شبی با عروسک زنده فصل 25

Night of the Living Dummy - Chapter 25

Letting go of Mr. Wood, both girls dove toward the dog. Hands outstretched, they slid on their stomachs on the wet grass.

Unaware of any problem, enjoying the game of tag, Barky scampered away.

Lindy and Kris rolled out of the path of the steamroller.

“Hey—get away from there!” the angry operator shouted through the high window of the steamroller. “Are you girls crazy?” They leapt to their feet and turned back to Mr. Wood.

The rain began to come down a little harder. A jagged streak of white lightning flashed high in the sky.

“I’m free!” the dummy cried, hands raised victoriously above his head. “Now you will pay!” “Get him!” Kris shouted to her sister.

The rain pelted their hair and shoulders. The two girls lowered their heads, leaned into the rain, and began to chase after the dummy.

Mr. Wood turned and started to run.

He never saw the other steamroller.

The gigantic black wheel rolled right over him, pushing him onto his back, then crushing him with a loud crunch.

A loud hiss rose up from under the machine, like air escaping from a large balloon.

The steamroller appeared to rock back and forth.

A strange green gas spurted up from beneath the wheel, into the air, spreading out in an eerie, mushroom-shaped cloud.

Barky stopped scampering and stood frozen in place, his eyes following the green gas as it floated up against the nearly black sky.

Lindy and Kris stared in open mouthed wonder.

Pushed by the wind and the rain, the green gas floated over them.

“Yuck! It stinks!” Lindy declared.

It smelled like rotten eggs.

Barky uttered a low whimper.

The steamroller backed up. The driver jumped out and came running toward them. He was a short, stocky man with big, muscular arms bulging out from the sleeves of his T-shirt. His face was bright red under a short, blond flattop, his eyes wide with horror.

“A kid?” he cried. “I—I ran over a kid?”

“No. He was a dummy,” Kris told him. “He wasn’t alive.”

He stopped. His face faded from red to flour-white. He uttered a loud, grateful sigh. “Oh, man,” he moaned. “Oh, man. I thought it was a kid.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he bent to examine the area beneath his wheel. As the girls came near, they saw the remains of the dummy, crushed flat inside its jeans and flannel shirt.

“Hey, I’m real sorry,” the man said, wiping his forehead with his T-shirt sleeve as he straightened up to face them. “I couldn’t stop in time.” “That’s okay,” Kris said, a wide smile forming on her face.

“Yeah. Really. It’s okay,” Lindy quickly agreed.

Barky moved close to sniff the crushed dummy.

The man shook his head. “I’m so relieved. It looked like it was running. I really thought it was a kid. I was so scared.” “No. Just a dummy,” Kris told him.

“Whew!” The man exhaled slowly. “Close one.” His expression changed. “What are you girls doing out in the rain, anyway?” Lindy shrugged. Kris shook her head. “Just walking the dog.”

The man picked up the crushed dummy. The head crumbled to powder as he lifted it. “You want this thing?” “You can throw it in the trash,” Kris told him.

“Better get out of the rain,” he told them. “And don’t scare me like that again.” The girls apologized, then headed back to the house. Kris cast a happy grin at her sister. Lindy grinned back.

I may grin forever, Kris thought. I’m so happy. So relieved.

They wiped their wet sneakers on the mat, then held the kitchen door open for Barky. “Wow. What a morning!” Lindy declared.

They followed the dog into the kitchen. Outside, a flash of bright lightning was followed by a roar of thunder.

“I’m drenched,” Kris said. “I’m going up to get changed.”

“Me, too.” Lindy followed her up the stairs.

They entered their bedroom to find the window wide open, the curtains slapping wildly, rain pouring in. “Oh, no!” Kris hurried across the room to shut the window.

As she leaned over the chair to grab the window frame, Slappy reached up and grabbed her arm.

“Hey, slave—is that other guy gone?” the dummy asked in a throaty growl. “I thought he’d never leave!”