House of a Thousand Screams Read online

  “Should I start now?” he asked.

  “No, let the video finish,” I decided. “They might get mad if we turn it off.”

  Freddy sat back down and watched. When the tape reached the part with the puppet in the box, the little people began peepsing like crazy and pointing to the screen. I could have sworn I saw fear on their little faces. What could that mean?

  The video finally ended. The creatures began jabbering again. I poked Freddy.

  “Now,” I said.

  Freddy swallowed hard. He stood in front of the TV and announced in a shaky voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, the great Frederico!”

  He bowed and waved his wand.

  The little people stopped peepsing and watched him with bright, curious eyes.

  “See?” Freddy said. “Nothing in my hands. And nothing up my sleeve.” He wiped his hands together, made a fist of one, then produced a handkerchief from his fist.

  But Freddy was nervous. He fumbled it. The plastic thumb he’d hidden the silk in fell from his hand and bounced on the floor.

  A loud chorus of peepsing followed that. The little guys rolled around, holding their bellies and chirping.

  “What are they doing?” Freddy asked.

  I grinned. “I think they’re laughing at you.”

  Freddy blushed and pulled out a deck of cards. He made a fan with the cards. But once again he fumbled it. The entire deck spilled to the floor!

  Freddy looked miserable. He was proud of his act. But he was just too nervous to get it right.

  The little people didn’t seem to mind though. They thought he was a riot!

  Then one of them jumped and landed on Freddy’s shoulder.

  “Freddy,” I said quietly, “one of them is sitting on you. Wave your hand at the cards on the floor and see what happens.”

  Freddy held out a shaking hand, passed it above the cards, and said, “Abracadabra!”

  The creature flicked his fingers. The cards shot up from the floor and smacked Freddy square in the nose.

  “Ow!” He rubbed his nose, glaring at me.

  Uh-oh! “Don’t get mad,” I warned him. “Laugh like it’s a great joke.”

  “Ha-ha,” Freddy said halfheartedly.

  “Louder!” I insisted. “Make it sound like you mean it.”

  To help him out, I laughed too. At first it was hard. But then the whole situation struck us just right. Suddenly, we were laughing for real.

  The little guys peepsed happily. More of them jumped on Freddy. The cards began to dance around him in the air. He waved his hands. The cards followed his movements!

  “Wow!” he declared. I clapped my hands.

  The creatures helped Freddy with trick after trick. In no time, they lost all their shyness. They swung from our fingers. They danced up and down our arms.

  This is great! I thought. Our troubles are over. We’ll never have to be scared again!

  Boy, was I wrong.

  In the middle of Freddy’s act, a shuddering howl ripped through the air. My breath caught in my throat. Fear turned my backbone to a blade of ice.

  What was that?

  The little people froze in their tracks. We all stared in terror at the open den door.

  From the hallway something tumbled into the room.

  Something blue.

  It was no bigger than a basketball. It stood on crooked hind legs. Its long arms were covered with matted blue fur.

  The thing raised its hairy arms and shrieked. Claws glinted in the light. Red eyes smoldered from the matted hair of its face. Slime dripped from its long, greenish fangs. The slime smoked and hissed where it hit the floor.

  I gasped. I’d seen this nightmare before. Only a few minutes ago, as a matter of fact.

  It was the evil-looking puppet from the box.

  But it was no puppet.

  It was alive!

  17

  “The puppet. It’s real!” Freddy shrieked.

  Apparently, he didn’t need magic glasses to see the thing. At the sound of his voice, the monster scuttled toward Freddy. It moved like a monkey, flinging its arms. Then it reared up and swiped at my little brother.

  “Aaagh!” Freddy yelled, and jumped away.

  Little people were leaping everywhere in total panic. One of them rode Freddy’s shoulder, holding on for grim life.

  Where had the evil thing come from? A picture suddenly flashed through my mind. Of the box clattering on the attic floor. And the sound of air—or something—whooshing out.

  I grabbed the nearest thing I could find and threw it. It was an Oreo. The monster snatched it out of the air and gulped it down.

  A moment later its face twisted into an even uglier expression. It started heaving. Then it threw up the cookie and a pool of purple gunk all over the floor.

  “Oh, gross me out!” I groaned.

  The monster snarled at me. Its mouth gaped, a hideous hole at least half the size of its head.

  “Hey! Where did it go?” Freddy shouted.

  “Can’t you see it? It’s there, to your left,” I called, pointing.

  “No.” He looked panicky. “I can’t see it. It must be able to make itself disappear!”

  “I can still see it with these glasses,” I said grimly.

  I glanced around for something I could use as a weapon. There was nothing.

  Suddenly the monster lunged toward Freddy.

  “Freddy!” I yelled. Without thinking, I leapt and tackled the creature. My leg twisted under me as I landed. I winced at the sudden stab of pain.

  The thing was much smaller than me, but heavy. Its fur felt greasy and coarse. And the smell! Like garbage on a hot day. I rolled with it, then threw it as hard as I could at the wall.

  The monster hit the wall with a heavy thud. It slid to the floor. And lay there. Still.

  I got up, wiping my hands on my jeans. But the greasy feeling wouldn’t go away. Or the smell. I was afraid I was going to be sick.

  I took a step. Pain shot through the leg I’d twisted. Oh, no! This was horrible. How could I get away?

  “Freddy, I’m hurt,” I gasped.

  He dashed to my side. “Can you run?” he asked.

  I gritted my teeth. “I’ll try.”

  Freddy slipped his arm under mine to help take the weight off my leg. We staggered to the door. Little people bounced off the walls around us. I wondered why they didn’t simply vanish. They seemed crazy with fear.

  “RRRRROWWWRRR!”

  My stomach lurched. I glanced over my shoulder.

  The monster had come out of its daze. It crept after us. Its eyes glowed at me with a sick hunger.

  I was prey—and the prey was lame. It was only a matter of time.

  “Hurry, Freddy,” I moaned. “He’s following us.”

  “I’m trying,” my brother grunted.

  We dragged ourselves into the hall. My injured leg banged against the hall table. I couldn’t help jerking. It hurt so much!

  “Whoa!” Freddy yelled. He lost his balance. The two of us toppled to the floor.

  “Oh,” I groaned. Aching and trembling, I pushed myself up. I couldn’t see the monster. Frantic, I swept the hallway with the magic glasses.

  There! There it was! Sneaking up behind the table.

  Less than a yard away!

  I felt helpless. A look of glee crossed the monster’s face.

  Before it could move another step, a playing card whacked it in the face.

  It growled and backed up. Another struck it, and another.

  Freddy! He was whizzing his deck of cards at the monster. They flew out of his hands at dizzying speed.

  “Go, Brainiac!” I cheered.

  “I’m judging where it is by the stink!” he yelled to me. “And you laughed at me when I showed you that book on using cards as weapons.”

  “I’ll never laugh again!” I promised.

  But then a look of horror crossed his face. He searched frantically in his pockets.

  Oh, no!
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br />   Freddy had run out of cards!

  The monster crept forward again. Snarling. Drooling.

  The tiny guy on Freddy’s shoulder peepsed like crazy. Then I noticed that all the other little people had come out of hiding. They danced around the monster. They snapped their tiny fingers in front of its hideous nose.

  All at once I realized what they were doing. They were trying to distract the monster.

  That’s why they hadn’t just vanished.

  They were trying to save us!

  The monster went mad with rage! It swatted in every direction at the dancing little people.

  “Let’s get out of here, Freddy,” I whispered. “While the little guys distract him.”

  Freddy helped me to my feet again. “Where to?”

  “The kitchen.” I knew we could find something to fight the monster in there. Knives, pots and pans, the sprayer from the sink. In the kitchen we might have a chance.

  We were at the kitchen door, when we heard a peepsing scream behind us. I spun around.

  The monster had caught one of the little people! My zebra-striped friend! It clutched the tiny man in its taloned paw and grinned wickedly at me.

  “What’s happening? What?” wailed Freddy.

  “You don’t want to know,” I whispered. Now I really felt sick.

  Without taking its eyes from mine, the monster tossed the little man into its mouth.

  And swallowed him.

  Whole.

  18

  “No!” I screamed.

  Too late. The little man was gone.

  Freddy and I pushed through the kitchen door. I collapsed onto a chair. I tried to ignore the sounds of the monster snarling and swiping at the little people in the hall.

  “Oh, Freddy,” I moaned. “How could we have been so wrong about the little people? That poor guy gave his life to save us.”

  Freddy’s face was the color of milk. “What are we going to do, Jill?” he whispered.

  I clutched my head in my hands. Think, Jill!

  Uncle Solly had been able to control the monster somehow. But we weren’t Uncle Solly. He’d been a trained magician. We were just a couple of kids.

  We’d have to fight it the old-fashioned way.

  “A knife,” I told Freddy. “Find me Mom’s biggest knife. And bring me the big skillet from the cabinet by the window.”

  Freddy dashed around the kitchen, finding the things I’d asked for. The knife he brought me was huge—maybe ten inches long. And the skillet was so heavy, I couldn’t hold it for too long.

  I lined my weapons up on the table in front of me.

  “What are you going to do?” Freddy asked.

  I grabbed his arm. “I want you to run. Now, while the little people are still keeping that thing busy. Flag down a police car. Or find a neighbor. Or anyone. Just get help.”

  Freddy’s mouth set in a stubborn line. “What about you? I’m not leaving you here.”

  “You have to,” I insisted. “I can’t run. But I’ll be okay. I can see the thing with the glasses, remember? And we know it can be hurt.” I laid a hand on the frying pan. “If it comes near me, I’ll wallop it into next week. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  I hoped I looked more confident than I felt. I wasn’t at all sure I could hold out against the monster. Especially when I couldn’t even walk!

  But even if I didn’t make it, maybe Freddy could.

  He shook his head. “I won’t do it. You need me.”

  “Hey! Just who’s the older sister here anyway?” I demanded. I made my voice gruff so he couldn’t hear the way it shook. “You have to do it. Promise me.” I shook him hard. “Promise me!”

  Slowly, he nodded. He wiped a pudgy hand across his face.

  “Maybe the monster won’t even come in here,” he said. “Maybe it’s full.”

  I listened. The monster had gone quiet.

  Somehow, that was worse than the snarling. What had it done to the little people? Eaten them all?

  We sat tense. Every so often, shuffling sounds drifted in from the other room. Like talons scraping on the floor.

  “What’s it doing?” Freddy whispered.

  “Who knows? It’s smart,” I pointed out. “It’s probably planning some kind of strategy. Here, help me move this chair away from the table.”

  We got me positioned with a straight shot at the door. I wanted to be the first thing it saw when it came through. If I could just get close enough to grab it . . .

  Then I could make sure Freddy had the time to get away.

  The seconds ticked by in silence.

  Suddenly I heard a frantic clatter of talons on wood.

  An instant later a ball of greasy blue fur shot through the door.

  The monster! It tore straight at me.

  I snatched the knife off the table. “Run, Freddy!” I shouted.

  The creature hit me full in the chest. I fell backward, chair and all, to the floor.

  Freddy streaked out of the kitchen.

  The monster clawed at my arms and head. I swiped at it with the knife. Snarling, it walloped my hand.

  “Ow!” I howled with pain. The knife flew out of my grasp and clattered across the floor.

  What now? I was so scared, I didn’t even think. I just hauled off and punched the monster in its furry blue stomach.

  It gagged. And the little zebra-striped man came popping out of its mouth!

  The poor little guy was covered in slime. You could barely make out his stripes. But he was alive and well! He fled across the floor.

  “Go on, little guy!” I yelled.

  I punched the monster again.

  “GNNNNNARRR!” it howled. Clawed fingers snatched for my eyes. I pulled back.

  But not fast enough. The monster’s claws ripped the glasses right off my face.

  In despair I watched them fly across the room. They hit the wall. And shattered into a zillion pieces.

  “No!” I shouted. “No! No!”

  Without the glasses I couldn’t see the monster. It could be anywhere. Sneaking up behind me.

  I was finished!

  19

  Without the glasses I was blind! Where was the monster?

  I could hear its claws on the kitchen tile. Closer. Closer. It seemed to be taking its time. Making me sweat.

  Frantic, I scooted over to the kitchen counter. I grabbed one of the cabinet door pulls and tried to haul myself up.

  I felt a whoosh. Eau de garbage filled my nostrils. The monster must have leapt past me to the countertop.

  Something sticky and repulsive swept over my cheek. The thing was licking me! I screeched with terror and leapt nearly all the way across the room. Bad leg and all!

  I huddled against the far wall, frantically rubbing at the gunk the monster’s slimy tongue had left on my face. I gagged at the feel of it. Cold and slimy. And it really reeked.

  I heard the monster skittering across the countertop. A drawer opened. And a shish-kebab skewer rose into the air.

  It hovered for a minute, then arrowed through the air. Straight at me! I yelled and shut my eyes.

  Thoink!

  Was I a shish kebab? I didn’t feel any pain. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and looked to the right, where the sound had come from.

  The skewer had pinned my shirtsleeve to the wall.

  I yanked my shirt free. The monster is playing with me, I thought. It’s enjoying itself. Like a cat playing with a mouse. Only I’m the mouse!

  I climbed painfully to my feet. Where was the vicious thing? I couldn’t hear its clattering claws anymore.

  I eyed the doorway. Maybe I could get away! I lunged for it.

  Invisible claws raked across my ankle. I stumbled and cracked my chin on the tile floor. Tears of pain rose in my eyes.

  Invisible hands grabbed my ankles and dragged me, screaming, back to the sink. The monster was so strong!

  And then I heard it smack its lips.

  I scrambled to my feet. Greasy, ropy arms wrapped
around my knees, trying to drag me down. I scanned the counter desperately. There must be something I could use as a weapon.

  My gaze fell on the flour canister. A picture flashed through my mind. Tiny tracks in the powder on my dresser.

  I had an idea.

  It could work only if Mom had refilled the flour canister since the pie-making disaster. Please, please, I begged silently. I grabbed the canister and ripped the lid off.

  I practically sobbed with relief when I saw the fluffy white powder inside.

  Then I dumped the whole canister right on the monster as it squeezed my knees.

  Direct hit! Flour burst around the thing. I could see it again! The flour clung to its greasy fur. It looked like a deranged pom-pom. With fangs. And claws.

  The monster coughed and wiped at its eyes. I grabbed Mom’s marble rolling pin from the counter. With all my strength I whacked the monster.

  I was so frantic that my aim wasn’t perfect. The blow landed on the thing’s shoulder instead of its head. But it let go of my legs with a howl.

  I kicked it away from me. Ow! I’d used my bad leg by accident. Pain seared through my knee.

  The creature lay in the middle of the floor, stunned. I limped forward to finish it off. I raised the roller high.

  But I didn’t have the strength to hit the monster again. My muscles gave way. I dropped the rolling pin and crumpled to the floor.

  The monster groaned. Stirred.

  I stared at it. Helpless. I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t move. My strength was gone.

  Pinpricks of red light shone through the matted fur of the monster’s face. Eyes. They glinted evilly at me.

  The monster was waking up!

  20

  The monster climbed to its feet and shook itself. Clouds of flour burst from it. But I could still see it just fine.

  It wasn’t a pretty sight.

  The monster quivered with rage.

  And then it started to change!

  Its face grew leaner and sharper. Its eyes bulged. Sharp thorns burst from its hairy arms. It made a fist. When it opened its hand again, the claws were longer, sharper than before.

  “Oh, no,” I whispered. It was really over now. I was a goner for sure.