Goosebumps: The Blob That Ate Everyone by R. L. Stine

pocket of my jeans
and headed to the garage to get my bike.
    The afternoon sun poured down. The air felt hot and dry. More like summer
than spring.
    I jumped onto my bike and pedaled down the driveway standing up. I turned
toward town and sat down, pedaling fast, riding no-hands.
    A few minutes later, I leaned my bike against the brick wall of Jack’s.
Jack’s is mainly a meat market, but they sell fruits, and vegetables, and other
groceries too.
    The bell over the glass door clanged as I stepped inside. Mrs. Jack was at
her usual spot, leaning her elbows on the counter beside the cash register.
    Mrs. Jack is a big, platinum-haired woman with about a dozen chins. She wears
bright red lipstick and long, dangling earrings.
    She is really nice to everyone—except kids.
    She hates kids. I guess she thinks we only come into her store to steal. When
a kid comes in, she follows him up and down the aisles and never takes her eyes
off him.
    I closed the door behind me and reached into my back pocket for my shopping
list.
    Mrs. Jack had the newspaper spread out in front of her on the counter. She
raised her eyes slowly and made a disgusted face at me. “Help you?” she
muttered.
    I waved the list. “Just buying a few things for my mom.”
    She grabbed the list out of my hand and squinted at it. Then she handed it
back with a grunt. “Tuna is in the back on the bottom,” she said.
    “Thanks.” I picked up a shopping basket and hurried to the back of the store.
    A big air conditioner rattled against the wall. A fan in front of it blew
cold air down the narrow aisle.
    I found the tuna quickly and dropped two cans into my basket.
    The long, white display counter of the meat department stretched in front of
me. Behind the glass, cuts of red meat were lined up in perfect rows.
    Beside the counter, an enormous side of beef hung from the ceiling.
    That is really gross! I thought.
    It looked like an entire cow—stripped of its hide—hanging upside down.
    Yuck.
    I started to turn away from it—when the dead cow moved.
    It swung to the right, then swung back.
    I stared in surprise.
    The cow swung further, to the right, then back.
    I watched it swinging on its rope, swinging heavily from side to side.
    And then I heard a harsh, whispered voice:
    “Fresh meat… Fresh meat…”

 
 
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    “Ohhh.” A low moan escaped my throat as I gaped at the side of beef, swinging
so slowly, back and forth, back and forth.
    “Fresh meat…” came the raspy whisper again. “Fresh meat…”
    “No—!” I blurted out.
    I dropped my shopping basket.
    And started to step back.
    I let out another cry as Adam stood up and stepped out from behind the meat
counter. He had a gleeful grin on his face.
    “Fresh meat…” he whispered. And burst out laughing.
    Annie and Emmy climbed out from behind the counter, giggling and shaking
their heads.
    “Awesome!” Annie exclaimed.
    “Zackie, you’re bright red!” her sister laughed.
    My face burned as hot as the sun. I felt so embarrassed. How could I fall for
such a dumb joke?
    Now, I knew, they would tell everyone in school that I freaked out over a
side of beef!
    “What are you doing here?” I shrieked.
    “We saw you on your bike,” Adam replied. “We followed you into the store.
Didn’t you see us? We were right behind you.”
    “AAAAGH!” I let out a furious cry and balled my hands into fists.
    “What’s going on back there?” Mrs. Jack’s harsh voice rattled the shelves.
“What are you kids doing?”
    “Nothing!” I called. “I—I found the tuna!”
    I turned back to Adam and the twins. “Give me a break,” I muttered.
    For some reason, that struck them funny. They giggled and slapped one another
high fives.
    Then Adam stuck out both arms. He held them stiffly in front of him, like a
sleepwalker. And began marching stiff-legged across the aisle toward me.
    “You’re controlling me, Zackie!” he declared in a machinelike voice. “I’m in
your