The Second Horror Read Online Free PDF Page B

scrimmaging in a few minutes. We’ll see what you can do.” Later, Jon threw a blue jersey over his head and tossed Brandt a red one. They stood on opposite sides of the court, on different teams. Coach Hurley blew his whistle. The centers jumped for the ball. It bounced to Jon. Jon dribbled down the court and took a shot. Brandt tried to block him. Brandt timed his jump carefully—and slapped Jon’s ball away from the basket. “Good, McCloy!” Coach Hurley shouted. Jon grunted. Brandt ran down the court with his teammates. A short, wiry boy with curly black hair passed the ball to him. Brandt took a shot. Missed. The blue team had the ball again. Brandt ran back down the court, guarding Jon. Brandt panted, trying to catch his breath. A line of sweat trickled down his forehead. He glanced at the other guys to see how much they were sweating. Most of them weren’t. No problem, Brandt told himself. I’m just a little out of shape, that’s all. Jon slipped past Brandt and went up for a lay-up. The ball swooshed in. Back down the court. Brandt lagged behind his teammates. His arms and legs felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Breathing hard, he stopped running and bent over, resting his hands on his knees.
    “You can’t be tired already, McCloy!” he heard Coach Hurley calling. “Make sure you do an extra five laps after practice.” Brandt nodded, breathless. I can do it, he told himself. I can. I can. I will.
    I need a good alibi, an excuse, Brandt thought as he ambled down Fear Street toward home that evening. Mom will never get off my case if she finds out I’ve been playing basketball. The sun had already lowered itself behind the old trees. A cool, gusting wind carried a hint of winter. As he stared up at his new house, 99 Fear Street, Brandt suddenly remembered Abbie’s words that morning. A girl died in my house, he thought, shuddering. The house is evil, Abbie had said. The whole street is evil. He gazed around at the neighbors’ houses. They all seemed as old and dark as his. Which one does Abbie live in? he wondered. He took a deep breath, trying to think of an excuse for being late, and hurried inside. He found his mother talking to Mr. Hankers. “I hope you’re right,” she was saying. “I can’t stand to think of living with rats in the basement.” “I don’t think they’ll bother you anymore,” Mr. Hankers replied, scratching his black hair. “If they do, just let me know.” He smiled at Brandt on his way out. “Where have you been, Brandt?” Mrs. McCloy asked. “It’s dark out already.” “Well—” Brandt hesitated. “The student senate. I decided to join. I thought I’d meet some kids there. His mother smiled. “That sounds perfect for you,” she said. “It meets every day after school,” Brandt told her. “I’ve already got tons of homework. I’d better go upstairs and get started.” She wanted to hear more about his first day. But he hurried up to his room and shut the door. He didn’t want her to see how tired he was. Without bothering to turn on the light, he dropped onto his bed. He sniffed. “Hey.” Something smells weird in here, he thought. He sat up. That smell again. So sour. Getting stronger. “Wow.” It—it’s awful, Brandt thought as the stench rose around him. It smells like— He didn’t want to think about what it smelled like. But he knew. It smelled like decay. Like rotten meat. I’m going to be sick, he thought. He jumped up and started to the window to let in some fresh air. But he stopped when he saw a light under his closet door. There is no light in my closet, Brandt remembered. He took a step closer, his eyes on the floor. The light was green, a sickening green glow that seemed to grow brighter as Brandt stared at it. He took another step toward the closet. Then another. What could be inside? He put his hand on the doorknob—and immediately jerked it back. The doorknob felt wet and slimy.
    Brandt stared at his hand. It was