The Monster Apocalypse

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

Brin pulled on the door handle to step outside, but the door was locked.

"Mr. Barker, can you unlock the—"

"No," he said, interrupting her. "Not just yet."

"Why not?"

"We don't know if it's a good troll or a bad troll."

Brin never thought she'd ever hear someone utter those words. She looked back out the window. The troll hadn't approached the vehicle; it was just looking at the 4runner innocently, like he or she wanted to make friends with all the humans inside.

"Come on, Mr. Barker, look at it. It's harmless. Let's see what it is—"

"No," he said. "I'm the adult here. And I say, we keep going. There's not room for anyone else, anyway."

He brought his foot down against the gas pedal, but Anaya unexpectedly leaned over his lap and pressed the button to unlock all the doors. Brin pushed her side door open and stepped outside.

"Stop! Damn it!" the teacher shouted. "Brin! It's not safe!"

As soon as Brin's feet hit the pavement, the troll turned around, frightened, and walked down the sidewalk, away from the vehicle.

"Wait! Come back!" Brin said.

The troll didn't stop.

"We're here to help! My name's Brin! Brin Skar!"

The troll came to a complete stop. It turned around and looked Brin in the eyes. The creature was hideous, but in a non-threatening way. Brin kept sight of the vehicle in the corner of her eye, just in case.

"Can you talk? Do you have a name?"

The troll tilted its head to the right, then to its left, then back to its right again.

"My name is Brin. Can you tell me your name?"

"Touch me," the troll said, in a voice so deep Brin figured the creature had to be male.

"Touch you?"

"Me. Touch."

"Do I have to? Can't we just talk?"

"I'm. Me. Not." It paused. Then: "Human." It sounded like a robot.

"Oh, I see," Brin said. "You're some kind of computer trapped in a troll's body?" Brin bit down on her tongue in confusion and whispered to herself, "This is just another average day in Grisly, isn't it?"

"Brin, what's going on?" Ash asked as he and Anaya stepped out of the car, while Mr. Barker, officially now a scaredy-cat, stayed inside the 4runner with his driver's side door firmly shut.

"It can talk," Brin said. "The troll asked me to touch him."

"It wants you to what?"

"Please," the troll said, this time more friendly. "Touch. Me."

Ash stepped all the way up to Brin. He brought his arms behind his back and shook his head at the weird, gargantuan creature. "Maybe it's just some kind of elaborate Halloween costume," he said.

"I don't think so." Brin moved toward the troll, but Ash pulled her back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, keeping his arms wrapped around her waist.

"He wants me to touch him!"

"What? You're not touching anyone. It might try to hurt you."

"I'll be fine," she said. "Trust me." Brin shook her way out of his grasp and walked down the sidewalk toward the creature.