The Beast From the East by R. L. Stine Page B

and—”
    “Right.” Pat rolled his eyes.
    “Really,” I insisted. “This game is deadly. You have to believe me.”
    “Why?” Pat shrugged. “You never believe me. Why should I believe you?”
    “Because if we lose, they’ll eat us!” I told him.
    Pat burst out laughing.
    “I’m serious!” I grabbed Pat’s shoulders and shook him hard. “I’m telling the
truth! It’s dangerous here. Fleg and Spork are after me, right now.”
    Pat twisted out of my grasp. “Right. Fleg and Spork. Woof woof!” Pat barked.
    “Shhh,” I hissed. “Keep quiet!” I pulled him behind an umbrella plant. “Pat,
you have to believe me. They’re all around us. They could get us if we’re not
careful.”
    “And I suppose this game was their idea?” he asked.
    “Yes,” I answered.
    “And I suppose they can talk,” Pat went on. “In English.”
    “Yes. Yes. Yes,” I insisted.
    “You’re weirder than I thought,” Pat said, shaking his head. “So where’s Nat?
For real?”
    “ Grrravgh !”
    A deep growl echoed off the nearby rocks. “This way!” A beast bellowed. “Near
the tunnel!”
    Heavy footsteps pounded closer. The ground shook under our feet.
    Pat’s eyes widened in shock. He reached for my arm.
    “It’s them!” I exclaimed. “ Now do you believe me?”
    Pat swallowed hard and nodded his head. “Yes. I believe you,” he choked out.
    “She’s over here!” a beast shouted.
    “He heard us,” I whispered in Pat’s ear. “Run!”
    Pat and I took off.
    We raced through the woods, leaping over fallen logs, pushing sharp branches
out of our faces.
    “This way!” I called. I grabbed Pat’s hand. “Stay low.”
    We ducked into a thick clump of trees.
    Spork thudded past us.
    I could hear him sniffing the air.
    “Can he smell us?” Pat asked in a whisper.
    “Sshh!” I pressed my finger to my lips.
    We crept between the bushy plants.
    Fleg appeared, stomping in our direction.
    I dropped to my hands and knees. I pulled Pat down beside me.
    Fleg thudded past us.
    I knew we weren’t safe. More beasts would follow. And one of them might find
us.
    I motioned for Pat to follow me.
    We scrambled deeper into the woods.
    The trees were close together here. The bushes were so thick I couldn’t see
between them. I flung out an arm, feeling my way.
    My hand brushed against something.
    Something big.
    And warm.
    And furry.

 
 
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    I leaped back. Crashed into Pat.
    What had I touched?
    The bushes parted and a strange creature bounced out.
    I had never seen anything like it.
    It had the body of a dog, as big as a German shepherd, and the face of a
squirrel.
    I don’t believe this! I thought.
    It could talk, too. “In here! Quick!” the creature urged in a scratchy,
squeaky voice.
    Its squirrel-nose twitched. Its bushy dog tail thrashed from side to side.
    Could we trust it?
    “In here!” it squeaked.
    It waved a paw in the air. Pointed to a bush of big orange leaves.
    Pat held back, but I crept forward. I spotted the entrance to a cave hidden
behind the leaves.
    “It’s a good hiding place,” I told Pat.
    “It’s the Hiding Cave,” the squirrel-dog announced. “The Hiding Cave is the place to hide. Quick!” The animal held the
leaves aside for us.
    The ground shook. I turned and saw furry blue beasts in the distance. They
were moving quickly toward us.
    “Better do it, Pat,” I said.
    Pat hesitated.
    I yanked his hand and pulled him after me. I bent down to enter the Hiding
Cave.
    I suddenly remembered what happened when Nat touched the penalty rock. The
thought made me shiver. Would we really be safe in the Hiding Cave?
    Thump. Thump.
    The beasts drew closer.
    Pat hesitated and held back.
    “Where are they?” a beast shouted. I recognized Fleg’s voice.
    “They must be nearby,” Spork answered.
    The squirrel-dog stayed outside. It let go of the orange leaves. They sprang
back into place, hiding the entrance to the cave.
    Pat and I crouched inside, hidden from view.
    We