The Secret Life of Pets: The Junior Novelization

Chapter Twenty-Three

MOMENTS LATER... WHAM! A parked car got clipped by a bus.

WHAM! Another car got clipped by the bus.

WHAM! WHAM! The bus hit more cars. The bus was out of control!

The bus was being driven by a bunny.

At least, Snowball was turning the steering wheel. Max was working the pedals. "Woo-hoo!" Snowball whooped, his eyes looking crazy. He could understand now why Bearded Dragon liked to drive. "Ha! We make a great team, Tiny Dog! Well, mainly I'm doing all the hard work, but you're helping!"

"Yes, yes, fine," Max said. "Just keep your eyes on the road! You're driving like an animal!"

"WOO-HOO!" Snowball hollered.

WHAM! They hit something. "What was that?" Max asked, alarmed.

"Oh, that was just a pothole," Snowball explained.

"You're hitting things ON PURPOSE?"

"Heh! You know me too well, T.D.!" the rabbit said, chuckling. "Always keeping me in check!"

The bus hurdled onto the Brooklyn Bridge, weaving through traffic, heading back over the river toward Manhattan. "Do you see the van?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I see it," Snowball said. "I think we're about to hit it." He buckled his seat belt.

WHAM! The bus hit the Animal Control van and kept right on going. Inside, Duke was tossed around in his cage. The door of his cage jumped a bit, and the metal bars buckled.

Back in the bus, Max screamed when they hit the van. "YAAAHHH!" Snowball held on to him.

Outside, the bus and the van veered across the bridge, cutting through a lane and swerving over the pedestrian walkway! The two Animal Control workers, the dogs, Tattoo, Bearded Dragon, and Snowball all screamed as the bus and the van headed over the edge, off the bridge!

But before they plunged onto the dark depths of the East River, the van and the bus both got caught on construction scaffolding attached to the bridge. The two Animal Control workers jumped out of the van, leaving it dangling precariously off the scaffolding, which strained under the weight of the dented vehicle.

Max scrambled out of the bus, carrying Snowball in his mouth. The bunny was dazed. By rescuing him from the bus, Max had saved his life!

Snowball moaned. "Relax, Snowball," Max said. "I've got you."

Max wanted to get to the dangling van to help Duke. But suddenly, a voice cried out, "THERE HE IS!"

It was Derick the alligator and the other Flushed Pets. They crawled and slithered down the bridge's metal beams, surrounding Max and blocking his path to the van!

Seeing all these reptiles and other exotic animals on the Brooklyn Bridge, the two Animal Control workers freaked out and started screaming. Max gasped. Then he sized up the Flushed Pets, wondering what to do, still holding Snowball in his mouth.

"He's got Snowball!" an angry snake hissed.

With his mouth full of rabbit fur, Max managed to say, "Look, fellas, this is not what it looks like—"

"SHOOSH YOU!" Derick snapped. "We got you right before you were gonna eat the boss!"

"No, no, no!" Max protested. "Snowball and I are on the same side now! Tell 'em, Snowball! Tell 'em!"

He nudged the limp bunny. Snowball managed to speak, but he was still woozy and out of it. "...that raccoon is lyin'! He ain't the president!" Then the rabbit passed out.

"I... I... I...," Max stammered. Without Snowball to back him up, he didn't know how to convince the Flushed Pets that he had teamed up with their leader. Andreally, it didn't seem believable — even to him!

The angry creatures closed in on Max.