خیابان های پارک وحشت فصل 13

Streets of Panic Park - Chapter 13

The long, dark hall stretched both ways. The skulls stitched in the carpet stared up at us. The dirt-caked windows let in an inky gray light. The air was hot and smelled musty and sour.

We didn’t walk — we ran.

Our shoes thudded on the thick carpet. We hurtled down one long hall, turned, and ran down another.

“We’re up high,” Michael said breathlessly. “We have to find a stairway down to the first floor.” We turned another corner. No sign of any stairs. We ran past a tall mirror, cracked down the middle.

I pressed my hand against the glass. It was hard. Not an escape route.

“Oh, wow,” Carly Beth muttered from up ahead. I followed her gaze.

A TV monitor hung from the ceiling. It showed the Fear Meter. The red line had climbed to 40.

The bracelet on my wrist was tingling. I felt it grow warm against my skin.

“We have to stay calm,” I said. “We can’t let our Fear Level climb.” “Stay calm?” Abby cried. “Are you CRAZY?”

Matt gave her a gentle push. “Keep moving,” he said. “Don’t look at any TV monitors. Don’t pay any attention to that meter. Just keep going.” Matt led the way. We started to jog again. Down another long, straight hall.

A black cat sat hunched in the middle of the carpet.

No. Not a black cat. As I trotted closer, I saw that it was a shadow cat. It floated just above the carpet, gray eyes peering out at us.

It uttered a sad meow as we ran past.

At the end of the hall, I saw two shiny doors.

“A dead end,” Carly Beth gasped. “We have to go back.”

“No. Wait,” Matt said. “Check it out.” He pointed to a button at the side of the two doors. “It’s an elevator.” “It’ll take us down,” Boone said. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his T-shirt. “Maybe it’ll take us to the basement, and we can sneak out.” We stared at the shiny double doors in silence.

Matt pushed the button. Once. Twice.

The doors slid open slowly. We stared into the elevator car. It was narrow and deep. The walls were solid black. A single light-bulb cast a triangle of dim light from the low ceiling.

We jammed into it, all sixteen of us. The car rocked a little under our weight. We pressed together. Too nervous to speak.

The doors squeaked as they slid shut. As the doors slammed together, the light went out.

“Oh, no!” I cried. My heart skipped a beat.

Kids groaned and gasped.

Total darkness.

“Not much air in here,” Julie said behind me. “It’s getting hot already!” “Lizzy, you’re in front,” Abby said. “Push the button.”

I stabbed my hand forward and hit the wall. I ran my hand up and down beside the door.

“Push it,” Boone called. “It … it’s getting really hard to breathe.” “I … can’t find it,” I said. I slid my palm over the elevator wall. I tried the wall on the other side of the doors. I began groping the wall frantically.

“I can’t find it. I can’t find it!”

“There has to be a down button,” Abby said. “I … I don’t like this. I don’t like closed-in places. I … feel … sick. Please —” “Open the doors!” Sheena cried. “Let’s just get out of this thing!”

“Please. I’m going to be sick,” Abby moaned.

Luke was pressed beside me. In the darkness, he began feeling the wall, searching for a button.

I slid my hands over the doors. I searched every where.

“There’s no button,” I said. “No way to move. No way to get out.”

“Are we trapped in here?” Abby’s voice cracked. She reached over me and started to pound the door with both fists. “No! Let us out! Somebody — let us OUT!”