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Authors: Dan Gutman
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as the entire building exploded in a shower of bricks, dirt, glass, wood, and concrete. Coke and Pep dove to their left into a ditch at the side of the parking lot.
When things explode in the movies, it’s usually shown in slow motion. You see debris gracefully floating through the air. It takes about ten seconds for everything to hit the ground.
In real time, it’s a different story. Explosions aren’t beautiful. After the initial flash of light, it’s pretty much finished. The building is there and then it’s gone.
Tiny pieces of the building were flying everywhere like bullets. The whole thing was over before Coke or Pep even realized what had happened.
“Bones!” they screamed.
Chapter 10
Manifest Destiny
W ell, now it looked as if the two people who could help the McDonald twins were both dead. Mya, the woman in red who saved their lives up on the cliff, had been shot in the neck with a poisoned dart. And now Bones, blown to pieces.
For a moment, Coke thought about becoming Ace Fist the action hero and running back into the garage to save Bones. But the building had been obliterated . Nothing was left. There was no way anybody could have survived the blast. And it would be risky to try. Whoever set off that explosion was, in all probability, trying to kill him and his sister. The smart thing to do would be to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Do you think it’s our fault that Mya and Bones are dead?” Pep asked as they ran home. “Maybe we’re bad luck.”
“Of course it’s not our fault,” Coke told her. “It’s their fault. They’re the ones who put us in danger. The people who have been trying to kill us just got them instead. No wonder Dr. Warsaw decided that it’s up to kids to save the world. Grown-ups have no idea what to do.”
On the inside, though, both twins felt a twinge of guilt. Mya and Bones had been trying to help them, and now they were gone. Coke and Pep were on their own.
There was a chill in the air as they got closer to home. Coke wished he hadn’t so gallantly ripped his T-shirt in half when they were trapped in the burning school. He felt cold now.
“Do you think Mom and Dad know what happened at school?” Pep asked her brother.
“Are you kidding?” he replied. “Aliens could land on our front lawn, and Mom and Dad wouldn’t notice. I bet all the parents were called. Mom and Dad probably didn’t pick up the phone or check their email.”
In fact, Dr. McDonald had checked his email. An emergency message had gone out to parents telling them the school had burned down after everyone had left for summer vacation. Dr. McDonald assumed it was another one of those internet hoaxes he received all the time. He deleted it from his in-box with a laugh.
When the twins finally got home, their parents barely noticed them. They were in the middle of a heated discussion on the front lawn.
“I can’t believe this, Bridge!” Dr. McDonald complained. “The garbagemen took my garbage can!”
“That’s what they’re supposed to do, Ben,” Mrs. McDonald informed him.
“No, they took my good garbage can,” he added. “The small one in my office.”
“Well, why did you put your good garbage can out with the trash?” Mrs. McDonald asked logically.
“I wanted them to take the garbage in the can, not the can itself,” he explained. “The can wasn’t garbage. The stuff in the can was garbage. It was obvious !”
“You shouldn’t have put your good garbage can out on the lawn, Ben,” she said. “It’s your own fault.”
“Well, they shouldn’t have taken it away!”
The twins looked from one parent to the other as if they were watching a Ping-Pong tournament.
“How are the garbagemen supposed to know what is or isn’t garbage?” Mrs. McDonald continued. “They’re not mind readers.”
“What do I have to do, spell it out for them?”
“Apparently so,” she replied. “Why don’t you make a sign that says not garbage and put it on the
When things explode in the movies, it’s usually shown in slow motion. You see debris gracefully floating through the air. It takes about ten seconds for everything to hit the ground.
In real time, it’s a different story. Explosions aren’t beautiful. After the initial flash of light, it’s pretty much finished. The building is there and then it’s gone.
Tiny pieces of the building were flying everywhere like bullets. The whole thing was over before Coke or Pep even realized what had happened.
“Bones!” they screamed.
Chapter 10
Manifest Destiny
W ell, now it looked as if the two people who could help the McDonald twins were both dead. Mya, the woman in red who saved their lives up on the cliff, had been shot in the neck with a poisoned dart. And now Bones, blown to pieces.
For a moment, Coke thought about becoming Ace Fist the action hero and running back into the garage to save Bones. But the building had been obliterated . Nothing was left. There was no way anybody could have survived the blast. And it would be risky to try. Whoever set off that explosion was, in all probability, trying to kill him and his sister. The smart thing to do would be to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Do you think it’s our fault that Mya and Bones are dead?” Pep asked as they ran home. “Maybe we’re bad luck.”
“Of course it’s not our fault,” Coke told her. “It’s their fault. They’re the ones who put us in danger. The people who have been trying to kill us just got them instead. No wonder Dr. Warsaw decided that it’s up to kids to save the world. Grown-ups have no idea what to do.”
On the inside, though, both twins felt a twinge of guilt. Mya and Bones had been trying to help them, and now they were gone. Coke and Pep were on their own.
There was a chill in the air as they got closer to home. Coke wished he hadn’t so gallantly ripped his T-shirt in half when they were trapped in the burning school. He felt cold now.
“Do you think Mom and Dad know what happened at school?” Pep asked her brother.
“Are you kidding?” he replied. “Aliens could land on our front lawn, and Mom and Dad wouldn’t notice. I bet all the parents were called. Mom and Dad probably didn’t pick up the phone or check their email.”
In fact, Dr. McDonald had checked his email. An emergency message had gone out to parents telling them the school had burned down after everyone had left for summer vacation. Dr. McDonald assumed it was another one of those internet hoaxes he received all the time. He deleted it from his in-box with a laugh.
When the twins finally got home, their parents barely noticed them. They were in the middle of a heated discussion on the front lawn.
“I can’t believe this, Bridge!” Dr. McDonald complained. “The garbagemen took my garbage can!”
“That’s what they’re supposed to do, Ben,” Mrs. McDonald informed him.
“No, they took my good garbage can,” he added. “The small one in my office.”
“Well, why did you put your good garbage can out with the trash?” Mrs. McDonald asked logically.
“I wanted them to take the garbage in the can, not the can itself,” he explained. “The can wasn’t garbage. The stuff in the can was garbage. It was obvious !”
“You shouldn’t have put your good garbage can out on the lawn, Ben,” she said. “It’s your own fault.”
“Well, they shouldn’t have taken it away!”
The twins looked from one parent to the other as if they were watching a Ping-Pong tournament.
“How are the garbagemen supposed to know what is or isn’t garbage?” Mrs. McDonald continued. “They’re not mind readers.”
“What do I have to do, spell it out for them?”
“Apparently so,” she replied. “Why don’t you make a sign that says not garbage and put it on the
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