The Third Horror (8 page)
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 hid in her trailer, waiting for everyone to leave for the day.
She spent some time going over the revised pages of the script for the dining room scene. Persia's idea is really silly, Kody thought. Cally and I weren't like that. I can't imagine two teenage girls who are so competitive that they argue over who gets to pass a knife to their father.
I can't believe that Bo likes the idea, Kody thought, staring out the trailer window as the sun lowered behind the trees. He says it's good character development.
Well—fine.
Of course I'll play the scene without making a fuss. I
mean, no one asked my opinion anyway. Persia is the pro, after all.
And what am I? Kody thought unhappily.
I'm the freak. I'm the real-life freak people can point to in the movie theater and say to each other, "Did you know she's the real sister?"
Kody let out a bitter sigh.
I want to see my real sister, she thought.
Cally is in the house. I saw her. And tonight I'm going to find her.
Or maybe she'll find me.
Kody tried to phone Rob at the hospital. But the cellular phone in the trailer didn't seem to be working. She heard a busy signal as soon as she clicked it on.
Settling onto the couch to wait for the house to empty out, she soon drifted into an uneasy sleep. She dreamed of her parents. She was home with them in Los Angeles. They were all eating doughnuts. Big, sugary doughnuts.
But the sickening, putrid taste of the green goo invaded Kody's dream. The doughnuts smelled so rotten, like decayed, maggoty meat. And they tasted even worse.
Kody woke up gagging.
She sat up, swallowing hard, shaking her head to chase away the ugly dream.
The sky was dark, she saw. She must have slept for an hour or two. She peered out the trailer window at the house. Also dark.
"Cally, I'm going to find you tonight," she murmured out loud.
She bent over the mirror and pushed back her blond hair with both hands. Then she quickly rubbed on some clear lip gloss. Her heart pounding, she stepped down from the trailer, closing the door softly behind her.
A warm breeze made the tall grass rustle as Kody made her way over the lawn to the house. Crickets started a shrill symphony as she reached the front porch.
I feel so nervous, Kody realized.
The nap hadn't helped to calm her. It had somehow made her even edgier.
The front door creaked loudly as she pushed it open.
The old haunted-house special effect, she thought.
She stepped into the front entryway. A rectangle of light from the living room slid over the carpet. Someone must have left a lamp on.
Kody stepped into the light and gazed into the living room. Dark metal equipment boxes were stacked in front of the fireplace. Several microphones rested near coils of electrical cable against the far wall.
Kody turned back into the hallway. Where shall I look first? she asked herself, wishing her heart would stop racing, wishing her hands didn't feel so cold and wet.
She took a step toward the kitchen.
Then she heard the voice, soft as a whisper: "Kody, here I am."
*'Oh!" Kody uttered a shocked cry and spun around.
"Are you looking for me?" Cally's voice. Soft and playful.
"Y-yes," Kody stammered. "I—want to see you, Cally. I miss you."
"Follow me, Kody." Cally's voice moved toward the back hall.
"I can't believe it's really you!" Kody cried, feeling her emotions swell. She didn't know how much longer she could hold back the tears. "Where are you, Cally? Can I see you? Can I hug you?"
"Follow me," Cally repeated. "I'm right here, Kody."
In the dim hall light, Kody saw that the door to the basement stood open. Cally's voice seemed to come from the doorway.
Kody realized her entire body was trembling with excitement. '*Do you want me to come downstairs, Cally? Can't we talk up here? Can't I see you now?"
"Soon," Cally replied, her voice soft and cool. "Come downstairs with me, Kody. Don't be afraid."
Kody hesitated at the top of the basement stairs.
What about the rats? What about the explosives?
"Don't be afraid," Cally instructed. "Come down with me, Kody. Fve waited so long to talk to you."
"Me too!" Kody cried. Forgetting her fear, she plunged down the stairs.
She stopped at the bottom and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Where are you, Cally? It's so dark down here."
"This way, Kody. I want to show you a special place."
Kody fumbled against the wall, found the switch, clicked on the basement light. The crates of explosives, piled in the center of the floor, came into view. Kody saw a long wire stretching from the crates, leading to a box with a slender plunger—the detonator.
That's weird, she thought. Has Bo wired the explosives for the end of the movie even though we haven't even begun shooting?
"Kody — please hurry. I'm so eager to talk to you." Cally's voice made Kody turn away from the wooden crates.
"Where are you?" Kody called. "Let me see you— please!"
"I'm over here. Can't you hurry?" Cally's voice floated to Kody from across the basement.
Making her way past the explosives, Kody spotted a narrow doorway against the far wall. "I never knew there was another room down here," she told her sister.
She heard a scuttling sound behind her. The scratch of a rat's claws. The sound sent a chill down her back.
Kody hurried through the narrow doorway, and found herself in a dimly lit room no bigger than a closet. A bare light bulb hung from a frayed cord, casting a harsh yellow glow over the stone walls and concrete floor. A low three-legged stool stood against the back wall, the only furniture.
"Cally? Are you in here?" Kody whispered.
"Yes. Here I am."
A wisp of pale white light flickered above the stool.
The light shimmered and grew until it resembled a small cloud.
Kody let out a happy cry as Cally stepped out from the cloud.
"I knew I'd see you again!" Kody exclaimed, her voice breaking with emotion.
A smile spread across Cally's face. Her green eyes sparkled like bright emeralds. Her pale skin appeared to shimmer.
Tears rolled down Kody's cheeks. She spread her arms, dove forward, and wrapped her sister in a hug.
"Oh." Kody pulled back, unable to hide her surprise. "Cally—you're so cold!"
Cally's smile grew wider. Her eyes glowed so brightly, Kody had to lower her gaze.
"I've waited so long for this, Kody," the ghost said, ignoring Kody's surprised cry.
Kody felt the cold mist sweep over her.
Cally seemed to fade behind the cloud.
The mist billowed, folding Kody inside.
Cally became a shadow in the mist. The shadow loomed over Kody.
The billowing cold made Kody shudder. The shadow rolled down over her like darkness falling.
"Cally—no!" Kody managed to cry out. "Cally— what are you doing to me?"
"Over here, Kody," Bo said, gesturing with his clipboard to the chair at the dining room table beside Persia. "Have you been to Makeup?"
"Can't you tell?" Kody teased.
Everyone seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe they could actually get a scene on film.
The night before. Bo had spent an hour on the phone with the studio execs. He'd told them things were going well, except for a few minor accidents.
What a lie! So far, all he'd managed to get on film were some outside shots of the house. Now he had to knuckle down and get to work.
He guided Kody to her place at the dining room table beside Persia. Then he discussed a lighting
problem with one of the crew. He greeted Burt and Marge and asked Noah to get rid of his gum. One of the assistants hurried over to take the gum from the boy.
Bo turned back to the actors. Kody sat rigidly beside Persia, who stared at her dark nails and didn't even bother to look up or say good morning.
"Nice day," Kody said, scooting her chair in.
Persia muttered something under her breath in reply.
"How is everyone today?" Bo called cheerily, resting his hands on Burt's shoulders. "I love having a big roast beef dinner at seven in the morning, don't you?"
Burt and Marge laughed. Noah yawned and slid down in his chair so that his head barely poked over the table.
"Bo, I can't believe we're actually going to shoot a scene," Persia remarked, rolling her eyes. She turned to Kody. "Is my wig on straight? Yours is a little crooked."
"I'm not wearing a wig," Kody replied sharply.
"That's your real hair?" Persia asked, pretending to be surprised. "I told my hairdresser not to make the wig so neat. I mean, your hair is always so—free. Since I'm stuck playing you, I wanted my hair to have that same disheveled look."
"Thanks," Kody replied sarcastically.
"Persia, give her a break," Bo interrupted. He stepped back toward the camera. "One run-through. Then we shoot." He turned toward the back and shouted, "Props! Let's get the food out, okay?"
"Coming right out. We're spraying the meat!" a woman's voice called from the kitchen.
"That's to make it shine and look yummy," Bo explained to Kody. He turned to Persia. "While we're waiting, let's block out your knife-fight idea. I'm still not sure I get it."
"It's just a little competitive moment between the sisters," Persia told him impatiently. "Kody always feels second best, right? She always feels left out. Cally is the beauty and the one with all the brains and all the luck and blah blah blah."
"We know all that," Bo said, glancing at his watch.
"So when Dad says *Pass the carving knife,' both sisters grab for it at the same time," Persia continued. "And neither one wants to let go. They have a short tug-of-war, that's all. Just to show how competitive Kody feels."
"Let me see how it'll work," Bo said, rubbing the dark stubble on his chin. "Run through it for me once."
Burt passed the black-handled carving knife over to Persia.
Persia placed it in front of her. "Now, be careful and don't cut yourself," she told Kody as if talking to a three-year-old.
"You should move the knife more between us," Kody suggested. "That would make it more logical for me to reach for it."
Persia slid the knife closer to Kody. "Perhaps you could give Kody a little direction," Persia suggested to Bo. "I know that Kody hasn't had any improv train-
ing. I don't want to get her any more tense than she already is. The poor thing is quivering like jelly."
"I am not!" Kody protested shrilly, her face bright red.
"Let's just play through the scene, okay?" Bo told Persia. "I'm not so sure it's going to work anyway."
"It'll work if she can handle it," Persia replied coolly.
"Burt—give them some kind of cue," Bo instructed.
"Then, when the two sisters struggle over the knife, should I try to stop it?" Marge asked.
"Let's see how it plays," Bo replied, stepping back. "Let's go. Action."
Burt cleared his throat. "This roast beef looks delicious," he said, smiling down at an empty platter. "Would you please pass the carving knife?"
Persia reached for the knife.
But Kody grabbed it first.
She lifted it by the handle, raised it straight up, then brought the blade down hard, plunging it through the back of Persia's hand, pinning Persia's hand to the table.
Bo stared frozen in shock as Kody let go of the knife and calmly lowered her hands to her lap.
Persia didn't start screaming until the bright red blood began to pour over the back of her hand.
It took a second for everyone to realize what had happened. Someone had replaced the prop knife with a real one!
Frantically, she tried to tug her hand up from the table—which made the blade cut deeper.
Blood flowed over her hand, puddled beneath it.
"You idiot! You idiot!" she shrieked at Kody.
"It's not my fault," Kody cried, jumping to her feet. "Someone switched the knives. It was supposed to be a prop knife!"
They all watched Kody step back, her hands pressed against her cheeks as everyone crowded to the table to help Persia. The room filled with startled cries and shouts of alarm.
"Call a doctor! Just call a doctor!" Bo shouted. He tossed his clipboard furiously against the wall.
"What is going on here?" Bo asked, trying to force down his anger and frustration.
Two crew members struggled to pull the knife from the table to free Persia's hand. Persia screamed and cried, her eyes shut, her face twisted in agony. "Fm going to bleed to death! Somebody—do something!"
"Did someone call a doctor?" Bo cried. Everyone was screaming, shouting out instructions, shouting their disbelief. The racket was deafening. And over the roar came Persia's shrill, angry wails.
A few seconds later they heard Persia's high-pitched squeal when the knife was finally pulled out of her hand. They stared at the widening bloodstain on the white tablecloth. Two men were wrapping a white linen napkin around Persia's hand. The blood soaked quickly through the napkin.
"Is a doctor on the way?"
"Did you call 911?"
"Is that an ambulance outside?"
Confused and frightened shouts filled the house.
As two paramedics burst into the room. Bo saw Kody backing away. He moved quickly to confront her. "I need to speak to you."
She hesitated, squinting against the bright white lights.
"I need to speak to you now," Bo insisted, hands pressed tensely against his waist.
"Wh-what is it?" Kody stammered.
"I've tried to be understanding," Bo said, sighing at Kody. "But this time it's gone too far. I can't let*this go on. Too many people have gotten hurt."
"I feel so terrible," Kody said.
Bo frowned at her. "Too many incidents. Too many accidents," he murmured.
She swallowed hard. "I don't understand."
"I'm not superstitious," Bo told her. He had to raise his voice to be heard over Persia's cries from the table. "But it's pretty obvious to me that this picture is jinxed."
Kody's mouth dropped. "I still don't understand."
"I don't either," Bo replied. "But it must have something to do with you, Kody. Something to do with the fact that you lived in this house, that you experienced its evil."
"But, Bo—" Kody started to say, shielding her eyes from the bright spotlight.
He raised a hand to silence her. "So much has gone wrong since we arrived here," he said, sighing. "And each time, you have been there, Kody. Each time, you were standing there while something horrible happened. I'm not saying you're the cause of our problems. I'm not saying you're responsible. But you're the jinx. I know you are."
"Bo—that's crazy!" Kody cried. "You don't really believe that I—"
Bo nodded solemnly. "I have to ask you to leave,"
he said softly. '*I have to remove you from the picture."
He expected her to lower her eyes and retreat quickly. He expected tears. He expected her to plead and beg for another chance.
Instead, Kody startled him by reacting angrily. "No, you don't," she replied sharply. "No way, Bo. No way I'm leaving."
"I'm really sorry—" Bo said.
"No. I'm the one who is sorry!" Kody declared.
She lifted the big, glowing spotlight by its pole, swung it hard—and slammed the front of the light into Bo's face.
Stunned as the pain burst over him, he tossed up his arms and staggered back.
But she kept the light pressed against his face until his skin sizzled.
When she finally tossed the light to the floor, the side of Bo's face smoked. He let out a weak gurgling sound and slumped to the floor.
Before he lost consciousness, he heard Kody's cheerful shout to the others: "Okay, everybody! That's a wrap!"