7 Cruella De Zombie

CRUELLA DE ZOMBIE

Countdown! One, two, three, four, five more hours until the Midnight Zombie Walk! Stink read seventeen minutes of the Z encyclopedia. He read thirteen minutes of zombie books. He read eleven minutes of comic books. Forty-one minutes of reading! He played with Astro for twelve minutes. He practiced karate for thirty-three minutes. He bugged Judy for twenty-six minutes while she worked on her Doctor Zombie costume. At last it was time! Stink put on his zombie ventriloquist costume. He painted his face green. He drew red blood coming out of his mouth and ears with lipstick. He put on his top hat. "C'mon, Charlie. Time to go."

When the Moodys got to the Blue Frog Bookstore, zombie princesses and cowboys, pirates and superheroes crowded the sidewalk. Stink saw his teacher, Mrs. D., and tons of kids from Virginia Dare School. "Is that the line?" Judy asked. "It goes all the way to Screamin' Mimis!" "Zombies, zombies everywhere!" said Stink. He waved to Mrs. D. "It's great that so many teachers from your school are here," said Mom. A teenager bared his fangs at Stink. "I vant to vite your veins! Mwa-ha-ha-ha." "Vampire-free zone," said Stink, drawing an invisible circle around himself. "Zombies only." Stink found Sophie and Webster. "Zow-ee!" he said, pointing to the soccer shoe sticking out of Webster's head. "Insane in the membrane!" "Undead in the head!" said Webster. They cracked up. Sophie of the Elves was now Zophia of the Girl Scouts. Even Zombalina was dressed in a mini green uniform. "Check out my badges," Sophie said, pointing to her sash. "Zombie First Aid.

Zombie Cookie Sales. And Zombie Friendship. You know, because zombies always stick together and travel in packs."

"Why did you put tape over the campfire badge?" asked Webster. "Duh! Because zombies hate fire!" "Zool," said Stink. "What time do they zopen the doors?" "Nine o'clock zharp," said Dad, checking his watch. "What time is it now?" "Eight fifty," said Dad. "Ten more minutes." "Zen more minutes," said Stink. "That's like an hour in kid years." He pressed his nose to the window of the bookstore. "Just think, in ten minutes, I'll be holding Nightmare on Zombie Street, Book Number Five, in my very own hands. In ten minutes, I'll be reading the actual brand- spanking-new, just-released, way-official Creature with the Cootie Brain." "Your brain has cooties," said Judy. "What time is it now?" Stink asked Dad. "Eight fifty-three," said Dad. "And twenty-two zeconds," said Mom. Stink waved his hands at the front door of the bookstore. "Open Zombie!" he commanded. The

keys in the front door went jingle, jingle. The door went click! "Wow, I must have super magic zombie powers," said Stink. "Welcome to the Midnight Zombie Walk!" said the bookstore lady. "Cootie brains, here I come," said Stink. He, along with crowds of other kids, pushed through the doors. "Is this zombie rush hour or something?" "Or something," said Judy. She reached up to steady her Bridezilla wig. While they waited, Stink and Judy spotted B.O.B. at the back of the bookstore. B.O.B. was wrapped in a big green bow. When it was Stink's turn, he sat Charlie Zombie on the counter and made him talk: "Zombie. Want. Book!" Charlie moaned at the bookstore clerk. "He'd like Book Number Five, please," Judy said, translating. The bookstore lady handed a brand-spanking- new book to Stink. Stink handed over his money. "Whoa! Creature with a Cootie Brain!" Stink sang. He could not help doing a little 'I got it'