Escape from HorrorLand Read online

  Green and purple, moving toward us through the black-and-white park.

  It took me a few seconds to realize I was staring at a HorrorLand Horror.

  “Byron!” Carly Beth shouted as the big creature came running full speed across the pavement.

  His big chest was heaving under the bib of his green overalls. He was breathing noisily. “Thank goodness I’ve found you!” he cried in his booming, deep voice.

  But Carly Beth turned on him angrily. “You tricked us!” she shouted.

  The others were angry, too.

  “This park is terrifying!”

  “How could you send us here?”

  “It’s more dangerous than HorrorLand!”

  “We were nearly KILLED!” Julie cried.

  Byron raised both furry paws as if surrendering. “I know. I know,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “But you’re the one who told us we’d be safer here,” Matt said. “You’re the one who helped us get here.”

  “They tricked me, too,” Byron replied. “They used me! They lied to me.”

  We all stared at him. Was he telling the truth?

  “I’ll get you out of this place — now,” Byron said, glancing around. “The park is dead. It’s no place for living creatures.”

  “We trusted you before,” Matt said. “How do we know we can trust you now?”

  “I’ll get you to a safe place. Promise,” Byron said. “But we have to hurry. Come on — follow me.”

  No one moved.

  “How do we know if we can trust him?” Michael asked Matt. “He tricked us before. Maybe he’s tricking us now.”

  “No. Listen to me —” Byron said.

  Matt turned to Jillian. “You can read minds, right?”

  Jillian nodded.

  “Well, read Byron’s mind,” Matt said. “Tell us — is he lying? Is this another trick?”

  Jillian narrowed her eyes at Byron.

  We huddled together in silence, watching … waiting.

  “Yes,” Jillian said finally. “I’m reading his thoughts….”

  Byron frowned at Jillian. “This is crazy. You’re wasting time.”

  “Is he telling the truth?” Matt asked her.

  Jillian nodded. “Yes. It’s not a trick. He wants to help us.”

  “Whew. That’s good news,” Matt said. He gave Byron a high five. “Tell us what to do.”

  “Follow me,” Byron said. “There’s only one way out of here.”

  He started walking toward the rides, swinging his big furry arms, taking long strides. We had to jog to keep up with him.

  We passed three shadow people, nearly hidden in the shade of an empty shop. Their heads turned to follow us as we hurried by. But they didn’t move.

  Luke hurried up beside me. “I don’t think we can trust this Horror,” I whispered.

  “But Jillian read his mind,” Luke said.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “But Jillian said she read MY mind — and she was wrong.”

  “Her brother’s powers are real,” Luke said. He frowned. “I don’t know what to think.”

  Byron turned suddenly and began to follow a curving path into a thick grove of trees.

  “What should we do?” Luke whispered.

  “We have to stick with the other kids,” I replied. “Maybe Byron will get us back to HorrorLand, where it’s safe.”

  “Maybe …” Luke said quietly.

  Crows cawed in the trees overhead. I saw another shadow person watching us as we passed. I turned to stare at him, and he ducked behind a broad tree trunk.

  Byron stopped in front of two tall hedges. The hedges stretched way over our heads, all pine needles and prickly thorns. I peered into the narrow opening between the two hedges. Dark inside. Darker than night.

  “Be careful. Those thorns are sharp,” Byron warned.

  “Where are we?” Carly Beth asked.

  “The entrance to The Midnight Maze,” Byron replied. He glanced around nervously. “It’s a maze where time stands still. It’s always midnight inside the maze.”

  Michael leaned into the narrow space between the hedges. “Are we supposed to go in there?” he asked.

  Byron nodded. “The maze leads out of Panic Park,” he said. “It will take you back to our world. It’s the only exit.”

  “Huh?” Michael kept staring into the black space. “Are you joking? This is the only way out of Panic Park? Where’s the front gate?”

  “There is no front gate,” Byron answered. “Check out the map. You’ll see. This is the only exit.”

  I felt my throat tighten in fear. I don’t like narrow, dark places.

  Last Halloween, Mom and Dad took us to a haunted house that had been set up downtown. You know. The kind where you pay admission. Then you walk through creepy, dark halls and people in costumes leap out at you and try to make you scream.

  I hated it. It really frightened me.

  I’m usually pretty brave. But I just couldn’t stand being closed up in those twisting, dark halls.

  And now, staring into the black opening between the hedges brought that fear back.

  “Is … is it a hard maze?” I stammered.

  Byron nodded. He rubbed the curled horns that poked out from the top of his head. “Stick together, and you should be okay,” he said softly.

  “How long does it take?” I asked.

  “Depends,” Byron replied. “Just stay close. Don’t get separated. I see the looks on your faces. I know you’re scared. And it’s a scary maze. But if you can find your way out, you’ll be safe. I promise.”

  “Whoa. Wait a minute,” Boone said. “Does that mean you’re not coming with us?”

  Byron glanced around again. “I’m going to stay here and guard the entrance,” he said in a whisper. “I’ll make sure no one follows you.”

  “Who would follow us?” I asked. “We haven’t seen anyone in this park. Who wants to harm us? Who?”

  “No time now,” Byron replied.

  He gave me a gentle push into the entrance of the maze. “Go, go, go,” he said. “Hurry.”

  I stepped between the hedges. The others followed.

  The air felt heavy and cold inside the maze. I could smell something stale and sour. Like when something has been left too long in the fridge.

  The hedges formed tall walls on both sides of us. We began to follow them down a long, straight passageway. Matt took the lead.

  Behind us, I heard Byron at the maze entrance. “Good luck!” he called.

  We walked slowly, following the hedge walls. Tall, leafy trees overhead blocked the light from the sky, making it as dark as midnight.

  The passage was so narrow, we had to walk in single file. “Watch out. It turns here,” Matt called from the front of the line.

  The ground beneath us was soft and damp. My sneakers sank into the dirt. I had to keep raising my knees to pull them out.

  I was nearly at the end of the line, right behind Luke. I walked carefully and kept my shoulders hunched. The long, pointed thorns poking out of the hedge walls looked very sharp.

  “Careful. It slants down,” Matt called. His voice sounded far away, muffled by the thick hedge walls.

  “How long is this thing?” Robby called.

  We made another sharp turn.

  “Are we walking in circles?” Sheena asked from behind me.

  My heart was pounding, making a fluttery feeling in my chest. I wiped sweat off my forehead with the sleeve of my top.

  We turned again. The darkness seemed to deepen. I could barely see Luke in front of me.

  We found ourselves in a large square area. Nothing there. Just empty space.

  “How do we know we went the right way?” Boone asked.

  “We don’t know,” Carly Beth said. “It’s a maze — right? We just have to keep exploring till we find the way out.”

  “But it’s totally dark,” Sabrina said. “We could wander around in here forever!”

  “Just keep walking,”
Matt said. “We’re okay so far, aren’t we?”

  We followed the hedges to another square area. My sneaker stuck in the mud. I tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Hey!” I let out a cry as both of my shoes started to sink.

  “It’s muddy here!” Michael called.

  “I … I think I’m stuck!” Robby said.

  “Oh, yuck! The mud is way soft!” Abby cried.

  I bent down to pull one sneaker free — and gasped. The mud seeped over my ankles. I was sinking fast!

  “It … it’s like quicksand!” Abby cried. “Oh, help!”

  I felt the mud rise up on my legs, thick and wet. It felt so COLD! I slapped at the mud, and it stuck to my hands like cold pudding.

  My knees were covered. I couldn’t move my legs. Through my jeans, I felt the cold mud wrap around my thighs.

  Kids began to scream and cry out for help.

  Ahead of me, I saw Billy reach for the hedge to help pull himself out. But he screamed and jerked his hands back as thorns cut into his skin.

  “We’re going to DROWN in this mud!” Michael cried.

  “Don’t move!” Carly Beth shouted. “The more you move, the faster you sink!”

  “We HAVE to move!” Julie cried. “If we don’t move, we’ll just go under SLOWER!”

  “It’s like it’s ALIVE!” Billy screamed. “The mud … it’s pulling me. I can feel it pulling me down!”

  Fear choked my throat. I sucked in a shuddering breath. The cold mud was sliding over me. Soon it would be packed around my waist.

  I slapped at it again. Tried to push myself up. But my hands sank into the thick, cold goo.

  Kids were screaming and struggling.

  “Help! Somebody — help pull me up!”

  “It’s so thick! Like cement!”

  “Grab on to me. Maybe if we both pull …”

  I forced myself to breathe. I hugged myself, trying to stop my body from shivering. Trying to hug away my fear.

  “Luke!” I called to my brother. I reached out for him. But he was too far away.

  The mud had reached his waist. He held his hands high above his head. He was twisting and squirming, trying to force his way up from the muck.

  And then … BUMP.

  My shoes bumped into something hard.

  I froze and held my breath.

  What just happened?

  A hush fell over us. I glanced around. Everyone had stopped squirming and struggling.

  “Hey — I stopped sinking!” I shouted.

  I leaned forward, then back. I raised my right foot a little, then set it back down.

  “I … I hit bottom!” I cried.

  “Me, too!” Matt exclaimed. “It’s hard underneath. We’re not going to sink over our heads!”

  We all began to rock back and forth, leaning one way, then the other. It created holes in the mud, large enough for us to pull ourselves up.

  Michael struggled out first. Then he went around tugging other kids free.

  We hurried from the muddy square, following the hedge walls around a sharp curve.

  “I’m covered in mud,” Julie wailed. “I’ll never get these jeans clean. I’ll just have to throw them away. And … and look at my sneakers!”

  “My jeans are getting stiff,” Sabrina said. “The mud is caked on! And it STINKS!”

  “Who cares about a little mud?” Matt said. “If it gets us out of Panic Park.”

  “Watch out for other traps,” Robby said. “This maze is probably packed with nasty surprises.”

  We turned another corner — then stopped.

  The overhead trees gave way. And a bright gray light poured down on us.

  I blinked, trying to adjust to the startling light. And stared at a line of six giant eggs. Six eggs standing on end, almost as big as cars.

  I heard a cracking sound. I held my breath and listened hard. Another long craaaaack.

  I saw a jagged split in the egg on one end of the line. And then more cracks along the speckled white shells of the other huge eggs.

  The eggs were HATCHING.

  “Is this for real?” Carly Beth cried. “Are they DINOSAUR eggs?”

  “They’ve got to be fakes,” Robby said.

  Michael stepped in front of us. “No! Stand back!” He waved his big arms in front of him, motioning us back.

  Another loud cracking sound. A ragged chunk of eggshell fell to the ground at Michael’s feet.

  “I recognize these eggs,” Michael said.

  Craaaaaack craaack.

  “These are monster eggs. There are monsters in there. I had to fight them. Back home. I had to BECOME one!”

  “How totally weird,” I muttered.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off the cracking shells.

  The eggs were taller than me. And the way they glowed in the eerie, gray light … The way they glowed …

  … drew me closer.

  I couldn’t help myself. They were so … interesting.

  Without realizing it, I stepped up to one of the eggs.

  A loud craaaack made me gasp.

  And a goo-covered green hand shot out — and twisted its claws around my throat.

  I opened my mouth in a shrill scream.

  The tough claws tightened around my neck and cut off the scream.

  The egg cracked open. Jagged shards of shell dropped to the ground. Yellowish goo poured out from the bottom.

  A green lizardlike creature staggered out. Its black tongue lashed at the layer of mucus on its warty face.

  I ducked and twisted my body, trying to free myself from its grip.

  Newly hatched, its claws were slimy and wet. I slid free and dove toward the other kids.

  They were screaming and gaping in horror as the other giant eggs cracked open. Five more skinny green monsters came pouring out with the disgusting yolky liquid.

  They tore at the thick mucus that covered their faces and bodies. They rolled their bulging black eyes and snapped their jaws. One of them blew a big bubble of mucus that popped — and sprayed over me.

  “Ohhhh, gross!” I let out a moan and staggered back.

  The monsters took their first steps, lurching forward. Broken eggshells crunched under their large lizard feet. They worked their front legs, stretching and reaching, testing them.

  Their dark eyes locked on us. They began to circle us. They raised pointed claws, still wet and sticky. Low growls rumbled from deep in their bellies.

  “This isn’t fake,” Carly Beth muttered. “They’re REAL!”

  “Like I said, I … I know them,” Michael said. “I had to fight monsters just like these back home.”

  He picked up a big chunk of eggshell and heaved it at one of the ugly creatures. It hit the monster’s chest and bounced off.

  The monster opened its jaws in an angry roar — and snapped at Michael.

  Michael dropped to his knees beside me.

  “Are you okay?” I cried. I reached down to help him back up.

  Michael pushed my hands away. “No,” he said. “I know what I have to do.”

  The monsters circled us faster, swiping their claws in the air.

  “Michael — get up!” I cried. “They’re going to attack!”

  “I have to deal with it,” he said. “Watch out, guys. One more monster on the way!”

  He crawled over broken pieces of shell to the bottom piece of an egg, dripping with yellow yolk.

  “Michael — NO!” Carly Beth cried.

  “What are you DOING?” Abby screamed.

  Michael lowered his face into the yolk and began to drink.

  The monsters stopped circling. They grew silent as they watched.

  Michael buried his face in the jagged shell bottom. He slurped the thick yellow goo noisily.

  My stomach heaved. What was he doing? How could he drink that disgusting sticky yolk?

  We all watched in horror as Michael finally raised his head. He turned to us. The thick yolk covered his cheeks and ran do
wn his chin.

  He swallowed. Once. Twice.

  Slowly, he climbed to his feet.

  “Michael?” Carly Beth called.

  He stared past her at the monsters. For a few seconds, nothing happened. No one moved.

  Then I saw Michael begin to change.

  His eyes bulged. His face lengthened. His nose stretched … stretched over his mouth … and formed an animal snout.

  Two rows of jagged teeth slid out from black lips. Michael’s skin darkened … darkened to an olive-green color.

  His body grew. The arms lengthened. His chest spread wide … wider … until his T-shirt ripped open.

  Claws curled out from his long fingers. He tossed back his monstrous head and let out a deafening roar.

  It took only seconds for him to become one of them.

  And then he roared forward. Dove at the startled creatures. Swiping his claws wildly ahead of him.

  I grabbed Luke and we staggered back. The other kids stumbled out of the way.

  I wanted to run. I wanted to hide.

  I didn’t want to watch the horrifying fight. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Michael as he attacked the six newborn creatures.

  He dug his fangs into a throat. Swiped his sharp claws down the monster’s chest.

  The monster bleated like a lamb as rivers of black blood leaked down its front. With a long groan, the monster fell, defeated.

  Michael roared on to the next. Bellowing like a movie dinosaur, he raked his claws over its face, then dug his jagged teeth into its throat.

  He swiped at the startled monsters, ripping their still-sticky skin apart, head butting, punching, kicking, tearing their bodies with his powerful fangs.

  Frozen in fear, I held on to Luke, and we watched the deadly battle. In less than a minute, all six monsters lay sprawled on the ground. Not moving. Their eyes staring up, blank and lifeless.

  Michael raised his face to the sky and roared. A victory roar.

  He pounded his bulging green chest with both fists. He roared and stomped his huge feet. Stomped and danced and roared some more.

  He … he’s out of control! I thought. He’s really a MONSTER!

  Then, with an animal grunt, he spun away from the dead monsters. He stepped over one. It made a wet squissssh as his foot sank into its belly.