Screem moved forward quickly. I heard a loud squish sound as he stepped on the glob of worms.
He flattened the worms under the sole of his boot. He kept his eyes straight ahead on Peter and me.
I pressed my back against the dirt wall. No way to escape. We were trapped six feet underground in this narrow hole.
“What are you going to do?” I repeated. My voice cracked as I said the words.
“I warned you,” Screem said. “I warned you back at Bella’s house.”
He held the skull mask tightly in one hand. He reached out his other hand to me.
I tried to squirm away. But there was nowhere to move.
“Turn around,” he said. “I’ll give you a boost.”
I swallowed. My heart was pounding hard. That wasn’t what I expected him to say.
A few seconds later, Screem pushed me up to the top of the grave. I scrambled on my hands and knees onto the grass. Then I jumped to my feet.
Peter came crawling out after me. He shook his head, confused. He climbed to his feet.
I turned and saw the moaning skeleton. It stood stiffly beside the grave. Its bony arms dangled at its sides. Its eyeless sockets were trained on Peter and me.
Screem floated up from the grave. His purple robe fluttered in the wind. His white hair blew about his head.
He turned to the skeleton. “Your work is done,” he told it.
He raised his hand, and the big jeweled ring glowed on his finger. He pointed the jewel at the skeleton.
The skeleton let out a final moan. Then its bones cracked and broke and fell apart. The bones fell to the grass and crumpled to dust. The dust swirled into the air and blew away.
Screem watched it for a moment. Then he turned to us.
Was he going to raise his ring and zap us to dust?
“Give me back the three masks you’ve found,” he said. He reached out his hand. “Give them back and get away from here — as fast as you can.”
I stared at him. I didn’t know what to say. I was too frightened to speak.
“I must hold the masks till dawn,” Screem said. “Or you will see evil spread over the world.”
A terrifying threat. Bella said that’s what would happen if Screem kept the masks.
But I had only one thing on my mind now. And I would never give back the masks till Screem helped us.
“We want our parents!” I cried. “We want our house back. We’ll give you the masks when you bring them back.”
Screem’s purple eyes flashed. He shook his head. “If I don’t have those five masks at dawn,” he boomed, “you will never see your parents again.”