Camp Fear Ghouls (4 page)

“A
coffin!” I pointed at the badge under Amy's swimming patch. “That badge has a picture of a coffin on it! And
that
one looks like a knife.” I poked at the next badge with my finger.

A slow smile crept across Amy's lips. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Awesome, isn't it?”

The next badge was a rope. Was it for knot-tying? But then, why was the rope shaped like a hangman's noose?

“What's
that
for?” I asked.

“Fun!” Pearl gestured to the badges on her purple sash. “They're all for fun.”

“It's much more fun to earn these than stupid old cooking badges,” Amy explained. “Or a wimpy
gardening
badge like the Waynesbridge Scouts earn.”

“Aren't our badges totally scary?” Violet giggled. “They're perfect for our club.”

“Look, Lizzy. We thought you were someone who liked a good scare. You're not
afraid
of some silly badges, are you?” Trudy asked, sticking her face in front of mine.

“Of course not,” I shot back.

“Are you
sure?”
Pearl demanded. “Because we don't want any babies in this troop.” She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously. “Hey, how old
are
you anyway?”

That made me mad. Maybe I
was
the shortest kid in the seventh grade. So what? What difference did that make?

“I'm old enough to go on a camp-out,” I snapped. “And I'm old enough to earn those badges.”

A grin spread across Pearl's face. “All right. You're in,” she declared. She stuck her hand into the center of the circle. The others piled their hands on top of hers. “Welcome to the Camp Fear Girls,” Pearl sang out.

“Welcome!” the girls repeated.

I placed my hand on top of the stack.

A freezing breeze drifted through the room.

Brrr! What a drafty old house, I thought.

“Pearl!” Trudy called when we broke our handhold. “Did you forget that tonight is Prank Night?”

Several of the girls squealed with delight.

“Prank Night is a troop favorite,” Amy whispered to me.

“How could I forget?” Pearl grinned. “I
live
for Prank Night.”

“Yeah!” “Me too!” the others agreed.

Pearl raised one hand and the group fell silent. Then she asked in a spooky voice, “Who should we play our prank on tonight?”

Several girls raised their hands to make suggestions, but Amy cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Since Lizzy is going to be our newest member, let's let her choose.”

“Brilliant idea.” Pearl turned to me. “Well? Who would you really like to
get?”

I stared into Pearl's eyes. They reflected the yellow flicker of the candlelight. And suddenly a strange feeling crept through me. A wild feeling I couldn't explain.

I tried to break my gaze, but Pearl's eyes held mine. The yellow candle flicker seemed to grow into a burning glow.

My eyes narrowed to little slits, and a wicked smile curled the corners of my lips.

And then, as if someone were controlling my thoughts, I whispered, “Caroline. Let's get Caroline!”

“C
aroline is Lizzy's ex-friend,” Amy told the troop.

Pearl raised her eyebrows. “
Ex
-friend?
Ex
cellent!”

Amy rubbed her hands together. “Let's send her a message—with slime!”

She led everyone into the kitchen. Big metal buckets sat on the counter. They were filled with a white, pasty goo.

“What's in there?” I whispered to Amy.

“Flour, cornstarch, and water. Now we're going to mix in this green food coloring,” Amy said, holding up a bottle. She poured the green dye into the bucket.

“Don't forget the secret slime ingredient!” Trudy shouted. She rushed over and dropped some powder into the bucket. The muck inside began to bubble and fizz.

“Wow! What is that stuff?” I asked.

Pearl pressed a wooden spatula into my hand. “Just trust us. Stir this up, and we'll give your friend Caroline—”

“My
ex
-friend,” I corrected her.

“—your
ex
-friend Caroline a big surprise,” she finished.

I dipped the spoon into the sticky goop and stirred it hard. The more I stirred, the more it bubbled and hissed. And it smelled
awful.
Like a skunk dipped in vinegar.

Evil thoughts of pouring that green gunk all over Caroline's head flashed through my mind.

I stopped in mid-stir. Whoa! I never had a thought that mean in my life. Where did it come from?

Pearl patted me on the shoulder. “Keep stirring,” she instructed. “When it's done, we'll go over to Caroline's and give her a little present.”

“We'll send her a message,” Trudy added as she stirred her own bucket. “One she'll never forget.”

That evil feeling washed over me again. I'd write something rotten on Caroline's porch with the slime. And then I'd run! It would take forever to get that green dye off the porch, I thought. Good!

Priscilla and Violet had been working on their bucket of slime across the kitchen. “We've got goop!” they called.

“All right, everybody,” Pearl announced. “Let's head 'em up and move 'em out.”

There were three buckets of slime in all. Amy and I
carried ours between us as the troop marched down Fear Street.

“Caroline lives on Pine Ridge Road,” I told them. “About two blocks from my house.”

We crossed Mill Bridge and slipped silently through Waynesbridge. We took side streets so no one would see us.

Caroline's two-story gray-and-white house sat in the middle of the block. Light glowed from the kitchen in back and the upstairs bedroom windows. I knew Caroline was home.

“When we reach the house,” Amy whispered, “you go up to the porch. We'll be right behind you.”

I nodded, and gave Amy a thumbs-up.

My heart thumped with excitement. In a few seconds Caroline would get her slimy message—and I would have my revenge.

We reached the lawn. Carrying my bucket, I led the way to the front porch. The troop followed.

That dark, evil feeling grew inside me again. I could feel it clouding my brain. Taking over. All I could think was “Get Caroline. Get her!”

I knelt on the porch. I spooned out a glop of the bubbling slime. What should I write? I wanted to find the perfect nasty words that would make Caroline feel truly awful!

Trudy marched past me to the front door.

“Wait!” I whispered. “What are you doing?”

Without answering me, Trudy pressed the doorbell.

I scrambled to my feet. “Are you nuts? Caroline's dad will come to the door. We'll get caught!”

All at once the troop scattered. Several of the girls hid in the bushes. Amy ducked behind Caroline's dad's car.

I barely had enough time to dive into the shadow of a weeping willow tree.

The front door creaked open. I peeked out from under the trailing branches. Someone stood in the doorway.

From my hiding place I couldn't see the person's face. But I could make out a navy blue T-shirt.

Caroline!

She took two steps onto the dark porch. Probably searching for whoever rang the bell.

What's going on? I wondered. What are the Camp Fear Girls planning?

Suddenly, I saw movement in the bushes. The whole troop stood up in their hiding places.

Trudy raised her head above the hedge. Pearl stood by the porch, her purple sash catching the light from inside the house.

Amy stepped silently from behind the car. She held a bucket in her hands.

All at once it hit me.

They weren't going to write a message. They really
were
going to dump their buckets of bubbling ooze on Caroline! Just the way I had imagined it!

The dark feeling inside my brain totally cleared.

They can't do that, I thought. What if the bubbling ooze does something horrible to her? I don't want to
hurt
her.

I leaped out from my hiding place to cry, “Stop!”

But before I could say it—

Splat!

S
lime flew through the air from three different directions. It hit Caroline dead-on.

Green goo dripped from her head. Her arms. Her favorite blue T-shirt.

I was glad I couldn't see her face. I knew she must be furious. And scared.

“Run!” Amy yelled.

I pounded away from Caroline's house as fast as my feet would carry me. The rest of the Camp Fear Girls were right behind me. They laughed loudly as they ran.

I put my head down and pumped my legs furiously. I had to get away fast—before Caroline saw me! If she did, she'd never, ever speak to me again!

We clattered across Mill Bridge. When I glanced up again, we were back at the house on Fear Street.

I climbed the rickety porch stairs. Then I bent over to catch my breath.

I felt terrible. That prank was supposed to be fun, but it wasn't. I felt like a total jerk.

I wanted to say something about it. To tell the girls I didn't really like Prank Night—and I never wanted to do it again. But Pearl didn't give me the chance.

“Hurry and join the troop in the living room,” Pearl ordered, adjusting her purple sash. “It's time to bring tonight's meeting to a close.”

The twelve girls waited in a circle, in silence. They clasped each other's hands.

Then Pearl started to sing in a low, spooky voice.

“Thirteen girls went off to camp.

The woods were dark, the ground was damp.”

The other girls joined in.

“Thirteen families dressed in black.

Thirteen girls who never came back.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. They were singing about that camp-out a hundred years ago! Creepy! They ended the song with a warning.

“So if you camp in the Fear Street Woods,

Thirteen girls will get you good!”

Finally, everyone unclasped their hands. And the meeting was over.

I sighed with relief.

What a totally weird experience!

Amy didn't walk with me back toward Waynesbridge. She said she was spending the night in Shadyside—at Trudy's. I had to go back down Fear Street by myself again. At ten o'clock at night.

I reached the bridge in record time. I began to jog across it—and was suddenly blinded by headlights.

The van! It stopped right in front of me. The same weird lady sat behind the wheel.

She didn't look at me. But she gestured with her thumb to the backseat. “Get in,” she ordered.

I hesitated.

“Didn't you hear me?” the old woman barked. “I said, get in.”

I climbed into the backseat and slid the door shut. We rumbled across Mill Bridge.

I didn't even try to talk to the driver this time. I just wanted to go home and get into bed. I needed time to think about the Camp Fear Girls.

After what happened, I wasn't so sure I wanted to be a part of their troop anymore. Sure, I liked scary things. But maybe these girls were
too
scary. Too weird. Too
mean.

When the van dropped me in front of my house, I leaped out and raced inside. Home!

My parents sat on the couch, watching the late
news in the living room. They watched me turn the dead bolt and slip the chain lock in place.

Dad raised his eyebrows. “Locking the monsters out for the night, Lizzy?” he asked.

“Uh—yeah. You could say that,” I answered.

“How was the meeting?” Mom asked.

“Fine,” I mumbled, hanging up my jean jacket.

Mom frowned. “You don't sound very enthusiastic.”

“I'm a little tired,” I replied, heading straight for the stairs.

I didn't want to talk about the meeting with them. I was afraid I might blab and tell them all about Prank Night. Then I'd get in big trouble.