"13 - Alien Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pike Christopher)

'If he's not human,' Cindy said. 'Then what is he?'
'I suspect he is either from the interior of the planet,' Sally said, 'where there are all kinds of gross creatures. Or else he is from a hellish planet in another galaxy.'
'But what's he doing teaching in high school?' Cindy asked.
'I don't know everything,' Sally said. 'Maybe he just needs a job. Times are tough Ч it doesn't matter what world you're from.'
'We can't just kill him,' Adam said. 'It wouldn't be right.'
'But what if he kills another kid?' Sally asked. 'Then you'll have that weighing on your conscience. I say we stay after class, lure him into the back room, and stab him with a syringe filled with formaldehyde.'
'No,' Adam said. 'We have to spy on him some more, see what it is he wants.'
'He wants food,' Sally said impatiently. 'We are all meals to him.' She paused and again her eyes went to Mr Snakol. 'I don't want to wait to get rid of this menace.'
'Sally,' Adam warned. 'You're not going to act on your own. It would be too dangerous.'
Sally lowered her head and stared down at the frog that hopped around the glass bowl on their lab table. 'Then I'm going to flunk out of this class because I'm not going to cut open this frog. Can you guys do it?'
Sally had a point.
Just the thought of the dissection made them ill.

When the class was over, Sally pretended to leave with Adam and Cindy. The moment they were out of sight, however, she circled around to the science class. The next period had yet to start. She found Mr Snakol sitting alone in the back room, staring at the pacing hamsters in their small metal cages. She sneaked up on the teacher, startling him when she spoke.
'Trying to decide which one you're going to have for lunch?' she asked.
He jumped in his seat, and then turned to face her. His green eyes seemed to shine, they were so bright just then. 'What can I do for you, Sarah?' he asked in his hissing voice, pushing his wild hair from his face.
'Leave this school and leave us alone,' she said.
He forced a smile, and she saw how sharp his teeth were. 'I don't understand why the dissections upset you so much. They are all in the interest of science.'
'I am not talking about the dissections, although I think they are disgusting and gross and completely unnecessary. I am talking about you personally. But maybe I put that poorly. You see, me and my friends know about you. We know you're not a person, but some weird alien creature who eats living hamsters and kills defenceless young boys.'
Mr Snakol lost his smile. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
Sally snorted. 'You asked George to stay behind yesterday. By a strange coincidence George disappeared right after that. You were the last person to see him alive. And we know he's dead because we were the ones who were here last night. The ones you tried to lock in this room. We found his bloody clothes. And they had your fingerprints all over them!'
'Did you dust the clothes for fingerprints?'
'No! But we didn't have to. Adam saw how big your mouth gets when you eat hamsters. We all know you're not human, and pretty soon a lot of people are going to know. You're not going to get away with it.'
Mr Snakol slowly stood up. She had forgotten how tall he was. 'Get away with what, Sarah?' he asked in a serious voice.
She stared up at him. 'With whatever it is you're doing here on our planet.'
He stared down at her. His green eyes seemed to grow bigger. 'You think I am from another planet?' he asked softly, still hissing, like a snake.
Right then he did look like an alien.
'Yeah. You're from planet Zeon or something. I know that for a fact, and I'm not alone.'
He stepped towards her. 'Say I am from another planet Say I am responsible for the disappearance of George. What are you going to do about it?'
It was only then Sally realised that no one else had entered the science classroom, just through the doorway. Mr Snakol, she understood, must not have a second period. She was all alone with him, in a closed room. Even if she screamed out loud it was doubtful if anyone would hear her. Adam's warning came back to haunt her. She was in deep danger and she knew it. But she refused to show fear. She had experience with alien monsters. The moment you showed you were scared, they had you.
'Don't you dare threaten me, Mr Snake Face,' she said defiantly. 'My friends are waiting outside. If they don't see me in a minute, they will break in here in force. And they are used to dealing with monsters like you. You won't last two seconds with them.'
Mr Snakol stepped to the door of the back room, peered into the classroom, and then shut the door and locked it. He turned back to her and she noticed a faint trail of green slime running down the right side of his face. Once more he stepped towards her.
'Your friends seem to have left without you,' he said.
Sally sneered. 'You just didn't see them. They're hiding.'
He took another step towards her. 'I don't think so.'
Sally changed her mind. She decided to take one small step backwards. 'You don't scare me,' she said.
He kept coming. 'You look scared to me. As scared as a human can look.'
Sally froze. 'Who are you? What do you want?'
He smiled, and she saw that he had not one row of teeth, but two. They were shaped like a snake's, pointed and sharp. 'You are right. We are visitors to your world. But as for what we want Ч I think it would be simpler if I just showed you. Then you will understand everything.'
Sally gulped. 'That's OK. I prefer my ignorance.' She paused. 'I have PE now. Can I go please?'
'No. You're not going anywhere.'
Sally tried to step past him. He blocked her way.
'You don't understand,' she said. 'I can't be late.'
'You don't understand, Sarah. It is already too late.'
Then he took off his face and she did understand.
But it did not keep her from screaming.


Seven