Read Online Fear Street 5 - The Fire Game by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online Page B

Jill headed down the deserted street in the direction of the cemetery. Somehow, all alone in the dark, it seemed much scarier than it had the other night with her friends. She remembered some of the stories they'd been telling about the terrible things that had happened in the different houses, and she felt a shiver pass through her.
    She studied each house she came to, but there was no sign of the boys.
    They had to be here. Fear Street was a dead-end street. There was no way out.
    Dead end.
    No way out.
    Stop it, Jill told herself. She took a deep breath and kept driving.
    Suddenly her car started to shudder and then the engine died.
    "No!" Jill cried aloud in annoyance.
    Again and again she turned the key, stepping on the gas. But nothing happened.
    Somewhere off to the right a large figure came bounding across a yard and disappeared toward the woods.
    It was a dog, Jill told herself. Just a dog.
    She felt a trickle of perspiration run down her forehead.
    This is ridiculous, she told herself. There's nothing to be scared of.
    I'm in a locked car. I'm only a block from Old Mill Road. If the car doesn't start soon, I can walk back and phone for help.
    Please start, she thought, turning the key again.
    The engine cranked and cranked, but wouldn't catch.
    I've probably flooded it, she thought. I'll just have to wait for a few minutes before I try again.
    A bat fluttered against a dim streetlight across the street, and Jill gasped. Now, suddenly, the deep shadows seemed to have a life of their own. She thought she could see things moving at the corner of her vision.
    But whenever she turned to stare directly at them, there was nothing there.
    Except in her rearview mirror.
    Glancing up, Jill saw a dark figure moving toward her car.
    Her heart pounding, she turned around. She couldn't see any details in the gloom, but there was definitely someone there, walking up the street toward her car.

    Maybe it's someone who lives here, she thought. Someone out for an evening stroll.
    Maybe.
    But in that case, why was he coming directly toward her car?
    Wildly, she turned the key and tried to get the engine to catch. But she had no more luck than she had before.
    A second later something hit hard against her window and she was blinded by a glaring light.

Chapter 14
    Fighting down choking panic, Jill tried to think what to do. There was no way the car would start, but maybe she could find something--a weapon of some sort.
    Frantically she looked around the front seat and floor, then opened the glove compartment. There was nothing but the driver's manual and a half-eaten chocolate bar.
    If only the light weren't so bright.
    Whatever had hit her window hit it again, then continued in a rhythmic tattoo.
    Suddenly Jill realized that it was someone knocking on her window and asking her to open it. No way I'll do that, she thought. But she did roll it down a crack, just enough to talk through.
    "Are you all right, miss?" asked the figure. He turned his flashlight to his face, and Jill saw that it was a young police officer.
    Relief flooded through her. "I'm fine," she said in a small voice, "but my car stalled and I can't get it started."
    "Let me take a look," said the officer. "Can you unlatch the hood?"
    Jill reached for the hood latch and popped it. The police officer disappeared behind the hood. A few minutes later he came back.
    "Everything seems to be fine," he said. "Do you mind unlocking the door?"
    "Well," said Jill. He certainly looked like a policeman, and he acted like a policeman. But she'd heard stories of people impersonating cops and then robbing their victims--or worse.
    "You're right to be cautious," the young cop said. "Let me show you my ID." He reached into his pocket and took out a picture ID, then slipped it in to her through the window. Jill scrutinized it, comparing it with his face.
    He was definitely a cop. She had never felt so relieved in her whole life. She unlocked the door, then slid over as the cop sat down next