29 - Monster Blood III Read online

  If I sit down and hunch my shoulders, the lumber pile hides me from the street. And it’s shady and cool behind it. And I can keep an eye on Kermit’s house from here.

  Yes. This is a good hiding spot for now, Evan decided. Then, after dark, I’ll sneak over to my house and try to explain to my parents what happened.

  He leaned his back against the lumber pile and shut his eyes.

  He had just started to relax a little when he heard a voice cry: “Got him!”

  22

  Evan’s eyes shot open.

  He tried to scramble to his feet.

  But then he saw who had shouted.

  “Kermit!” he cried angrily. “You scared me to death!”

  Kermit flashed his annoying grin. “I knew you’d hide here, Evan,” he said, smirking. “I’m so smart.”

  Kermit turned and called out, “He’s back here! I was right!”

  A few seconds later, Andy gingerly poked her head behind the stack of lumber. Her eyes studied Evan for a few seconds. Then a smile crossed her face.

  “You’re okay?” she asked softly. “I was so worried—”

  “Yeah. I’m okay—for now,” Evan replied bitterly.

  “The whole town is after you!” Kermit exclaimed. “It’s really awesome! It’s like a movie!”

  “I don’t want to be in a movie!” Evan griped. “This movie is too scary.”

  “They’ve got guns and everything!” Kermit continued excitedly, ignoring Evan’s complaint. “And did you see those firehoses? It’s amazing! They all want to catch you!”

  “They think you’re an alien from outer space,” Andy added, shaking her head.

  “And who told them that? Conan?” Evan asked bitterly.

  “Conan made them believe you’re real dangerous,” Kermit said, grinning that grin Evan hated so much.

  “I am dangerous!” Evan declared. He growled menacingly at Kermit.

  The growl shocked the grin off Kermit’s face.

  Evan turned to Andy. “What am I going to do? I can’t run and hide for the rest of my life. They’re going to catch me. If you two tracked me down, the police will track me down, too.”

  Evan let out a long, frightened sigh. “There’s nowhere I can hide. I’m too big to hide! So what can I do? What?”

  Andy scratched her arm. She knotted up her face, thinking hard. “Well…”

  And suddenly Evan knew exactly what to do.

  Watching Andy, Evan knew how to solve the whole problem.

  23

  Evan jumped to his feet. His heart began to pound. For the first time in hours, a big smile spread across his face.

  “Evan—what’s wrong?” Andy demanded. His sudden move had startled her.

  “I know what we can do!” Evan declared. “Everything is going to be okay!”

  “Get down!” Kermit cried. “I hear sirens. They’ll see you.”

  In his excitement, Evan had forgotten that he was taller than the lumber pile. He dropped back to his knees. Even on his knees, he was a lot taller than Kermit and Andy.

  The sirens blared louder. Closer.

  Evan gazed around. The sun had fallen behind the trees. The sky was evening gray now. The air grew cooler.

  “We’ve got to hurry,” Evan told them. He put a hand on Kermit’s slender shoulder. “Kermit, you’ve got to help me.”

  Behind his glasses, Kermit’s little mouse eyes bulged with excitement. “Me? What can I do?”

  “The blue mixture,” Evan said, holding on to his cousin’s shoulder. “Remember the blue mixture?”

  “Wh-which one?” Kermit stammered.

  “The one that shrank my mosquito bite!” Andy chimed in. She suddenly realized what Evan was thinking.

  “That’s right,” Evan explained to Kermit. “Watching Andy scratch her arm reminded me. That blue mixture of yours shrank the mosquito bite instantly.”

  “Maybe it can shrink Evan, too!” Andy exclaimed excitedly.

  Kermit nodded, thinking hard. “Yeah. Maybe it can.”

  “I’ll rub it all over my body, and I’ll shrink back to my normal size,” Evan said happily.

  “It’ll work! I know it will!” Andy cried enthusiastically. She let out a cheer and jumped up and down. Then she tugged Kermit’s arm. “Come on, Kermit. Hurry! Let’s get to your basement. You still have the blue mixture, don’t you?”

  Kermit narrowed his eyes, trying to remember. “I think so,” he told them. “A lot of stuff got wrecked, remember? But I think I have it.”

  “He has to have it!” Evan cried. “He has to!”

  Evan climbed to his feet. “Come on. Hurry.”

  They heard sirens. Loud and near.

  Kermit peered around the lumber pile toward the street. “A police car!” he whispered. “They’re cruising this block.”

  “You’d better wait here,” Andy warned Evan.

  Evan shook his head. “No way. I’m coming with you. I want to get that blue mixture as fast as I can.”

  He ducked his head. “We can walk through the backyards. No one will see us.”

  “But, Evan—” Andy started to protest.

  She stopped when Evan stepped away from the lumber pile and started loping quickly across the backyard toward Kermit’s house.

  Dogface greeted them in the driveway. The sheepdog barked happily, jumping up on Kermit, nearly knocking him to the ground.

  “Shhh. Quiet, boy! Quiet!” Kermit cried, petting the dog, trying to stop his barks. “We don’t want anyone to hear us.”

  Dogface gazed up at Evan—and got very quiet. The dog slumped across the driveway. It stared up suspiciously at Evan, panting hard, its stubby tail wagging furiously.

  Evan’s eyes darted up and down the driveway. No car. “Your mom isn’t home yet, Kermit,” he said.

  “She must be working late,” Kermit replied. “That’s good news. This is our lucky day!”

  Evan let out a bitter laugh. “For sure. Lucky day,” he muttered.

  Kermit and Andy hurried to the kitchen door. Evan started to follow. Then he remembered he didn’t fit in the house.

  “Wait right there,” Andy instructed him. “Make sure no one sees you.”

  Evan nodded. “Hurry—please!”

  He watched them disappear through the door. Then he sat down behind the house. He motioned for Dogface to come over to him. He felt like holding on to something.

  But the big dog just stared back and wouldn’t budge.

  The whole town is looking for me, Evan thought unhappily. The whole town is looking for a giant me. But they’ll never find the giant me. Because in a few seconds, I’ll shrink back to normal size.

  Then everything will be okay again.

  He raised his eyes to the house. What is keeping Andy and Kermit? he wondered. Can’t they find the bottle of blue liquid?

  He took a deep breath. Don’t panic, Evan, he instructed himself. They’ve only been in the house a few seconds. They’ll be out soon. And everything will be okay.

  To pass the time, he counted slowly to ten. Then he counted slowly to ten again.

  He was about to start counting one more time when the screen door flew open. Kermit stepped out, carrying the blue beaker. Andy followed right behind.

  “Found it!” Kermit cried happily.

  Evan jumped to his knees. He reached out eagerly. “Quick—let me have it.”

  Kermit stretched up his hand. Evan grabbed for the glass beaker.

  It slipped out of his grasp.

  It started to fall.

  “Ohhh!” Evan let out a horrified moan—and caught the beaker just before it crashed against the driveway.

  “Wow! Nice catch!” Kermit exclaimed.

  Evan’s heart had leaped to his mouth. He took a deep breath. He grasped the beaker tightly in his hand. “Close one,” he murmured. The beaker was so tiny in his hand, like something made for a dollhouse.

  They heard sirens in the distance.

  The search for the giant Evan was sti
ll on.

  “I—I hope this mixture works,” Evan declared.

  He raised the beaker. Tilted it upside down over his other hand. Waited.

  And waited.

  Finally, a tiny blue drop of liquid dripped on to Evan’s palm.

  Nothing more.

  He shook the beaker. Hard. Harder. The way he shook a ketchup bottle when the ketchup stuck.

  Then he raised the beaker to his eye and peered inside.

  A few seconds later, he let out a long, sad sigh. He tossed the bottle disgustedly onto the grass. “It’s empty,” Evan reported. “Totally empty.”

  24

  “I knew there wasn’t much left,” Kermit murmured, shaking his head.

  The empty bottle rolled under a shrub. Dogface walked over and sniffed it.

  “I’m doomed,” Evan muttered. Forgetting how strong he was, he angrily kicked a pebble down the driveway. The pebble sailed up into the air and disappeared over the house across the street.

  “Be careful,” Andy warned. “You could break a window.”

  “Who cares?” Evan snapped. “My life is ruined.”

  “No way!” Kermit cried. “You’ll be okay, Evan.” He started running to the house. “Be right back!”

  “Kermit, where are you going?” Evan called glumly.

  “To mix up another batch!” Kermit replied. “It will only take me a few seconds, Evan. I’ve got all the ingredients.”

  Evan could feel his sadness lifting. “Do you really think you can do it?” he asked his cousin.

  “No problem,” Kermit replied, flashing Evan a thumbs-up sign. “I think I remember what I put in it. I’ll mix up more blue shrinking stuff and be back in a jiffy.”

  Kermit disappeared into the house. “I’m coming, too!” Andy called after him. She turned back to Evan. “I can try to clean up some of the lab while Kermit mixes the liquid. If Kermit’s mom gets home and sees the basement, you’ll be in big trouble.”

  Evan let out a weak laugh. “Big trouble. Very funny, Annnndrea. You’re a riot.”

  “Don’t call me Andrea,” she shot back, ignoring his sarcasm. He watched her hurry into the house.

  Dogface got tired of sniffing the blue bottle. The sheepdog lumbered across the yard to inspect the fence that Evan had knocked down earlier.

  Evan sighed. I wonder if my own dog will recognize me now? he thought. Trigger, Evan’s cocker spaniel, had been the first to eat Monster Blood. The dog had grown bigger than a horse.

  I wonder if Trigger ever has nightmares about that? Evan asked himself.

  He knew he’d be having nightmares about today for a long time to come.

  He glanced at his watch. Almost dinnertime. His parents would be getting home soon. And Kermit’s mom would be pulling up the driveway at any minute.

  “Wow. She’ll be surprised when she sees me!” Evan exclaimed out loud.

  He turned to the house in time to see Kermit step out. He was carrying a fresh bottle of blue liquid. “See? No problem!” Kermit declared.

  Evan carefully took the bottle from Kermit’s hand.

  Andy walked over, her eyes raised to Evan’s. “Go ahead. Rub it all over,” she urged. “Hurry!”

  Evan carefully poured a puddle of blue liquid into his palm. Then he rubbed it onto his cheeks, his forehead, his neck.

  He poured more into his hand. He rubbed blue liquid onto his arms. Then he raised his T-shirt and rubbed some on his chest.

  Please let it work, he prayed silently. Please let it work.

  He turned to Andy and Kermit. “See any change?”

  25

  Andy’s mouth dropped open.

  Kermit’s eyes bulged, and he uttered a choking sound.

  “Well?” Evan demanded eagerly. “Do you see any change? Do you?”

  “Uh… well… uh…” Kermit sputtered.

  “You turned blue!” Andy cried.

  “Excuse me?” Evan demanded. He knew he hadn’t heard her correctly.

  “Your skin—it’s bright blue!” Andy wailed, pressing her hands against her cheeks.

  “My—what?” Evan shrieked. “You mean—HIC!—” A powerful hiccup made his entire body shake.

  Evan stared down at his hands.

  “They—they’re blue!” he cried. “HIC!”

  Another hiccup burst from his open mouth. His enormous body shook as if struck by an earthquake.

  Frantically, he pulled up the T-shirt and stared at his stomach. His blue stomach.

  His arms. His chest. All blue. Bright blue.

  “HIC!”

  “I don’t believe it!” Evan screamed. “I’m bright blue, and—HIC!—I’ve got the hiccups!”

  He glared down furiously at Kermit.

  Kermit was so frightened, his legs trembled and his knees actually knocked together. “I—I can fix it,” he called up to Evan. “N-no problem! I just mixed it up wrong. I’ll be right back with another mixture.”

  He ran to the house. At the screen door, he turned back to Evan. “Don’t go anywhere—okay?”

  Evan let out a furious roar, interrupted by a deafening hiccup. “Where can I go?” he shrieked at the top of his lungs. “Where can I—HIC!—go?!”

  The door slammed behind Kermit.

  Evan let out another roar, clenching his blue fists and shaking his blue arms over his head. He paced back and forth on the driveway, hiccupping every few seconds.

  “Try to calm down a little,” Andy called up to him. “People will hear you.”

  “I—I—HIC!—can’t calm down!” Evan complained bitterly. “Look at me!”

  “But the neighbors will hear you. Or see you,” Andy warned. “They’ll call the police.”

  Evan replied with a hiccup that nearly knocked him off his feet.

  Kermit came running out of the house. He raised another bottle of blue liquid to Evan. “Here! Try this!”

  “HIC!” Evan declared. He grasped the bottle in his blue hand.

  Without saying another word, he turned the bottle upside down. With quick, frantic motions, he splashed the blue liquid all over him. Over his cheeks. His forehead. His hands and arms. His chest.

  He rolled up his jeans and rubbed the mixture onto his knees and legs. He pulled off his socks and sneakers and smoothed the blue liquid over his ankles and feet.

  “It’s got to work!” he cried. “This time, it’s got to!”

  Andy and Kermit stared up at him eagerly.

  They waited.

  Evan waited.

  Nothing happened. No change at all.

  Then Evan began to feel it.

  “Hey—I’m tingling!” he announced happily.

  He felt the same electric tingling he had felt before. The itchy feeling he had every time he was about to grow a little more.

  “Yes!” Evan cheered. “Yes!”

  The tingling grew sharper, stronger, as it spread over his entire body.

  “It’s working! I can—HIC!—feel it!” Evan shouted. “It’s really working! I’m tingling! I’m itching! I can feel it! It’s working!”

  “No, it isn’t,” Andy murmured quietly.

  26

  “Huh?” Evan narrowed his eyes at her.

  The tingling became a violent itch. He started to scratch. But pulled back his hand because his skin felt so strange.

  “It… didn’t… work….” Andy said sadly, her voice trembling.

  “Yuck! He looks so gross!” Kermit declared, making a disgusted face.

  “Huh? HIC!” Evan replied.

  He uttered a horrified gasp as he stared at his arms. “F-f-feathers!” he stammered in a high, shrill voice.

  He checked out his arms. His stomach. His legs.

  “Noooooo!” A long, low wail burst from his chest.

  His entire body was covered in fluffy white feathers.

  “Noooo—HIC!—oooooooo!”

  “I’m sorry,” Kermit said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I thought I had the mixture right this
time.”

  “You look like a big eagle,” Andy commented. “Except eagles aren’t blue.”

  “HIC!” Evan cried.

  “And eagles don’t get hiccups,” Andy added. She gazed up at him with concern. “Poor Evan. That must itch like crazy. You’re having a real bad day.”

  Evan frantically scratched his feathery chest. “It can’t get any worse than this,” he muttered.

  And then he saw a police car pull up in front of the house.

  27

  “HIC!” Evan cried. He backed off the driveway and crouched low against the back wall of the house. “The police!” he whispered.

  His throat tightened in panic. His feathers all stood up on end.

  What should I do? he asked himself, pressed against the house, ducking his head. Should I run? Should I give myself up?

  “One more try!” Kermit cried, leaping into the house. “Let me try one more mixture. I think I can get it this time!”

  The door slammed behind him.

  “Hurry!” Andy called from the driveway. “The police—they’re climbing out of their car.”

  “How many are there?” Evan whispered. His feathers itched, but he was too frightened to scratch.

  “Two,” Andy replied, staring through the gray evening light to the street. “They look kind of mean.”

  A sudden cool gust of wind ruffled Evan’s feathers. His huge body trembled.

  “They’re walking up the driveway,” Andy reported. “They’re going to be here in a few seconds!”

  “I’d better make a run for it,” Evan declared. He took one step away from the house and nearly fell. It was hard to run when your feet were covered with stiff, prickly feathers.

  His entire body itched. He pressed himself against the house again. “I’m doomed,” he murmured to himself.

  “They stopped to check out the front door,” Andy told him. “You’ve still got a few seconds.”

  “Hurry, Kermit! Hurry!” Evan urged out loud.

  He turned to the kitchen door. No sign of Kermit.