13. Firefighters

FIREFIGHTERS 13 Sam, Lucy, and Antonio shot their fire extinguishers at the floor as lava bubbled up at their feet. The hot lava hissed and cooled as they blasted it. "The marshmallow fluff stuff is working!" Lucy exclaimed. "You guys take care of the lava coming from these cracks," Sam said. "I'm going to get the book."

Sam charged up the side of the volcano before his friends could stop him. But it soon became a struggle to climb... Lava bubbled from the volcano's crater. The floorboards that formed the volcano were melting! Sam's heart pounded. It felt like his shoes were melting! One floorboard disappeared at his feet, and he leapt to the next. He had to jump from floorboard to floorboard before they turned to lava.

The same thing was happening down below. Antonio and Lucy jumped from one floorboard to another. "It's like we're playing the 'floor is lava' game," Antonio said. "This is no game!" Lucy barked. "Watch out behind you!" "Oh yeah!" Antonio said. He spun around and sprayed the oozing lava at their feet.

Sam eyed the book. It was perched on the crater. As the lava spit and the volcano shook, the book wobbled. It was about to fall in. If Sam didn't hurry, the book would be lost forever! Orson Eerie was about to swallow it up! Sam gripped a piece of warm metal pipe and pulled himself up. The volcano was at least thirty feet high. Sam panted as he reached the peak. The volcano heaved and shook. The book rocked back and forth on the lip of the crater, and then—

It tumbled over the side, into the volcano! "No!" Sam shouted. He lunged forward and jammed his hand into the mouth of the volcano. He snatched it at the last moment! The book was as hot as fire. But he held it in his hand. He yanked his hand out of the crater and stumbled back.

ROOOARRR! The volcano began to shake. Sam peered down into the hot mouth of the volcano. Lava was bubbling and splashing and rising! This giant volcano— the volcano that IS Orson Eerie— is furious! It lost the book again. And it won't stop until it gets it back! Sam thought. Lucy exclaimed, "Sam! That volcano is going to blow!"