Read Online The Swiss Family RobinZOM by Perrin Briar - Free Book Online Page B

the
branch to the trunk of the tree, which swayed slightly. The
Lurchers were still busy chewing at the tree. Ernest found a
sturdier branch and edged along it to the next tree. No sooner was
he across than the tree he’d been on creaked, and fell to the
ground. The Lurchers, forgetting why they’d bitten at the tree in
the first place, turned and ambled toward the Robinsons.
    Bill, Fritz and Liz lined
up their bows, took careful aim and fired again and again. Their aim was now sharper. One in every two
arrows they fired found its mark and dropped a Lurcher, but still
they pressed forward, falling into the next pit.
    “ Coconut Bomb three!”
Bill said.
    Jack pulled the vine, but the trap didn’t release. He pulled
again, but nothing happened.
    “ It’s not working!” Jack
said.
    He picked up a rock and threw it at the net, but missed. He
picked up another rock, and missed again. Jack picked up a third
rock, judged the distance, wound up his leg, and threw like a
baseball pitcher. Thonk! The rock collided with the
top of the net. Nothing happened.
    “ It’s jammed!” Jack
said.
    Jack felt a tug at his trouser
leg. Nip held up his arms as if he wanted to be picked up.
    “ Not now, Nip,” Jack
said.
    But Nip tugged at
Jack ’s trouser leg again. Nip pointed to
the coconut trap, and then himself. Jack picked him up.
    “ Are you sure?” Jack
said.
    Nip nodded.
    “ Okay…” Jack
said.
    He held Nip in one hand,
drew him back and threw him the way a shot putter throws, but aiming for height rather than
distance. Nip flew through the air, hands outstretched, and latched
onto the netting. He scaled his way to the top and bit at the vine.
He spat out green fibres, screwing up his face and poking out his
tongue at the taste. The vine creaked and snapped. The coconut trap
fell, crushing a dozen Lurcher skulls below.
    “ Yeah!” Jack said. “Well
done, Nip!”
    Nip gave Jack a thumbs
up. There was another snap. Nip looked up
at the branch he was holding onto. The light brown coloured fibres
were showing. He looked back at Jack. The branch snapped and he
fell to the ground.
    “ Nip!” Jack said.
“No!”
    Nip stared up at the
white eyes surrounding him. His fur stood
up on end. He got to his tiny feet, but flinched when he put weight
on his left foot. He limped toward Jack’s tree. A Lurcher picked
him up. Nip screamed and pulled at the Lurcher’s iron grip, but it
was no use. The Lurcher opened his mouth wide.
    Crunch!
    Nip opened his
eyes. The Lurcher’s head was caved in. It
slumped to the ground. Nip pulled the Lurcher’s fingers off from
around his waist. He looked up at the branches of a nearby tree.
Stood there, throwing coconuts down at the Lurchers, were a family
of apes. They screeched and pummelled the trees they perched on.
One ape slipped and fell. A Lurcher was on him before he could turn
around. Another ape tossed a coconut and smashed the Lurcher’s head
in. The bitten ape scaled the bark of a tree and disappeared into
the jungle.
    Jack climbed down from his
tree, swept Nip up in his arms and ran to his father. Bill looked
out over the assault course. Lurchers had over-spilled from one pit
to another, and still more were coming through the jungle foliage.
Bill turned to Ernest in his tree.
    “ Ernest!” Bill said.
“Come down here.”
    Ernest did.
    “ Jack,” Bill said, “I
want you to go back to Francis and watch over him.”
    “ But you need my help!”
Jack said.
    Bill rested his hand on
Jack ’s shoulder.
    “ You’ve done enough
here,” Bill said. “Now, you must protect Francis.”
    Bill reached into his pocket
and came out with the gun.
    “ There are two bullets,”
he said. “If the worst comes to the worst, you’ll know what to
do.”
    “ I’m sorry,” Jack said,
tears stinging his eyes. “If I voted differently, we would be on a
boat now, somewhere safe.”
    “ We all voted,” Bill
said. “And for the record, I think you were right.”
    The
Lurchers ’ groan of