Read Online Goosebumps Most Wanted #5: Dr. Maniac Will See You Now by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online

and wet. I peered down, hoping to see some light or the ground. But I saw only solid black without a glimmer. So dark I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed.
    “Take your time, Richard. Easy does it.” The Rage’s voice seemed very far away now. Almost in another world.
    I took one more step and — whoooooah!
    My foot hit air. Only air. No ladder rung.
    Both feet dangled now. I struggled to find a place for them to land. But — no.
    Oh, no.
    My hands slipped off the sides. I fell free from the ladder.
    Too frightened to let out a cry, I fell through the thick blackness.
    How far would I fall? How long before I hit?
    The air whooshed up around me as my body dropped down the passageway.
    I finally screamed as I splashed into icy water. My scream cut off as I sank, sank into the bottomless black water.

I thought I’d sink forever. Swim! I told myself. Move! Do something! You’re going to drown.
    My chest already felt about to burst. I thrashed my arms hard, and I struggled to kick my legs.
    My clothes clung to my skin. I felt as if my shoes weighed four hundred pounds. But I forced myself to swim. Stroking hard, I pulled myself up … up toward the surface.
    The darkness lifted. The water filled with an olive-green light. I needed to get to the surface. I needed to breathe.
    I pulled myself up … up … and finally my head rose above the bobbing green water. I sucked in breath after breath, raising my eyes to a charcoal-gray sky.
    I was still breathing hard when I saw an enormous tentacle rise up from the water. It was dark brown, covered with pulsing pink suction pods.
    The creature raised a second tentacle and began to glide toward me. And then I gasped in horror as I realized there were two giant bulgy-eyed creatures moving to attack.
    Two enormous squids splashed up on a wave in front of me. Their tentacles were like tree branches. They waved them toward me, as if reaching for me. Their fat bodies pulsed and … and …
    And … I recognized them from their comic book. Squeezer and Squisher, the Squid Twins. The Squid Twins who always squeezed their enemies to death and then battled each other to see which squid would swallow them whole.
    ULLLLLP.
    Panic swept over me. But I knew I had only seconds. I forced my brain to work .
    From reading their comic, I remembered how to avoid them. I froze. I tightened every muscle. And let my body slide down into the water. I imagined that I was a log, a solid, heavy, sinking log.
    Holding my breath, I tried not to move a muscle. I let myself drop. I kept my eyes on their giant, dark bodies and ugly, curling tentacles. And waited … waited …
    Sure enough, they swam right over me. Their giant shadows rolled over me, darkening the water. They bobbed with the water, moving slowly, heavily. It seemed to take hours. But finally, they floated out of sight.
    I pushed myself back up to the surface. I raised my head to the sky and took several breaths. Air never tasted so good!
    Blinking away the salty water, I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes.
    I shielded my eyes with one hand and searched for land. There had to be land somewhere nearby. Those superheroes and villains didn’t all live in the water.
    The waves rocked me back and forth as I squinted into the distance. I spun all the way around. The water gleamed and sparkled like gold, making it even harder to see.
    “Yes!” I uttered a cry when an island came into view. I saw a narrow stretch of white beach. Close enough to swim to.
    I can do it. I can make it over there.
    I took a deep breath, lowered my head into the water, and began to swim. The waves rocked against me, as if trying to push me back.
    I kept a steady pace, raising my head to breathe, but my arms and legs began to ache. My head throbbed.
    Closer. Closer …
    I can make it. I know I can.
    As the island grew nearer, I stared at the white shore.
    What a strange island. No trees. No vines or bushes of any kind. It gleamed under the sky like a white