15 COOK WHO'S TALKING

CHAPTER 15 COOK WHO'S TALKING Yeesh," said the real Rip. sopping wet with stink-sauce. "That was the first and last time I say something nice!" "Sorry," said Alexander as he helped Rip to his feet. "Come on!" shouted Nikki from the door. "The monster's getting away!"

The four of them ran into the hallway. The super-goop was near the escalators. "You can't catch me!" the monster shouted. VLOOP! The super-goop morphed into a giant rabbit, and hopped down the steps. "Oh no!" said Dottie. "Bunnies are super fast!" "Even on escalators?" said Rip. THUMP!-THUMP!-THUMP! They chased the rabbit down the steps and caught up with it on the next floor down. But just as Alexander reached out to grab the backpack...

VLOOP! The super- goop became a salamander, running along the wall. "BWUK-HYUK-HYUK!" laughed the monster. "I'm using your own animal reports against you!" VLOOP! It snapped back into blob-form, and oozed down to the second floor. "It's heading into the cafeteria!" shouted Nikki. "Follow that blob!" said Alexander. "We've got to get the notebook!" By the time they got downstairs, the cafeteria was empty. Through those doors, maybe?" asked Rip.

They walked into the kitchen. It was dark. And warm. "It smells yummy in here," said Dottie. Loaves of bread were cooling near two giant ovens.

SLAM! The kitchen doors burst open, and the rubbery pink blob bounced in. "Did you miss me?" said the monster. VLOOP. Four noodly arms shot out, wrapping around each member of the monster patrol. "My boss will be so happy when I tell her I've destroyed the S.S.M.P.!" said the blob. "I'll be her HACK! HACK! The blob began to cough. Alexander noticed the rubbery arm around his waist had turned gray and chalky. "It's drying out!" he shouted. "The heat from the ovens is too much for it!"

HACK! The super-goop began to crack and crumble. It released its grip on the four monster-fighters. "It needs moisture!" said Nikki. "That's why Dr. Tallow was always using lotion!" said Rip. The crumbling blob turned into a pink goldfish. It flopped across the room and into a pot of water. Then the super-goop shot out of the water. It was no longer a goldfish. The monster was now a giant rubbery ball—large enough to flatten four kids in one bounce.