Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk (8 page)

“ZOMBIES!” everybody screamed at the top of their lungs.

Zombies lined up at the door. “Cruella De Zombie will lead the way!” said Principal Tuxedo. “Follow me, if you dare!”

Hordes of zombies poured out onto the sidewalk. The street was blocked off from traffic. Even Officer Kopp was dressed as a zombie policeman.

Stink and his friends moaned and groaned. Charlie said, “Brains! Me want brains!” They limped and lurched. Stink dragged one foot. Sophie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Webster drooled.

“Are zombies too cool to drool?” Webster asked.

“You’re never too zool to drool,” said Sophie.

Riley Rottenburger, Zombie Prom Queen, walked beside them. She wore a bat necklace, long gloves, and a crown that looked like a spiderweb. Her sash said
LITTLE MISS ZOMBIE
.

“Cool crown,” said Sophie.

“Thanks. It’s a spider tiara,” said Riley.

A teenager on a skateboard whizzed past.

“Stare straight ahead,” said Stink. “Do not make eye contact with alive humans.”

“Keep it weird, dudes,” said the skateboarder. Stink cracked up.

Mom and Dad walked behind Stink and his friends.

“Hey! It’s the Zombie Lunch Lady!” somebody called. Mom waved.

Zombies filled the streets.

“There must be over a hundred zombies out here,” said Mom.

“More like ten hundred,” said Stink. “Zen thousand!”

“Did you know zombie walks are a big thing?” Dad said. “Not just when books come out, either. They have walks like this all over the country. From Pittsburgh to Seattle.”

“They even have a world record for the most zombies,” said Stink. “Our town should try to break the record for the biggest Midnight Zombie Walk ever.”

“I’m going to find Rocky and Frank,” said Judy.

“How long is this zombie walk?” Dad asked. “I think rigor mortis is setting in.”

“And I know some zombies who are up way past bedtime,” said Mom.

“We can’t go home,” said Stink. “We didn’t even get to the spooky part yet.” He pointed down the street. “See? For the next three blocks, they turned out all the streetlights and made it like a haunted house.”

“Okay, ten more minutes. But as soon as we get home, it’s straight to bed,” said Mom. “Zombie Lunch Lady has spoken.”

“You kids go ahead,” said Dad. “Stay with the group, Stink. Mom and I will wait in front of the bookstore.”

“Mom? Can you hold Charlie?”

“Sure,” said Mom. “We wouldn’t want him taking his own midnight walk. He could end up in the coat closet. Or even break one of my fancy dishes.” She held Charlie up in front of her face. “And if that happens, you can kiss your allowance good-bye for a while, Charlie,” she said to Stink in a funny voice.

Stink’s eyes got wide. “We’ll talk later,” said Mom. “Go have fun.”

A pack of blue-haired zombies in school uniforms lurched down Main Street, past the dark windows of closed shops. Spooky shadows crisscrossed the road like giant cobwebs. Zombie ghosts hung from trees. An owl hooted. The hairs on Stink’s arms stood on end.

They walked a little farther. Zombie moans and groans filled the air. Body parts littered the sidewalks. Bloody arms, legs, and feet were strewn every which way. All of a sudden, a hand came out of a storm drain. “Aagh!” they screamed, and leaped out of the way.

Hordes of zombies shuffled past Speedy Market, past Fur & Fangs, past Gino’s Pizza. Grunts of “brains” echoed into the night as they lurched past Screamin’ Mimi’s, where a voice from inside the shop screamed. And it wasn’t for ice cream.

“This is giving me the creeps,” Stink whispered. They turned the corner, following behind a bunch of college kids led by an Abe Lincoln zombie.

All of a sudden, a guy dressed as a zombie mailman with a beard of blood popped out from behind a mailbox. Grinning with decaying teeth, he held up a head. A dead head!

Sophie hung on to Stink’s arm. Stink clutched Webster’s sleeve. They crept and crawled past the candy shop. Past the toy store. They were almost back to the bookstore when a bucket of blood and guts rained down in front of them from the roof of the hardware store, gushing all over the sidewalk.

“Run!” Stink yelled.

The three friends ran screaming down the sidewalk and around the corner. Webster’s shoe tumbled off his head. Sophie dropped Zombalina. Stink lost his brains.

They ran screaming all the way back to the bookstore. To the light. To the spot where Mom, Dad, and Judy were waiting for them.

“What’s wrong?” asked Dad.

“Are you okay?” said Mom.

“Why were you guys screaming so loud?” Judy asked.

Stink held his side. He bent over. “Body. Parts. Blood,” he panted.

“We were screaming because . . .” Sophie started.

“Because that was the BEST Midnight Zombie Walk EVER!” said Stink.

“Blood and guts and body parts!” said Webster. “We got caught in a
brainstorm
.”

“Vomitocious!” said Sophie.

Stink held his hand over his still-beating heart. “I think we just broke the world record! For the first-ever Midnight Zombie RUN!”

is the author of the popular Judy Moody and Stink series. She says, “Once, while I was visiting a class, the kids chanted, ‘Stink! Stink! Stink!’ as I entered the room. In that moment, I knew that Stink had to have a series all his own.” Megan McDonald lives in California.

is the illustrator of all the Judy Moody and Stink books. He says, “Stink reminds me of myself growing up: dealing with a sister prone to teasing and bossing around — and having to get creative in order to stand tall beside her.” Peter H. Reynolds lives in Massachusetts.