فصل 17

Monster Blood 2 - Chapter 17

Evan clung to the brick wall and stopped his fall.

He stared at Conan’s blond hair poking out the window. Evan was close enough to reach out and touch it.

“Shut up down there!” Conan shouted.

That made Trigger bark even louder.

He’s going to see us, Evan thought, trembling all over.

There’s no way Conan won’t see us.

“Conan—come downstairs!” Mrs. Barber’s voice floated up from downstairs. “Conan—come down and have your cake and ice cream. You said you were dying for dessert!” she called.

Conan’s head disappeared back into the bedroom. “There’s some stupid dog barking down there,” he called to his mother.

Clinging to the side of the house, struggling to keep his quivering knees from buckling again, Evan shut his eyes and listened.

He heard Conan’s footsteps cross the room. The bedroom light went out.

Silence.

“He—left,” Evan choked out.

Andy let out a long breath. “I can’t believe he didn’t see us out here.” Evan glanced down to the ground. Trigger had finally stopped barking. But he continued to stand and stare up at them, his front paws against the side of the house, his stubby tail spinning like a propeller.

“Dumb dog,” Evan muttered.

“Let’s go,” Andy urged. She didn’t wait for Evan. She practically did a swan dive into the house.

It took Evan a few moments to get his legs to work. Then he ducked his head and climbed through the window after Andy.

Holding his breath, he led the way on tiptoe to the bedroom door. He stopped and listened.

Silence. No one in the dark hallway.

He could hear the Barbers’ voices downstairs in the kitchen.

He and Andy made their way to the top of the stairs. Then, holding tightly to the banister, they crept halfway down.

Evan stopped to listen again. Andy bumped right into him, nearly sending him sailing down the stairs. “Shhh!” she cried.

They could hear Conan talking to his parents in the kitchen. He was complaining about the other guys on the basketball team. “They’re all wimps,” Evan heard Conan say.

“Well, that’ll make you look even better,” Mr. Barber replied.

Evan took another deep breath and held it. Then he made his way down to the bottom of the stairs.

Almost out, he thought, his entire body shaking. Almost out of here.

He reached for the front doorknob.

“Conan, go upstairs and get your math book,” he heard Mr. Barber say. “I want to see the homework you had trouble with.” “Okay,” Conan replied. His chair scraped against the floor.

Andy grabbed Evan’s shoulder.

They stared in frozen horror at each other—one foot away from escape—and waited to be caught.