The Haunted Mask II (4 page)

I grabbed the ugly mask from his hand and studied it. “Hey—it feels warm!”

It was so cold down in that basement. Why did the mask feel warm?

The worm bobbed out of the ugly face, as if it were alive.

I dropped the mask, plunged my hand into the carton, and pulled out another
one. A disgusting pig face with thick gobs of green stuff dripping from its snout.

“That one looks like Carly Beth!” Chuck joked.

“These are scarier than the mask Carly Beth had last year,” I said.

I pulled another one from the box. A furry animal face, sort of like a
gorilla, except that it had two long pointed fangs sliding down past its chin.

I dropped it and grabbed up another mask. Then another. A hideous bald head
with one eye hanging down by a thread and an arrow through the forehead.

I tossed it to Chuck and pulled out another one.

“This is amazing!” I cried happily. “These will terrify those kids. How will
I ever choose the best one?”

Chuck let out a disgusted groan and dropped the mask he was holding into the
box. “They feel like real skin. They’re so warm.”

I didn’t pay any attention to him. I was busy digging down to the bottom of
the carton. I wanted to check out each mask before I made my choice.

I wanted the scariest, grossest mask in the box. I wanted a mask that would
give those first graders more nightmares than they had given me!

I pulled out a mask of a girl’s face with a lizard’s head poking out from her
mouth.

No. Not scary enough.

I pulled out a mask of a snarling wolf, its lips pulled back to show two jagged rows of pointed teeth.

Too wimpy.

I pulled out an ugly mask of a leering old man, his mouth twisted in an evil
grin. One long, crooked tooth stuck down over his lower lip.

The mask had long, stringy yellow hair that drooped down over the old man’s
craggy forehead. I could see big black spiders climbing in the hair and in the
ears. A chunk of forehead was missing, revealing a patch of gray skull
underneath.

Not bad, I thought.

This one even
smelled
bad!

I started to put it back when I heard a creaking sound again.

Louder this time.

The ceiling above my head groaned.

I gasped. It really sounded like a footstep. Someone walking around up there.

But the store had appeared dark and empty. Chuck and I had both stared into
the window for a long time. If anyone was hiding there in the darkness, we would
have seen them.

Another
creak
made me suck in a mouthful of air.

I froze, listening hard. I could hear the steady
drip drip
of water
across the dark basement. I could hear the trapdoor rattling outside.

And I could hear my own shallow breathing.

The ceiling squeaked. I swallowed hard.

It’s an old building, I told myself. All old buildings squeak and creak.
Especially on a windy night.

A scraping footstep made me gasp out loud.

“Chuck—did you hear that?”

Gripping the old-man mask, I listened hard.

“Did you hear that?” I whispered. “Do you think someone else is in the
building?”

Silence.

Another scraping footstep.

“Chuck?” I whispered. “Hey—Chuck?”

My heart pounding, I turned to him.

“Chuck?”

He was gone.

“Chuck?”

A stab of fear made my breath catch in my throat.

I heard the hard thud of sneakers against concrete, and turned to the stairs.
In the dim light, I saw Chuck disappear out through the trapdoor.

As soon as he reached the alley, he poked his head back in. “Steve—get
out!”
he called down in a loud whisper. “Hurry! Get
out
of there!”

Too late.

A ceiling light flashed on.

As I blinked against the bright light, I saw a man move quickly across the
basement. He swept along the wall, pulled a long, black cord—and the trapdoor
slammed shut with a deafening
clang.

“Oh!” I uttered a weak cry as he turned angrily to me.

I was trapped.

Chuck got out. But I was trapped. Trapped in the basement with this guy.

And what a weird-looking guy! To begin with, he wore a long black cape that
swept behind him as he crossed the room to me.

Is that a Halloween costume? I wondered.

Does he wear a black cape all the time?

Beneath the billowing cape, he wore a black suit, kind of old-fashioned
looking.

He had shiny black hair, parted in the middle and slicked down with some kind
of hair grease, and a pencil-thin, black mustache that curled over his upper
lip.

As he stood over me, his black eyes glowed like two burning coals.

Like vampire eyes!
I thought.

My whole body was shaking. I gripped the sides of the carton and tried to
return his stare.

Trapped, I thought, waiting for him to speak. Trapped with a vampire.

“What are you doing here?” he asked finally. He pushed back his cape and
crossed his arms in front of him. The glowing eyes glared down at me sternly.

“Uh… just looking at masks,” I managed to choke out. I was still on my
knees on the floor. I knew that my legs were shaking too hard to stand up.

“The store is closed,” the man said through gritted teeth.

“I know,” I admitted, lowering my eyes to the floor. “I—”

“The store went out of business. We’re closed for good.”

“I… I’m sorry,” I murmured.

Was he going to let me go? What was he going to do with me?

If I started to scream, no one would hear me.

Would Chuck try to get help for me? Or was he halfway home by now?

“I live upstairs,” the man explained, still glaring at me angrily. “I heard
scraping sounds down here. Boxes being moved around. I was going to call the
police.”

“I’m not a burglar,” I blurted out. “Please don’t call the police. The
trapdoor was open and my friend and I came down.”

His eyes moved quickly around the room. “Your friend?”

“He ran away when he heard you coming,” I told him. “I just wanted to see if
there were any masks. You know. For Halloween. I wasn’t going to steal anything.
I just—”

“But the store is closed,” the man repeated. He glanced at the open carton in
front of me. “Those masks are very special. They’re not for sale.”

“N-not for sale?” I stammered.

“You shouldn’t break into stores,” the man replied, shaking his head. His
slicked-down hair gleamed under the low ceiling light. “How old are you?”

I drew a blank. My mouth dropped open, but no answer came out. I was so
terrified, I forgot how old I was!

“Twelve,” I answered finally. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

“Twelve and you’re already breaking into stores,” the man said softly.

“I don’t break into stores!” I protested. “I mean, I never did before. I came
to buy a mask. Look. I brought money.”

I jammed my trembling hand into my jeans pocket and pulled out the wad of
bills. “Twenty-five dollars,” I said, holding up the money so he could see it.
“Here. Is it enough for one of these masks?”

He rubbed his chin. “I told you, young man. These masks are special. They
cannot be sold. Believe me—you do not want one of these.”

“But I do!” I cried. “They’re awesome! They’re the best masks I’ve ever seen.
Halloween is only a few days away. I need one. I need one desperately. Please—!”

“No!” the man shouted sharply. “Not for sale.”

“But why not?” I wailed.

He eyed me thoughtfully. “Too real,” he replied. “The masks are too real.”

“But that’s why they’re so awesome!” I exclaimed. “Please?
Please?
Take my money. Here.” I pushed the wad of
bills toward him.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he turned away. His cape swirled behind him. “Come
with me, young man.”

“Huh? Where?” Cold fear ran down my back. I was still holding the money out
in front of me.

“Come upstairs with me. I’m going to call your parents.”

“No!” I shrieked. “Please—!”

If my mom and dad found out I got caught breaking into the basement of a
store, they would go totally ballistic! They’d ground me for life! I’d miss this
Halloween—and the next thirty Halloweens to come!

The man eyed me coldly. “I don’t want to call the police,” he said softly.
“I’d rather call your parents.”

“Please…” I murmured again, climbing to my feet.

I suddenly had an idea.

I could make a run for it.

I glanced quickly at the concrete stairs leading up to the trapdoor. If I
took off—and really flew—I could get up those stairs before the man could
reach me.

The trapdoor was shut. But it probably wasn’t locked. I could push it open
from underneath, and just keep running.

I glanced again at the steps. It was worth a try, I decided.

I took a deep breath and held it.

Then I silently counted to three.

One… two… THREE!

On three, I took off. My heart thudded louder than my sneakers on the hard
floor. But I made it to the stairs in about a second and a half!

“Hey—stop!” I heard the caped man cry out in surprise. I could hear his
heavy steps as he plunged after me.

“Stop, young man! Where are you going?”

I didn’t slow down or glance back.

I took the stairs two at a time.

Yes! Yes! I’m getting away!
I thought.

As I reached the top, I shot out both hands—and pushed up on the trapdoor
with all of my might.

It didn’t budge.

“Ohh!” I let out a terrified moan.

The caped man had reached the bottom of the steps. I could practically feel
his breath on the back of my neck.

The door has
got
to open! I told myself. It’s
got
to!

I took a deep breath. Then I heaved my shoulder against the door. I uttered a
desperate groan as I pushed.

Pushed.

The caped man made a grab for me.

I felt his hand brush my ankle.

I kicked the hand away. Then I shoved my shoulder hard against the trapdoor.

And it opened.

“Yes!” A happy cry escaped my throat as I scrambled out into the alley.

The cold air rushed against my hot face. I stumbled over something hard—a
stone or a brick. I didn’t stop to look. I ran through the narrow alley, to the sidewalk in front
of the store.

My eyes swept back and forth. I searched for Chuck. No sign of him.

Had the caped man followed me out the trapdoor? Was he chasing after me?

I turned back to the alley. And saw only darkness.

Then I took off, running fast, my feet practically flying over the pavement.
I shot across the street. Bright lights washed over me. A car horn honked,
making me jump about a mile! The car roared past.

“Hey, Steve—!”

Chuck stepped out from behind a tall evergreen shrub. “You made it!”

“Yeah. I made it,” I replied, gasping for breath.

“I—I didn’t know what to do!” he stammered.

I shook my head. “So you just stood here?”

“I waited for you,” he said. “I was kind of scared.”

Big help.

“Get going,” I urged, glancing back across the street. “He may be chasing
us.”

We ran side by side, our breath steaming up into the cold night air. The
houses and dark lawns whirred past in a gray-black blur. We didn’t say another
word to each other.

Three blocks later, I slowed down as we reached Chuck’s house. I leaned over and tried to shake away the sharp pain in my
side. I always get a pain like that when I run more than a few blocks.

“See you!” Chuck cried breathlessly. “Sorry you didn’t get your mask.”

“Yeah. It’s too bad,” I murmured glumly.

I watched him run along the side of his house until he disappeared around the
back. Then I took a deep breath and took off again, jogging now, toward my house
on the next block.

My heart was still racing in my chest. But I was starting to feel calmer. The
man in the black cape didn’t chase after us. In a few seconds, I would be safe
in my own home.

Halfway up our driveway, I slowed to a stop. The pain in my side had faded to
a dull ache.

I stepped into the yellow light from the front porch. I could hear my dog
Sparky barking inside the house. Sparky knew I was home.

As I climbed onto the front stoop, a smile crossed my face.

A very wide smile.

I was pleased with myself. In fact, I was overjoyed. I felt like leaping in
the air. Or maybe doing a wild, crazy dance. Or crowing like a rooster. Or
tilting back my head and howling at the moon.

The evening had been a total success.

I didn’t tell Chuck. I didn’t want Chuck to know.

But when the caped man clicked on the basement light—in that split second before he saw me and I saw him—I grabbed
a mask from the carton. And I shoved it under my sweatshirt.

I had a mask!

It hadn’t been easy. In fact, being trapped in that eerie basement with that
strange man had been the scariest time of my life.

But I had a mask! Safely tucked under my sweatshirt.

I could feel it against my chest as I ran. And I could feel it now, warm
against my skin as I reached for the front door.

I was so happy. So pleased with myself.

And then I felt the mask start to move.

And I screamed as something sharp bit into my chest.

I grabbed the front of my sweatshirt. I pressed both hands tight against the
bulge of the mask.

“Whoa,” I murmured, holding the mask in place under the sweatshirt.

Stop imagining things, Steve, I scolded myself.

Calm down. The mask started to slip down your chest. That’s all. It wasn’t
moving. It didn’t bite you.

Get in the house, I ordered myself. Hide the thing in a drawer in your room.
And pull yourself together.