Read Online R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 by Little Camp of Horrors - Free Book Online Page A

it to the ground.
    I stared at them. “Huh? Searching for snakes? Are you crazy? What are you talking about?”
    “The snakes all vanished,” Nicky said. “When Tara and I started to pull them off you, they vanished into thin air.”
    “They weren't real snakes,” Tara said. “
    They sure looked like snakes to me!” I said. “If they weren't snakes, what were they?”
    “Ghosts, probably,” Tara said.
    The words hung in the air between us. We stared at each other without saying anything more.
    Finally, I raised my hand. “The pendant!” I cried. “I have it!”
    Tara let out a happy cry. She took it from my hand. She studied it, then gave it to Nicky. He turned it over and over.
    “We have to be fast,” Tara said. “Phears is here. He's waiting for this. If he sees that we have the pendant … ”
    “He wants to find Mom and Dad as much as we do,” Nicky said, gazing at the pendant. “Because he wants to destroy them for good.”
    I took the pendant back. “What do we do?” I asked. “If your parents are inside this thing, how do we get them out?”
    Tara sighed. “Good question,” she said.
    “There's no opening,” I said. “It's sealed tight. There's no button to push. No lever or anything.”
    “Maybe we could smash it against a rock,” Tara said. “Break it open.”
    “Maybe,” I said. “But maybe if we got a screwdriver … ”
    Nicky took it back from me and studied it hard. “No place to put a screwdriver. No place to pry it open.”
    “Max? Hey, Max?” I heard a high voice from the path behind us. I spun around and saw Jakey running full speed toward us.
    “Max? What's happening, Max?” he called.
    “Stay away,” I shouted. “It's dangerous here, Jakey. Go back to the lodge.”
    “But I'm afraid,” he said. He kept coming. He ran right up to me.
    “Jakey, please—” I begged.
    “I'm afraid, Max,” he said. “I'm afraid.”
    “Afraid of what?” I asked.
    Jakey turned to Nicky. “I'm afraid you'll have to give me that,” he said, and reached for the pendant.

29
    I LET OUT A SHOCKED GASP . “You—you can
see
them?” I asked Jakey.
    He ignored me and kept his hand outstretched in front of Nicky. His eyes were suddenly cold and gray. His mouth turned down in an ugly scowl.
    “I'll take it,” Jakey said softly. “Hand it over— now.”
    “No way!” Nicky exclaimed. “Back off, little boy.”
    Jakey made a grab for the pendant.
    Nicky tossed it to me.
    But his throw was high, and the pendant sailed over my shoulder.
    It bounced into the mud. I spun around and dove for it.
    Jakey dove at the same time. He landed hard on my back. Grunting loudly, we both stretched our hands for the pendant—
    —and I came up with it!
    I wrapped my fingers around it. Then I spun out from under Jakey and jumped to my feet.
    His eyes on the pendant, Jakey took a few steps back. He was breathing hard, and his face turned bright red.
    “You'll hand it over,” he said through gritted teeth. “You'll
beg
me to take it from you.”
    I heard a cracking sound, like someone breaking an egg.
    And then I gasped as Jakey's head started to split open. Narrow black veins crisscrossed his face. His eyes rolled up into his head. The cracking sound grew louder.
    And his head broke apart!
    “Oh no!” Tara pressed her hand to her mouth. Nicky stared, his jaw dropping.
    I gripped the pendant tightly and watched in horror as Jakey's arms fell off. Part of his chest slid out from under his T-shirt.
    His legs snapped and collapsed. The top of his head lay on the ground at his feet. His hands splintered and broke off from his arms, which were already on the ground.
    Jakey broke into pieces.
    Nothing left now but a shell. The trunk of his body stood upright in the lakeshore mud.
    And then a black mist floated up from the trunk.
    The black smoke smelled so sour, I held my nose. My eyes started to water.
    I turned my head as the wind off the lake blew the disgusting smoke in my face.
    When I turned