Vampire Breath by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

hearth.
    My eyes glanced quickly around the room. And landed at the broad kitchen
window.
    No black drape. And no bars!
    “Yaaaay!” Cara cheered.
    We both dove for the window. Could we open it?
    We tried pushing it up from the bottom. But there were no handles, no place
to grip the frame.
    “Smash it!” Cara cried. “Smash the window open!”
    I ran to the wall and pulled down a heavy metal skillet. I lugged it to the
window. Pulled back my arm. Prepared to swing.
    “Oh!” I cried out when I heard a cough.
    Behind us. From the hallway.
    “It’s him!” I whispered. “It’s Count Nightwing!”
    “Smash the window!” Cara insisted.
    “No. He’ll hear us! He’ll find us!” I whispered back.
    I lowered the skillet to the floor. And turned back to study the window.
    Another cough. Closer this time.
    “Look,” I whispered to Cara. “It pushes out, I think.” I reached with both
hands and pushed at the dust-smeared windowpane.
    Leaned into it. Pushed with all my strength.
    Slowly, slowly, the window slid out. With a groan, I pushed it open as far as
it would go.
    A gust of cool night air swept over me. I grabbed Cara’s hand and started to
give her a boost.
    A noise behind us at the doorway made me jump. “Hurry—!” I whispered. “He’s
coming!”
    My heart pounding, I pushed Cara up to the window. Then we both scrambled
frantically out onto the ledge.

 
 
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    “Did he see us? Was he in the kitchen?” Cara whispered.
    “I don’t know,” I told her. “I didn’t see. But he was definitely in the
hall.”
    “If he saw us…” Cara started. A gust of wind drowned out the rest of her
words.
    The night wind felt cool and refreshing on my skin. Heavy clouds floated over
the full moon, plunging us into total darkness.
    We were both on our knees, our backs to the kitchen. Huddled close beside
Cara, I struggled to keep my balance on the narrow stone window ledge.
    “Let’s get going,” I urged.
    We both turned and faced the window. Then, gripping the stone ledge with both
hands, we began lowering our legs down the wall, lowering ourselves to the
ground.
    Lower. Lower…
    “Hey—!” I cried out when my feet didn’t touch anything solid.
    A shaft of moonlight broke through the clouds.
    I looked down.
    And opened my mouth in a hoarse scream.
    My feet kicked the air. My hands gripped the ledge above me.
    I stared down into empty space.
    Far below I could see dark, jagged rocks glowing dully in the moonlight.
    Far below!
    Miles below!
    “We—we’re on top of a cliff!” Cara stammered. “The castle—it’s built on a
cliff!”
    “Ohhhhh.” I uttered a terrified moan.
    The castle was built on top of a sheer rock cliff. And we were now dangling
over the side. Dangling by our arms. Dangling…
    My arms started to ache. I could feel my hands slipping, losing their grip on
the stone window ledge above me.
    “Cara—!” I gasped.

 
 
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    My hands scraped the dark stones of the wall.
    I struggled to grab on to something— anything !
    But I was falling too fast.
    My feet kicked. I thrashed my arms. The wind rushed up at me as if trying to
push me back up.
    Was that me howling like that?
    I was falling too fast to hear my own scream.
    And then suddenly I stopped.
    Stopped screaming. Stopped falling.
    A black shadow swept around me. I felt something sharp dig into my shoulders.
Hot breath grazed the back of my neck.
    I heard a loud flapping sound. A fluttering heartbeat.
    Gripped inside this shadow, I felt myself being pulled up.
    I twisted my head back—and saw two glowing red eyes. The hot breath poured from its dark gaping mouth.
    It’s going to eat me! I realized.
    I’m trapped inside this red-eyed shadow. Trapped in its talons as it carries
me higher. Higher.
    And then darkness surrounded me.
    I landed somewhere. Landed hard on my feet with a loud thud.
    The darkness lifted. I opened my eyes and saw Cara. Her mouth dropped open in
amazement. “Freddy—!”