Free Wanted by R. L. Stine Page B

dance with them.
    Like that was really going to happen.
    Let’s be honest. I was totally creeped out in this field. I mean, it was very dark and there could be hundreds of real snakes slithering along the snaky vines. And all kinds of other creatures.
    I mean, this field was a horror movie waiting to happen.
    But I had to act brave for the girls. I’m the older brother and that’s my job, right?
    I tugged free of them and took a few steps back. The fat leaves brushed the legs of my jeans. That sent chills up my spine.
    And in the darkness, I suddenly saw two glowing green eyes. Cat eyes. Zeus had followed us again.
    The girls were dancing faster and faster, circling the big pumpkin and singing:
    â€œJack Jack Jack-o’-lantern
    Jack-o’-lantern come ALIVE!
    Come alive! Come alive!
    Jack Jack Jack Jack.”
    â€œCome alive? Are you kidding me?” I shouted over their shrill little singing voices.
    They both laughed.
    â€œWhere did you learn that song?” I asked.
    â€œWe made it up, stupid,” Dolly replied.
    â€œYes, we make up songs all the time,” Dale said. “Why won’t you dance with us, Devin? Don’t you think it’s cool to dance in the dark like this?”
    â€œNot cool,” I said. “Totally not cool. Let’s go back to the house. It’s getting cold.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t.”
    See? I’m always wrong.
    â€œJack Jack Jack-o’-lantern
    Jack-o’-lantern come ALIVE!
    Come alive! Come alive!
    Jack Jack Jack Jack.”
    â€œStop singing that!” I shouted. Their dumb song was giving me the creeps, too. I was shivering. Really.
    Hey, I’m a city guy. I grew up in New York City. My first seven years, at least. Before we moved to Dayton, Ohio. I don’t belong on a farm.
    I can’t believe Dad leased this pick-your-own-pumpkin farm. But he lost his job last year. And he’s been scrambling around, trying to find ways to make money ever since.
    So, I try not to complain. I only tell him how much I hate it here five or ten times a day.
    A strong gust of wind came blowing down the length of the field. The trees near the fence bent and made weird groaning sounds. The pumpkin leaves rattled and shook at my feet.
    â€œI … I’m going inside,” I said to the twins. “Are you coming?”
    I didn’t wait for their answer. I turned and started to jog toward the house, jumping over the long, fat vines.
    â€œWHOOOOAAAA!”
    I tripped over a vine.
    Nothing to grab on to. Nothing to stop myself from falling.
    I saw the glowing cat eyes watching me as I went down.
    I landed with a thud. My head hit something hard. A pumpkin? A rock?
    My knees throbbed. Pain shot up and down my body.
    Everything went black. Blacker than the night sky.
    I fought it. I forced my eyes to open. Pain danced around my head, circling me. I could feel the blood pulsing at my temples.
    â€œOhhhhh.” A low moan escaped my throat. I shook my head hard, trying to shake away the pain.
    â€œAre you okay?”
    â€œDevin, are you hurt?”
    My twin sisters leaned over me, staring down with wide eyes.
    â€œNo. Not okay,” I said. I held my hands out and let them pull me to a sitting position.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Dolly asked.
    â€œDidn’t you see what happened?” I cried.
    They both shook their heads. “You tripped?” Dale said.
    â€œNo,” I said. “Didn’t you see that vine move? That vine right there.” I pointed to it. “It moved. It tripped me. Really. I saw it move!”

The girls just laughed. They thought I was joking, but I wasn’t.
    Squinting into the darkness, I could swear I saw the vines crawling over the ground, twisting, tangling over one another as they stretched and slithered.
    I stood up and rubbed my head. I could feel a bump on my forehead from where I hit. No blood. But I knew I’d have an ugly bruise.
    The cool wind felt good on my