Series 2000- Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls Page 5

  Why are they attacking me? I wondered. I’m a rat. I’m one of them!

  Maybe they can sense that I’m different, I thought. Maybe they can tell

  I’m not exactly like them.

  What am I going to do? I wondered. I can’t fight them all!

  68 With a shrill cry, a rat leaped for my throat. Claws scraped over my

  back.

  I jumped free. Backed up. Backed up till I couldn’t move.

  I’m trapped, I realized. Trapped against the back wall of the house.

  A line of red eyes glared at me as the rats swarmed in for the kill.

  My whole body shuddering, I pressed my back against the stone wall. And

  saw the cable a few inches to my right.

  The slender cable-TV cord. My eyes followed it up along the rain gutter.

  The rats were squealing excitedly. Claws scraping the air. Jaws moving

  up and down beneath glowing eyes.

  I made my jump before they attacked. Grabbed the cable with both front

  claws. Skittered up the cable. Scrambled over the rain gutter to the

  rooftop.

  I landed on the cold shingles with a loud PLOP.

  My heart pounding, I scrambled to my feet. I didn’t glance down. I ran

  across the roof, up one slanted side, then down the other. To the front

  of the house.

  Then I hid in the wet, leafy gutter. Catching my breath. Listening.

  Sniffing. All my senses alert.

  When I was certain the rats hadn’t followed me up, I peered over the

  side of the gutter. To my

  69 surprise, I saw my house on the other side of the street.

  Home! My heart thudded joyfully.

  1 gazed at it, trembling, as if I’d never seen it before.

  And then, taking a deep breath, I scuttled down the gutter to the

  ground. And darted through the wet grass and across the street.

  I stopped in the front yard. The house stood in darkness. I raised my

  eyes to my bedroom window. Dark.

  Was the ghoul asleep in my bed?

  Was my family okay?

  I had to get inside. But how?

  I started around the side of the house.

  But a tingling feeling made me stop. My fur stood on end. My skin prickled.

  DANGER!

  All of my senses were warning me - DANGER!

  70 My body became a warning system. I knew I should be afraid. But I

  didn’t know why.

  I sniffed the night air. Sniffed the strong aroma of an animal approaching.

  I sniffed again. Sniffed it coming closer.

  My fur stood up straight. I heard footsteps. Rapid footsteps, advancing

  quickly.

  I jerked my head around. My ears twitched as the footsteps grew louder.

  I stared into the darkness - and I saw him.

  First I saw his eyes. Large green eyes glowing like headlights in the dark.

  Then I saw his whiskered face. His slender trunk. His paws, moving so

  stealthily over the grass.

  71 A cat.

  Duke. Our black cat.

  I let out a sigh of relief. Duke wouldn’t hurt me.

  Duke trained his green eyes on me. He arched his back.

  But I’m not me, I remembered. I’m a rat.

  My whiskers twitched. My body trembled.

  Duke’s fur stood straight up. His lips curled back. He uttered a shrill

  cry - and pounced.

  I tried to dart away, but he was too fast.

  His claws closed around me. He pinned me to the ground.

  I shrieked as his claws dug deep beneath my fur.

  Duke held me down. He leaned over me. I could feel his hot breath on my

  fur.

  I tried to wriggle free, but I couldn’t move.

  “Duke - it’s me! It’s Spencer!” I tried to scream.

  But only tiny squeaks came out.

  And then the cat lowered his head.

  I stared up helplessly as his jaws swung open.

  His teeth clamped down. Clamped down. Clamped down.

  The sharp teeth dug into my chest.

  And then slid down my body and dug into my fleshy tail.

  Whoooooa.

  The cat lifted me off the ground. And holding

  72 my tail in his teeth, began swinging me … swinging me back and forth.

  The ground tilted up. The black sky swept down. The cat swung me wildly.

  This is it, I thought. I’m going to die in a rat’s body, chewed to death

  by my own cat.

  73 I felt myself swinging … swinging upside down.

  I struggled to focus.

  I’m not going to die like this, I told myself. I won’t let it happen.

  “Eeee eeee eeeeh.” I squealed in panic as the cat swung me hard. My tail

  throbbed with pain. The pain shot up my body.

  Another hard swing.

  I shot out both front paws.

  And grabbed the fur on the back of the cat’s neck. With a loud groan, I

  dug my claws deep into his fur. Held on tight.

  The startled cat shot open his mouth.

  My tail slid out from between his teeth.

  74 Gripping the cat’s fur, I hoisted myself onto his back.

  Duke howled in protest. Arched his back. Rose up on his hind legs.

  Bouncing on the cat’s writhing, tossing back, I held on.

  And pulled myself up to his head.

  I knew what I wanted to do. But could I hold on long enough?

  The cat yowled and tossed his head.

  Holding on tightly, I shut my eyes. And pushed.

  Pushed down … down into deep darkness.

  Duke’s furious yowling seemed to surround me. I plunged deeper, deeper

  into the sound.

  Down …

  Down …

  And when I opened my eyes, I stared down at the rat.

  Yes. I stared down at the rat, sprawled on its side, dead on the grass.

  I tossed my head back and let out a long meeeeow. Then I bent down and

  picked the dead rat up in my teeth. I carried the rat to the back of the

  house and dropped it beside the kitchen door.

  Sorry, Duke, I thought. Sorry to push you out of your body like that,

  boy. But I need it more than you do.

  There are lives at stake. Many lives at stake.

  I lowered my head and bumped open the little cat door.

  75 Wow! I stood in the kitchen with all its familiar smells. So warm and

  clean.

  I gazed around, purring, so happy to be back here. My eyes swept over

  the sink, the kitchen table, the refrigerator. I spotted my homework

  assignment on the kitchen counter.

  Yesssss!

  So warm and cozy in here, I felt like curling up in my basket near the

  radiator. I yawned and stretched.

  No. No time, I reminded myself.

  There’s a ghoul in this house. In my body.

  Shaking away my sleepiness, I padded through the hall. Then I took the

  stairs two at a time.

  I charged through Mom and Dad’s open bedroom door. I jumped onto the

  foot of their bed.

  They lay sound asleep, blankets pulled up to their chins. Dad snored

  softly. Long strands of Mom’s dark hair had fallen over her face.

  “Wake up!” I pawed Mom. “Wake up! Listen to me! Come on - wake up!”

  Mom groaned and rolled onto her side, turning her back to me.

  “Dad!” I cried. “Wake up! Come on!”

  Dad made a gurgling sound. His eyes popped open. He sat up, blinking

  hard. “Huh? Duke?”

  “What’s wrong, dear?” Mom asked sleepily. She lifted her head off the

  pillow and squinted at me.

  “
The cat woke me up,” Dad replied.

  “It’s me - Spencer!” I exclaimed. “Can you

  76 understand me? Please - listen! There’s no time! There’s a ghoul in

  this house! An evil ghoul! We’ve got to act fast!”

  Mom and Dad stared at me as I explained. Then they exchanged worried

  glances.

  “You understand me!” I cried happily. “Yes! You understand me!”

  “Why is the cat yowling like that?” Dad asked.

  77 Listen to me!” I screamed. “Listen to me!”

  But I knew my words were coming out as cat cries.

  Mom pulled a pillow over her head. “Get rid of him,” she moaned. “I

  can’t stand that screeching.”

  “Let’s go, Duke,” Dad said. He sat up and made a grab for me.

  I leaped to the floor. My mind whirred frantically. How can I let them

  know it’s me? How can I make them listen?

  I saw Mom’s notebook open on the desk by the window. And a pen lying

  beside the notebook.

  I’ll write a message! I decided.

  I saw Dad climb out of bed. “Come on, Duke,” he sighed sleepily. “Don’t

  try to run away. You have to go back outside.”

  78 I turned away from him and jumped onto the desk. I stabbed my claws

  out and grabbed the pen. It rolled out from under my paw.

  I tried again.

  No. No way.

  No way to grip it.

  I lowered my head and tried to pick the pen up in my mouth. But it

  rolled off the desktop onto the bedroom carpet.

  Before I could go after it, Dad wrapped his hands around me. “Dumb cat.

  It’s a little late to be playing with pens.”

  I struggled and squirmed and yowled my head off. But Dad carried me

  downstairs and tossed me out the back door.

  The door slammed behind me.

  It took me a few seconds to gain my balance. I still wasn’t used to

  walking on all fours. Then I charged back up to the cat door. I lowered

  my head and pushed.

  Ouch!

  Dad had locked the cat door.

  Okay. No problem, I thought. I’m a cat. I’ll climb in through a window.

  I scampered up the tree at the back of the house. Then I carefully made

  my way along the branch outside my bedroom window.

  Taking a deep breath, I arched my back - and leaped onto the window ledge.

  The window was open a few inches. Was the

  80 ghoul in my body asleep in my bed? The billowing curtains blocked my

  view.

  I flattened myself on the narrow ledge. A tight squeeze, I saw. But cats

  can squeeze through anything - right?

  I poked my head into the bedroom. Flattened myself. Flattened myself …

  Squeezed through the window and crawled into the room.

  The curtains fluttered around me. I dropped silently to the floor.

  Crossed the room to my bed.

  Then I hopped onto the foot of the bed - and gasped.

  79

  21

  The pillows had been ripped apart. Feathers and stuffing covered the

  bed, the floor, my dresser.

  The sheets were also ripped. Torn into thin strips. The mattress had a

  gaping hole in its center.

  In the light from the window, I saw that my closet door had been pulled

  off its hinges. It stood tilted against the wall. My clothes had been

  pulled off the closet shelves, tossed on the floor.

  The wallpaper beside my dresser was shredded. It looked as if it had

  been clawed off the wall.

  “He really is evil!” I gasped. “He’s - he’s a monster!”

  But where is he?

  Then I heard a clattering sound. A soft THUD. From downstairs.

  81 I spun toward the door. Creeping into the hall, I followed the

  sounds, down to the kitchen.

  And there he stood. There I stood, in the glow of the refrigerator.

  I walked silently into the kitchen. He didn’t see me. He was too busy

  stuffing his face.

  Leaning into the refrigerator, he jammed handfuls of food into his mouth.

  Staring in shock, I watched him open a jar of pickles and swallow them

  all whole. He tossed the jar to the floor.

  Then he started grabbing up raw eggs from the refrigerator door and

  slamming them into his mouth.

  He smashed a Coke bottle on the side of the refrigerator, tilted his

  head back, and drank the liquid down in a gulp. Then he tossed the

  bottle across the kitchen and stuffed a whole head of lettuce into his

  mouth.

  I took a few steps closer, into the square of refrigerator light.

  The ghoul tilted a jar of mayonnaise to his mouth and hungrily gulped it

  down. He was still licking mayonnaise from the side of the jar when he

  spotted me.

  “So hungry … ” he murmured - in my voice! “So hungry! I haven’t eaten

  in over two hundred years!”

  He dropped the jar to the floor and stared down at me.

  82 I let out a cry when I saw his eyes.

  He had my face, my hair, my whole body.

  But the eyes were dead and blank. I stared up into two deep, dark holes.

  Holes as black as death.

  He bit off the top of a carton of buttermilk and tilted the carton over

  his mouth. Buttermilk ran down his chin and puddled at his feet.

  “I know who you are,” he gurgled. “You’re wasting your time.”

  I stared up at him, stared into those deep holes where my eyes used to be.

  A sick grin spread over his face. “Want to know who I am?” he asked.

  “I’m you”

  “No! I want my body back!” I cried.

  The words came out in cat yowls. But he seemed to understand me.

  “Go back to the graveyard,” he said through clenched teeth. “That’s your

  home now. You’re a graveyard ghoul.”

  “No -” I choked out. “Give me my body back.”

  “Ha.” The ghoul laughed. “You call this a body? This scrawny collection

  of bones! I don’t want this body.”

  He ripped the glasses from his face. Threw them to the floor and stomped

  on them.

  “My glasses!” I screamed. “You didn’t have to do that!”

  “As soon as I finish eating, know what else I’m going to do?” he leered.

  “I’m going to go out and

  84 find another body - a good, strong body - and I’m going to destroy

  yours!”

  “Nooooo!” I screamed. I leaped at him. I landed on his leg - and clung

  to it with all four paws.

  I’m going back in, I decided. I’m taking my body back. But he grabbed me

  roughly by the back of the neck. And pulled me up in front of his

  sneering face.

  “Did you think it was going to be that easy?” he smirked. “Don’t you

  know who you’re dealing with, kitty cat? I’m Oswald Manse. What chance

  do you have against me?”

  Holding me in front of him, the ghoul tightened his hand on the back of

  my neck.

  Tightened … tightened …

  “Please - ” I murmured with my last breath. “Please - “

  83

  22

  Pain shot through my body as the ghoul tightened his grasp on my throat.

  My fur bristled in panic.

  A door swung open in front of me. We were halfway down the basement

  steps before I realized what was happening.

  He carried me across the dark basement, to a corner behind the furnace.


  Holding me with one hand, he rustled something on the floor.

  I couldn’t see it. But the sound sent a chill of fear down my back. I

  kicked hard with all four legs. But I couldn’t kick free.

  And then, without warning, he let go.

  I fell hard, into darkness. Darkness on all four sides.

  Blinking, I climbed to my feet. And realized he had dropped me into a

  cardboard carton.

  85 The lid slammed shut over my head.

  I let out a yowl.

  The carton shook as he kicked it. I toppled onto my side.

  “Don’t cry, kitty,” I heard him say as he walked away. “You tried your

  best. But you lost.”

  I stood in the carton, listening to the ghoul’s footsteps stomp up the

  stairs. I heard the basement door close behind him.

  I haven’t lost yet! I told myself.

  I clawed the side of the box.

  I tried to chew it with my teeth.

  Then I tried clawing again, slashing at it until my nails ached and

  throbbed.

  This isn’t going to work, I realized. I stared at the top of the carton.

  I tried pushing my head against the side.

  I can’t escape, I decided. I’m too small. I’m not strong enough.

  I lowered my head sadly.

  And felt something drop onto my back.

  It prickled as it walked across my fur.

  “Ohhhhh.” I let out a terrified moan.

  I didn’t have to see it. I knew what it was.

  A spider.

  86 I raised a paw and batted the spider off my fur. It landed in front

  of me on the floor of the carton.

  Its legs scratched the cardboard as it moved, sending chills down my back.

  Oh, please, I thought. Why do I have to be trapped in here with a spider!

  It crawled steadily toward me.

  Closer … closer.

  I - I can’t take this, I thought.

  I raised a paw.

  I took a deep breath and started to bring it down on top of the spider.

  I’ll squash it, I decided. I have to squash it.

  My paw was nearly down to the carton floor when something made me stop.

  87 An idea. An inspiration!

  Whoa! Good thing I didn’t kill it, I told myself. The spider is my way

  out of here!

  I rested my paw carefully, lightly, on top of the spider. And I

  concentrated … concentrated …

  I felt myself floating into darkness. Floating into a tight, dark space.

  Yes.

  Inside the spider now.

  I tested the legs. Took several spidery breaths. I felt light. I felt

  strong.

  I’ll never be afraid of spiders again, I realized. Because now I am one!