Authors: R.L. Stine
Tags: #American, #Children's stories, #General, #Ghosts, #Horror & Ghost Stories, #Horror stories, #Juvenile Fiction, #Mysteries & Detective Stories, #Paranormal, #Young Adult Fiction
Kody hunched down on the low stool, struggling against the ropes that held her arms and legs. The handkerchief tied around her face as a gag choked her dry throat.
She had twisted and pulled at the ropes for hours. With no success.
How long had she been locked down in the basement?
Terrified and exhausted, she had lost track of the time. She knew it must be daytime. She heard the voices above her head, heard the screams, heard all the commotion.
She knew Cally had taken her place. She knew Cally was upstairs in the dining room, pretending to be her.
And now Kody knew that Cally had become evil.
Cally was not Cally anymore.
The night before, the shadow of Cally had swept over Kody, darkened over her, darkened until Kody felt as if she were floating in a cold, bottomless cavern.
In the icy darkness Kody felt Cally's evil. She felt Cally's anger, felt the hatred that filled her heart.
When the darkness lifted, Kody found herself locked in the bare basement room. Gagged. Her ankles tied together. Her hands tied behind her back.
Cally, she realized, had lured her there and then imprisoned her, determined to take her place.
And now what was Cally doing upstairs?
As Kody sat hunched over on the low stool, struggling to hear, other sounds invaded her ears.
The scratching, scuttling sounds. The swish of tails being dragged over the basement floor.
The rats. So close. So close Kody thought she could hear them breathe.
She heard a shrill hiss.
The scratching grew nearer.
Kody struggled awkwardly to her feet and glanced around the walls of the small room.
Where were the rats? Why did they sound so close?
Her heart began to thud in her chest. She swallowed hard.
Another hiss, almost like dry laughter.
The scratch of sharp rat claws.
Where? Where are they?
Kody spun to the door. Then turned back.
And spotted the hole in the wall. A slender crack down near the floor.
Just a crack. But big enough for a rat to crawl through.
Or several rats.
Staring hard at the crack between two stones, she dropped to her knees. She lowered her head to the crack—and listened.
Scratching. A shrill screeching hiss.
Yes. The rats were on the other side, Kody realized.
But could they squeeze through the crack?
Were they going to?
Kody shuddered as she lowered her face to the crack and peered through it. To her surprise, she saw light on the other side.
Tihing her head down to see, the gag popped off Kody's face. She swallowed hard.
As her eyes focused, she saw a rat sitting on its haunches.
Another rat, its scraggly whiskers twitching, bared its teeth and hissed at the first rat.
Kody's breath caught in her throat as she struggled to see the other room clearly. How many rats were in that room?
"There, there, dear."
The sound of the woman's voice made Kody jerk
back. Startled, she raised herself on her knees and struggled to catch her breath.
"There, there. That's a dear." The voice sounded so familiar.
But who would be down in the basement? And whom was the woman talking to?
Struggling to balance, Kody took a deep breath and lowered her face once again to the slender crack in the wall.
The rats had moved, she saw. Or perhaps these were different rats. One of them, a plump brown creature with a long, hairy tail, scuttled in quick circles.
"Stop that, dear. You'll only tire yourself," the woman's voice scolded.
Kody raised her eyes and discovered the owner of the voice.
Mrs. Nordstrom!
The housekeeper sat on a low stool similar to the one in Kody's small room, bending and talking to the rats at her feet.
No! Kody thought. This is a dream! This can't be real!
Shifting her body to get a better view, Kody squinted hard into the next room—and saw two other familiar figures seated beside Mrs. Nordstrom.
"Look at him run circles!" Mr. Hankers exclaimed, elbowing Mr. Lurie in the ribs.
"Don't tire yourself," Mrs. Nordstrom scolded the circling rat.
Mr. Hankers tore off a strip of cheese from a slice he held between both hands and tossed it to the rat. The other rats—at least six or seven of them—began to screech excitedly and jump up and down on Mr. Hankers's pants legs.
Mr. Hankers was supposed to kill the rats! Kody told herself, staring in shock. Instead, he's feeding them!
Feeling her throat tighten in disgust, Kody watched Mr. Lurie, the real estate agent, reach down and pick up a fat gray rat in his fist. The rat squawked and thrashed. Laughing, Mr. Lurie set the creature down on the shoulder of his gray suit jacket.
The rat immediately leaped to the floor.
"Haw-haw!" Mrs. Nordstrom cackled. "He doesn't like you!"
"Aw, they don't like you either," Mr. Lurie griped sourly.
Mrs. Nordstrom flashed him a wink. "Oh, yeah? Watch this."
As Kody watched with growing revulsion, Mrs. Nordstrom lowered both hands to the floor. "Come on, fellas," she cooed.
A rat scuttled onto each hand. A pleased grin spread over Mrs. Nordstrom's face. She raised them up, holding the rats in her palms. Then she started to giggle as the rats stretched out their claws and nibbled and gnawed on her fingers.
"Oh! How gross!"
Kody didn't realize she had cried out.
She saw Mrs. Nordstrom glance up from the gnawing rats. Kody gasped. Did she hear me? What is she going to do?
"Come on, dear. Leave me a little skin on that finger," Mrs. Nordstrom scolded one of the rats.
"He likes to suck the blood," Mr. Hankers said, snickering.
Kody sighed with relief. They hadn't heard her. She dropped back onto the stool, her head spinning with questions.
Why were these three people sitting in the hidden basement room? Did they live there?
Why were they playing with the rats, talking to them, letting the ugly creatures chew their fingers?
Why? Why? Why?
The questions spun around and around in Kody's mind as if caught in a whirling cyclone.
I've got to get out of here, she told herself. I've got to get away!
She struggled again to loosen the ropes—but a word spoken by Mrs. Nordstrom on the other side of the wall made Kody stop. The word was Cally.
What is she saying about my sister? Kody wondered. She lowered her face to the crack in the wall and struggled to hear.
"Cally is a good girl," Mrs. Nordstrom was saying, tenderly stroking the scraggly gray fur on the back of the rat in her hand.
"She was a good girl," Mr. Lurie commented. "But then we got hold of her."
All three of them laughed.
"I said she's good because she does everything we tell her," Mrs. Nordstrom said. She sighed and set the rat down on the floor. It scrabbled over to join the others.
"You like them obedient, don't you!" Mr. Hankers said, chuckling.
"Obedient and ignorant," Mrs. Nordstrom replied, tossing the rats a slice of cheese and watching them battle over it. "That girl thinks she's obeying her own will."
All three of them laughed as if Mrs. Nordstrom had cracked a very funny joke.
Kody pulled back from the wall. She shut her eyes, trying to figure out what she had just heard.
They just explained why Cally is so evil, she realized. I was right when I thought that Cally isn't Cally.
Those three weird people are controlling her.
They've tricked Cally into obeying their wishes. Or maybe they've possessed her somehow.
Kody realized she didn't understand any of it. She knew only that she was now afraid for Cally as well as for herself.
Shutting her eyes, she tried to think clearly. But nothing made any sense.
She lost track of time again.
The house had become silent. The excited, shouting voices from upstairs had all vanished. No footsteps. No sounds at all.
What am I going to do? Kody asked herself.
What can I do?
When she opened her eyes, Cally was standing in front of her.
Kody gasped and jumped to her feet. "Cally—!"
Cally's green eyes stared coldly at her. Her expression revealed no emotion at all.
"Cally—what happened upstairs? What is going on?"
Her sister's ghost didn't reply. Instead, she moved menacingly toward Kody.
"No!" Kody shrieked, feeling terror in her chest. "Cally—no! What are you going to do?"
"Goodbye, sister," Cally replied coldly. "Goodbye forever."
"No. Cally—please!" Kody begged as the ghost floated nearer. "Don't hurt me!"
Cally's pale lips twisted in an amused smile. "Hurt you? I don't need to." She pulled the ropes ofFKody's arms and legs. Then she waved to the open doorway. "Go."
Kody's entire body trembled as she stared at her sister's cruel smile.
"Go," Cally repeated. "The door is open, Kody." And then she shouted impatiently, "Go!"
"But—" Kody started to the door, then hesitated. "You're not going to kill me?" she choked out.
"No need," Cally replied casually. "I've already taken care of you, Kody."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Kody stammered, edging toward the door.
"You did some bad things upstairs this morning," Cally replied, her green eyes glowing. "You stabbed Persia Bryce. And then you held a spotlight to the director's face. You burned him so badly, his own mother won't recognize him!"
"No!" Kody cried in horror. "Cally, you didn't—!"
Cally nodded, her smile growing wider. "I did. I'm sorry, Kody. I don't think you're going to be a movie star after ail. I think you're going to spend a lot of years in prison—or in a mental hospital."
Kody struggled to speak. Had Cally really ruined her life?
Why? Why did Cally hate her so much?
It is the evil in the house, Kody told herself. It's the three evil people in the next room. They're controlling Cally. They're making Cally do these things.
Kody took a deep breath. I came here to keep a promise, she remembered. I came back here to help Cally. And I have to try to do that.
"Go!" Cally shouted angrily, pointing to the door. "Hurry. Get out of here." And then she added bitterly, "Have a nice life."
Kody took a step toward her sister. "I won't go until you listen to me," she insisted.
Cally's mouth twisted into a sneer. "You have nothing to say to me."
"Yes, I do," Kody replied, gathering her courage. "Do you remember the story your boyfriend Anthony
told us about this house? Do you remember? He said that when the workers dug the foundation, they found bodies buried in the ground? The people buried here were the victims of Angelica and Simon Fear. Remember?"
"So what?" Cally snapped.
'The house was built on top of their graves," Kody continued, her voice trembling. "It's an evil place, Cally. Filled with evil. And somehow—the three people in the next room—Mrs. Nordstrom and the two men—they're controlling you. They're evil too and they—"
"Who?" Cally screamed, her eyes flashing angrily. The dust sparkled up around her as she swirled closer. "What are you talking about?"
"In the next room," Kody told her, pointing to the wall. "They play with the rats. They were supposed to be working for us. But, instead, they—they—" Kody stopped. She could see from Cally's bewildered expression that she had no idea what power these three people had over her.
"Have a nice time at the mental hospital," Cally said softly. She let out a bitter laugh. "Send me a postcard."
"No!" Kody cried, grabbing her sister's hand. It felt so cold, Kody nearly dropped it. But she managed to hold on, and tugged her sister to the small hole in the wall.
"I'm not crazy," Kody insisted. "Take a look through there, Cally. I'm not crazy. I want you to see the truth. I know this isn't you. I know you're not
cruel and evil. It's them, Cally. It's them. Take a look. Please!"
Cally made no move toward the narrow hole. "I really don't care," she said flatly, her voice as dry as air. "I'm dead. I don't care about holes in the wall."
"Please!" Kody begged. "Take a look at them. Take a look at their evil faces. They're controlling you. They're using you. I heard them talk about it. I heard them laugh about it. They're making you do these horrible things."
Cally hesitated, then floated down and peered through the crack in the wall.
Kody stood tensely in the center of the small room, watching her sister. Cally seemed to freeze there. She didn't move or blink. She stared into the other room for several minutes, her face completely expressionless.
When she rose up and turned back to Kody, her expression had softened. The angry glow had faded from her eyes.
"Did you see them?" Kody asked eagerly. "Did you see them with the rats?"
Cally didn't reply. She floated away from the wall, her pale face shimmering in and out of focus, her expression thoughtful.
"Did you see them?" Kody insisted. "Do you believe me now?"
Cally stared at Kody as if gazing right through her. "Come with me, Kody," she whispered finally. "I will get you out of this house."
Kody let out a sigh of relief. Cally believes me! she
told herself. I knew I could reach her. I knew I could show her the truth.
But how can I help her? How?
"The explosives!" Kody cried. "We can blow up the house, blow up all the evil."
Cally raised a finger to her lips to silence Kody. "Never mind that," she said softly. "Let me get you out of here. Come with me. Hurry."
Cally swept past Kody and led the way to the door. Her heart pounding, Kody followed close behind.
Out into the basement. Gray evening light floated in from the narrow window, casting long shadows across the floor.
"Thank you, Cally," a voice said.
Kody let out a low cry as Mrs. Nordstrom stepped forward, followed by Mr. Hankers and Mr. Lurie.
"Thank you for bringing her to us, Cally," Mrs. Nordstrom said, smiling warmly. "Now we will make sure you get your revenge."