Chapter 18

chapter eighteen I lie there, on top of big dead Blarg, trying to catch my breath. It takes about, oh, two hours. I don't hear any of the terrible sounds of this world. No monsters howling, no zombies moaning. Just my breath, returning to me. And then—OOMPH! A kick to my gut. My eyes flicker open. I manage a grin. "I know."

我躺在那儿，躺在死去的大块头布莱格身上，试着喘口气。 大概需要，哦，两个小时。 我听不到这个世界上任何可怕的声音。 没有怪物的嚎叫，没有僵尸的呻吟。 只是我的呼吸，回到我身边。 和then-OOMPH !我的肚子被踢了一下。 我的眼睛一闪一闪地睁开。我勉强笑了笑。 “我知道。”

Silence, for a moment. Then I hear Quint and Dirk rustling around. Rover yawns. June has her hands on her hips, taking it all in: the ragged ground, the giant dead monster we're standing on, the kick-butt tree fort that towers over the yard—and Dirk and Quint and Rover, our friends. And then she smiles and says, "Well, that was something." "Yep," I say. "It sure was." "Hey, dork! Stop smiling!" Dirk hollers, grinning. "Yes," Quint says. "We've got much cleaning up to do. And a tree house to rearm." A tree house to rearm. A home to defend. And you know what? It feels great. So that's it. We won. We survived. For now... There are more monsters to fight and more beasts to slay. And hopefully there are more kids out there, and the tree house's numbers will grow. Someday, maybe, we'll lead an army against

沉默了一会儿。然后我听到昆特和德克在附近沙沙作响。 罗孚打哈欠。琼双手叉腰，沉浸在这一切之中：崎岖不平的地面，我们站在上面的巨大死去的怪物，耸立在院子上方的高大的树堡，还有德克、昆特和罗孚，我们的朋友。 然后她笑着说：“嗯，那很了不起。” “是的，”我说。“确实是。” “喂,笨蛋!不要停止微笑!”德克咧嘴笑着喊道。 “是的，”昆特说。“我们有很多清理工作要做。 还有一个可以重新武装的树屋。” 一个可以重新武装的树屋。一个需要保卫的家园。 你知道吗？感觉很棒。 就是这样。我们赢了。我们幸存了下来。 现在……有更多的怪物要打，更多的野兽要杀。 希望有更多的孩子，这样树屋的数量就会增加。 也许有一天，我们会率领一支军队对抗

these monsters. But until then, the most important thing is... I did it! Well, sorta.... I mean, it turns out June was no damsel in distress. And she most definitely did not need rescuing. But, in a roundabout way, I rescued her anyway! And that means— I completed the ULTIMATE Feat of Apocalyptic Success!

这些怪物。但在那之前，最重要的是…… 我做到了！嗯,有几分……我是说，事实证明琼并不是陷入困境的少女。 而且她绝对不需要救援。 但是，迂回地说，我还是救了她！这意味着-我完成了末日成功的终极壮举！

And now? Well, now, I think it's time we all relaxed. At least for a little while. And hey—maybe we'll even have time to figure out a secret team handshake before the next giant monster comes around the corner.... THE END! (for now...)

现在呢?现在，我想我们都该放松一下了。 至少暂时是这样。 嘿，也许我们甚至有时间在下一个巨型怪物出现之前想出一个秘密的团队握手.... 结束!(现在…)