The Ooze Read Online Free Page B

“You know the rules, Eric.”
    There was a knock at the door. Mr. Emerson, the principal, stood in the doorway.
    â€œExcuse me, class,” Miss Scott said. “I’ll be back in a minute.” As soon as Miss Scott joined Mr. Emerson in the hall, Eric turned to me.
    â€œOkay, Al, what’s the answer?” he demanded.
    â€œHuh? Answer to what?”
    â€œThe capital of Brazil, you jerk,” Eric said. “Weren’t you listening?”
    â€œDo you think there’s going to be another baseball strike?” I asked.
    â€œCome on, Sterner!” Eric hissed. “What is the capital of Brazil?”
    â€œHot dogs,” I said.
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Eric demanded.
    â€œI was just thinking that hot dogs taste better at the ballpark than anywhere else. Do you know why?” I asked.
    â€œTell me the capital of Brazil! Now!” Eric said. I noticed a little vein throbbing in his forehead.
    â€œOh, it’s Cleveland,” I whispered just as Miss Scott came back into the classroom.
    â€œEric?” Miss Scott asked. “What is the capital of Brazil?”
    â€œCleveland,” Eric announced.
    The whole class laughed. Even Miss Scott had trouble keeping a straight face.
    Cleveland? I thought. Why did I say Cleveland?
    â€œEric,” Miss Scott said, “you should plan on staying after school. I see we have our work cut out for us!”
    â€œCleveland isn’t the capital of Brazil?” Eric asked slowly.
    â€œCleveland is in Ohio,” Miss Scott replied. “And it isn’t even the capital there!”
    I felt Eric’s hot breath against my ear. “I’m going to get you for that, Sterner,” Eric whispered. “I’m going to get you!”

7

    T he minute the last bell rang, I jumped out of my chair and raced out the door.
    I knew Miss Scott was keeping Eric after school. But I wasn’t taking any chances. I wanted to be home—with the door locked—before he even left the building.
    I ran down the hall, out the front door, and down the steps. And I kept on running.
    I kept hearing Eric’s voice in my head. I’m going to get you for that, Sterner. I’m going to get you .
    And I knew he would.
    During math class he passed me a note. A note that mentioned specific bones of my body—and what he planned to do to them.
    I thought about the note—and ran faster. I ran three blocks. Four blocks. Five.
    My lungs were burning. My legs were aching. But I knew I would feel a lot worse if Eric caught me.
    I ran another block—and hit a red light. I glanced behind me as I waited for the light to change.
    No Eric yet.
    The moment the light turned green I sprinted across the street. Then I stopped.
    Wait. There is no stoplight on my way home from school.
    I stared around. And I didn’t recognize anything. Not anything.
    That’s impossible, I thought. I have lived in Shadyside my whole life. I should recognize something.
    I looked up at the street sign. “Fear Street.”
    I knew that name. Everybody in Shadyside knew Fear Street. But I couldn’t remember ever being on the street before.
    I passed house after house. Some were big and fancy. Some were small and run-down. But none of them looked familiar.
    Don’t panic, I ordered myself. You can’t be more than a couple of blocks away from home.
    I studied both directions. Which way should I go? If I went the wrong way I might run straight into Eric.
    I began to run again. I didn’t know where I was headed. But it felt safer to keep running.
    Four blocks. Five blocks. Six. Seven. Eight. I ran until there were no more houses—until I hit a dead end.
    I could either turn back. Or go into the Fear Street Woods. If I turned back, I might run into Eric, I reasoned.
    So I chose the woods. He’d never find me there.
    I darted between the trees. They were tall and close together. Hardly any light filtered through