29 - Monster Blood III Read online

  Evan leaned against the lab table. His hand rested in a puddle of dough, but he didn’t care.

  He suddenly felt strange.

  His entire body started to tingle. His stomach felt queasy. He shut his eyes, trying to force the strange feeling away.

  But the tingling grew stronger.

  He heard a shrill whistling sound in his ears. His muscles started to ache. He could feel the blood throbbing at his temples.

  “Maybe we can mop it up,” Evan heard Andy say. But her voice sounded tiny and far away.

  He turned to see her pick up a mop and bucket from against the basement wall.

  That bucket is too tiny, Evan thought. Why does Andy want to use such a tiny mop?

  The room tilted—to the right, then to the left.

  Evan blinked hard, trying to straighten everything out.

  His whole body buzzed, as if an electrical current were shooting through him. He shut his eyes and pressed both hands against his throbbing temples.

  “Evan—aren’t you going to help me?” Andy’s voice sounded so faint, so far away. “Evan—?” he heard her call. “Evan—?”

  When he opened his eyes, he saw that Andy and Kermit were staring up at him. Their expressions had changed. Their eyes bulged in fright and surprise. Their mouths were wide open.

  “What’s going on?” Evan demanded. His voice boomed through the basement, echoing off the concrete walls.

  Andy and Kermit stared up at him. The tiny mop fell out of Andy’s hand and clattered to the floor.

  Such a tiny mop, Evan thought again, staring down at it. Such a tiny bucket.

  And then he realized that Andy and Kermit were tiny, too.

  “Oh!” A cry of surprise escaped Evan’s throat.

  Everyone is so small. Everything is so tiny.

  It took Evan a long time to figure out what had happened.

  But when it finally dawned on him, he let out a shriek of horror.

  “Oh, no! No!” he moaned. “I’m growing! I’m growing bigger and bigger!”

  16

  Evan lowered his eyes to the floor. It seemed so far below.

  “My—my legs—” he stammered.

  Andy and Kermit still hadn’t said a word. They stared up at him, their faces twisted in surprise.

  Evan swallowed hard. “What’s going on?” he cried. His voice boomed through the small room. “I must be eight feet tall!”

  “You—you’re a giant!” Kermit declared. He stepped forward and grabbed on to Evan’s knee. “Me, too! Okay? Okay, Evan? Make me a giant, too!” he begged.

  “Give me a break,” Evan muttered. He picked up Kermit easily and set him down on top of the lab table.

  Then Evan turned to Andy. “What am I going to do? This is terrible!”

  “Not so loud!” Andy pleaded, covering her ears with her hands. “Please, Evan—try to whisper or something, okay?”

  “What am I going to do?” Evan repeated, ignoring her plea.

  Andy forced a smile. “Try out for basketball, I guess.”

  Evan balled his huge hands into huge fists. “I’m not in the mood for your sick sense of humor, Andy,” he snapped.

  His body started to tingle again. His muscles ached.

  I’m growing even bigger, he realized.

  Evan’s throat suddenly felt very dry. He realized his knees were shaking. They made a loud banging sound as they hit together.

  Don’t panic! he instructed himself.

  The first rule is—don’t panic.

  But why shouldn’t he panic? His head was nearly pushing up against the basement ceiling.

  Kermit stood up on top of the lab table. His white high-tops were splattered with yellow dough. They looked like little doll shoes to Evan.

  “Make me a giant, too!” Kermit pleaded. “Why can’t I be a giant?”

  Evan stared down at his cousin. Kermit really did look like a little white mouse now.

  Evan’s body tingled harder. The room tilted and swayed again. “This is your fault, Andy!” he shouted.

  Andy shrank back against the wall. “Huh? My fault?”

  “You and your Monster Blood!” Evan thundered. “I—I swallowed some!”

  Andy stared up at him. “How?”

  “When Kermit’s mixture exploded,” Evan replied. “I was putting the candy bar in my mouth. The dough exploded. I started to choke. The dough hit me in the face. I remember I tasted it. It was on my lips. And—and—”

  “And it had Monster Blood in it!” Andy finished his sentence for him. Her face filled with horror. “Oh, Evan. I’m sorry. I really am.”

  But then her face brightened. “The Monster Blood splashed on your clothes, too. That was lucky. They’re growing with you.”

  Evan let out an exasperated sigh. “Lucky?” he cried. “You call this lucky? What if I keep growing and never stop?”

  Kermit remained standing on the lab table. He stared up at Evan. “You mean if I eat some of the dough, I’ll turn into a giant, too?” He bent down and scooped up a handful of dough.

  “Don’t you dare!” Evan screamed. He leaned over and flicked the dough out of Kermit’s hand with two fingers. Then he hovered over Kermit, glaring at him menacingly. “I can squash you, Kermit. I really can,” Evan warned.

  “Okay, okay,” Kermit muttered, his voice trembling. He slid off the table and stepped behind Andy.

  Wow, Evan thought, I actually have Kermit afraid of me! That’s a first. Maybe growing so big isn’t all bad!

  His body tingled and vibrated. The whistling in his ears grew louder. He could feel himself grow some more.

  He turned to see Dogface pad into the room. The big sheepdog looked like a tiny poodle.

  The dog hiccupped. It sniffed at a yellow puddle of dough on the floor.

  “No!” Evan cried. “Don’t eat that! Dogface—no!”

  He bent over and picked up the sheepdog.

  Seeing a giant human lift him up easily off the floor, Dogface let out a yelp of terror. All four legs thrashed the air as the frightened dog struggled to break free.

  But Evan cradled the sheepdog in one arm and held on to him tightly.

  When he realized he couldn’t escape from the giant, the dog’s terrified yelps turned to quiet whimpers.

  “Take Dogface out of here. Lock him outside,” Evan ordered Kermit. He lowered the whimpering dog to the floor.

  Kermit obediently led the dog away. Halfway to the stairs, he turned back to Evan. “Hey, you cured Dogface’s hiccups!”

  I guess I scared them out of him! Evan told himself.

  Kermit led Dogface up the stairs. Evan turned to Andy. “I told you to leave the Monster Blood in the closet!” he cried. “Now look at me!”

  He had to duck his head. Otherwise it would brush against the ceiling.

  “Who told you to eat the stuff?” Andy replied. “Why did you have to be eating that candy bar?”

  “It was part of the plan—remember?” Evan snapped angrily. He uttered a bitter sigh. “Great plan we had!”

  “I guess it didn’t work out too well,” Andy admitted.

  “I guess it didn’t,” Evan muttered. “Now what will happen to me? What will Mom and Dad say?”

  “What will you eat?” Andy added. “You’ll probably have to eat sixteen meals a day! And where will you sleep? And how can you go to school? There aren’t any desks big enough for you. And what will you wear? They’ll have to make your T-shirts out of bedsheets!”

  “You’re not cheering me up,” Evan murmured glumly.

  He felt his body tingle. Again, he could feel his skin stretching, feel all of his muscles throb.

  “Ow!” he cried out as the top of his head banged against the ceiling.

  He had to lean over to rub his head.

  “Evan—you’re growing!” Andy exclaimed.

  “I know. I know,” Evan grumbled. The basement ceiling was at least nine feet high. Evan had to stoop to keep from banging the ceiling. That meant he was more than ni
ne feet tall.

  A shiver of fear shook his body. He glanced around the basement. “I have to get out of here!” he cried.

  Kermit returned to the room. He stopped and gawked at Evan. “You grew even more!” he cried. “I’ll bet you weigh three hundred pounds!”

  “I don’t have time to weigh myself,” Evan replied, rolling his eyes. “I have to get out of here. I’m so big, I can’t stand up. I’m so big, I—”

  He stopped. He felt himself grow a little more.

  “I’m too big now!” he cried. “I’m trapped down here! There’s no way I can get out!”

  17

  “Stay calm,” Andy called up to him.

  “Calm? How can I stay calm?” Evan shrieked. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life in this basement! I’m too big for the stairs!”

  “Mom won’t like that,” Kermit said, shaking his head.

  “Try the stairs!” Andy cried. “Maybe you can squeeze up if you hurry!”

  Evan turned to the basement stairs. “I—I don’t think I’ll fit,” he stammered. The stairway appeared very narrow. And Evan was now very wide.

  “Come on,” Andy urged. “We’ll help you.”

  “You push and I’ll pull,” Kermit said, running to the stairs.

  Evan lumbered toward the stairs. His sneakers thudded heavily on the tile floor. He stooped his shoulders to keep his head from crashing against the ceiling.

  “Try not to grow any bigger!” Andy called, following closely behind him.

  “Great advice!” Evan replied sarcastically. “Do you have any more advice like that?”

  “Don’t be nasty,” Andy scolded. “I’m only trying to help you.”

  “You’ve already helped me more than enough,” Evan grumbled.

  He felt his body start to tingle. His muscles started to throb.

  “No! Please—no!” He uttered a silent plea. I don’t want to grow any more!

  He sucked in a deep breath and held it. He shut his eyes tight and tried to concentrate—concentrate on not growing.

  “I think I just saw you grow another few inches,” Andy called to him. “You’d better hurry, Evan.”

  “How big is Evan going to get?” Kermit asked. He had climbed halfway up the stairs. “Is he going to get bigger than an elephant?”

  “That’s not helpful, Kermit,” Evan muttered unhappily. “Please stop asking questions like that—okay?”

  “If you get as big as an elephant, will you give me a ride?” Kermit demanded.

  Evan glared angrily at his cousin. “Do you know what elephants do to mice?” he bellowed. Evan raised one foot and brought it down with a crunching thud to demonstrate to Kermit what elephants do to mice.

  Kermit swallowed hard and didn’t say anything more.

  Evan walked over to the stairway. He glanced up the stairs. “I don’t think I can make it,” he told Andy. “I’m too big.”

  “Give it a try,” she urged. “You’ve got to, Evan.”

  Evan stepped on to the first step. Leaning low, he raised himself to the next step.

  “You’re doing it!” Kermit cried happily. He stayed at the top of the stairs, watching Evan’s progress eagerly.

  Evan took another step. The wooden stairs creaked under his weight. He tried to lean on the banister. But it snapped beneath his hand.

  He climbed two more steps.

  He was a third of the way up when he became stuck.

  His body was just too wide for the narrow stairway.

  Kermit pulled both of Evan’s hands. Andy pushed him from behind.

  But they couldn’t budge him.

  “I—I can’t move,” Evan stammered. He felt panic choke his throat. “I’m jammed tight in here. There’s no way I’ll ever get out!”

  Then he felt his body start to tingle. And he knew he was growing even more.

  18

  As Evan grew, he heard a cracking sound.

  Soft at first. Then louder. Very close by.

  He cried out as the wall to his left crumbled. His expanding body had broken the wall away.

  As the wall cracked and fell, Evan took a deep breath and lurched up the stairs.

  “Made it!” he cried as he squeezed through the doorway.

  A few seconds later, he burst out through the kitchen door, into the sunlit backyard.

  Dogface lay stretched out near the fence. The dog jumped to his feet as the gigantic Evan appeared. Frightened, Dogface gave a loud bark, his stubby tail wagging furiously, then turned and bolted from the yard.

  Kermit and Andy followed Evan into the backyard, cheering and shouting, “You made it! You’re free!”

  Evan turned to face them. “But now what?” he asked. “Now what do I do? I’m nearly as tall as the garage. How tall am I going to grow?”

  Kermit stepped closer to Evan. “Look—I’m standing in your shade!” he declared.

  Evan’s shadow fell across the yard like the shadow of a tree trunk. “Kermit, give me a break,” Evan muttered. “I have a little bit of a problem here, you know?”

  “Maybe we should get you to a doctor,” Andy suggested.

  “A doctor?” Evan cried. “What could a doctor do for me?”

  “Put you on a diet?” Andy joked.

  Evan leaned over her, squinting down at her menacingly. “Andy, I’m warning you. One more bad joke, and—”

  “Okay, okay.” Andy raised her hands as if trying to shield herself from him. “Sorry. Just trying to keep it light.”

  “Evan isn’t light. He’s heavy!” Kermit chimed in. His idea of a joke.

  Evan let out an unhappy growl. “I don’t think a doctor can help me. I mean, I couldn’t fit into a doctor’s office.”

  “But maybe if we brought the can of Monster Blood along, the doctor could figure out an antidote,” Andy suggested. “Some kind of cure.”

  Evan started to reply. But shrill voices on the other side of the tall wooden fence at the back of the yard made him stop.

  “Cut it out, Conan!” a girl pleaded.

  “Yeah. Leave us alone, Conan!” Evan heard a boy shout.

  Evan lumbered over to the fence and peered into Conan’s yard. He saw Conan Barber furiously swinging a baseball bat, swinging it hard, forcing a little boy and girl to back up against the fence.

  “Let us go!” the little girl screamed. “Why are you so mean?”

  Conan swung the bat, bringing it close to the boy and girl, making them cry out.

  Evan leaned over the fence. His broad shadow fell over Conan. “Want to play ball with me, Conan?” Evan thundered.

  The two little kids spun around. They stared up at the enormous Evan. It took them a long time to realize they were staring at a real, giant human.

  Then they began to scream.

  Conan’s mouth dropped open and a strangled gurgling sound escaped his throat.

  “Hey, Conan, how about a little batting practice?” Evan asked, his voice booming over the backyard. Evan reached over the fence and plucked the bat from Conan’s hand.

  The little boy and girl ran away screaming. They darted through the hedge at the side of Conan’s yard and kept running until they vanished from view.

  Evan took the bat and snapped it in two between his hands. It cracked apart like a toothpick.

  Conan froze in place, staring up at Evan in disbelief. He pointed a trembling finger. “Evan—you—you—you—” he stammered.

  Evan tossed the two pieces of the cracked bat at Conan’s feet, forcing Conan to hop out of the way.

  “You ate Monster Blood!” Conan accused. “That sticky green stuff. The stuff that Cuddles the hamster ate last year! You ate some—didn’t you!”

  Evan didn’t want to be reminded of Cuddles the hamster. The little creature had turned into a huge, vicious beast after eating Monster Blood. Cuddles had returned to hamster size only because the Monster Blood was old and stale.

  But the Monster Blood Evan had swallowed was new and fresh.

  Now I’m a huge
, vicious beast, Evan thought sadly.

  “Are you crazy? Are you totally messed up? Why did you eat Monster Blood?” Conan demanded.

  “It was an accident,” Evan told him.

  Conan continued to stare up at Evan, but his fearful expression faded. Conan suddenly started to laugh. “I’m glad it happened to you and not me!” he exclaimed.

  “Huh? Why?” Evan demanded.

  “Because I’m afraid of heights!” Conan replied. He laughed again. “I always thought you were a nerd, Evan!” Conan declared. “But now you’re a BIG nerd!”

  Evan let out an angry growl and lurched forward. He tried to climb over the fence. But he didn’t step high enough. Conan’s fence splintered beneath Evan’s heavy sneaker.

  “Hey—!” Conan cried in alarm.

  He tried to turn and run, but Evan was too fast for him.

  Evan grabbed Conan under the shoulders and lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing.

  “Let go! Let go of me!” Conan screamed. He kicked his arms and legs like a baby.

  “I never knew you were afraid of heights,” Evan said. Holding Conan in both hands, he raised him high in the air.

  “Let me go! Let me go!” Conan cried. “What are you going to do?”

  “Let’s see if you know how to fly!” Evan exclaimed.

  “Noooooo!” Conan’s shrill cry rose up over the yard. He kicked and thrashed as Evan raised him even higher. “Put me down! Put me down!”

  “Okay,” Evan agreed. “I’ll put you down.” He set Conan down on a high tree branch.

  Conan clung to the trunk for dear life, trembling and crying. “Evan—don’t leave me up here! Please! I told you, I’m afraid of heights! Evan—come back! Evan!”

  A huge grin on his huge face, Evan turned away from Conan. “That was a lot of fun!” he called down to his friends.

  Conan continued to weep and wail up in the tree. Evan took a few steps toward the front yard. “That was excellent!” Evan said, still grinning. “Excellent!”

  “Where are you going?” he heard Andy call up to him.

  “Yeah! What are you going to do now?” Kermit asked eagerly.

  “This is kind of cool!” Evan declared. Having his revenge on Conan had put him in a better mood. “Let’s go see if we can have some more fun!”