CHAPTER 7
Monster Hunting
Robbie and I told each other ghost stories until the house got quiet.
“Shhhhh,” I said. “Listen. I think they have all gone to sleep.”
I tiptoed across the floor, opened my bedroom door, and looked out.
I shut the door and tiptoed back over to Robbie. “The coast is clear.”
“Then it’s time for a little monster hunting,” Robbie whispered.
“Yeah. Monster hunting,” I whispered. I tried to sound brave, but my voice was shaking.
“Are you okay, Freddy?” Robbie asked. “We don’t have to do this if you’re too scared.”
“Me? Too scared? Nah. I’m fine.”
“Then let’s get ready,” said Robbie.
We put on our black outfits, Robbie grabbed his night-vision goggles, I grabbed my sharkhead flashlight, and we each picked up a hockey stick.
“Ready, Freddy?”
“Ready!”
We walked over to the door and opened it very slowly. I took one step into the hall.
“No! Wait!” Robbie said, yanking me back into the room. I fell down on the ground and dropped my stick.
“Are you crazy?” I said. “We are supposed to be super quiet.”
“I know. Sorry. It’s just that I remembered we don’t have the camera,” Robbie whispered.
“Good thing you remembered that now,” I said. “I wouldn’t have had the picture to show Max.”
I grabbed the camera and put it into my pocket, and we tiptoed down the hall to the guest room.
“Good. Our plan worked. My dad forgot all about putting the stairs back up,” I said. “Now, remember, whatever you do, do not step on the fourth step.”
Robbie nodded.
“I’ll shine my flashlight on the stairs, and you can go up first.”
“Thanks, Freddy,” said Robbie.
Robbie thought I was being nice, but really I was just being a big wimp. I wanted Robbie to go up first in case the monster was at the top of the stairs waiting for us.
I shined my light on the stairs and Robbie climbed up, skipping the fourth step.
“Do you see anything?” I whispered up to him.
“Nope,” he said. “Come on up.”
I stuck the hockey stick under one arm so I would have one hand free to grab the side of the stairs. I shined my flashlight on the stairs and climbed up. I was shaking all over. I didn’t know which was wobbling more, the stairs or my legs.
When I got to the top, I had to stop for a minute because my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to pop out of my chest.
“Do you hear anything?” I asked Robbie.
“Nope. It’s totally quiet up here.”
“Too quiet,” I said. “It’s kind of creepy.”
“It’s like he’s just waiting to jump out and scare us,” said Robbie.
“Did you have to say that?” I asked, biting my nails. “I’m already freaked out enough.”
“Sorry,” said Robbie. “I’m turning on my night-vision goggles. Come on. Follow me.”
We started to walk slowly through the attic. I had my hockey stick up in the ready position in case the monster jumped out at us. “See anything yet?” I whispered.
“Nope,” Robbie whispered back.
We took a few more steps, and that was when I saw it.
I froze in my tracks.
“L-l-l-loooook over there,” I said, pointing to the back corner of the attic.
I grabbed Robbie’s shirt so he had to stop walking. “I … I … I … I think it’s the monster!”
Robbie froze. “Where?” he whispered.
“O-o-o-over there,” I said again. “In the back corner.”
“Are you going to take a picture?” said Robbie.
“No,” I said. “It’s too far away.”
“Well, then we have to move closer,” said Robbie.
“Are you crazy?” I whispered. “I am not getting any closer to that thing. He will gobble us up!”
“But if we don’t get a picture, then Max won’t believe you,” said Robbie. “We have to get a picture. Besides, I don’t think he’s moved at all. He must be sleeping. We’ll just walk really quietly and take the picture before he even wakes up.”
“How do you know he’s not going to wake up?” I said.
“Well, I don’t know for sure, but the longer we stand here talking, the greater the chance that he will wake up. Come on, Freddy.”
Robbie started to walk toward the monster. My feet felt like they were stuck to the ground with glue. They wouldn’t move. “I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered to Robbie.
“Yes, you can, Freddy,” Robbie said. “Just get your hockey stick ready and start moving.”
I silently counted to three, took a deep breath, and started moving slowly toward the monster. Max Sellars would never be able to call me a baby again if I showed him a picture of the real, live monster in my attic.
After we had taken about three steps, I said, “I think we’re close enough.”
“Not yet,” said Robbie. “It’s too dark in here. The flash won’t work from that far away.”
“The flash? I didn’t know the flash was going to go off! That’s going to wake up the monster!” I said.
“That’s a chance we’ll have to take,” said Robbie. “Don’t stop now. We’re so close.”
“Yeah. Too close,” I thought. I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up.
“Just a few more steps,” said Robbie. “Do you have the camera ready?”
I reached deep down in my pocket for the camera and pulled it out. “I’ve got the camera,” I said.
“On the count of three, take the picture,” said Robbie. “I’ll be ready with my stick.”
I swallowed hard. My hand was shaking so much I didn’t think I would be able to hold the camera steady.
“One, two, three,” said Robbie. “Now!”
I clicked the button on the camera and the flash went off.
Robbie started laughing.
“Shhhhhh!” I said. “You’ll wake up the monster.”
“That’s not a monster,” Robbie said, still laughing. “It’s just two old beanbag chairs piled on top of each other with some rolls of wrapping paper sticking out from behind them like horns.”
I walked closer to the fake monster. Robbie was right. It was just a pile of old junk. “Great!” I said. “I got a picture of junk from my attic. That will impress Max Sellars.”
“I think we need to change our plan,” said Robbie.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I don’t think the monster is here right now,” said Robbie.
“Where would he be?”
“He must have gone out to get something to eat,” Robbie said.
“I don’t even want to think about what he eats,” I thought. “So what should we do?” I asked Robbie.
“I think we should hide somewhere up here, so he doesn’t see us when he gets back. We could just sit down behind those boxes over there and wait. We’d have to sit very, very still and be very, very quiet.”
“You’re the genius,” I said. “I’ll follow you.”
We walked over to the other corner of the attic and sat down behind a row of boxes. I could just peek out between two of the larger boxes.
“Now we can see him,” said Robbie, “but he can’t see us.”
“You are so smart, Robbie,” I said.
“Keep one hand on your stick, and do not make a sound,” said Robbie.
We sat so still that all I could hear was Robbie’s breathing and the pounding of my heart.