Free R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 by Little Camp of Horrors Page A

then I heard Tara's voice, muffled by the evil bodies. “Max—help! Help us!”

32
    T HE WALL OF GRAY GHOSTS parted for a brief moment. I saw four ghosts holding Mr. and Mrs. Roland down. Two other ghosts had Nicky's and Tara's arms pinned behind their backs.
    “Max—the pendant!” Mr. Roland shouted. “Put it back together. It's our only chance.”
    I turned and saw the two pieces of the pendant glimmering beside the rock on the shore. My legs were trembling. It seemed to take forever to get them to move.
    Finally, I took off running toward the pendant.
    I felt a cold wind on the back of my neck. Glancing behind me, I saw Phears, floating fast, coming after me.
    With a loud cry, I dove for the pendant pieces. Grabbed them in one hand. “I've got it!” I groaned.
    And then I cried out in pain as Phears' heavy, pointed boot kicked the pieces out of my hand.
    The pieces of the pendant flew to the mud.
    Howling, I shook my hand hard, trying to force away the pain.
    Phears lowered himself to the ground and grabbed for the halves of the pendant.
    I leaped onto his back.
    Groaning, kicking and slapping at each other, we wrestled in the mud. His body was sticky and hot. His back felt hard, like the shell of a turtle.
    His clothes were damp, and a slimy goo came off onto my body as I struggled with him. We rolled over and over in the mud.
    Finally, he rolled on top of me. Sat heavily on my chest. And stared down at me in a rage. Those white eyes burned right through me.
    And he bellowed, “You
dare
to challenge me? I'm going to turn you inside out now—like your dog!”
    I felt a hard pull on my skin. The skin of my face started to pull back. My lips stretched back over my teeth.
    He was doing it. Holding me down, he was pulling my skin back on itself, turning me inside out.
    “No!” I spun around. Facedown, I tried to get a good grip on the ground. Tried to push him off me.
    My hand felt something hard in the mud. Something metallic.
    Yes! I wrapped my fingers around both pieces of the life pod.
    Twisting my body, I freed my other hand.
    My head throbbed. The skin of my face pulled tighter.
    With a frantic swing, I brought my hands together. And shoved the two halves of the pendant shut. Back in one piece.
    It clicked into place.
    I heard the
click
—and then, with a high scream that shook the trees, Phears flew up into the sky— and vanished.
    My skin slid back over my teeth. Still on my back, I stared up at the clouds. No Phears. He really was gone.
    Panting, I climbed to my knees. I held the pendant high. “I've got the pendant back together!” I choked out. “Hey, I've got it!”
    At the sound of my voice, the ghosts all spun away from the Rolands. Jabbering, their dead eyes locked on me, they came rushing forward. Stampeding toward me. A wall of gray dead-faced ghosts, storming at me, muttering excitedly.
    Coming to finish me off.
    I fought off my panic and jumped to my feet. I turned and started to run.
    But my feet slipped in the wet mud. I went down face-first.
    I fell hard. Pain shot through my body. But I held on to the pendant.
    No time to climb back up. No time …
    The jabbering ghosts swarmed over me.

33
    I STRUGGLED TO MY KNEES as the first ghost attacked.
    A whoosh of cold, sour air blew over me. The ghost's long gray hair flew up behind his head. His mouth was open in a silent scream. His bony, pale arms reached out, fingers cracking.
    And then he was gone.
    It took me a few seconds to realize that he had vanished into the life pod.
    The pod trembled in my hand as I held it in front of me.
    With a strong blast of air, another ghost disappeared inside it. And then another.
    The pod bounced and jerked in my hand. I tightened my fist and held on.
    The trees rang with the screams and wails of the ghostly army. They raised their hands as shields and struggled to hang back.
    But the pod acted like a powerful vacuum cleaner. Its pull proved too strong for them. One by one, it sucked them inside.
    The