panted. “It’d take an axe to whack this thing.”
The tangle of branches pressed tighter, blocking out the light. Lewis was bracing himself to go under when suddenly a rip appeared in the wall of vegetation.
There came a sound of slashing and tearing and shreds of vegetation went flying in all directions. Through the widening gap Lewis caught sight of Susie.
She had the blades from her skates, one in each hand, and was using them to slice her way through the choking greenery. When she reached the brothers she demanded breathlessly, “Where are Sven and Garth?”
“I don’t know,” Lewis answered, tugging at a frond that was wrapping itself around his throat. “I can’t see anything for all these leaves.”
“This is ridiculous,” Susie seethed. “They’re growing back as fast as I cut them.”
“That’s because of the magic,” said Greg as he wrestled an enormous fern.
“Gutters!” said Susie, chopping through a tangle of fronds. “It’s genetic mutation, that’s all.”
Suddenly Thor burst through the foliage like a stampeding rhino, torn vines trailing from his arms. He waded towards them, chopping to his left and right with Mjolnir, but the tangle of branches simply took the blows and sprang back.
“A hammer’s not the best thing for fighting plants, is it?” said Susie.
“Ja, I’d give a lot for a good sword right now,” said Thor, bashing at the trunk of a banana plant.
The four of them drew together back to back, struggling to fight off the greenery that threatened to smother them. Greg’s knife went flying as a lashing vine smacked it from his hand. Susie lost one of her skates and did her best to fight on with the other. Lewis punched and kicked as hard as he could, but twin clusters of overgrown papaya leaves got hold of him like monstrous hands and began to squeeze the breath out of him.
Out of nowhere came a sudden whiff of smoke and a flash of flame. A bundle of burning paper dropped into the midstof the struggle and the plants recoiled at once, snatching their branches out of harm’s way.
As the leaves parted, Lewis spotted Garth Makepeace calmly setting fire to bundles of money with his lighter and tossing them at the rampaging vegetation. The green horrors jerked back and retreated from the flames like mice running from a cat.
“Wow, that’s some save, Garth!” Susie enthused, shaking off a scattering of seeds.
“Did you never see that old movie
Attack of the Killer Creepers
?” the actor asked with a grin. “Giant man-eating plants hate fire. See?”
He lit another bundle of notes and flung it at the plants.
“Those are hundred-pound notes!” Lewis exclaimed as Makepeace joined them.
“So what?” said the actor. “It’s only money.”
Thor looked around and grimaced. “Did you see which way Loki went?”
Makepeace shook his head. “We’d better not stick around here much longer,” he warned. “I only carry so much cash on me.”
“We must get back to the skis,” said Thor.
“Okay, this is the last bundle,” said Makepeace, lighting a handful of notes. Thrusting it ahead of him, he forced a path through the greenery. Angry walls of shrubbery loomed on either hand, but the plants kept their distance.
The paper burned quickly. They were almost at the threshold when Makepeace uttered a yelp of pain and let the last fiery fragment fall. Thor lunged forward and threw open the door. “Go!” he shouted.
Once he had bundled everybody through, Thor dived in after them, slamming the door behind him. A wave of dense greenerysmacked up against the glass and fell back, limbs thrashing in frustration.
In the corridor beyond, a new threat awaited them. Lewis skidded to a halt with a cry of dismay.
A gang of enormous cacti, swollen to horrendous size, had burst out of the Desert Room and invaded the corridor. Bristling like a nest of bayonets, they barred the way back to the entrance.
Greg threw up his arms. “Oh come on! Ice monsters are one
The tangle of branches pressed tighter, blocking out the light. Lewis was bracing himself to go under when suddenly a rip appeared in the wall of vegetation.
There came a sound of slashing and tearing and shreds of vegetation went flying in all directions. Through the widening gap Lewis caught sight of Susie.
She had the blades from her skates, one in each hand, and was using them to slice her way through the choking greenery. When she reached the brothers she demanded breathlessly, “Where are Sven and Garth?”
“I don’t know,” Lewis answered, tugging at a frond that was wrapping itself around his throat. “I can’t see anything for all these leaves.”
“This is ridiculous,” Susie seethed. “They’re growing back as fast as I cut them.”
“That’s because of the magic,” said Greg as he wrestled an enormous fern.
“Gutters!” said Susie, chopping through a tangle of fronds. “It’s genetic mutation, that’s all.”
Suddenly Thor burst through the foliage like a stampeding rhino, torn vines trailing from his arms. He waded towards them, chopping to his left and right with Mjolnir, but the tangle of branches simply took the blows and sprang back.
“A hammer’s not the best thing for fighting plants, is it?” said Susie.
“Ja, I’d give a lot for a good sword right now,” said Thor, bashing at the trunk of a banana plant.
The four of them drew together back to back, struggling to fight off the greenery that threatened to smother them. Greg’s knife went flying as a lashing vine smacked it from his hand. Susie lost one of her skates and did her best to fight on with the other. Lewis punched and kicked as hard as he could, but twin clusters of overgrown papaya leaves got hold of him like monstrous hands and began to squeeze the breath out of him.
Out of nowhere came a sudden whiff of smoke and a flash of flame. A bundle of burning paper dropped into the midstof the struggle and the plants recoiled at once, snatching their branches out of harm’s way.
As the leaves parted, Lewis spotted Garth Makepeace calmly setting fire to bundles of money with his lighter and tossing them at the rampaging vegetation. The green horrors jerked back and retreated from the flames like mice running from a cat.
“Wow, that’s some save, Garth!” Susie enthused, shaking off a scattering of seeds.
“Did you never see that old movie
Attack of the Killer Creepers
?” the actor asked with a grin. “Giant man-eating plants hate fire. See?”
He lit another bundle of notes and flung it at the plants.
“Those are hundred-pound notes!” Lewis exclaimed as Makepeace joined them.
“So what?” said the actor. “It’s only money.”
Thor looked around and grimaced. “Did you see which way Loki went?”
Makepeace shook his head. “We’d better not stick around here much longer,” he warned. “I only carry so much cash on me.”
“We must get back to the skis,” said Thor.
“Okay, this is the last bundle,” said Makepeace, lighting a handful of notes. Thrusting it ahead of him, he forced a path through the greenery. Angry walls of shrubbery loomed on either hand, but the plants kept their distance.
The paper burned quickly. They were almost at the threshold when Makepeace uttered a yelp of pain and let the last fiery fragment fall. Thor lunged forward and threw open the door. “Go!” he shouted.
Once he had bundled everybody through, Thor dived in after them, slamming the door behind him. A wave of dense greenerysmacked up against the glass and fell back, limbs thrashing in frustration.
In the corridor beyond, a new threat awaited them. Lewis skidded to a halt with a cry of dismay.
A gang of enormous cacti, swollen to horrendous size, had burst out of the Desert Room and invaded the corridor. Bristling like a nest of bayonets, they barred the way back to the entrance.
Greg threw up his arms. “Oh come on! Ice monsters are one
Similar Books
