Read Online I Live in Your Basement by R. L. Stine - Free Book Online
Authors: R. L. Stine
Tags: Children's Books.3-5
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stared down.
And saw two of the milky slime creatures.
I had cut it in two.
The two halves throbbed wetly on the kitchen linoleum. They bobbed helplessly
like fat insects on their backs.
“Mom—” I choked out. In only a whisper.
“Mom…” No sound. I couldn’t force out a sound.
I reached my fingers into my throat—and pulled out a thick chunk of slimy
goo. Gagging, I heaved it into the sink.
“Mom—!”
Where was she?
I heard a voice from somewhere in the house. From the den?
“Mom?”
Was she talking on the phone?
Couldn’t she hear me battering the slime creature against the counter?
Couldn’t she hear me calling to her?
“Mom—?”
I staggered toward the door.
But I took only a step.
Before I could move farther, I felt something tighten around the legs of my
jeans.
“Ohhhh!” I lowered my gaze—and saw both halves of the spongy slime
creature wrapping around me.
I kicked out one leg. Then the other. But they clung tightly. And stretched.
Two of them now. Spreading their sticky, warm bodies up my jeans, up the
front of my shirt.
I grabbed at them with both hands. And pulled.
But my hands slid off their shimmering wet flesh.
“Mom—! Gwynnie—! Somebody—help!”
They swept over my face. Two of them. Two of them now.
So heavy.
I fell to my knees. Then sank onto my back.
So heavy… the two of them were weighing me down.
As I thrashed and slashed at them, squirming and kicking, they melted. Melted
back into one.
And spread around me. Pressing me inside.
Until I was trapped inside.
No air left… no air.
And then, staring helplessly through the thick slime, I saw something move
across the kitchen.
Someone moving quickly. A blur of color.
Mom?
Was she in time?
Could she pull me out of this disgusting creature?
I gazed up at her from inside the thick, milky body.
Hurry, Mom.
I can’t breathe.
Don’t you see me here, trapped inside this goo?
Hurry.
Staring hard at the blur of color, I saw her run up to the creature. Saw her
stare down, hands raised to the sides of her face.
Pull me out, Mom! I urged silently.
Pull me out—now! I pleaded.
But, no.
She just stood there.
Stood there and watched as my last bit of breath escaped my lungs.
28
“Get up, Marco,” Mom ordered. She lowered her hands and pressed them against
her waist.
“Get up, Marco,” she repeated sternly. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Huh?” I gasped. “Mom—help! I’m trapped inside this thing! I can’t
breathe!”
She stared down at me, frowning and shaking her head. “Marco, this really
isn’t the time for dumb games. Will you please get up off the floor?”
Games?
“Don’t you see?” I cried. “Keith’s head disappeared, and he turned into a big
hunk of slime. I tried to get away, but he swallowed me and—”
She turned away from me and walked to the sink. I heard the water start to
run.
“Mom—?”
“I’m starting to worry about you, Marco,” Mom said in a low, steady voice.
“You’re not making any sense. Now, get up. I don’t want you rolling on
the floor like a baby!”
I sat up and gazed around.
“Hey—!” I let out a startled cry.
No slime creature.
I rubbed the floor with both hands. The floor was perfectly dry.
I’m having another dream, I told myself.
The glob of slime wasn’t real. Our wrestling match down the stairs didn’t
happen. The whole thing was another disgusting dream.
I’m not sitting on the floor in the kitchen. I’m asleep in my bed, dreaming
this.
And now I’m going to wake up and end it.
Wake up!
Wake up, Marco! I ordered myself.
I climbed to my feet. Mom was at the sink, drinking a tall glass of water.
Wake up, Marco!
If this was a dream, why couldn’t I escape from it?
I turned—and slammed my forehead into a cabinet.
“Owww!” The pain exploded in my head, shot down my neck, my back.
“I’m not dreaming,” I murmured out loud.
Mom turned from the sink. “What did you
And saw two of the milky slime creatures.
I had cut it in two.
The two halves throbbed wetly on the kitchen linoleum. They bobbed helplessly
like fat insects on their backs.
“Mom—” I choked out. In only a whisper.
“Mom…” No sound. I couldn’t force out a sound.
I reached my fingers into my throat—and pulled out a thick chunk of slimy
goo. Gagging, I heaved it into the sink.
“Mom—!”
Where was she?
I heard a voice from somewhere in the house. From the den?
“Mom?”
Was she talking on the phone?
Couldn’t she hear me battering the slime creature against the counter?
Couldn’t she hear me calling to her?
“Mom—?”
I staggered toward the door.
But I took only a step.
Before I could move farther, I felt something tighten around the legs of my
jeans.
“Ohhhh!” I lowered my gaze—and saw both halves of the spongy slime
creature wrapping around me.
I kicked out one leg. Then the other. But they clung tightly. And stretched.
Two of them now. Spreading their sticky, warm bodies up my jeans, up the
front of my shirt.
I grabbed at them with both hands. And pulled.
But my hands slid off their shimmering wet flesh.
“Mom—! Gwynnie—! Somebody—help!”
They swept over my face. Two of them. Two of them now.
So heavy.
I fell to my knees. Then sank onto my back.
So heavy… the two of them were weighing me down.
As I thrashed and slashed at them, squirming and kicking, they melted. Melted
back into one.
And spread around me. Pressing me inside.
Until I was trapped inside.
No air left… no air.
And then, staring helplessly through the thick slime, I saw something move
across the kitchen.
Someone moving quickly. A blur of color.
Mom?
Was she in time?
Could she pull me out of this disgusting creature?
I gazed up at her from inside the thick, milky body.
Hurry, Mom.
I can’t breathe.
Don’t you see me here, trapped inside this goo?
Hurry.
Staring hard at the blur of color, I saw her run up to the creature. Saw her
stare down, hands raised to the sides of her face.
Pull me out, Mom! I urged silently.
Pull me out—now! I pleaded.
But, no.
She just stood there.
Stood there and watched as my last bit of breath escaped my lungs.
28
“Get up, Marco,” Mom ordered. She lowered her hands and pressed them against
her waist.
“Get up, Marco,” she repeated sternly. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Huh?” I gasped. “Mom—help! I’m trapped inside this thing! I can’t
breathe!”
She stared down at me, frowning and shaking her head. “Marco, this really
isn’t the time for dumb games. Will you please get up off the floor?”
Games?
“Don’t you see?” I cried. “Keith’s head disappeared, and he turned into a big
hunk of slime. I tried to get away, but he swallowed me and—”
She turned away from me and walked to the sink. I heard the water start to
run.
“Mom—?”
“I’m starting to worry about you, Marco,” Mom said in a low, steady voice.
“You’re not making any sense. Now, get up. I don’t want you rolling on
the floor like a baby!”
I sat up and gazed around.
“Hey—!” I let out a startled cry.
No slime creature.
I rubbed the floor with both hands. The floor was perfectly dry.
I’m having another dream, I told myself.
The glob of slime wasn’t real. Our wrestling match down the stairs didn’t
happen. The whole thing was another disgusting dream.
I’m not sitting on the floor in the kitchen. I’m asleep in my bed, dreaming
this.
And now I’m going to wake up and end it.
Wake up!
Wake up, Marco! I ordered myself.
I climbed to my feet. Mom was at the sink, drinking a tall glass of water.
Wake up, Marco!
If this was a dream, why couldn’t I escape from it?
I turned—and slammed my forehead into a cabinet.
“Owww!” The pain exploded in my head, shot down my neck, my back.
“I’m not dreaming,” I murmured out loud.
Mom turned from the sink. “What did you
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