Temple Run Book One Run for Your Life: Jungle Trek Page 4

  You work your way back up to daylight through a narrow, root-choked tunnel.

  Up ahead, you see the outline of a stone pyramid through the trees. You run toward it and hear the sound of fighting.

  Run on to this page.

  With a lot of effort, you manage to scramble out of the pit. By the time you reach the top, it’s getting dark and Scarlett is long gone. Luckily, your leg doesn’t hurt so badly anymore.

  There’s nothing for it but to head deeper into the jungle and see if you can pick up Scarlett’s trail.

  Turn to this page.

  Thankfully, the misunderstanding is soon forgotten, and everybody calms down once Zack Wonder steps in. Everyone always says he’s a heck of a nice guy in person. Now you know it’s true. Even two strangers interrupting his incredibly important film shoot doesn’t make him grouchy.

  You spend some time hanging out with the film crew, who is super cool. You ask if any of them have seen Guy Dangerous out in the wild, but nobody has. A few of them think they’ve seen strange creatures lurking off the path, though—“like a huge monkey with a skull for a head.”

  The more you learn about this jungle, the stranger the place seems.

  Zack Wonder is sorry to hear about the plane crash. “You’re welcome to hang with us,” he says. “We’re not leaving until the shoot’s done, though, so you’ll have to wait for a lift.”

  “Oh, I’m sure we can work together for a while,” says Scarlett.

  Work together for how long, you wonder? You’ve got a party to get to, or did she forget?

  Zack gives you a brand-new pair of the sneakers he’s promoting. “If you’re going to run, run with the best!” he says.

  You eagerly put them on. Suddenly, missing the party doesn’t seem so bad. Eating burgers in the jungle with a multi-millionaire football player is a pretty cool substitute!

  “Happy birthday, kid,” Zack says, patting you on the back and knocking the wind out of you.

  “Hey, Zack, I had a thought,” says Scarlett, looking sly. “I heard there’s a ruined temple somewhere in this jungle.”

  “So?”

  “Wouldn’t it make a perfect location to shoot your commercial in? You’d look great running down those mysterious old paths.”

  “Sounds good.” Zack shrugs. “Lead the way.”

  “I’m not sure where it is exactly,” Scarlett says. “Perhaps if I go scout it out? I’ll come back and let you know when I’ve found it.” She turns to you and adds, “I guess you’ll want to stay here with Zack, right?”

  Yet again, you mull over how much Scarlett already seems to know about this jungle. She seems crazy-keen to find this mysterious temple of hers. Maybe the temple is the real reason you’re here!

  If you choose to wait with the film crew and Zack Wonder until Scarlett returns, go to this page.

  If you want to head out with her and look for the temple together, go to this page.

  But you’re beginning to mistrust Scarlett. If you want to slip away and look for the temple on your own, go to this page.

  You find yourself in a huge, dark, underground cave. It’s flooded with water that looks freezing cold, and the air has a damp mineral smell. From the cavern roof dangle hundreds of creepers, roots, and vines, like an upside-down forest.

  You’re standing on a narrow, gravelly bank at the water’s edge. You poke a toe experimentally into the water. Instantly, white shapes lunge at your foot and you whip it back. The water’s full of stubby little fish. Is there such a thing as the Blind Cave Piranha?

  How will you get across this underground lake? An idea strikes you. You grab a dangling creeper and start to climb it. Then you swing and grab another. Cool—it works! By swinging from creeper to creeper, you’re able to stay clear of the water and the hungry little fish. You swing and grab, swing and grab until you see daylight up ahead! Not far now.

  To grab a thick green creeper and make one final swing, turn to this page.

  To make several swings on thinner-looking creepers, turn to this page.

  You swerve to the left and narrowly avoid falling into an overgrown pit, which was almost invisible in the half-light. Missed it by that much.

  “Blast it! You just don’t quit, do you?” Scarlett shouts and runs off.

  She deliberately told you to jump the wrong way, you realize! She’s trying to shake you off.

  You set off in pursuit, but she’s sprinting as if her life depended on it. Both of you weave in and out, dodging piles of stone and leaping cracks in the ground. It’s a close-run thing, but eventually Scarlett gets away. You gasp for breath and try to get your bearings.

  You have no clue where you are. All around is thick jungle.

  Turn to this page.

  Scarlett stares at you. “Are you sure? Looking for the temple might be dangerous …”

  “Sounds like fun,” you say firmly.

  Scarlett narrows her eyes. In that moment, you know she’s hiding something. And you know that she knows that you know.

  Then she’s all smiles again. “Let’s go!”

  Soon, you and Scarlett are running down the seemingly endless jungle paths. You cross stone bridges and pass through short tunnels that smell as if bats have nested in them.

  “Where’s the temple supposed to be?” you ask.

  “According to legend, this whole ruined city is the temple,” she gasps. “We need to find the most sacred part of it. The place where they hid the …”

  “The what?”

  “Look out! JUMP TO YOUR RIGHT!”

  If you heed Scarlett’s warning and jump to your right, run to this page.

  If you ignore her and run to your left, turn to this page.

  You hang on, hoping the bird will just go away. But it doesn’t.

  Instead, something terrible happens. The bird’s squawks and flaps attract the attention of a dark shape that comes loping out of the forest above. You are unable to do anything but look up in horror as it grins and hefts a boulder at you. At least you left your mark on the world.

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  A saw blade whizzes up through the ground, and you dodge … right into it.

  Um. It’s best if we don’t go into detail. Maybe that second leg was holding you back anyway!

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  The slope down to the river is far steeper than you thought. You climb down the jagged rocks, taking it slowly, a step at a time. In places, you have to hang on with your hands and feet, clinging to handholds and toeholds. You’re not scared of heights, are you?

  Slowly, carefully, you edge your way toward the water. You’re halfway down when a stab of pain shoots through your head. Brightly colored wings buffet your face. Some weird exotic bird, like a cross between a parrot and a heron, is attacking you! It just pecked you hard with its sharp beak, and it’s about to do it again.

  This is bad. You can’t climb safely with this stupid bird in your face! It’s hard enough to cling on as it is.

  You could let go with one of your hands and try to fend the bird off. Turn to this page.

  To cling to the cliff face and hope the bird goes away, turn to this page.

  Your fingers clutch cool, scaly flesh. The “creeper” raises its head and hisses furiously at you. It’s a giant anaconda!

  You both plunge into the water. Leathery coils surround you. After a frantic struggle, you’re suddenly able to free yourself. Gasping, you wade out of the lake and toward the light. How did you possibly survive that?

  You turn and look over your shoulder, and see the blind cave piranhas tucking into the enormous snake. So that’s what happened. Kind of disgusting, but at least you’re alive.

  Run on to this page.

  “Hey, wait a minute. Don’t be too hasty.” Guy reaches out, but you’re already striding away.

  “Send us a postcard!” Scarlett shouts. “Don’t talk to any strange monkeys!”

  Her teasing just makes you a
ll the more certain that this is the right thing to do. You’re feeling pretty cranky about missing your birthday party. You forge ahead into the jungle alone, determined to reach civilization before Guy or Scarlett.

  You fall into a sort of jogging run, fast enough to cover the ground, but not so fast that you can’t duck out of the way of low branches or leap over tangled roots. Within minutes, you’re out of sight of the crash site. This is it. You’re on your own, in the wild, miles from anywhere.

  You run and run and run. Light starts to stream through the jungle canopy as the trees thin out. You notice you’re coming to a rocky area with less vegetation. Soon you hear rushing water.

  Up ahead, the ground slopes down steeply. You’re sure that that way leads to a river.

  You remember that settlements are often built near water, so following the river might be a good move. Then again, wild animals come down to the water, too, don’t they?

  To your left you can see what looks like a stone pathway, half-buried in the spongy jungle floor. It must be part of a ruin.

  To clamber down the slope and try to follow the river, go to this page.

  To take the path deeper into the jungle, go to this page.

  You wait … and wait, and wait. Nobody comes. Years later, explorers discover your skeleton. You end up in a museum, which isn’t quite the party you were hoping for!

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  You swipe at the bird, hanging on desperately with the other hand. “Shoo!” you say. “Go away!”

  Your flailing seems to make it angrier. As you endure the bird’s buffeting, you notice a nest along the cliff. It must be defending its young! Maybe if you get out of its territory, it won’t see you as a threat. You shuffle along, moving as far away as you can, and sure enough the bird stops attacking.

  Phew. You catch your breath and climb down the rest of the way to the riverside. The water’s clean, fresh, and icy cold. You fill your bottle, adding some purification tablets, and have the best drink you’ve ever had in your life. Your stomach is rumbling, but you don’t have much food on you. Better to save it until you really need it.

  You follow the course of the river. Soon you find yourself by a riverside shrine to some strange local spirit. A carved wooden statue squats inside. Offerings of fruit have been left here—which must mean there are people nearby!

  Your stomach rumbles again. Loudly.

  Maybe you should leave an offering of food, too, just for good luck and to show respect. If you believe in that sort of thing.

  On the other hand, there’s a lot of fresh fruit here and the spirit’s not going to eat it, is it? Food is food and it looks delicious. Why let it go to waste?

  To leave some food yourself, even though it will mean you go hungry, go to this page.

  To eat the offerings, turn to this page.

  To ignore the shrine and follow the river, turn to this page.

  You’re glad you have some matches from when Guy and Scarlett distributed the survival gear. You manage to get some kindling lit, and soon a column of smoke rises high into the sky.

  Before long, people find you. Your happiness is short-lived when you see their weapons and their unpleasant grins. They’re bandits, hoping to find some helpless traveler stranded out here. As you’re bundled into their jeep and driven to their hideout, you wonder if you’ll ever see your family again.

  Fortunately, your family and friends raise enough for your ransom and you are set free. You go on every talk show, you’re in all the papers, and your book about your experiences is an instant best seller. You missed out on that birthday party, though …

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  Feeling a little silly, you leave some of your precious food supply at the shrine. The wooden statue starts to move. For a horrible second, you think it’s coming to life. Then it falls over.

  Warily, you approach. The fallen statue has revealed an opening in the cliff face, just big enough for you to crawl down. Was the statue trying to help, somehow? You shake your head. That’s silly!

  You only have a bit of food left now. You check your pockets, hoping to find some forgotten crumb left in there. To your amazement, you find a strange golden berry. It must have fallen into your pocket from a plant by the wayside. But you haven’t seen any plants with berries. You eat it anyway. It’s delicious, and you feel as if you’ve eaten a whole meal.

  The statue is grinning. Was it grinning before? Look at that, you’ve broken out in goose bumps. You shake off the creepy feeling and crawl into the opening. Soon you’re descending rough steps, down to a flooded cavern.

  Run on to this page.

  A rusty saw blade nearly slices through you, but you dodge the right way and avoid it. So close. So that’s how the skeleton lost his leg!

  Run on to this page.

  The fruit tastes delicious, but suddenly you start to cough and choke. Your skin turns gray all over. You feel your arms and legs stiffen, forcing you into a crouching posture. A fixed grin spreads over your face …

  Before a minute has passed, you have been completely transformed into a second statue, condemned to watch over the shrine alongside the first one. Looks like you’re stuck here for a while! Oh well, at least it’s a job. And you get to eat fresh fruit every single day.

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  The stone path twists sharply to the right and then to the left. You swerve around the corners, then dive out of the way of a long spear that thrusts up from below. A trap!

  If you weren’t so quick on your feet, you would have been impaled like a sausage on a stick. Just as you’re congratulating yourself, a sharp crack warns you that another trap has gone off.

  Oof!

  You duck and roll out of the way of the blade that whizzes through the space where you were half a second ago.

  Maybe you’d be safer off the path. You look over the edge and see that the jungle floor here is moving. The whole area is crawling with bugs, and some of them look venomous.

  On second thought, the path is fine after all. On the ground up ahead, you notice a skeleton.

  A human skeleton.

  Uh-oh. What’s your next move?

  You can run back the other way and climb down the rocky slope to the river instead. Run to this page.

  Or you can run ahead, dodging to the right. Turn to this page.

  Or run ahead, dodging to the left. Turn to this page.

  You fall asleep … and wake up to find yourself covered with gigantic, bloated mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds. Wow. They grow them big out here. Fortunately, you’re not conscious for very long. All that blood-sucking is just unsanitary!

  RUN AGAIN?

  OR JUST GO BACK?

  “Careful,” whispers Karma. “It stinks in here. Might be some sort of lair.”

  She’s right. The heavy stench of animal fur and filth is strong here. Karma shines a flashlight around and you see the cavern is full of extremely creepy stone statues. They look like bigger, uglier versions of the golden idol you’re carrying.

  You step forward and something cracks under your foot. It’s a bone. The floor is littered with them. “I think this is where the demon monkeys hang out,” you whisper. “When they’re not chasing us.”

  You tense up, expecting a huge demon monkey—or a swarm of little ones—to come rushing out of the darkness. But nothing moves. “I don’t think they’re home,” Karma says.

  Then something catches your eye that isn’t a bone or a piece of ancient carving. It’s a modern laptop computer, smashed to bits. Karma’s flashlight shines on other objects: a clipboard, a backpack, a set of climbing gear.

  For a second, you think you’ll find what’s left of Scarlett here, too. But then you realize this isn’t her stuff. It’s all stamped with the same corporate logo, a sign like a diamond with an eye in it.

  “Something deeply weird is going on,” you tell Karma. “Other people have been here recently.
Look at the quality of their gear.”

  Karma passes you something she’s found. “I think you need to see this.”

  It’s a folded, printed document. By flashlight, you open it up. It has a picture—an old black-and-white picture—of the very idol you’re carrying. Below the picture are instructions for “Team Delta” to establish a meeting point in the jungle, so that “Agent Renarde” can deliver the idol, which is “estimated to be worth billions.”

  “Who is Agent Renarde?” you wonder.

  Karma looks thoughtful. “Renard is the French word for ‘fox’ …”

  And all of a sudden, you know. You head back out and run toward the brightly lit jungle area.

  Run on to this page.

  The floor gives way beneath you, and you tumble down into a flooded cavern. Man down! But by some miracle, you’re unhurt.

  Run to this page.

  It’s a tremendous view from up here. You can see for miles … and a search party could probably see you. You couldn’t wish for a better place to signal from.

  There’s some dry timber nearby that you could use to start a signal fire. It might take a while, though … You don’t relish the thought of being stuck up here for ages trying to keep a fire going long enough to attract attention.

  Still, it might be the only chance you’ve got of being rescued.

  To try to start a signal fire, run to this page.

  To climb back down and visit the pyramid instead, go to this page.

  You and Karma walk into the camp. The bright spotlights dazzle your eyes. Nobody shouts a warning or comes running up to confront you. It seems like this place is deserted.

  “Spooky, isn’t it?” Karma says. “Where do you suppose they went?”

  “Maybe the demon monkeys got them,” you guess.