him making his way quickly down the stairs.
This is the craziest idea ever,
I told myself as I searched in the darkness for some clothes to pull on.
And it was also kind of exciting.
Josh was wrong. No doubt about it. Petey wouldn’t be hanging around in that cemetery now. Why on earth should he?
But at least it wasn’t a long walk. And it was an adventure. Something to write about to Kathy back home.
And if Josh happened to be right, and we did manage to find poor, lost Petey, well, that would be great, too.
A few minutes later, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, I crept out of the house and joined Josh at the bottom of the driveway. The night was still warm. A heavy blanket of clouds covered the moon. I realized for the first time that there were no streetlights on our block.
Josh had the halogen flashlight on, aimed down at our feet. “You ready?” he asked.
Dumb question. Would I be standing there if I weren’t ready?
We crunched over dead leaves as we headed up the block, toward the school. From there, it was just two blocks to the cemetery.
“It’s so dark,” I whispered. The houses were black and silent. There was no breeze at all. It was as if we were all alone in the world.
“It’s too quiet,” I said, hurrying to keep up with Josh. “No crickets or anything. Are you sure you really want to go to the cemetery?”
“I’m sure,” he said, his eyes following the circle of light from the flashlight as it bumped over the ground. “I really think Petey is there.”
We walked in the street, keeping close to the curb. We had gone nearly two blocks. The schoolwas just coming into sight on the next block when we heard the scraping steps behind us on the pavement.
Josh and I both stopped. He lowered the light.
We both heard the sounds. I wasn’t imagining them.
Someone was following us.
12
Josh was so startled, the flashlight tumbled from his hand and clattered onto the street. The light flickered but didn’t go out.
By the time Josh had managed to pick it up, our pursuer had caught up to us. I spun around to face him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ray! What are
you
doing here?”
Josh aimed the light at Ray’s face, but Ray shot his arms up to shield his face and ducked back into the darkness. “What are
you two
doing here?” he cried, sounding almost as startled as I did.
“You — you scared us,” Josh said angrily, aiming the flashlight back down at our feet.
“Sorry,” Ray said. “I would’ve called out, but I wasn’t sure it was you.”
“Josh has this crazy idea about where Petey might be,” I told him, still struggling to catch my breath. “That’s why we’re out here.”
“What about you?” Josh asked Ray.
“Well, sometimes I have troubling sleeping,” Ray said softly.
“Don’t your parents mind you being out so late?” I asked.
In the glow from the flashlight, I could see a wicked smile cross his face. “They don’t know.”
“Are we going to the cemetery or not?” Josh asked impatiently. Without waiting for an answer, he started jogging up the road, the light bobbing on the pavement in front of him. I turned and followed, wanting to stay close to the light.
“Where are you going?” Ray called, hurrying to catch up.
“The cemetery,” I called back.
“No,” Ray said. “You’re not.”
His voice was so low, so threatening, that I stopped. “What?”
“You’re not going there,” Ray repeated. I couldn’t see his face. It was hidden in darkness. But his words sounded menacing.
“Hurry!” Josh called back to us. He hadn’t slowed down. He didn’t seem to notice the threat in Ray’s words.
“Stop, Josh!” Ray called. It sounded more like an order than a request. “You can’t go there!”
“Why not?” I demanded, suddenly afraid. Was Ray threatening Josh and me? Did he know something we didn’t? Or was I making a big deal out of nothing once again?
I stared into the darkness, trying to see his face.
“You’d be
This is the craziest idea ever,
I told myself as I searched in the darkness for some clothes to pull on.
And it was also kind of exciting.
Josh was wrong. No doubt about it. Petey wouldn’t be hanging around in that cemetery now. Why on earth should he?
But at least it wasn’t a long walk. And it was an adventure. Something to write about to Kathy back home.
And if Josh happened to be right, and we did manage to find poor, lost Petey, well, that would be great, too.
A few minutes later, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, I crept out of the house and joined Josh at the bottom of the driveway. The night was still warm. A heavy blanket of clouds covered the moon. I realized for the first time that there were no streetlights on our block.
Josh had the halogen flashlight on, aimed down at our feet. “You ready?” he asked.
Dumb question. Would I be standing there if I weren’t ready?
We crunched over dead leaves as we headed up the block, toward the school. From there, it was just two blocks to the cemetery.
“It’s so dark,” I whispered. The houses were black and silent. There was no breeze at all. It was as if we were all alone in the world.
“It’s too quiet,” I said, hurrying to keep up with Josh. “No crickets or anything. Are you sure you really want to go to the cemetery?”
“I’m sure,” he said, his eyes following the circle of light from the flashlight as it bumped over the ground. “I really think Petey is there.”
We walked in the street, keeping close to the curb. We had gone nearly two blocks. The schoolwas just coming into sight on the next block when we heard the scraping steps behind us on the pavement.
Josh and I both stopped. He lowered the light.
We both heard the sounds. I wasn’t imagining them.
Someone was following us.
12
Josh was so startled, the flashlight tumbled from his hand and clattered onto the street. The light flickered but didn’t go out.
By the time Josh had managed to pick it up, our pursuer had caught up to us. I spun around to face him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Ray! What are
you
doing here?”
Josh aimed the light at Ray’s face, but Ray shot his arms up to shield his face and ducked back into the darkness. “What are
you two
doing here?” he cried, sounding almost as startled as I did.
“You — you scared us,” Josh said angrily, aiming the flashlight back down at our feet.
“Sorry,” Ray said. “I would’ve called out, but I wasn’t sure it was you.”
“Josh has this crazy idea about where Petey might be,” I told him, still struggling to catch my breath. “That’s why we’re out here.”
“What about you?” Josh asked Ray.
“Well, sometimes I have troubling sleeping,” Ray said softly.
“Don’t your parents mind you being out so late?” I asked.
In the glow from the flashlight, I could see a wicked smile cross his face. “They don’t know.”
“Are we going to the cemetery or not?” Josh asked impatiently. Without waiting for an answer, he started jogging up the road, the light bobbing on the pavement in front of him. I turned and followed, wanting to stay close to the light.
“Where are you going?” Ray called, hurrying to catch up.
“The cemetery,” I called back.
“No,” Ray said. “You’re not.”
His voice was so low, so threatening, that I stopped. “What?”
“You’re not going there,” Ray repeated. I couldn’t see his face. It was hidden in darkness. But his words sounded menacing.
“Hurry!” Josh called back to us. He hadn’t slowed down. He didn’t seem to notice the threat in Ray’s words.
“Stop, Josh!” Ray called. It sounded more like an order than a request. “You can’t go there!”
“Why not?” I demanded, suddenly afraid. Was Ray threatening Josh and me? Did he know something we didn’t? Or was I making a big deal out of nothing once again?
I stared into the darkness, trying to see his face.
“You’d be
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