Free The Deadly Past by Christopher Pike Page A

fallen, even when it came to the enemy.
    It was time for them to return to their own time and space. They walked out of the chamber through the largest cave and soon reached the flying saucer. Actually, there were two flying saucers now. The bad guys had, of course, landed while they were inside.
    Naturally they started to argue about how they should go home. Sally and Bryce wanted to go through the Secret Path. They said that was the quickest and safest way back. But Watch wasadamant that he had to return the truck to the place he had found it.
    â€œBut I don’t care if the rest of you take the Secret Path,” Watch said. “I can return the truck myself.”
    â€œAnd along the way you might get attacked by who knows how many dinosaurs,” Cindy said. “You can’t go alone. I’m going with you.”
    â€œLike you’re a fine one to have along during a dinosaur attack,” Sally muttered.
    â€œIf Watch feels he has to return the truck,” Adam said, “then I’m going with him.”
    â€œThis is ridiculous,” Sally complained. “Cindy has already said what is wrong with this idea. We spent half the morning fighting off just one pterodactyl. For all we know a whole flock of them could swoop down on us before we get back over the mountains. I say we take the Secret Path and call it a day.”
    â€œBut not to return the truck is stealing,” Watch said.
    â€œYou just saved the world!” Sally exclaimed. “The owner of the truck should want to give you the truck as a gift.”
    Watch remained stubborn. “I took it and I have to return it. But why don’t you and Bryce just takethe Secret Path home? None of us will hold it against you.”
    â€œYeah,” Cindy said playfully. “You cowards.”
    â€œI’ve never been called a coward before,” Bryce muttered.
    Sally glanced at him. “What do you want to do? I know these guys. They’ll harass me for the rest of my life if I show any sign of weakness.”
    Bryce shrugged. “Then if we’re going to get killed, let’s get killed together.”
    Watch patted him on the back. “Maybe you can be one of us, Bryce. Sally is already insulting you and you’re developing a fatalistic attitude.”

11
    T hey had been searching for more than an hour, and it looked as if they had made the wrong choice. They couldn’t find the truck, or rather, Watch couldn’t find it since he was the only one who knew where he had parked it. But he wasn’t entirely to blame. The truck was blue, as were millions of primordial leaves. The truck was just another big flower in an endless sea of dinosaur forest.
    â€œMaybe we should go back,” Sally said. “Takethe Secret Path. We don’t know how long we have.”
    â€œI know,” Watch said, wiping the sweat from his brow. The forest was hot and humid, and they were all drenched in perspiration and painfully thirsty. “I understood Traelle’s sign language. We have twenty minutes left.”
    The group howled in amazement.
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell us?” Adam asked.
    â€œI didn’t want to worry you,” Watch said.
    â€œWorry us?” Sally screamed. “You’re going to kill us! We have to go back to the volcano now.”
    Adam glanced at the distant volcanic cone. “I don’t think we can get there in twenty minutes.”
    Sally began to pace. “Oh, that’s great. That’s just swell. Here we had a secret doorway only seconds away that led to freedom and pleasure and we chose to take a path home that leads through danger just to save a stupid blue truck.”
    â€œI kind of like that truck,” Watch said.
    â€œFine!” Sally shouted. “I hope Saint Peter gives you one to play with in heaven!”
    â€œStop yelling,” Adam said. “We have to figure a way out of this.”
    â€œI like to yell when I’m