Read Online The Dark Corner by Christopher Pike - Free Book Online Page A

not?” Adam asked, his eyes focused on the floor in front of him.
    â€œBecause we would just eat him if he won,” Sorehead explained. “We would tell him that ahead of time.”
    â€œSilence in my courtroom!” the judge boomed, clearing his throat. “The prisoners may approach the bench.”
    Sorehead kicked each of them in the butt and they trudged forward. They were forced to raise their heads to see the judge reading from a large piece of burnt paper.
    â€œThis trial concerns the case of the fine demons of the Dark Corner versus the wicked and ill-mannered humans of Spooksville, namely, Adam Freeman, Sara Wilcox, and Watch.” The judge paused, raising a dirty eyebrow. “What happened to your last name, Watch?”
    Watch shrugged. “I use it so seldom, I forget it.”
    The judge turned to the thin demon next to the scale. “A token against the accused, Scalekeeper!” he snapped.
    The Scalekeeper took a gold token out of his bag and placed it on one plate of the scale. Immediately that side lowered. Watch spoke to Sorehead.
    â€œWhat does that mean?” he asked.
    Sorehead was amused. “It means you’ve just thrown away a valuable point. If I were you, I’d watch my mouth.”
    The judge pounded his gavel, which was a human skull. “Order in the court! The charges against the accused are as follows. Being human. Eating our hot dogs without paying. Escaping from the torture poles. Tricking one of our outstanding citizens with fake blood. And burning down our chapel.” The judge set the paper aside. “How do you plead?”
    â€œWe didn’t burn down the chapel,” Sally said. “You burned down the chapel.”
    â€œBut you disgusting humans forced us to burn it down,” the prosecutor said, stepping forward. He was perhaps the strangest-looking demon of all. He was extremely short and compact. The top of his head was flat, in fact. It looked as if a huge weight had landed on him, and crunched him into a compact parcel. His eyes were particularly wicked—more like a lizard’s than a cat’s. Worst of all, he wore a cheap wrinkled three-piece brown suit. The prosecutor continued, “My name isBloodbutton and it is my job to see that each of you burns for your sins.”
    Their own chubby attorney with the bad-smelling cigar stepped forward. “And my name is Foulstew and I’m here to have a good time!” He laughed. “And maybe to get you off, if you deserve it, which I doubt.”
    â€œAnd I’m the judge here and all of you shut your mouths so we can get this trial going,” the judge said. “How do you three plead? Innocent or guilty?”
    Adam turned to Foulstew. “How should we plead?” he asked.
    Foulstew rubbed his oiled hair and took a puff on his cigar. “If you plead guilty, you will be taken from here immediately and tortured for the rest of your lives.”
    â€œWhat if we plead innocent?” Sally asked.
    â€œYou will easily be proven guilty and tortured for the rest for your lives,” Foulstew said. “I mean, at the very least, you’re human, which is a serious crime in the Dark Corner. It alone carries a penalty of forty years of having your nails slowly pulled out of your hands while your toes are being tickled.”
    Adam frowned. “Isn’t there a third way for us to plead?”
    â€œObjection!” Bloodbutton shouted. “The defendant is trying to take unfair advantage of this court.”
    The judge pounded his skull. “Overruled! You may answer your clients’ question, Foulstew, but please don’t tell everything.”
    Foulstew bowed in the direction of the judge and then spoke to Adam and his friends. “It is possible for you to enter a plea of what we call Virtues versus Vices.”
    â€œWhat does that mean?” Adam asked.
    Foulstew nodded to the scale. “We seat you on one end of that