Free 02 - Stay Out of the Basement by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead)

each other softly, wetly.
    And then the banging began again in the supply closet next to the shelves.
    Margaret stared at Casey. “That thumping. What is it?”
    They both listened to the insistent banging sounds. A low moan issued from
the closet, followed by a higher-pitched one, both mournful, both very
human-sounding.
    “I think someone’s in there!” Margaret exclaimed.
    “Maybe it’s Mr. Martinez,” Casey suggested, still gripping the wallet tightly
in his hand.
    Thud thud thud.
    “Do you think we should open the closet?” Casey asked timidly.
    A plant groaned as if answering.
    “Yes. I think we should,” Margaret replied, suddenly cold all over. “If it’s
Mr. Martinez in there, we’ve got to let him out.”
    Casey set the wallet down on the shelf. Then they moved quickly to the supply
closet.
    Across from them, the plants seemed to shift and move as the two kids did.
They heard breathing sounds, another groan, scurrying noises. Leaves bristled on
their stalks. Tendrils drooped and slid.
    “Hey—look!” Casey cried.
    “I see,” Margaret said. The closet door wasn’t just locked. A two-by-four had
been nailed over it.
    Thud thud. Thud thud thud.
    “There’s someone in there—I know it!” Margaret cried.
    “I’ll get the hammer,” Casey said. Keeping close to the wall and as far away
from the plants as he could, he edged his way toward the worktable.
    A few seconds later, he returned with a claw hammer.
    Thud thud.
    Working together, they pried the two-by-four off the door. It clattered
noisily to the floor.
    The banging from inside the supply closet grew louder, more insistent.
    “Now what do we do about the lock?” Margaret asked, staring at it.
    Casey scratched his head. They both had perspiration dripping down their
faces. The steamy, hot air made it hard to catch their breaths.
    “I don’t know how to unlock it,” Casey said, stumped.
    “What if we tried to pry the door off the way we pulled off the two-by-four?”
Margaret asked.
    Thud thud thud.
    Casey shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s try.”
    Working the claw of the hammer into the narrow crack, they tried prying the
door on the side of the lock. When it wouldn’t budge, they moved to the hinged
side of the door and tried there.
    “It’s not moving,” Casey said, mopping his forehead with his arm.
    “Keep trying,” Margaret said. “Here. Let’s both push it.”
    Digging the claw in just above the lower hinge, they both pushed the handle
of the hammer with all their strength.
    “It—it moved a little,” Margaret said, breathing hard.
    They kept at it. The wet wood began to crack. They both pushed against the
hammer, wedging the claw into the crack.
    Finally, with a loud ripping sound, they managed to pull the door off.
    “Huh?” Casey dropped the hammer.
    They both squinted into the dark closet.
    And screamed in horror when they saw what was inside.

 
 
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    “Look!” Margaret cried, her heart thudding. She suddenly felt dizzy. She
gripped the side of the closet to steady herself.
    “I—don’t believe this,” Casey said quietly, his voice trembling as he
stared into the long, narrow supply closet.
    They both gaped at the weird plants that filled the closet.
    Were they plants?
    Under the dim ceiling bulb, they bent and writhed, groaning, breathing,
sighing. Branches shook, leaves shimmered and moved, tall plants leaned forward
as if reaching out to Margaret and Casey.
    “Look at that one!” Casey cried, taking a step back, stumbling into Margaret.
“It has an arm!”
    “Ohh.” Margaret followed Casey’s stare. Casey was right. The tall, leafy
plant appeared to have a green, human arm descending from its stalk.
    Margaret’s eyes darted around the closet. To her horror, she realized that
several plants seemed to have human features—green arms, a yellow hand with
three fingers poking from it, two stumpy legs where the stem should be.
    She and her brother both cried out when they saw