House of a Thousand Screams by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

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    â€œI can’t believe they just ignored us,” Freddy complained. “I guess you were right, Jill. Sorry.”
    â€œForget it,” I advised. “No matter what Mom and Dad say, we know it’s real. We just have to be on our guard from now on.”
    Using the glasses, Freddy and I did quick sweeps of both our bedrooms. Poltergeist free.
    I went back to my room and put on my pajamas. Then I tottered down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I studied myself in the mirror as I gargled.
    Well, what now? I asked myself.
    I didn’t have any good answers.
    Back at my room, I hesitated at the door. Had I shut it? I didn’t remember shutting it.
    I turned the knob. The door swung wide.
    I froze in horror.
    In the doorway stood a huge yellow blob. It must have been seven feet tall. It towered over me. Its lumpy head had a wide, gaping black hole of a mouth.
    A mouth that stretched even wider as the thing came after me!

12

    I didn’t even have time to scream. The monster’s body wrapped around me. It was like being caught in a fishing net.
    I struggled and beat at it. My heart raced. My stomach churned. I tried to call for help. But part of the yellow blob covered my mouth. It was tough to breathe, let alone yell.
    The part around my legs suddenly tightened. I crashed to the floor. Help! I was being smothered!
    I kicked, bit, and clawed. The thing was soft and yielding. Light filtered through its yellow sides. I felt as if I’d been swallowed by a tent.
    Finally I clawed my way out. Free! Then I crawled away as fast as I could. The monster lay there, unmoving. Flat. Maybe I’d killed it!
    Freddy dashed out of his room. “What was all that noise? And why is your bedspread lying out here in the hall?” he asked.
    â€œHuh?” I stared at the yellow blob. Then, cautiously, I leaned over and prodded it.
    Freddy was right. It was only my big yellow bedspread.
    But a minute ago it was coming after me!
    I grabbed the spread and climbed to my feet. “Follow me,” I said.
    While I told Freddy what had happened, I wadded the bedspread up and stuffed it into my closet. Then I realized I would spend the night waiting for it to come back out of the closet. So I tilted my dresser up and told Freddy to shove it under there.
    â€œIt’ll get dirty,” he objected.
    â€œI hope it does,” I retorted. “I hope it’s afraid of the dark. I hope moths come and eat it in the middle of the night. Now shove it under there.”
    Freddy did as I asked. I lowered the dresser again. The bedspread fit nicely. Good thing it wasn’t one of our thick winter comforters.
    I was still shaking from my close call. Three times in one day! I thought. How am I ever going to survive?
    â€œFreddy?” I said. “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”
    Believe it or not, I had to talk him into it. Even though he has bunk beds! I guess it’s because we had to wait so long to get our own rooms. But you’d thinkhe could have been a little more understanding. Especially after all we’d been through that day.
    We stayed in our own rooms until Dad and Mom went to bed. No point trying to explain to them. Then I sneaked into Freddy’s room.
    He was sitting on the top bunk, his back against the wall. He clutched a baseball bat tightly in his hands. But he relaxed when I showed up.
    â€œDo you want me to sleep on the bottom?” he asked.
    â€œI don’t care,” I answered, yawning. “I’m so tired I could sleep standing up. It’s been a long day.”
    â€œYou ain’t just a-woofin’,” Freddy said.
    I grinned to myself. That was one of Dad’s expressions. It was kind of cute to hear it coming from the little Brainiac.
    Time ticked along. But even though I felt wiped out, I couldn’t fall asleep. Lying there in the dark, I heard every creak and groan in the old house. “Settling,” Mom called it. But