.” Theodore grabbed it from the nightstand. “But I just want to point out that compared to Banishers, Nethermancers are second-class citizens. We’re Dopey to their Snow White. We’re—”
    “JUST HONK THE HORN!”
    “OKAY!”
    Theodore honked the panic horn.
    Moments later, Rex came bursting through the bedroom door, followed by Pinch and Tabitha.
    “What’s going on?” she shouted.
    “One of those things grabbed Violet!” Charlie pointed to a monstrous herd of the creatures as they neared the open portal.
    Rex’s eyes narrowed. “Son of a gun: Dangeroos. Class 4’s by the look of their tails.”
    “The correct term is Netherleapers,” Pinch said with a sniff.
    “Aw, c’mon, Pinch, not every dang creature can