Say Cheese - And Die Screaming! Read online

  “Have a nice day,” he said.

  He and the others walked away. I could hear them muttering to each other about the escaped monsters.

  I closed the camera and stuffed it into my backpack. My heart was pounding. I felt really upset.

  They don’t have the right to do that.

  This is a free country!

  Luckily, I had two other cameras in my pack and extra memory cards. I started to pull another camera out — when I saw a bunch of kids my age running across the plaza toward me.

  They looked as if they’d been running a long way. They were red-faced, sweaty, and breathing hard.

  A tall guy with dark hair hurried up to me. “Have you seen a big kid — very wide — kinda hulky — looks a little like a bulldog?” he asked.

  “No,” I said. “Is he lost or something?”

  The other kids pulled up behind the tall boy. They all struggled to catch their breath.

  “We can’t find him,” a girl said. “We’re really freaked.”

  “Did you see the monsters?” a boy asked me.

  “Yeah. They’re totally lifelike,” I said.

  “They’re not fake,” the boy said. “They’re real.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Real monsters?” I said. “Tell me another one.”

  “We’re not kidding,” a girl insisted. She told me her name was Abby. “Are you a Very Special Guest, too?”

  I nodded. I told them my name. “I just arrived,” I said. “I was looking for you guys.”

  The other kids introduced themselves quickly. There were seven of them. But I’m pretty good at remembering names.

  I tried to memorize each one. There was Billy … Sheena … Matt … Carly Beth … Sabrina … Robby … and Abby.

  Abby grabbed my arm. “You’re lucky we found you,” she said.

  I frowned at her. “Why? What’s up?”

  Abby didn’t let go of my arm. “We’ve got to get out of this park,” she said. “Two girls have disappeared. And now Michael Munroe, too.”

  The tall boy named Matt glanced behind him. Then he turned back to me. “If you’re one of us, you — you’re in danger, Julie.”

  These kids were serious. It wasn’t a joke.

  “What kind of danger?” I asked. “This place is supposed to be good, scary fun, isn’t it?”

  Before they could answer, Carly Beth pointed across the plaza. “Guess who?” she said. “Here come the Monster Police!”

  I turned and saw two tall Horrors in black-and-orange uniforms with shiny silver badges on their chests. They were trotting in our direction.

  The kids took off, running toward the Haunted Theater. Abby glanced back. Saw me standing there, confused. She waved frantically for me to follow.

  They were already far ahead of me. I started to run fast to catch up to them.

  Why were they so afraid of the Monster Police?

  I had a million questions I wanted to ask. But for now, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t lose them as they dodged and darted through the crowds in the plaza.

  They made a sharp turn. Ran between a couple of food carts. Then shot into a narrow, dark opening in a concrete wall.

  I leaped over a baby stroller, my backpack bouncing on my shoulders. Abby was the last one to disappear into the opening.

  The sign above it read: TUNNEL OF SCREAMS.

  I hesitated for a moment. Then, breathing hard, I followed them into the tunnel.

  I found myself in a narrow, black passageway. The light was so dim, I could only see shadows.

  No way to tell how long the tunnel was. I could barely see two feet in front of me.

  I heard voices. And the scrape of shoes on the floor.

  I lurched forward, keeping one hand on the tunnel wall.

  “Oh!” I gasped as I heard a girl’s shrill scream.

  I stopped. Pressed my hand on the wall.

  Another scream. And then two boys shrieking, high and shrill.

  I covered my ears. The screams seemed to be coming from everywhere — ahead of me … behind me … above me….

  “Hey — Abby!” I shouted. My voice echoed in the long tunnel. “Are you here? Carly Beth? Matt?”

  No answer.

  “AAAAAAAAAGH!” A long, loud scream just ahead made me cover my ears. More shrieks and screams rang out, blaring louder … LOUDER.

  I started to move again. Walking quickly now. I was desperate to get out of this creepy, dark tunnel. How long could it be?

  The horrifying shrieks grew deafening. Painful. My ears throbbed. I could feel my heart racing in my chest.

  The tunnel curved. Dim yellow light washed over me. I could see the shadows of people up ahead.

  The deafening screams followed me.

  And then I felt something sticky on my forehead. I pulled it off — a long, wet worm. I felt another one drop onto my shoulder. With a gasp, I pulled one out of my hair.

  I looked up. I could see the worms dropping from the tunnel ceiling. Hundreds of them.

  I tore them off my neck, out of my hair. A worm dropped into my mouth. I spit it out, gagging and choking.

  The kids weren’t lying, I thought. There’s something wrong with this park. Everything is too SCARY and too REAL to be fun!

  I started to run through the dim light, my shoes slapping the concrete tunnel floor. I slipped and slid on a thick puddle of worms on the floor.

  Slapping at the worms with both hands, tearing them off my shoulders, my hair, I ran. Ran blindly through the long tunnel, the screams throbbing in my ears.

  And then … a shrill scream over my head made me stop. Made me stop and gasp in horror. Because I recognized the voice.

  It was MY SCREAM!

  Panic shook my entire body. My breath caught in my throat.

  Frozen in the darkness, I listened to my scream.

  And then I remembered. The Horror in the entrance booth recorded me screaming when I first arrived at the park. He said it was so they could identify me later.

  So … it’s a joke after all. This is all a HorrorLand joke, I decided.

  My legs were still trembling, but I started to walk again. A few seconds later, I saw bright daylight. The end of the tunnel!

  “YAAAAAY!” I cheered as I stumbled out of the tunnel.

  I blinked several times, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright light. I brushed a few more worms off my shoulders.

  I shielded my eyes with one hand and searched for the other kids.

  No sign of them.

  Maybe they went back to the hotel, I decided. I was totally eager to catch up with them and find out what was really going on.

  Why did they seem so scared?

  Why did they think we Very Special Guests were in danger?

  I took a few steps toward Stagger Inn — when a hand grasped my shoulder.

  I let out a startled cry.

  I turned to see a fierce-looking Horror. His shiny purple cape fluttered in the wind. He had short yellow horns curling up from his purple furry head.

  I glimpsed the brass name tag on his chest. It read: BYRON.

  “Let go of me!” I shouted.

  But he squeezed my arm tighter. And jerked me off my feet.

  He glanced all around. “Hurry!” he whispered. “I don’t want them to see.”

  He started to pull me into the tunnel.

  “Let go! What are you doing?” I screamed. “Why are you taking me back in there?”

  “Let go of me!” I tried to swing out of his grasp. But he was too strong.

  He pulled me into the darkness of the tunnel. I could hear the shrill screams echoing behind me. I felt like screaming, too!

  “Don’t be afraid,” Byron whispered. “I came to help you.”

  “H-help me?” I stammered.

  He let go of me. Then he shoved something into my hand.

  “You can use this to escape,” he said.

  I blinked. “Escape? Escape from what?”

  Byron’s eyes darted to the
tunnel entrance. He really did seem afraid of being caught.

  “You’ve all got to get out of HorrorLand,” he said. “You’re not safe here.”

  “That’s what those kids said,” I told him. “But I don’t understand —”

  He raised a big hand to cut me off. “They brought you here for a reason,” he said. “You’ve got to get to the other park.”

  “Huh?” I squinted at him. “Other park? But I just got to this park!”

  He shook his head. “Listen to me, Julie. You’ll all be safe at the other park. Tell the others. Tell them I will try to help.”

  “I — I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” I replied. “Why?”

  He was staring past me, out into the light. I turned and saw two Horrors running toward us.

  “You must hurry,” Byron said. “The ones who brought you here are getting impatient!”

  “But — but —” I sputtered.

  “If they bring you to The Keeper,” Byron said, “you are DOOMED!”

  Then he took off, running hard.

  The two Horrors spotted him. They began waving their arms and shouting for him to stop.

  But Byron ducked and dodged his way through the crowd. After a short while, the two Horrors stopped and gave up the chase.

  I stepped out of the tunnel. I began to follow the path that led to the hotel.

  My head was spinning. I suddenly felt I was living in one of those underwater photos where everything is just a blue blur.

  Byron’s words kept repeating in my mind. But they didn’t make any sense at all.

  The other park? The Keeper?

  Was he putting on a show? Like those monsters that climbed out from underground?

  Was he serious?

  I suddenly realized I had something gripped tightly in my hand. The thing Byron had given me in the tunnel.

  I took a deep breath, trying to shake off my confusion. Then I raised my hand to examine whatever it was.

  A piece of paper. It looked like an ad or something. It was wrapped around a small, hard object.

  After I unwrapped it, I put the paper in my pocket and looked at what was left in my hand. A small hand mirror.

  It was oval-shaped and had a short, red plastic handle.

  What’s the big deal about a mirror? I wondered. Why did he give me this?

  Then I raised the mirror to my face — and let out a gasp.

  “I look so AWFUL!” I cried.

  I raised the mirror closer. My hair was a tangled mess. I brushed it out of my eyes. Then I pulled two more worms out of it.

  My cheeks were pink and splotchy. I had a long dirt streak on my forehead.

  From the tunnel?

  I look as scary as a Horror! I thought. Give me a cape and horns, and I can go to work in the park!

  Suddenly, I felt a strong pull. My head was being pulled toward the mirror. As if it were some kind of powerful magnet.

  Before I realized it, my face was almost pressed against the glass. Was it some kind of trick mirror?

  I didn’t like it. It was creeping me out. I tossed the mirror into a tall metal trash can. Then I headed toward my room to freshen up.

  “Julie? Hey — Julie!”

  I stopped when I heard a girl calling my name. I turned and saw Abby waving to me frantically.

  She and the other kids were huddled in a small grassy area at the side of the Haunted Theater. Matt and Carly Beth were perched on a park bench. The others were sitting on the grass in front of them.

  They had all been talking at once. But they stopped when I came trotting over.

  “Where were you?” Carly Beth asked.

  “I lost you in that screaming tunnel,” I said. I sighed. “That was a creepy place.”

  “It gets a lot creepier than that,” Robby said.

  “Well … you won’t believe what happened to me,” I said. “A big Horror pulled me back into the tunnel and started giving me all kinds of warnings.”

  Matt leaned forward on the bench. They all raised their eyes to me.

  “Warnings? Tell us what he said,” Matt said.

  I stepped up beside his bench so I could face everyone. “His name is Byron,” I said. “I read his name tag and —”

  “You saw Byron?” Carly Beth cried. “Where?”

  They all seemed to get very tense.

  “I told you,” I said. “He pulled me into the tunnel. Do you know him?”

  “Go on,” Matt said. “Tell us everything he said.”

  “He warned me that we were all in danger,” I said. “He said we have to get to the other park. And he … he gave me this.”

  I pulled the piece of paper out of my pocket.

  Matt and Carly Beth jumped up from their seats. The others gathered around me.

  “Let’s see it,” Robby said.

  I unfolded it and held it up to them. It looked like an old ad. The color picture at the top showed some kind of café or ice cream place.

  The tables all had blue-and-white-checked tablecloths. I saw mirrors on all the walls.

  These old-fashioned-looking kids sat at the tables. They were all eating huge ice cream sundaes from tall glass dishes.

  Beneath the picture in big, bold type, it read:

  STUBBY’S SUNDAE SHACK. 10 Panic Park Drive.

  “I don’t believe it!” Matt cried.

  “This is totally incredible!” the girl named Sheena exclaimed.

  The kids all started talking at once. They passed the page around and kept staring at it, saying how awesome and amazing it was.

  “I don’t get it,” I said. “What’s the big deal?”

  They didn’t hear me.

  So I shouted. “I don’t understand! Please explain this to me!”

  “The two girls who disappeared,” Billy said. “That’s where they disappeared.” He jabbed his finger at the page.

  “In that café?” I asked.

  “We were there,” Billy’s sister, Sheena, said breathlessly. “We saw Britney and Molly through the window. But when we went inside …”

  “… they were gone.” Billy finished her sentence for her.

  “We were in that café,” Matt said. “We were right there. But it isn’t in HorrorLand. See the address? Stubby’s Sundae Shack is in Panic Park. The other park.”

  I shook my head hard. “This isn’t making sense,” I said. “Are you saying that you were in two parks at once?”

  “No. We were in our hotel. In Stagger Inn,” Sheena said. “But the café appeared …”

  “It just appeared from out of nowhere,” Billy said.

  “I put my hand in that mirror,” Sheena said, pointing to the picture. “And it went right in. The mirror was soft. And …”

  “Sheena went invisible for a while,” Matt told me. “Then she disappeared, too. Just like Britney and Molly.”

  “I think I went into the café mirror or something,” Sheena said. “I went to the other park.”

  “Through the mirror?” I asked.

  “Mirrors are important,” Matt said. “Mirrors are an important clue. We think maybe that’s how we can get to the other park.”

  I slapped my forehead. “I don’t BELIEVE it!” I cried. “Byron … that Horror Byron. He gave me a mirror!”

  “He WHAT?” Matt said.

  “He gave me a hand mirror,” I said. “He told me to use it. But … but I didn’t understand.”

  “He was trying to help us escape this place,” Carly Beth said. “Julie, we’ve been searching everywhere for a mirror!”

  “This is awesome news!” Billy declared.

  “What did you do with it?” Sabrina demanded. “Is it in your backpack?”

  “Give it to us!” Robby cried.

  “That mirror is our way out of here!” Matt said. He pumped his fists in the air. “Yes! Yessss!”

  They turned to me. I suddenly felt sick. I could feel the blood rush to my face. I knew I was blushing.

  “I … I …” I started. I c
ouldn’t get the words out.

  Finally, I confessed. “I tossed it away. I didn’t know …”

  They groaned and sighed and shook their heads. I felt so bad.

  Abby grabbed my hand. “Where did you throw it away, Julie? Do you remember where you tossed it?”

  “I … think so,” I said. “It was a tall metal trash can. I think it was right outside the exit to the Tunnel of Screams.”

  “Show us,” Matt said.

  I turned and took off running. They all followed close behind.

  No one said a word. I kept praying the mirror would still be there. I just met these kids, and I’d already let them down.

  We passed a food cart selling ROADKILL WAFFLES. I didn’t slow down to see what they were.

  A Horror was passing out free plastic fangs to kids. He kept shouting, “Fang you very much! Fangs a lot! Fang you kindly!”

  The park seemed normal and fun. But I’d been here for less than a day, and I already knew that it wasn’t. Something was wrong in HorrorLand. I believed I was in danger. Real danger.

  Running hard, I saw the black tunnel exit up ahead. A few feet away stood the trash can.

  And then I stopped — and uttered a horrified cry: “NOOOOO!”

  A bright purple garbage truck was parked a few feet from the trash can. I could hear it roar as it chewed up trash.

  A Horror in a long purple apron picked up the trash can in his purple gloves. He was carrying the can to the truck to empty it.

  “No — please!” I tried to scream. But my voice choked in my throat. “Please —”

  “No! Wait!” Matt shouted to the Horror. “Wait! Please! Don’t dump that can! Please WAIT!”

  I gasped as the Horror hoisted up the trash can. He tilted it to the back of the truck — and dumped everything in.

  With a low roar, the truck instantly began to grind up the trash.

  We ran up to the Horror as he set the empty can back on the ground. He turned to us and raised a gloved hand to one of his horns.

  “Sorry,” he shouted. “What did you kids say? I couldn’t hear you over the noise of the truck.”

  “Never mind.” Carly Beth groaned, shaking her head.

  I let out a sigh. I looked around at the unhappy faces.