They Call Me Creature by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

blood.

 

    Gripping the tiny pig, I could feel it start to swell up. Its belly inflated, and I could feel liquid sloshing around inside.
    My blood!
    I opened my mouth in a scream of horror. “NOOOOOOO!”
    The creature drank furiously, sucking hard, its teeth cutting my skin.
    I screamed again. Again.
    I dropped to my knees. I started to feel weak … so weak.
    And then I heard a shout. The snap of twigs.
    Dad stepped out from the trees, his eyes wild, his face twisted in fear.
    He spotted me down on the ground. And then his mouth dropped open in surprise as he saw the creature at my throat.
    â€œHold still! Hold still!” he screamed.
    He dived down beside me. Dropped to the ground. Reached both hands for the creature.
    â€œDon’t pull it!” I shrieked. “It’ll rip a hole—”
    Dad clenched his teeth as he struggled to pry the little animal’s jaws apart. His face darkened to red. “Yessss!” he cried finally.
    He stumbled back. I saw the creature leap from his hand and scramble into the tall grass.
    The pain still throbbed in my throat. I touched my neck and felt the warm blood trickling down my skin.
    â€œAre you okay? Laura? Are you okay?” Dad kept repeating. He leaned over me and pushed my hand away so he could see the wound.
    â€œI … don’t know,” I whispered.
    â€œHere.” Dad pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and handed it to me. “Press this against your neck. It will stop the bleeding.”
    I held the handkerchief against my neck, and Dad helped pull me to my feet.
    â€œWhoa,” I murmured, shaking my head. I felt dizzy, kind of light-headed. “What happened? What was that?”
    Dad shook his head. “I didn’t really get a good look at it,” he said. “I was so busy prying its jaws apart…. And then it ran off. How do you feel? Are you okay?”
    â€œOkay, I guess. The pain is starting to fade.” I let out a deep breath. “But it was so weird,” I said, picturing the little animal jumping into my hand, then lunging for my neck. “It didn’t just bite me. It was sucking my blood.” I shuddered. “It was sucking my blood like a vampire.”
    â€œLet me see your neck.” Dad took the wadded-up handkerchief and studied the wound.
    â€œI don’t like the way that looks.” His brow tightened with worry. “We have to get to Dr. Davis right now.”
    Dr. Davis took us into his office immediately. He is a short, pudgy, egg-shaped man with a tiny head. He reminds me of an ostrich.
    â€œLaura—what happened?” he asked, leading me to the examining table.
    â€œSomething bit her,” Dad said. “A baby chimpmunk, maybe. But I’m not sure. It was hard to tell because whatever it was, it had lost all its fur.”
    I stared over the doctor’s shoulder at Dad. Why did he lie? No way that was a chipmunk. Why didn’t he tell Dr. Davis that it was a strange little pig?
    Dr. Davis examined the wound. “It could have been a diseased animal. Maybe rabid,” he said softly. “Did it look rabid?” the doctor asked.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Dad answered. “It ran off. I just don’t know.”
    â€œRabies shots are very painful,” Dr. Davis said. “I’ll rush your blood sample to the lab before we start with shots. I’ll have the results by tomorrow morning at the very latest. In the meantime, I’ll give you a prescription for strong antibiotics. Start taking them right away.”
    Rabies. My stomach tightened. Please let the blood tests be okay, I thought. I watched Dr. Davis prepare a needle and thread to stitch up the wound.
    I closed my eyes and pictured the animal that bit me. I saw its pink body. Its little piglike snout. It was not a chipmunk, I thought. It was definitely not a chipmunk.
    A short while later Dad and I crossed the parking lot to the car. “How does it