Free The First Horror by R. L. Stine

too,” Kody whispered. “Where is he?” James cried. “Where is Cubby?” “He sounds so far away,” Mr. Frasier said, listening hard, his eyes narrowing.
    “He’s downstairs!” James shouted excitedly. “I know he is!” He turned and ran to the stairway. Cally could hear him calling the puppy’s name all the way down the stairs. She started to follow James, but her feet slipped and she grabbed the side of the sink to keep from falling. “Ohhh.” Her feet were covered in the slimy, warm goo. And now it gurgled over her hands as she grabbed the sink. “Stop it! Daddy—please! Stop it!” Cally pleaded miserably. “It—it’s all over me!” “I’m trying to!” Mr. Frasier replied, twisting the knob and finally shutting it off. “Where’s Mom?” Kody asked. “I—I have to get changed,” Cally cried. She stepped around Kody, into the hall—in time to see her mother emerge from her bedroom. “Mom!” Cally shrieked. “Oh, help me,” Mrs. Frasier murmured, staggering toward Cally, her arms stretched out in front of her. “Help—” Her hair, her face, her nightgown—were all soaked with bright red blood.

Chapter 14
    Cally uttered a cry of disbelief and went charging down the hall toward her mother. “Mom—are you hurt? Dad—hurry! Mom needs help!” “I— I’m not hurt,” Mrs. Frasier said, pushing at her blood-soaked hair with both hands. “I’m not hurt. The blood—” Kody and Mr. Frasier burst into the hallway, their faces reflecting their alarm. Kody let out a horrified shriek when she saw her mother. Cally saw the color instantly drain from her father’s face. His mouth dropped open, and he started to choke. “I’m not hurt!” Mrs. Frasier cried. “It just—dripped on me.” Cally and Kody rushed to hug their mother. But Mrs. Frasier hung back. “What’s that smell?” she demanded. “Cally—what is that all over you?” “I—I don’t know,” Cally stammered. “Beth, are you cut?” Mr. Frasier finally found his voice. “The blood- -” “It dripped on me. From the ceiling,” Mrs. Frasier explained, pointing with a trembling hand to their bedroom. They ran to the bedroom. Cally clicked on the light. She uttered a low gasp as she saw the dark puddle of blood on the ceiling above her parents’ bed. The blood was trickling down in a steady stream, splashing onto the pillows and sheets. “I heard Cally screaming,” Mrs. Frasier said, lingering at the doorway, gazing up with fear in her eyes at the huge circle of blood. “I started to get up. And then I realized—” She gestured to the bloodstains on her nightgown. “It must be coming from the attic,” Mr. Frasier said. He grabbed his glasses off the dresser top and struggled to steady his hands enough to put them on. “There must be something in the attic.” He hurried past Cally’s mother, heading toward the attic stairs. “No—don’t go!” Mrs. Frasier screamed after him. “Don’t go up there!” But Cally heard the attic door open, then heard her father’s heavy footsteps as he climbed the stairs. “I can’t find him!” James cried as he burst into the room. “I can hear Cubby—but I can’t find him anywhere!” Sobbing, he buried his face in his mother’s nightgown.
    But he jerked his head back when he felt the wetness. “Mommy—” “I’m okay,” Mrs. Frasier assured him. “I’m not hurt.” “I—I’ve got to take a shower,” Cally moaned. “This stuff—it’s so gross! The smell is making me sick again.” “Where’s Daddy?” James demanded. Cally raised her eyes to the ceiling. She could hear her father’s footsteps over her head. “Is Daddy up there?” James asked, wiping tears off his cheeks with both hands. Mrs. Frasier nodded. “Something is dripping.” She pointed to the ceiling. The footsteps in the attic stopped. A heavy silence fell over the bedroom. Everyone listened. Silence upstairs. No footsteps. Not a sound. “Oh, no!” Kody moaned. She turned and ran