The Beast From the East by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

delicious!” Spork cried. “I’m soooo hungry!”
    Gleeb shoved his furry face between Fleg’s and Spork’s.
    He smacked his lips. I heard his stomach growl.
    “Finally!” Spork grunted. “Pull her out! Let’s eat!”
    I covered my face with my hands. “Please. Don’t hurt me,” I cried. “I haven’t
done anything to you.”
    Fleg shrugged. “You play the game. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.”
    Spork and Gleeb reached down into the pit. Their big paws swiped at me.
    I pressed my back tighter against the wall. “Please,” I begged. “Please go
away and leave me alone. You win, okay? You can have all my points.”
    “Points can’t be given away,” Fleg scolded. “You know that.”
    The others grunted in agreement. They reached down for me.
    My eyes searched the pit.
    I needed a weapon.
    The roots?
    I yanked a fat one out of the dirt.
    “Stay back!” I shouted, whipping the root at their paws.
    The beasts slapped each other on the back and laughed their ugly laugh.
    “You’ll be sorry,” I threatened.
    Who was I kidding? This stupid root couldn’t hurt them. And they knew it. I
was the Beast from the East. I was dinner.
    Fleg leaned into the pit and snarled. His claws were only inches from my
face.
    I ducked.
    His paw brushed against the back of my neck. I felt claws scratch my skin.
    I jerked away. The hair on my arms stood straight up.
    If only I could burrow into the earth like an animal, I thought.
    Fleg’s paw swiped the air in front of my face.
    “Stop ducking away,” he shouted. “You’re just making me hungrier.”
    “This isn’t fair!” I screamed.
    He turned to Spork and Gleeb. “I’m tired of this,” he complained. “Enough
stalling.”
    His round eyes gleamed down hungrily at me.
    “Get her!” he bellowed.
    Spork leaned down and grabbed my arm. I felt his claws dig into my skin. He
pulled me up and yanked me to my feet.
    It’s all over, I thought sadly. The game is over.

 
 
23
     
     
    A cloud passed overhead, throwing the pit into deep shadow.
    Fleg howled. He slapped his broad forehead. “Made in the Shade!” he cried.
    Spork opened his paw and let go of my arm.
    I dropped to the ground. Fell to my knees.
    “Made in the Shade!” Spork cried.
    “Made in the Shade!” Gleeb echoed.
    I climbed to my feet. The angry voices of the beasts made my head throb.
    They stomped their feet loudly.
    “What’s going on?” I demanded.
    “You’re safe,” Spork replied, sneering in disgust. “This time.”
    Safe? I breathed a sigh of relief.
    “But… why?” I asked, amazed.
    “You’re Made in the Shade,” Fleg explained.
    “We can’t touch you. It’s a free pass. But you can only use it once.”
    Once was enough, I hoped. I didn’t plan to play this game forever.
    “We have to let you go this time,” Fleg growled. “But you’re still the Beast
from the East.”
    “You still have to tag someone before sundown,” Spork agreed.
    Gleeb sighed. The three beasts turned to the woods. “We’ll go now,” Fleg
announced.
    “Wait!” I scrambled to my feet. “How do I get out of here? How can I tag
someone if I’m stuck in this pit?”
    Fleg rolled his eyes. He reached down and pressed one paw against a purple
rock on the ground near the edge of the pit.
    The pit floor creaked and groaned.
    Then it rose up. Higher and higher.
    Finally it jerked to a halt a few feet below the ground.
    I was close enough to stare at the beasts’ ankles. I could see shiny black
bugs crawling in their fur. I swallowed nervously. Was this some kind of trick?
Or was I really safe?
    “I still need help to climb out of here,” I told Fleg.
    Fleg pounded on the purple rock again.
    The floor started moving. This time it stopped level with the ground.
    I hopped off the Free Lunch square. The beasts circled me.
    “The sun is almost down,” Fleg warned. “The game is almost over.”
    “You don’t have much time,” Spork added.
    Fleg snorted. Then he turned and lumbered