at them for a moment then twitched its tail and moved across the road. They all watched the huge creature trot away and disappear into the dark trees.
âGoodbye, beautiful deer!â Bea called.
ââbye, bodieful deer!â Norman echoed.
âWe were so lucky to see him,â their mother said. She pulled Victor back onto the road and they continued on.
Lucky?
Myles frowned. Theyâd been driving for four days straight, and this final night, these final few hours, were worse than all the hours and days before. It was like some terrible freakish horror movie, like a journey that would never end, with the main characters stuck inside the car forever and ever, surviving one creepy near-disaster after another.
âMom, can I turn on the radio?â Myles asked.
âOkay, something quiet. Letâs see if we can just please finish this trip in peace.â She eased Victor-the-Volvo down the road, slowly picking up speed. Myles fiddled with the knobs and got a weird country station that sounded weak and very far away. They drove on. Bea and Norman settled down to sleep again in the back seat.
But Myles was a ball of worry. Heâd heard it.
⦠I see you, Myles.â¦
It wasnât just a deer. Or just a fox at Go Home Highway.
Was it?
And something with red eyes wrecked the chicken truck.
Myles needed to think about something else. With a huge effort, he forced himself to focus on the dark, rainy road ahead. Someone had to watch for more deer.â¦
But now there was a new worry. What if they missed the detour sign that would get them back onto the highway?
He had lost track of time with the stop for Norman and his epic pee, then the scary near-miss with the deer on the road. But it seemed like a lot longer than fifteen minutes had gone by since they started on the road. The workman back at the detour had said it would be fifteen minutes, then turn left, then â¦
⦠what if we missed the detour? What if? Weâll just drive around and around and around in the dark forever ⦠with the monster out there following me.â¦
âMom?â It had definitely been fifteen minutes since they left the highway. They should be seeing the detour sign any minute now. Mylesâs mother ignored him.
âMom?â he repeated, a little louder.
âUh-huh?â his mother murmured.
âMom, what if we donât find the detour sign?â There, heâd said it.
His mom didnât answer. That was just about the scariest thing she could have done. Myles turned up the radio and peeked into the back seat. Norman was fast asleep. At least he wouldnât have to pee again for a while. Bea was snoring.
Why did she get to be so peaceful? Why was SHE always so calm when Myles was a mess all the time? Didnât she realize that they were going to drive around and around on this creepy, deserted back road for the rest of their lives?
Another minute went by.
No detour sign.
Another minute.
Another minute. Another.
Myles was just about to point out the obvious (they were lost, there was no sign, theyâd just keep driving around and around in the terrifying darkness forever) â¦
⦠when his mother steered the car sharply to the left.
The fork in the road! The little red detour sign was right there! She found it!
Mylesâs mother smiled over at her son. âYou have a very vivid imagination, Myles. You really thought we werenât going to find the detour sign? Have some faith. Weâre back on the highway, and weâll be home in an hour. Your dad will be so happy to see us. Go to sleep.â Myles wanted to sleep, he really did. But he couldnât.
It was almost like he knew the scariest thing was still to come.
CHAPTER 12
THE MONSTER OUTSIDE
T he rain had stopped, but thunder still boomed from time to time. Without the hum of the wipers, the car was oddly quiet.
Victor travelled slowly along the high-way, as though Mylesâs
âGoodbye, beautiful deer!â Bea called.
ââbye, bodieful deer!â Norman echoed.
âWe were so lucky to see him,â their mother said. She pulled Victor back onto the road and they continued on.
Lucky?
Myles frowned. Theyâd been driving for four days straight, and this final night, these final few hours, were worse than all the hours and days before. It was like some terrible freakish horror movie, like a journey that would never end, with the main characters stuck inside the car forever and ever, surviving one creepy near-disaster after another.
âMom, can I turn on the radio?â Myles asked.
âOkay, something quiet. Letâs see if we can just please finish this trip in peace.â She eased Victor-the-Volvo down the road, slowly picking up speed. Myles fiddled with the knobs and got a weird country station that sounded weak and very far away. They drove on. Bea and Norman settled down to sleep again in the back seat.
But Myles was a ball of worry. Heâd heard it.
⦠I see you, Myles.â¦
It wasnât just a deer. Or just a fox at Go Home Highway.
Was it?
And something with red eyes wrecked the chicken truck.
Myles needed to think about something else. With a huge effort, he forced himself to focus on the dark, rainy road ahead. Someone had to watch for more deer.â¦
But now there was a new worry. What if they missed the detour sign that would get them back onto the highway?
He had lost track of time with the stop for Norman and his epic pee, then the scary near-miss with the deer on the road. But it seemed like a lot longer than fifteen minutes had gone by since they started on the road. The workman back at the detour had said it would be fifteen minutes, then turn left, then â¦
⦠what if we missed the detour? What if? Weâll just drive around and around and around in the dark forever ⦠with the monster out there following me.â¦
âMom?â It had definitely been fifteen minutes since they left the highway. They should be seeing the detour sign any minute now. Mylesâs mother ignored him.
âMom?â he repeated, a little louder.
âUh-huh?â his mother murmured.
âMom, what if we donât find the detour sign?â There, heâd said it.
His mom didnât answer. That was just about the scariest thing she could have done. Myles turned up the radio and peeked into the back seat. Norman was fast asleep. At least he wouldnât have to pee again for a while. Bea was snoring.
Why did she get to be so peaceful? Why was SHE always so calm when Myles was a mess all the time? Didnât she realize that they were going to drive around and around on this creepy, deserted back road for the rest of their lives?
Another minute went by.
No detour sign.
Another minute.
Another minute. Another.
Myles was just about to point out the obvious (they were lost, there was no sign, theyâd just keep driving around and around in the terrifying darkness forever) â¦
⦠when his mother steered the car sharply to the left.
The fork in the road! The little red detour sign was right there! She found it!
Mylesâs mother smiled over at her son. âYou have a very vivid imagination, Myles. You really thought we werenât going to find the detour sign? Have some faith. Weâre back on the highway, and weâll be home in an hour. Your dad will be so happy to see us. Go to sleep.â Myles wanted to sleep, he really did. But he couldnât.
It was almost like he knew the scariest thing was still to come.
CHAPTER 12
THE MONSTER OUTSIDE
T he rain had stopped, but thunder still boomed from time to time. Without the hum of the wipers, the car was oddly quiet.
Victor travelled slowly along the high-way, as though Mylesâs
Similar Books
