I Live in Your Basement (8 page)

“Marco—?” Mom called after me.

But I didn’t turn back. I ran up the stairs and into my room. And I slammed
the bedroom door behind me.

“Marco, take it easy,” a voice said.

I gasped and raised my eyes to the bed. Keith sat cross-legged on the
blanket, the pillow between his hands.

“Sit down,” he said, motioning to my desk chair. “Take a deep breath. Relax.
We’re going to spend a long time together. The rest of your life.”

“Am I dreaming?” I asked in a tiny voice.

Keith didn’t reply. He pointed to the chair. “Sit down,” he ordered.

I glanced at the door. I thought about escaping.

But I suddenly felt so tired, so totally weak and weary.

My legs started to give way. My whole body trembled.

“I’m sooooo tired,” I moaned. I turned back to Keith. “You win,” I murmured.
“You’ve beaten me.”

He smiled and pointed again to the chair.

I slumped into it with a long sigh. “I can’t fight you,” I told him wearily.
“I don’t know if I’m dreaming or awake. And I don’t have the strength to find
out.”

His smile grew wider. A victory smile, I guess. His dark eyes flashed.

“You win,” I repeated sadly. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

He jumped to his feet and crossed the room. Then he patted me on the
shoulder, as if I were his puppy dog. “Smart boy,” he said.

He stood in front of me and crossed his arms. His grin was frozen on his
face. “I knew you’d see it my way,” he said. “Because you are a very smart boy,
Marco.”

I lowered my head. I couldn’t stand seeing that sick grin on his face.

“I know you will take very good care of me,” Keith continued. “I know you
will do whatever I tell you to. For as long as you live.”

He suddenly spun away and started to the door.

“Where are you going?” I demanded weakly.

“I’m going down to the basement,” he replied. “Where I live. And do you know
what I’m going to do?”

“No,” I choked out.

“Guess,” he demanded.

“I can’t guess,” I snapped. “Give me a break.”

“I’m going down to the basement and make a list of all the things you can do
for me right away,” Keith said. “You wait here, Marco. When I finish my list, I
will come back and we can go over it together.”

“Right,” I muttered under my breath. I rolled my eyes.

Was he serious about this? Did he really expect me to be his slave—forever?

He stopped at the door and turned back to me.

“Before I go, there’s just one thing I want to show you,” he said.

He took a few steps back into the room. Then he opened his mouth wide.

Shiny pink stuff poured out of his mouth. For a second, I thought he was
blowing a bubblegum bubble.

But I quickly realized what was happening.

His glistening, wet insides poured out of his mouth. Yellow organs clung to
the pink flesh. His purple heart plopped out from between his teeth, pulsing
inside a thick web of blue ropelike veins.

I stared in horror, watching him turn inside out.

Then I started to scream.

And Keith opened his mouth—teeth on the outside—and he screamed too.

I opened my eyes and blinked. My eyes were dry and caked. My mouth felt as
dry as cotton.

I must have been sleeping a long time, I told myself.

Still lying fiat, I stretched my arms out. The muscles ached.

My head ached.

With a groan, I lifted my head off the pillow. Then I raised myself up onto
both elbows.

“Whoa…” I murmured. The basement slowly came into focus. I felt so dizzy… dizzy and weak.

“Keith—you’re awake!”

I heard Mom’s voice. And then she popped into view.

I opened my mouth to greet her, but only coughed. I cleared my throat.

“You’re finally awake, Keith,” Mom said. “I’ve been waiting for so long.”

I shook my head hard, trying to shake away my confusion. I glanced around, struggling to focus my eyes.

Yes. Here I was. Safe and sound in the basement, where Mom and I live.

But what had happened to me? Why had I been asleep for so long?

Strange pictures floated through my mind.

“Mom—” I choked out. “Mom, I had such terrible nightmares.”

She tenderly brushed my hair off my forehead. Her hand felt warm and smooth.
“What did you dream?” she asked softly.

“I—I dreamed that Marco was hit in the head with a baseball bat,” I
stammered.

Mom bit her bottom lip. “You dreamed about Marco?” she asked, staring hard at
me.

I nodded. “Yes. Marco was hit by a bat, and I—”

“But
you
were hit by a bat, Keith,” Mom interrupted. “Not Marco.”

“Everything was turned around in the dream,” I told Mom. “I dreamed that I
went up to Marco’s room. And I told him who I was. I told him I live in his
basement.”

Mom sat down on the edge of my cot. “Then what happened?” she asked.

“He started fighting me,” I told her. “Marco was horrible to me. He started
wrestling me. And he pulled me down the stairs. I was so
frightened
!”

Mom narrowed her eyes at me sternly. “Keith, I warned you—didn’t I? I warned you never to play with humans.”

“Yes, but—” I started.

She raised a hand to silence me.

“Never play with humans, Keith,” Mom scolded. “You’re a monster. You should
never forget it.” She sighed. “Just because you look exactly like a human
doesn’t mean you can be friends with the humans.”

“I know. I know,” I grumbled.

How many times had I heard this boring lecture before? At least a hundred!

“I warned you never to play ball with Marco and the other humans,” Mom
continued. “But you didn’t listen to me. And look—look what happened.”

I raised my hand and felt the bandage on the side of my head.

“You were hit in the head with a bat, Keith,” Mom said, her voice trembling.
“You were badly hurt. It’s no wonder you had terrible nightmares.”

“Mom, please—” I tried to sit up.

But she gently forced me back onto my back. “You can’t go up and play with
the humans,” she continued her lecture. Once Mom starts, it’s impossible to stop
her. “We have to be so careful, Keith. So careful.”

“I know! I know!” I cried. “I know the whole lecture, Mom. We’re monsters,
and we live in Marco and Gwynnie’s basement. And if they ever find out we’re down here, they’ll get frightened and chase us away.”

Mom frowned at me. “I know it’s tempting to go up there and play with them,”
she said. “But I hope you’ve learned your lesson. You had me so worried this
time, Keith.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll be careful from now on,” I promised.

That seemed to make her happy. She smiled at me.

“Okay,” she said. “You need your rest. Turn inside out and get some sleep.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

I said good-night to her and watched her disappear to the other side of the
basement.

Then I opened my mouth and began to turn inside out. It felt so good to let
my insides pour out. So clean and refreshing.

My heart and arteries slid from between my teeth. My stomach was halfway out
my mouth—when I heard a sound.

No!

A sound on the basement stairs!

I glanced up—and saw Marco standing there.

Did he see me?

Staring hard at the figure on the basement stairs, I quickly sucked up my
insides. My heart and veins slid back into my body. Then I swallowed my lungs.

Did Marco see me?

Yes.

His eyes bulged with shock. His mouth hung open.

A wave of panic swept over me. A chill ran down my back.

This is our worst nightmare, I thought. I’ve been caught. I’ve been seen by a
human.

Now what?

I stared back at Marco and waited for him to speak.

It took him a long time. He gripped the banister and held on to it tightly.
He squinted across the gray basement at me, squinted hard as if he didn’t
believe what he was seeing.

“Who are you?” he asked finally in a small, frightened voice.

I swallowed hard.

What should I say? How should I answer?

I had to think fast.

“Who are you?” he repeated, a little louder, a little stronger.

“Uh… you’re dreaming!” I called to him.

He squinted harder at me.

“Go back upstairs,” I told him. “It’s just a dream.”

Would he believe me?

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