Read Online Liar Liar by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online Page A

sweat off my forehead. Despite the heat of the night, I felt chilled. The back of my neck tingled. I’m just tense, I decided.
    I started back toward the street but stopped when I heard a sharp yip. I turned and saw Flash, the O’Connors’ Dalmatian, come trotting across the grass.
    â€œFlash!” I called. I was glad to see him. I’d known Flash since he was a puppy.
    The O’Connors live across the street. Sometimes when they go on vacation, we take Flash to our house. “Hey, Flash—how’s it going?”
    The dog stopped suddenly, a few feet from me. He began sniffing the air furiously. His ears perked straight up.
    â€œHey—Flash?” I called. I knelt down and motioned for him to come get some hugs. “Here, boy. Come on, boy.”
    To my surprise, the dog lowered his head—and started to snarl.
    â€œHey—” I jumped to my feet.
    Flash pulled back his lips, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. He snarled menacingly, his entire body arched, tense.
    â€œFlash—it’s me!”
    With a furious growl, the big dog leaped at me.
    I dodged to the side. Lost my balance. Slid on the grass. Landed hard on my side.
    The snarling dog turned. Eyes red. White drool making the sharp teeth glisten.
    He uttered another angry growl. Leaped hard. Lowered his head—and sank his teeth into my arm.

I let out a howl of pain and tried to roll away.
    But the dog was too heavy, too strong.
    Pain shot down my arm, my entire side.
    With a groan I reached up both arms and grabbed the dog around the neck. I shot my hands forward, struggling to pull the furious Dalmatian off me.
    He snapped his jaws angrily, snarling, clawing at me.
    I held on to his neck. Held on tight, trying to push him away.
    And then suddenly he uttered a high, soft cry. Like the mew of a cat.
    Flash’s red eyes appeared to dim. He backed off me, staggered back. He raised his head and opened his mouth wide in a high, shrill howl. A howl of pain.
    I rolled away. Stumbled to my feet, gasping for breath, rubbing my throbbing arm.
    And I saw the white fur on Flash’s neck. Saw it blacken. Saw the red handprints on the dog’s bare skin.
    And then Flash uttered a choking sound. A gurgling from deep in his throat.
    He gazed up at me—no longer angry, but surprised. Confused.
    The fur fell off his body. And his skin peeled. Flaked away.
    â€œOhhhhhh.” A moan of horror escaped my throat as the dog toppled onto its side.
    It dropped heavily onto the grass and didn’t move again.
    And its skin—its skin and fur—melted away as I stared down at the lifeless form.
    â€œNo!” I cried. I knelt down and grabbed the dog in my hands. “Flash! Flash!”
    His skin peeled off in my hands. Warm, wet chunks of skin.
    I gagged. Jumped away, frantically wiping my hands on my jeans.
    The dog’s skin all melted away until I was staring at the gray skeleton. Shimmering in the light from the low half moon, gray rib bones curling up from the grass. And an eyeless, silvery dog skull, jaw open in a silent cry.
    I did this!
    The words rang in my ears.
    I did this to Flash!
    No. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to believe it.
    Holding my hands over my ears, I turned and ran. Ran without seeing. Ran without thinking.
    The dog’s last pitiful howl repeated in my ears. I kept running as if trying to escape from it, to escape from the sound in my own head.
    I don’t know how long I ran. I suddenly found myself on Rodeo Drive. The classy shops were all closed. The sidewalks were empty, except for a few window-shoppers, peering into the brightly lit store windows.
    I stopped running. I was drenched in sweat, my hair matted to my head. My T-shirt stuck to my body. My chest ached from running for so long.
    I leaned in a doorway and gazed down the street. It all looked normal to me. The shops, the restaurants. The same as always.
    I stepped away from the building when I heard