29 - Monster Blood III by R.L. Stine - (ebook by Undead) Page A

third of the way up when he became stuck.
    His body was just too wide for the narrow stairway.
    Kermit pulled both of Evan’s hands. Andy pushed him from behind.
    But they couldn’t budge him.
    “I—I can’t move,” Evan stammered. He felt panic choke his throat. “I’m
jammed tight in here. There’s no way I’ll ever get out!”
    Then he felt his body start to tingle. And he knew he was growing even more.

 
 
18
     
     
    As Evan grew, he heard a cracking sound.
    Soft at first. Then louder. Very close by.
    He cried out as the wall to his left crumbled. His expanding body had broken
the wall away.
    As the wall cracked and fell, Evan took a deep breath and lurched up the
stairs.
    “Made it!” he cried as he squeezed through the doorway.
    A few seconds later, he burst out through the kitchen door, into the sunlit
backyard.
    Dogface lay stretched out near the fence. The dog jumped to his feet as the
gigantic Evan appeared. Frightened, Dogface gave a loud bark, his stubby tail
wagging furiously, then turned and bolted from the yard.
    Kermit and Andy followed Evan into the backyard, cheering and shouting, “You
made it! You’re free!”
    Evan turned to face them. “But now what?” he asked. “Now what do I do? I’m nearly as tall as the garage. How tall am I
going to grow?”
    Kermit stepped closer to Evan. “Look—I’m standing in your shade!” he
declared.
    Evan’s shadow fell across the yard like the shadow of a tree trunk. “Kermit,
give me a break,” Evan muttered. “I have a little bit of a problem here, you
know?”
    “Maybe we should get you to a doctor,” Andy suggested.
    “A doctor?” Evan cried. “What could a doctor do for me?”
    “Put you on a diet?” Andy joked.
    Evan leaned over her, squinting down at her menacingly. “Andy, I’m warning
you. One more bad joke, and—”
    “Okay, okay.” Andy raised her hands as if trying to shield herself from him.
“Sorry. Just trying to keep it light.”
    “Evan isn’t light. He’s heavy!” Kermit chimed in. His idea of a joke.
    Evan let out an unhappy growl. “I don’t think a doctor can help me. I mean, I
couldn’t fit into a doctor’s office.”
    “But maybe if we brought the can of Monster Blood along, the doctor could
figure out an antidote,” Andy suggested. “Some kind of cure.”
    Evan started to reply. But shrill voices on the other side of the tall wooden
fence at the back of the yard made him stop.
    “Cut it out, Conan!” a girl pleaded.
    “Yeah. Leave us alone, Conan!” Evan heard a boy shout.
    Evan lumbered over to the fence and peered into Conan’s yard. He saw Conan
Barber furiously swinging a baseball bat, swinging it hard, forcing a little boy
and girl to back up against the fence.
    “Let us go!” the little girl screamed. “Why are you so mean?”
    Conan swung the bat, bringing it close to the boy and girl, making them cry
out.
    Evan leaned over the fence. His broad shadow fell over Conan. “Want to play
ball with me, Conan?” Evan thundered.
    The two little kids spun around. They stared up at the enormous Evan. It took
them a long time to realize they were staring at a real, giant human.
    Then they began to scream.
    Conan’s mouth dropped open and a strangled gurgling sound escaped his throat.
    “Hey, Conan, how about a little batting practice?” Evan asked, his voice
booming over the backyard. Evan reached over the fence and plucked the bat from
Conan’s hand.
    The little boy and girl ran away screaming. They darted through the hedge at
the side of Conan’s yard and kept running until they vanished from view.
    Evan took the bat and snapped it in two between his hands. It cracked apart like a toothpick.
    Conan froze in place, staring up at Evan in disbelief. He pointed a trembling
finger. “Evan—you—you—you—” he stammered.
    Evan tossed the two pieces of the cracked bat at Conan’s feet, forcing Conan
to hop out of the way.
    “You ate Monster Blood!” Conan accused.