The First Horror by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online

Frasier muttered. He set his coffee cup down, frowning. “Cally, do me a favor. Go look in the front yard. Maybe Cubby ran around to the front.” Cally obediently pushed her chair back from the table and stood up. “I wish someone would listen to me,” she said angrily. “Someone was in my room and—” “Please check the front for the dog,” Mr. Frasier urged impatiently. “So maybe James will shut up.” With an unhappy groan, Cally headed to the front of the house. Has everyone in this house gone totally psycho? she wondered. She pulled open the front door, stepped onto the porch, turned around—and gasped. The porch was splattered with blood. Cally raised her hands to her face as she saw the huge blood-scrawled number on the house wall. 99

Chapter 9
    Kody was the first to hear Cally’s screams. She burst onto the porch, and her eyes bulged wide with horror as she saw the blood streaks. Mr. and Mrs. Frasier stopped just outside the doorway, staring in silent shock. “Who—” Mrs, Frasier managed to choke out.
    “I knew the house was haunted,” Kody said, her voice just above a whisper, “I could feel the evil as soon as we arrived. And now it’s starting to come out.” “Do you think it was neighborhood kids?” Mrs. Frasier asked her husband. “Some kind of prank?” Mr. Frasier swallowed hard but didn’t reply. Cally could see the fear in his eyes. His face appeared pale and drawn in the gray light filtering down through the trees. “Is it really blood?” Kody asked quietly. Cally took a few steps toward the front door. Her legs weak and rubbery. Timidly, she raised a finger to the wall of the house and rubbed it across one of the nines. “No. It’s not blood,” she announced quietly. “It’s paint.” “Paint?” Mr. Frasier repeated the word as if he’d never heard it before. “The ghost is trying to communicate,” Kody murmured. “Who would smear red paint all over our porch?” Cally’s father demanded. “Mr. Hankers and I spent all yesterday afternoon sanding and putting primer on.” “Such a mean joke,” Mrs. Frasier murmured, chewing her bottom lip and shaking her head. “It’s not a joke,” Kody replied in a low, solemn voice. “It’s a message. It’s not a joke.” “Cubby? Cubby?” James’s voice floated onto the porch. Cally saw her brother wander into the front yard, trudging along slowly, searching everywhere. “Cubby?” James turned when he saw everyone huddled on the porch. “Come out and help me!” he cried in a trembling voice. “We’ve got to look for Cubby! He’s run away!” Poor James is about to lose it, Cally thought, seeing her brother’s chin tremble and tears form in his eyes. “I’ll help you look!” she called to him. Anything to get out of here! Cally told herself. “Wait there, James,” she called. “I’ll be right there. We’ll search the whole neighborhood.” “Cubby! Cubby?” James continued to call the puppy, his voice becoming more and more shrill. Cally ran upstairs to her room. Ignoring the clothing tossed everywhere, she pulled on a pair of white sweat socks, and then searched under a pile of jeans for her sneakers. When she returned to the front yard, Kody and Mr. Frasier were already opening cans of white primer, preparing to paint over the ugly red scrawls. Cally said, “I’m going now,” and hurried out to join James. “Why did Cubby run away?” James demanded as Cally came jogging down the driveway to him. “Why did he do that?” “I’m sure he didn’t get far,” Cally told her brother, tenderly putting a hand on his slender shoulder. “Come on. We’ll find him.” Keeping her hand on his shoulder, Cally guided James down to the street. “We’ll search all the front and backyards,” she said. “Keep your eyes peeled.” As soon as they stepped away from their yard, sunlight appeared. The morning sky was cloudless and bright. The air instantly became warm and fresh smelling. “Cubby! Cubby!”