Read Online Don't Close Your Eyes! by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: R.L. Stine
Ads: Link
Inkweed
live!”
My mouth dropped open, and a hoarse cry of shock escaped my throat.
They
can't
be my parents!
I thought.
They
can't
know about Inkweed! They
can't
want Inkweed out!
I stared at them, trembling in horror, and watched them raise their flashlights under their chins. The light spilled over their faces with an eerie glow.
“Let Inkweed out. Let Inkweed out,” they both chanted.
“Mom! Dad! Why are you doing this?” I cried.
They didn't answer. They opened their mouths wide.
I heard a gurgling. Then a horrifying
retching
sound from deep in their throats.
And then
gushers
of black ink spewed from their mouths.
I raised my hands to cover my face as it poured over me, hot and putrid. The twin streams of ink washed over my head, down my shoulders. I heard it splash at my feet.
My parents made ugly retching sounds, as if they were vomiting the hot, smelly ink from deep inside them. I couldn't move away from it. I struggled to breathe.
The black ink shot over me, splashing hard, pounding my head, dropping me to my knees.
I tried to breathe—and sucked ink into my nose, down my throat. Burning ink. It tasted sour, like spoiled milk.
I started to gag and choke.
I flailed my arms. I tried to dive away from it.
But the streams were too powerful. They covered me.
Covered me …
Covered me in a thick, sticky blanket of darkness.
I heard the retching sounds. The splash of ink on the cavern floor.
Then silence.
And a darkness that swallowed me whole …
27
I OPENEDMYEYES to loud shouts in my ear. Startled, I realized I was standing up.
Nicky was shouting for me to wake up. He and Tara had me by the arms. They were walking me away, guiding me up the path.
My feet slid in the mud. I blinked my eyes and gazed around in confusion.
“Mom?”
“Dad?”
“No, it's us,” Tara said. “Snap out of it, Max.”
“But my mom and dad—” I choked out. “They were here. They told me to go to sleep and—”
“You must have been dreaming,” Tara said. “Nicky and I popped back just in time.”
I gazed up toward the cavern entrance. No bright lights. No Mom and Dad.
The dream had been so real, so terrifying.
“Wh-what happened?” I stammered. “Did Inkweed—?”
“We came back just in time,” Nicky said. “We dragged you to your feet before Inkweed could get out.”
“Sorry we left you here,” Nicky said. “Sometimes we disappear. We can't control it.”
“Are you okay?” Tara asked, helping me over a jagged rock.
I stopped.
“No,” I said. “How could I be okay? We're in terrible trouble. Coming here didn't work. It didn't work at all.”
Up ahead, I saw the gray of the sky. I could feel the damp, cold air fall away as we approached the entrance. “Inkweed is still inside me. I can feel him.”
“Hang on, Max,” Tara said as we stepped out through the cavern entrance. “Hang on.”
Trees shivered all around in a strong breeze. Cool, dry air. I took several deep breaths. It smelled so good and clean.
“We'll figure this out. I know we will,” Tara said.
Her voice trembled. I could hear how frightened she was now.
We had tried and failed. And we all knew I couldn't stay awake much longer.
As we walked, I tried to figure out how many hours I'd been awake. But my brain was too fuzzy to do the math.
Close to seventy hours. That was the best I could figure.
I kept walking with them. But I couldn't really feel my legs. It was as if they were moving on their own.
The trees spun around me. The ground tilted one way, then the other.
How long did we walk?
I don't know. It was a long walk home.
We were on a block with little houses hidden behind hedges and thick clumps of trees. Suddenly, Nicky and Tara stopped. Their grip tightened on my arms. They stared at the steeply sloping hill across the street.
“What's wrong?” I whispered.
“Look,” Nicky said. “The library.”
I squinted hard, trying to force my eyes to focus. “Library?”
“Mr. Park's
live!”
My mouth dropped open, and a hoarse cry of shock escaped my throat.
They
can't
be my parents!
I thought.
They
can't
know about Inkweed! They
can't
want Inkweed out!
I stared at them, trembling in horror, and watched them raise their flashlights under their chins. The light spilled over their faces with an eerie glow.
“Let Inkweed out. Let Inkweed out,” they both chanted.
“Mom! Dad! Why are you doing this?” I cried.
They didn't answer. They opened their mouths wide.
I heard a gurgling. Then a horrifying
retching
sound from deep in their throats.
And then
gushers
of black ink spewed from their mouths.
I raised my hands to cover my face as it poured over me, hot and putrid. The twin streams of ink washed over my head, down my shoulders. I heard it splash at my feet.
My parents made ugly retching sounds, as if they were vomiting the hot, smelly ink from deep inside them. I couldn't move away from it. I struggled to breathe.
The black ink shot over me, splashing hard, pounding my head, dropping me to my knees.
I tried to breathe—and sucked ink into my nose, down my throat. Burning ink. It tasted sour, like spoiled milk.
I started to gag and choke.
I flailed my arms. I tried to dive away from it.
But the streams were too powerful. They covered me.
Covered me …
Covered me in a thick, sticky blanket of darkness.
I heard the retching sounds. The splash of ink on the cavern floor.
Then silence.
And a darkness that swallowed me whole …
27
I OPENEDMYEYES to loud shouts in my ear. Startled, I realized I was standing up.
Nicky was shouting for me to wake up. He and Tara had me by the arms. They were walking me away, guiding me up the path.
My feet slid in the mud. I blinked my eyes and gazed around in confusion.
“Mom?”
“Dad?”
“No, it's us,” Tara said. “Snap out of it, Max.”
“But my mom and dad—” I choked out. “They were here. They told me to go to sleep and—”
“You must have been dreaming,” Tara said. “Nicky and I popped back just in time.”
I gazed up toward the cavern entrance. No bright lights. No Mom and Dad.
The dream had been so real, so terrifying.
“Wh-what happened?” I stammered. “Did Inkweed—?”
“We came back just in time,” Nicky said. “We dragged you to your feet before Inkweed could get out.”
“Sorry we left you here,” Nicky said. “Sometimes we disappear. We can't control it.”
“Are you okay?” Tara asked, helping me over a jagged rock.
I stopped.
“No,” I said. “How could I be okay? We're in terrible trouble. Coming here didn't work. It didn't work at all.”
Up ahead, I saw the gray of the sky. I could feel the damp, cold air fall away as we approached the entrance. “Inkweed is still inside me. I can feel him.”
“Hang on, Max,” Tara said as we stepped out through the cavern entrance. “Hang on.”
Trees shivered all around in a strong breeze. Cool, dry air. I took several deep breaths. It smelled so good and clean.
“We'll figure this out. I know we will,” Tara said.
Her voice trembled. I could hear how frightened she was now.
We had tried and failed. And we all knew I couldn't stay awake much longer.
As we walked, I tried to figure out how many hours I'd been awake. But my brain was too fuzzy to do the math.
Close to seventy hours. That was the best I could figure.
I kept walking with them. But I couldn't really feel my legs. It was as if they were moving on their own.
The trees spun around me. The ground tilted one way, then the other.
How long did we walk?
I don't know. It was a long walk home.
We were on a block with little houses hidden behind hedges and thick clumps of trees. Suddenly, Nicky and Tara stopped. Their grip tightened on my arms. They stared at the steeply sloping hill across the street.
“What's wrong?” I whispered.
“Look,” Nicky said. “The library.”
I squinted hard, trying to force my eyes to focus. “Library?”
“Mr. Park's
Similar Books
