he?”
“They all escaped,” Tristan told Michael. “What difference does it make? We have to hurry. We—”
“Oh, wow.” Michael Moon shook his head. “This is bad. Really bad. They turn into hunters,” he said, staring at Rosa’s hand. “After they’ve been free for a short while. They need meat. They’re tiny—but they become so vicious, so deadly.”
Tristan jumped when he heard a soft thud behind him.
He turned—and saw them. Five plogs, moving silently across the basement.
Coming from all directions.
Their dark quills stood straight up. Their tiny eyes glared coldly from between the quills.
Michael ducked behind a stack of cartons as the plogs attacked.
All five of them jumped at once. With high squeals, they leaped into the air.
“Hey!” Tristan screamed as one of them hit the front of his shirt—and stuck.
He felt a stab of pain as the sharp points poked through his shirt into his skin.
“No!” he grabbed it with both hands and heaved it across the basement.
“Help me! Help!” Bella shrieked.
She was struggling to pull a plog from her hair. “Owww! It’s digging into my head!”
Two plogs had attached to Ray’s tights. He kicked his leg back and forth and slapped at them, trying to knock them off.
Tristan spotted another stairway half-hidden in shadow at the back of the basement. “This way!” he cried.
He ducked as a plog leaped for his head. It flew over him and hit the stone basement wall with a soft splat.
Tristan took off, running to the other stairway. Glancing back, he saw Rosa help rip a plog from Bella’s hair.
Then all four of them were running to the stairs. Taking the stairs two at a time.
Tristan turned and saw the five plogs following after them, sliding over the basement floor, quills raised.
Gasping for breath, Tristan pushed open the door at the top and kept running.
The long, dark hall had rooms on both sides. Tristan passed a small home office…a bathroom…bedrooms.
“Where does this lead?” Rosa asked breathlessly. The hall ended suddenly at a tall, dark door. The four of them stopped outside it, breathing noisily.
They turned and saw the plogs, moving in a group now. Scooting toward them down the hall.
“Quick—open It,” Bella urged. “Hurry!” Tristan grabbed the doorknob.
But a sound on the other side made him jump back.
He heard a hard bump against the door.
He heard something pawing the floor. Scraping sounds.
Animal panting.
Another hard bump on the door.
And then a low growl.
“Oh.”
Bella’s mouth dropped open in fear. “No, wait! Don’t open it, Tristan.”
They listened to the frantic pawing sounds on the other side of the door. The low growls.
“A werewolf,” Ray muttered. “They’ve already captured one. There’s a werewolf in there.”
“Don’t open it,” Bella repeated.
Another growl.
Tristan turned. The plogs had pressed together to form a line. They were preparing to leap.
We’re trapped, Tristan realized.
I have no choice.
He grabbed the door, held his breath, and pulled it open.
21
A dog! Tristan realized.
An enormous black Lab.
Panting hard, the dog burst into the hallway.
It ran past Tristan and his friends, big paws thudding on the hard floor.
With a growl, it attacked the plogs.
It lifted one of the prickly round creatures in its teeth and tossed it against the wall. The plog squealed as it hit the wall, then leaped away.
Squeaking loudly, the other four plogs scattered, darting down the hall after the first one.
Barking at the top of its lungs, the big dog bounded after them. It turned a corner and disappeared.
“I see you let Bully out,” a voice boomed. Mr.Moon stepped into the hall. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
“Let us go!” Ray screamed. “Those animals—they dug their teeth into us and bit us!”
Bella had her hands on the sides of her head. “My hair. Did they tear out my hair?”
“It’s okay,” Rosa told her.
“I’m going to call Bully
“They all escaped,” Tristan told Michael. “What difference does it make? We have to hurry. We—”
“Oh, wow.” Michael Moon shook his head. “This is bad. Really bad. They turn into hunters,” he said, staring at Rosa’s hand. “After they’ve been free for a short while. They need meat. They’re tiny—but they become so vicious, so deadly.”
Tristan jumped when he heard a soft thud behind him.
He turned—and saw them. Five plogs, moving silently across the basement.
Coming from all directions.
Their dark quills stood straight up. Their tiny eyes glared coldly from between the quills.
Michael ducked behind a stack of cartons as the plogs attacked.
All five of them jumped at once. With high squeals, they leaped into the air.
“Hey!” Tristan screamed as one of them hit the front of his shirt—and stuck.
He felt a stab of pain as the sharp points poked through his shirt into his skin.
“No!” he grabbed it with both hands and heaved it across the basement.
“Help me! Help!” Bella shrieked.
She was struggling to pull a plog from her hair. “Owww! It’s digging into my head!”
Two plogs had attached to Ray’s tights. He kicked his leg back and forth and slapped at them, trying to knock them off.
Tristan spotted another stairway half-hidden in shadow at the back of the basement. “This way!” he cried.
He ducked as a plog leaped for his head. It flew over him and hit the stone basement wall with a soft splat.
Tristan took off, running to the other stairway. Glancing back, he saw Rosa help rip a plog from Bella’s hair.
Then all four of them were running to the stairs. Taking the stairs two at a time.
Tristan turned and saw the five plogs following after them, sliding over the basement floor, quills raised.
Gasping for breath, Tristan pushed open the door at the top and kept running.
The long, dark hall had rooms on both sides. Tristan passed a small home office…a bathroom…bedrooms.
“Where does this lead?” Rosa asked breathlessly. The hall ended suddenly at a tall, dark door. The four of them stopped outside it, breathing noisily.
They turned and saw the plogs, moving in a group now. Scooting toward them down the hall.
“Quick—open It,” Bella urged. “Hurry!” Tristan grabbed the doorknob.
But a sound on the other side made him jump back.
He heard a hard bump against the door.
He heard something pawing the floor. Scraping sounds.
Animal panting.
Another hard bump on the door.
And then a low growl.
“Oh.”
Bella’s mouth dropped open in fear. “No, wait! Don’t open it, Tristan.”
They listened to the frantic pawing sounds on the other side of the door. The low growls.
“A werewolf,” Ray muttered. “They’ve already captured one. There’s a werewolf in there.”
“Don’t open it,” Bella repeated.
Another growl.
Tristan turned. The plogs had pressed together to form a line. They were preparing to leap.
We’re trapped, Tristan realized.
I have no choice.
He grabbed the door, held his breath, and pulled it open.
21
A dog! Tristan realized.
An enormous black Lab.
Panting hard, the dog burst into the hallway.
It ran past Tristan and his friends, big paws thudding on the hard floor.
With a growl, it attacked the plogs.
It lifted one of the prickly round creatures in its teeth and tossed it against the wall. The plog squealed as it hit the wall, then leaped away.
Squeaking loudly, the other four plogs scattered, darting down the hall after the first one.
Barking at the top of its lungs, the big dog bounded after them. It turned a corner and disappeared.
“I see you let Bully out,” a voice boomed. Mr.Moon stepped into the hall. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
“Let us go!” Ray screamed. “Those animals—they dug their teeth into us and bit us!”
Bella had her hands on the sides of her head. “My hair. Did they tear out my hair?”
“It’s okay,” Rosa told her.
“I’m going to call Bully
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