Don't Close Your Eyes! Read Online Free PDF

hurried away without saying goodbye.
    I ran down the weed-choked front lawn, outfrom under the shade of the old trees, and into the sunlight. Nicky and Tara followed me.
    Breathing hard, I turned to them. “You heard what he said,” I panted. “Now what?”
    They stared at me without answering.
    “How can we take Inkweed to the darkest place on the darkest night?” I asked. “What does that
mean?”

13
    NICKYSHRUGGED . HESHOOK his head sadly.
    “I don't have a clue,” Tara said. “I'm sorry. It doesn't make any sense at all.”
    “I know,” I said in a whisper. “I'm clueless too.”
    Tara grabbed my shoulder. “But we'll figure it out, Max. You just have to stay awake until we figure it out.”
    I yawned. “I'm trying,” I said. “But it's hard. I'm so sleepy. …”
    “I can't keep hitting you over the head with books,” Tara said. “Your head will be as flat as a pancake! You've got to force yourself…”
    She faded out before she could finish her sentence. Nicky faded too and then vanished from sight.
    That happens to them a lot.
    Sometimes when things get really intense, they use up all their spirit energy. And they disappear for a while.
    So there I stood all alone. Thinking hard about what Mr. Park had said, I started to walk home. I was so sleepy, I walked right into a mailbox!
    I turned to make sure no one had seen me. I glanced at my watch. Four in the afternoon.
    I quickly did the math. That meant I'd been awake for thirty-three straight hours!
    We had to figure out the darkest place on the darkest night,
fast
. I knew I couldn't fight off sleep much longer.
    I was a block from home when I saw the Wilbur brothers standing on a corner, talking to some girls from my class. Billy and Willy Wilbur are the two worst kids at my school, Jefferson Elementary.
    They are mean. They are loud. They think they are really tough dudes. They're just plain bad news.
    I didn't want to run into them when I was only half-awake. I turned and tried to duck behind a row of bushes. But Willy Wilbur saw me and hurried to pull me over to them.
    “Hey, Brainimon, whussup?” Willy asked.
    “Whussup?” Billy repeated.
    “Not much,” I said.
    The two girls giggled. They had strange smiles on their faces. Like they knew a joke that I didn't know.
    “How's it going, Maxie?” Billy asked, also grinning.
    “Okay,” I said.
    And before I could move, Willy had sneaked up behind me, grabbed my jeans, and pulled them down to my knees.
    The Wilburs and the two girls burst out laughing. They laughed like it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen.
    Billy banged me hard on the shoulder. “The girls bet us we couldn't de-pants you,” he said. “That's a bet we had to win!”
    The four of them laughed all over again.
    I knew my face was bright red. I could feel it grow hot. These were two of the coolest girls in my class. And I was very upset. I didn't like being de-pantsed in front of them.
    I bent to pull up my jeans. And as I did, I felt something like a ball of hot steam rise up from my chest.
    Anger. A kind of red, raging anger I'd never felt before.
    I felt it explode inside me.
    I couldn't stop myself. I was no longer in control.
    I whirled around blindly. The grass, the trees, the houses, the Wilburs, and the girls—all became a red blur in my eyes.
    I started to spin … faster … faster … spinning like a tornado.
    A fierce cry burst from my throat. A furious roar, more animal than human.
    Out of control. I spun out of control, roaring like a beast.
    And then I suddenly stopped. And blinked. And saw both Wilburs in their boxers. Their jeans were tied around their necks.
    The girls stared openmouthed. I guess they couldn't believe what they'd just seen.
    I couldn't believe it either.
    And there was more to come.
    I felt it rushing up my throat like a raging river. A fountain of black ink. I opened my mouth and it came spewing out of me.
    The ink roared from my mouth and splashed over the Wilburs. I couldn't stop