Bullet Train Disaster Read online

  You wave your arms above your head. ‘Hey!’ you shout. ‘Down here!’

  If you can get their attention, maybe they’ll land. Then you can ask them to fly down the mountain and search for that boy. The one you didn’t save.

  But to the pilot, you must just look like a pinprick in the snow. The helicopter drones away, out of sight behind the mountain.

  Pigeon puts a hand on your shoulder. ‘It was worth a try,’ she says.

  ‘Everybody back on board!’ the conductor shouts.

  The other passengers shuffle towards the carriage.

  Did you try to convince the conductor to go back down the hill? Turn here.

  If you told him to drive to the top instead, go here.

  ‘I’m in,’ you say.

  The woman laughs. ‘Can you believe this kid?’

  ‘You know I only pick the best,’ the man says as he clambers into the helicopter. He ruffles your hair like an affectionate uncle. ‘Welcome to the team.’

  The woman thumps on the wall to alert the pilot. ‘Good to go!’ she shouts. ‘Back to base.’

  The helicopter wheels around and carries you away to your new life as a bandit.

  THE END.

  Go here to try again.

  ‘No way,’ you say.

  The man laughs as he hauls himself into the helicopter. ‘She’s just kidding. You don’t get a choice—you’re one of us now.’ He thumps on the wall to alert the pilot. ‘We’re all on board! Time to refuel.’

  The helicopter sweeps around, taking you away to start your new life as a bandit.

  THE END.

  Go here to try again.

  You don’t like the way those bushes are rustling outside the entrance. You step away cautiously, deeper into the mine.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Taylor hisses.

  You shush him. You keep one hand on the wall as you fumble through the blackness of the shaft—

  And then suddenly the ground disappears from beneath your shoes. You’ve walked into a hidden pit.

  You barely have time to scream before you tumble forwards, arms windmilling, feet kicking helplessly.

  You fall further and further, faster and faster, your panicked breaths echoing around the tunnel, just long enough to realise that there’s no way you can possibly survive the impact—

  Wham!

  THE END.

  For another try, go here.

  You turn back towards the entrance. It’s definitely time to get out of here—

  And suddenly you see it.

  A shape, emerging from the shadows in the tunnel. It’s bigger than a dog. A wolf, maybe, with thick shaggy legs and sharp fangs shining in the dark.

  Then it stands up on its hind legs, impossibly huge, and you finally realise what you glimpsed out the window of the train—

  A bear!

  The bear roars, spit flying from between its jagged jaws. It must be three metres tall and at least three hundred kilograms. There’s no way to fight it.

  ‘Run!’ you shout, and dive for the entrance.

  But Taylor is too slow. The beast snags his leg with a fearsome claw. Taylor screams as the bear drags him back into the darkness. His fingernails leave trails in the dirt.

  If you try to help him, go here.

  If you save yourself, go here.

  You tear the zip down. It gets stuck about halfway, but that still leaves you with enough room to get your head through. You fall out of the coat and plummet towards the ground, stomach churning, the freezing wind scraping at your skin.

  The ice rushes up to meet you. You brace yourself.

  Crash!

  You smash straight through the sheet of ice and find yourself underwater! That explains why the ground was so flat—in summer, this must be a pond. The cold fluid soaks straight through your clothes, stinging your skin all over.

  You scream. Bubbles of precious air explode out of your mouth and dance away towards the surface. You try to swim upwards, but your limbs are already frozen. They won’t obey your commands.

  The hole in the ice above you gets further and further away, and soon there’s nothing but cold blackness.

  THE END.

  To try again, go here.

  You stretch out your hands, grabbing for the trees as they rush towards you. The pointed branches get closer and closer, ready to scratch out your eyeballs—

  Success! You grab a sturdy branch and hang on tight.

  The helicopter thunders past overhead. The rope gets tighter and tighter, choking you, and then—

  Rip! The hood tears off your coat. The grappling hook drifts away, a scrap of fabric dangling from it.

  Breathing heavily, you clamber down the tree and drop to the ground. You made it! You didn’t get crushed under a train, impaled in a tree or murdered by bandits.

  Now it’s time to go home. You start walking down the hill, savouring the fresh air in your lungs.

  You survived! There are ten other ways to escape the danger—try to find them all!

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  First edition published by Scholastic Australia in 2016.

  This electronic edition published by Scholastic Australia Pty Limited, 2016.

  E-PUB/MOBI eISBN: 978-1-760271-72-5

  Text copyright © Jack Heath, 2016.

  Illustration and design copyright © Scholastic Australia, 2016.

  Cover by Steve Wells Designs.

  Metal background © Phiseksit | Shutterstock.com; Sun in the blue sky © avian | Shutterstock.com; Bent crystal corridor background © Eugene Sergeev | Shutterstock.com; Grunge frame © happykanppy | Shutterstock.com; Stainless steel texture © Wasant | Shutterstock.com; Scratched metal surface © Popov Nikolay | Shutterstock.com; Mountain climber © Mansiliya Yury | Shutterstock.com; High speed train © Vertyr | Shutterstock.com; Snow mountain range © vichie81 | Shutterstock.com; Background in grunge style © ilolab | Shutterstock.com; Helicopter © Alexander Cher | Shutterstock.com Grunge border © Rochakred | Dreamstime.com; Digital timer © milmirko | iStockphoto.com; Digital clock © Samarskaya | iStockphoto.com

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