Free Scare School by R. L. Stine

slam, too. But it wasn’t this door, Sam. I’ve been reading up here ever since school let out. Really.”
    I continued to stare at him. Should I believe him?
    “I’ll help you find him,” Tim said softly. “If you don’t tell anyone about my secret hiding place. If you promise not to tell, I’ll help you search for him, Sam.”
    “I opened the wrong door,” I muttered. “He must have run into the room next door.”
    Tim suddenly looked very frightened. “The imp? He’s next door? Why would he come up here? No one ever comes up here.”
    I didn’t reply. I spun away from him and ran out of the room.
    I grabbed the handle to the door on the right and pulled it open.
    Was the imp still in there?
    No. I stared into a bare room. No furniture of any kind. A totally empty room. Gray light washed in through the dust-caked windows.
    “Where did he go?” I muttered.
    Was Tim lying? Was Tim really the imp?
    But he seemed so surprised to see me. So desperate to keep his hiding place a secret.
    My head spinning, I left Tim and made my way back down the hall. I turned a corner and found myself in a familiar hallway.
    The band room stood at the end of this hall. I suddenly remembered that I had hurried out without putting my sax in its case.
    I glanced at the clock on the wall. Nearly five fifteen.
    It’s really getting late, I realized.
    I stepped up to the band room—and stopped in the doorway.
    There he was again–the imp!
    He had his back to me. He held my saxophone in his hands.
    What was he doing to it?
    I stopped myself from crying out.
    I gazed in horror as the creature raised the horn to his lips. The sax was nearly as tall as he was! He blew into the horn and made a flat noise, more like a burp than a musical note.
    Yuck, I thought.
    That creature has my horn in his mouth!
    What does he plan to do to my new sax? Does he plan to ruin it? Is he going to make it explode when I start to play it later? Or make it stick to me again? My horror quickly turned to anger.
    The imp had no right—no right to be ruining my life this way!
    My heart pounded. As my anger rose, I could feel the blood pulsing at my temples.
    I crept into the room.
    The imp still had his back turned. He didn’t see me. He blew another sour note on the horn.
    Before he could turn around, I ran up behind him. I made a flying leap.
    I wrapped my arms around his waist—and tightened them. Tighter. Tighter.
    The sax fell out of his hands and slid to the floor.
    He opened his mouth in a shrill, raspy shriek.
    He squirmed and twisted hard.
    But I held on.
    Digging my chin into his back, I tightened my grip around his waist. And held on.
    He ducked and tossed. He shrieked again.
    His skin felt wet and soft. Slippery.
    But I held on. Squeezing him. Squeezing him until he made’ a gasping, choking sound.
    His body went limp. His head slumped forward. “Gotcha!” I screamed. “I’ve gotcha!”

24
    He let out one more grunt.
    Then his eyes slowly lowered and shut. His head bounced on his chest. All the air seemed to go out of his body, like a balloon deflating.
    Was it a trick?
    Had I killed him?
    No. I could feel him breathing.
    But his arms and legs dangled as if they had no bones.
    I’ve got him, I thought. Now what do I do with him?
    I stumbled to the door.
    If only someone were still in the school. Someone who could help me.
    I needed to put him somewhere safe, I knew. Somewhere he couldn’t escape.
    Everyone would be back here in a few hours.
    I thought of how shocked everyone would be when they saw that I had captured the imp. Shocked—and thrilled!
    But in the meantime, I needed something to keep him in.
    The imp uttered a weak groan. His arms twitched. Was he coming back to life?
    Holding him tightly in front of me, I turned back to the band room.
    And had an idea.
    The imp twitched again. He snapped his head back. His eyelids opened, and I could see his dark eyes rolling in his head.
    I knew I had only seconds before he came to life