Halloween Party by R.L. Stine Page B

for breath.
    â€œOh, man. Another accident,” said Bobby, stepping over Alex.
    While the guests looked on helplessly, Bobby and Marty began to ransack the beautiful old living room, opening doors and cabinets and throwing everything they found onto the floor.
    Whenever anyone made a move to stop them, Bobby twirled his chain menacingly. They found a bottle of red wine somewhere and began trading it back and forth.
    This has got to stop, Terry told himself. They may be tough, but we’ve got them outnumbered.
    Across the room David caught his eye and nodded in the direction of the cycles. Terry nodded back and slowly got up and began to inch toward the machines. Casually he picked up a heavy candlestick from an end table. Niki looked at him, her eyes wide with fright. “It’s okay,” he mouthed soundlessly.
    Bobby and Marty were so busy eating and ransacking the room that they didn’t notice Terry and David on their bikes until the air filled with the sound of the engines revving up.
    â€œHey!” Both Bobby and Marty forgot what theywere doing and leapt for the bikes. “Leave those alone!”
    But Terry and David were ready for them. Just as the two bikers reached the motorcycles, Terry and David jumped off the seats. Bobby and Marty dived for the two boys, but came up with nothing but air.
    With a bellow of rage, Marty stood up and swung his chain at Terry.
    Terry caught the end of it with the candlestick. He pulled, and Marty cried out in anger and pain as the chain twisted out of his hand.
    Meanwhile, David and Bobby were fighting, rolling over and over on the floor. Bobby was a dirty fighter, but he was half drunk, and David was quicker. He had Bobby down and was pounding his face, causing blood to spurt over both of them. With another blow he stunned Bobby, then stood up, satisfied.
    Marty had forgotten about his chain and advanced on Terry threateningly, wildly swinging his fists at him.
    Terry kept ducking and moving backward, searching for an opening, a way to stop him. From the corner of his eye he saw David suddenly mount Marty’s bike, turn it around, and gun it out the front door. He jumped off at the last minute.
    â€œHey, Marty,” David called. “Your bike’s gone home without you!”
    Marty looked around in horror, then turned and ran out after his runaway bike.
    A second later there was a sickening crash.
    â€œHow about we do the same thing to your bike?” Terry said to Bobby, who was just struggling up from the floor.
    Without a word, Bobby threw a leg over his bike, his face a bloody mess.
    â€œTough guys, huh?” Bobby sneered. He glared at Terry first and then David with such hatred that Terry felt his stomach turn over. “You’re dead meat, man. You’re history. Both of you.”
    He looked around the room slowly, menacingly. “Later,” he said.
    With a final threatening look, he gunned the motorcycle and rode out of the mansion and into the night.

chapter

8
    T he smell of motorcycle exhaust hung in the air. Several kids began congratulating Terry and David on getting rid of the two bikers, but their thanks were subdued. Everyone seemed to be in shock.
    â€œNice going,” Murphy said.
    â€œWe did what we had to,” said David, wiping his bloody face with a tissue. “Maybe they’ll go pick on someone else for a while.”
    â€œJustine, where’s your phone?” said Terry. “We’ve got to report this to the police.”
    Panic and alarm crossed Justine’s face. “No! No police.”
    â€œBut they broke into your house!” said David. “They vandalized it! And you heard their threats.”
    â€œThat’s all they were—just threats,” Justine said. She moved closer to David, put a hand on his arm, and stared directly into his face. “Those boys arebullies,” she said. “All swagger and no substance. They wouldn’t dare come back after the