شبی با عروسک زنده 2 فصل 24

Night of the Living Dummy 2 - Chapter 24

My eyes adjusted quickly to the dim yellow light from the night-light at the other end of the hall. I watched Slappy slither toward my sister’s room. He moved as silently as a shadow.

I held my breath and kept my back against the wall as I followed behind him. When he turned into Sara’s room, I stepped away from the wall and started to run.

I reached the bedroom doorway in time to see Slappy pick up a wide paintbrush from Sara’s supply table. He took a step toward the mural on the wall.

One step.

And then another small figure leaped out of the darkness.

The lights flashed on.

“Dennis!” I cried.

“Stand back!” Dennis ordered in a high, shrill voice. He lowered his wooden head and charged at Slappy.

Sara sat up in her bed and uttered a frightened cry.

I could see the stunned expression on Slappy’s face.

Dennis flew at Slappy. He slammed his head into Slappy’s middle.

Slappy let out a loud “Oooof!” He staggered back. Fell.

A loud thud rang through the room as the back of Slappy’s head hit Sara’s iron bedpost.

I raised both hands to my cheeks and gasped as Slappy’s head cracked open.

The wooden head split down the middle.

I watched the evil face crack apart. The wide, shocked eyes slid in different directions. The red lips cracked and fell away.

The head dropped to the floor in two pieces. And then the body collapsed in a heap beside them.

My hands still pressed against my face, my heart pounding, I took a few steps into the room.

Dennis ran past me, out to the hall.

But my eyes were locked on the two pieces of Slappy’s head. I stared in horror as an enormous white worm crawled out of one of the pieces. The fat worm slithered and curled to the wall—and vanished into a crack in the molding.

Sara climbed out of bed, breathing hard, her face bright red from the excitement.

The closet door swung open. Mom and Dad came bursting out.

“Girls—are you okay?” Dad cried.

We nodded.

“We saw the whole thing!” Mom exclaimed. She threw her arms around me. “Amy, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. We should have believed you. I’m so sorry we didn’t believe you.” “We believe you now!” Dad declared, staring down at Slappy’s broken head, his crumpled body. “We saw everything!” It was all planned. Sara and I had worked it out before dinner.

Sara convinced Mom and Dad to hide in the closet. Mom and Dad were really creeped out by the way I was acting. They were willing to do anything.

So Sara pretended to go to sleep. Mom and Dad hid in the closet.

I left the closet door unlocked to make it easier for Slappy to get out.

I knew Slappy would creep into Sara’s room. I knew Mom and Dad would finally see that I’m not crazy.

And then Jed burst out dressed as Dennis, with Dennis’ head propped up on top of his turtleneck sweater.

We knew that would shock Slappy. We knew it would give us a chance to grab him.

We didn’t know what a great job Jed would do. We didn’t know that Jed would actually destroy the evil dummy. We didn’t know that Slappy’s head would crack apart. That was just good luck.

“Hey—where is Jed?” I asked, my eyes searching the room.

“Jed? Jed?” Mom called. “Where are you? You did a great job!”

No reply.

No sign of my brother.

“Weird,” Sara muttered, shaking her head.

We all trooped down the hall into Jed’s room.

We found him in bed, sound asleep. He groggily raised his head from the pillow and squinted at us. “What time is it?” he asked sleepily.

“It’s nearly eleven,” Dad replied.

“Oh, no!” Jed cried, sitting up. “I’m sorry! I forgot to wake up! I forgot I was supposed to dress up like Dennis!” I felt a shiver run down my back. I turned to my parents. “Then who fought Slappy?” I asked. “Who fought Slappy?”