22

Tiny splits began appearing in the cavern walls and glowing green tentacles began wriggling down out of them, like muscular worms.

“Look!” cried Jessie, pointing behind me.

I jumped around to see swarms of tentacles erupting from the shadows and the narrow passage that was our only way out. More cracks were appearing in the walls every second and tentacles wormed out of them in gobs.

They plopped and plunged off the walls then surged toward the three of us, a writhing, wriggling, slimy mass.

We knew from before that if we could make our minds go blank from terror, the alien creatures couldn’t find us. It was thoughts they sensed.

Surrounded by them I was almost scared enough already but I knew this time it wouldn’t work. We had no place to run to and the aliens knew it. We were trapped. If we blanked out they’d just wait until we started thinking again and grab us.

We had no choice. We had to fight them.

Frasier screamed a war whoop and waded into the mass of glowing tentacles, swinging his bat in every direction. But the tentacles were lightning fast.

They whipped in front of Frasier, just out of his reach, distracting him while another swarm of them swooped toward me and Jessie.

Jessie beat them off as best she could with her flashlight but there were too many of them. A big fat one whipped around her, pinning her arms.

“Jessie,” I yelled, lunging for her. But a squirming mass surged up, blocking my path. The pulsing tentacles swayed in front of me as if choosing the best place to attack.

I could see Jessie struggling, her eyes fierce and furious. But the tentacle was too big. It was starting to drag her off when Frasier broke through.

“Hiiyyyaaaa!” he yelled as he pounced with his bat and beat the tentacle off.

Gobs of broken tentacle flew through the air. But each time a glop landed on another tentacle it was absorbed. Drips of goo on the floor flowed together and re-formed, latching on to the nearest passing tentacle.

Jessie wasn’t out of it yet. More tentacles shot across the floor toward her.

“Get behind me,” yelled Frasier, swinging his bat like Jose Canseco. His teeth were bared and his glasses were hanging off one ear. Tentacle goo stained his clothes and hung in strings from his hair. “I’ll try to keep them off!”

Jessie jumped over a fat, purple tentacle aiming for her ankle and ducked another one circling her head. Frasier grabbed for her arm but missed. The tentacles swarmed over Jessie in triumph, dragging her backward.

I shoved at the wall of tentacles, my heart in my throat, so horrified I hardly felt the slime coating my hands and arms. I trampled on a tentacle and felt it splatter under my foot. But I couldn’t get through.

The tentacles pulled Jessie further into the shadows. It was up to Frasier.

“Hold on, Jessie,” Frasier yelled, dodging a pair of tentacles waving menacingly near his head, and cracking them good with a blow from his bat. “I’m coming!”

The tentacles backed away hissing, leaving a narrow circle of safety around Frasier.

“Way to go, Frase!” I yelled as he brandished his bat like a sword, clearing a path toward Jessie.

Stamping and kicking, Jessie kept the tentacles from dragging her farther off, although she couldn’t get free.

“Grab the bat, Jessie!” shouted Frasier, swinging it toward her while he kicked at a tentacle creeping along the floor. With all her strength, Jessie lunged at the bat and grabbed it. She pulled it toward her and the tentacles holding her sprang away, skittering in panic across the floor.

Frasier grabbed Jessie’s arm and swung her behind him. A thrill of excitement went through me. Jessie was safe! We might even get out of here!

Jessie jumped on Frasier’s back and both of them swung toward me. Frasier grinned, although his eyes rolled in fear. “I’m coming, Nick,” he cried. “I can protect us all!”

But just then a chill ran up my spine. It was a cold, clammy, wiggly chill. But the chill didn’t stop at my spine. It began to circle my neck.

I caught a glimpse of Frasier’s face. His triumphant gleam was gone. His eyes were bulging with horror.

It was no ordinary chill I felt. It was an evil, slimy tentacle and it had me by the neck. A scream started out of my throat but it was choked off as the tentacle yanked me backward, into the darkness.