Read Online War of the World Records by Matthew Ward - Free Book Online Page B

his own heels, he began to think he might be able to run the beast in circles just long enough for help to arrive. Sadly, his plans failed to consider the slender but rigid length of rubber root arching out of the ground just ahead of him.
    The next moment, Arthur found himself sailing through the air. It was then the true terror struck him.
    As Arthur landed face-first in the artificial underbrush, his skin prickled at the feeling of utter defenselessness. He seized the first object his fingers touched and flipped himself onto his back.
    Luckily, he’d grabbed a sturdy, sizable Sim-o-Tree branch—because barely an instant after he’d shifted into position, the beast was upon him.
    He braced the four-foot limb against his shoulder and thrust the opposite end into the rushing reptile’s face, crumpling the creature to a halt at his feet.
    Now angrier than ever, and seriously tired of being bashed in the face, the Komodo dragon bit off the end of the faux tree branch and began clawing its way forward.
    â€œAhh!” Arthur cried in terror.
    The monocle over the beast’s right eye was now cracked and crooked, its velvet jacket hanging in tatters—along with any semblance of sophistication the show lizard may once have possessed. As the creature chomped through the rubbery tree limb, thick strands of saliva dropped from its mouth and seeped into Arthur’s clothes.
    â€œUghh!” Arthur cried in disgust.
    He struggled to back away from the oncoming creature—but his feet lay trapped beneath its scaly underside. He thrashed at the lizard’s snout with the ever-dwindling Sim-o-Tree branch, but hard as he tried, he could not stave off the terrible truth: this was not a battle he would win.
    As hope drained from Arthur’s heart, a faint tinkling sound began to swell in the back of his mind.
    The monster wrenched the synthetic stick back and forth, straining to rid its prey of the meddlesome object once and for all.
    Arthur clutched the branch for dear life as the tinkling sound grew louder. He wondered if, being so near to death, he might be hearing the chimes of heaven filtering through from the other side.
    With one final tug, the Komodo dragon ripped the branch from Arthur’s grasp and flung it into the trees.
    A blast of putrid breath stung Arthur’s nostrils, and he felt the monster’s tongue flick against his cheek. The tinkling chimes of heaven rang out louder than ever.
    It was then that Arthur noticed the giant dog leaping toward him through the Sim-o-Trees.
    Like a hound out of Hades, the Whipples’ Great Dane, Hamlet, bounded into the moonlight, dragging a jingling chain behind him—along with the uprooted stake to which it was attached.
    â€œSic him, boy!” shouted a voice to Arthur’s rear.
    It was Abigail. With Ruby rushing in alongside her, Arthur’s sister cried again, “Sic him!”
    There was a flurry of furious barking, followed by a brutal collision.
    As Hamlet’s jaws clamped down on the lizard’s throat, the force of the attack flung the creature through the air and onto its back, freeing Arthur from the monster’s clutches.
    Arthur scrambled to his feet and ran to Ruby and his sister. There, the children watched powerlessly as the two titans of the animal kingdom battled for dominance, one determined to devour them—the other to defend them.
    It was a terrible, savage sight. The monstrous lizard, unable to free its throat from Hamlet’s grasp, thrashed and writhed, pulling the towering dog to the ground beside it. The Great Dane struggled to stand, but the lizard’s constant flailing kept him from rising. Still, the dog held his grip.
    â€œGet him, Hammie!” Abigail shouted through glistening tears. “Good boy, Hammie!”
    As the beasts rolled across the fake forest floor, the dragon clamped its jaws onto Hamlet’s front leg. The dog yelped but kept his hold and quickly resumed his