14 BUG OUT!

CHAPTER 14 BUG OUT! The giant bug unfurled its wings. The monster had six legs and a fat, round tail that glowed neon green. "FINALLY!" said the monster. It had a buzzy voice, as though it were speaking through a kazoo. "My zapper-bugs have charged me up enough to break free from my cocoon!" Alexander looked at Rip and Nikki. All three of them took a few steps back.

The monster narrowed its bug-eyes. "Where do you think you're going? No one escapes THE MIGHTY THUNDERBUG!" The insect clapped its wings together, creating an ear-smashing crash of thunder. The blast knocked Alexander. Rip, and Nikki down like bowling pins.

"Look at this marvelous electrical system!" said the thunderbug. With three of its legs, the monster pointed to the giant wind fan, the solar panels and the Power Level box. Alexander sat up. His head was ringing. Rip and Nikki looked dizzy, too. "Your new school was the perfect place to nest!" the thunderbug continued. "I've drunk up all its power. Even the static electricity from the carpet!"

The monster clapped its hands, making little sparks in the air. Nikki got to her feet. "But why do you need all this power?" she asked. Alexander and Rip stood beside her. The monster blinked its bug-eyes. "To zap people, of course! You humans swat, smoosh, and zap bugs everyday! But now I'm doing the zapping!" The monster's tail crackled with electricity. The thunderbug blasted a bolt of green lighting at the S.S.M.P.