The Five Masks of Dr. Screem by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

Museum Park, stretched across from the museum. Peter and I followed a pool of moonlight across the grass to the museum.
    It was a big old-fashioned-looking white stone building with a hundred concrete steps leading up to the entrance. Tall pillars stood on either side of the double doorway. The roof had a white dome over the top.
    Lights were on in the museum, but I didn’t see anyone around. Two cars came down the street and turned onto Museum Drive.
    “No way can we get in through the front,” I said. “The doors will be locked tight. And they probably have guards there.”
    “Last week, my class went in through the back,” Peter said. “There are a lot of little doors and windows back there. Maybe we can find a place to sneak in.”
    We made our way around the side wall. I saw lights on in the tall windows above our heads. But I couldn’t see inside.
    A black door in a narrow alcove had a sign that read: SERVICE ENTRANCE . The door was locked and chained.
    We kept walking. Keeping in the deep shadow of the building, we passed a row of windows withbars over them. Two more doors had chains and padlocks.
    I shivered. “This isn’t looking good, Peter,” I murmured. “What makes you think the mummy mask is in here anyway?”
    Before he could answer, I heard a sound. The crackle of dry leaves. Then the scrape and thud of footsteps.
    Startled, I jumped. Then I spun around — and gasped.
    We were surrounded by mummies. A dozen ragged, decayed mummies.
    They came staggering toward us, lumbering silently, arms raised stiffly in front of them.
    Backing against the museum wall, I opened my mouth in a shrill scream.

19
    One of the mummies laughed. Then several more started to giggle.
    Two of them raised their covered hands and bumped knuckles.
    “They’re … kids!” Peter exclaimed. He stood beside me with his back pressed against the cold stone of the museum wall.
    Yes. Kids in mummy costumes. Now they were staggering and dancing and skipping toward Museum Drive.
    Car doors opened. Parents stepped out to greet them.
    A tall woman with a red scarf wrapped around her hair came running up to Peter and me. Her jacket flapped behind her as she ran.
    “Is MummyFest over?” she asked breathlessly. “Have they let all the kids out?”
    I remembered MummyFest. It was the museum’s annual Halloween party. A hundred kids all wrapped up in mummy costumes.
    “I think they’re letting the kids out now,” I said. I turned and saw another group of mummies come dancing out a back door.
    The woman let out a relieved sigh. “I thought I was late.”
    Peter and I followed her to the door. Two kids came running up to her. One of them left a trail of bandages behind her and complained about her bad wrapping job.
    When the door opened again to let out more kids, I pulled Peter inside.
    I blinked several times as my eyes adjusted to the bright light. We were standing in a big chamber with black and orange streamers stretched across the ceiling.
    On a tall pedestal, an enormous jack-o’-lantern glowed with orange and yellow flames inside. Two six-foot-tall mummy statues stood guarding the jack-o’-lantern.
    Peter and I gazed around. The room was emptying out fast.
    “Which way is the Ancient Egypt section?” I asked.
    Peter scrunched up his face. “I think it’s back that way.” He pointed.
    “Let’s go,” I said.
    But before we could move, a man in a stained yellow mummy costume stepped in front of us. His blue eyes stared out at us from inside the mummy head.
    He had a tall black top hat tilting on top of his head. A round button on the hat read: TAKE ME TO MY MUMMY.
    “Can I help you?” he asked. “Are you picking up someone?”
    I nodded. “Yes. Our little sister. Franny. Have you seen her? Has she come out?”
    He squinted at me. Did he believe me?
    “There are still some kids in the cafeteria,” he said. “Why don’t you try there?” He pointed to an open archway against the back wall.
    “Hey, thanks,” I