Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown (24 page)

“Sounds good,” Jason said.

Grant opened the door. “Okay, backyard team, let’s go.”

Earlier, in the afternoon light, Jen and the others had seen that the yard was almost a perfect square. The house was on one side of the square, with a chain-link fence at the back and along the sides. The fence was high and sturdy. It went right down to the ground. It was hard to imagine anything being able to get in or out.

Jen glanced behind her. The Coopers’ house looked small and somehow lonely. She knew there were other houses in the neighborhood. But in the dark, the other houses all seemed very far away.

“Remember your positions,” Grant said in a low voice. “I’m on the right. Mike, you’re left. Jen, you’re going straight up the middle. We’ll meet at the fence. Maintain silence unless you’re in trouble. We don’t want to get confused by our own voices. Okay, let’s move out.”

Moving the flashlight slowly back and forth in front of her, Jen began to walk across the yard. Dried leaves crunched underfoot. A cold wind darted down the collar of her coat. She shivered.

The moon was no longer full. But it was still big enough to cast strange shadows across the yard. Jen squinted. The moon was actually making it more difficult to see. Everything looked weird, all wavy and stretched out.

Her flashlight beam danced across the leaf-covered ground, then lit up the metal of the fence. She caught a glimpse of the trees on the other side of it.

What was that?

Jen stopped walking. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard something that sounded like a deep and steady panting. She opened her mouth to call out to Grant, then shut it again.

I’m not in danger,
she thought.
Grant and Mike are close by.

Jen leaned forward, stretching out her arm as far as it would go. She tried to make the flashlight beam go through the fence to the woods beyond. That’s where she thought the sound came from.

I’m not close enough yet,
she thought.

Jen took a deep breath, then kept on going, one step at a time.

The night seemed different now that Jen had heard something she couldn’t identify. It was full of sounds. She heard the wind whispering through the trees in the woods. Bare branches
hitting against each other. The crackle of dead leaves as they blew across the yard. And then another sound. Something on the ground, moving through the leaves.

Jen jumped back as something strong—and soft—pushed against her shoulder. Then she heard a rustling sound at her feet, and a high-pitched scream cut through the night.

She bit back her own cry. Her arm struck out—but there was nothing in front of her.

“Jen!” Grant was by her side. “Are you all right?”

Jen nodded. “I felt something. It touched my shoulder. It was”—she couldn’t explain it—“soft?”

“Like feathers?” Grant asked. He shook his head in disbelief. “I saw it. It was the wing of the biggest horned owl I’ve ever seen.”

“And it just caught the biggest rabbit I’ve ever seen,” Mike added with a shudder. “That’s what made the screaming sound.”

“Poor rabbit,” Jen said. Her heart was still racing, and the hand that held the flashlight was shaking. She tried to make her voice sound normal. “Do you think that’s what the girls saw? An owl’s eyes?”

“I don’t know,” Grant admitted. “But I don’t think owls make panting sounds. And I heard panting before.”

“Me too,” Mike admitted.

“Me three,” Jen said. At least she wasn’t the only one who heard the strange sound.

“I think we should keep searching,” Grant decided. He and Mike went back to their sides of the yard.

“Right.” Jen shone her flashlight in front of her. She wasn’t going to let herself get spooked. Great horned owls were a little scary. But they weren’t monsters.

Jen had only taken a few steps before she heard the strange panting sound again. She approached the fence. She swung the flashlight. The beam moved across the diamond pattern of the chain-link fence.

What’s that?

Jen froze. Just outside the fence, something caught the beam of her flashlight. Caught it and
reflected it back!

Two glowing red eyes. There was no mistaking them.

The eyes were round. They looked big to Jen—about the size of quarters. In the light of her flashlight, the eyes gleamed bloodred. They looked exactly like what the girls described.

And they were staring right at Jen.

“Guys,” she called out. Her voice sounded funny, even to her own ears. “I think I’ve got something.”

Instantly, Grant and Mike swung their flashlight beams in Jen’s direction.

“What is it?” Grant asked. “What have you got?”

“Whoa,” Mike said. “I can see it now. What
is
that?”

“Eyes,” Jen said. “Just eyes. Just like the girls said.”

“We’ve got to move in closer,” Grant said. “See if we can
figure out what we’re dealing with here. But go slow. We don’t want to spook it. Frightened animals can be very dangerous.”

Jen began to walk forward, still shining the light out in front of her. Abruptly, she saw the eyes wink out. Then they returned again. Winked out again.

“Whatever it is, I think it’s moving,” she said. “Maybe turning its head from side to side?”

“Like it’s trying to track us,” Grant said, his voice low.

As if Grant’s words had been some sort of signal, the eyes stayed still. They were gazing straight ahead at Jen once more. Then, slowly but steadily,
they
began to move toward her.

Jen’s heart shot straight up into her throat.

It’s coming right at me!

“Stop!” Grant commanded. “Jen, Mike. Stop right where you are! We still don’t know what we’re dealing with. Don’t get too close.”

One. Two. Three. Four.

Jen counted silently as the thing outside the fence got closer and closer. Her arm ached with the effort she was making to hold the flashlight steady. She felt a trickle of icy sweat creep slowly down her spine.

“But what
is
it?” she asked again in a low voice. “It’s so close. Shouldn’t we be able to tell what it is by now?”

“I would think so,” Grant said. “Unless maybe its fur is dark.”

Totally without warning, the eyes seemed to shoot forward.
They were right outside the fence now!
As if whatever was out there had taken a giant leap closer.

Jen couldn’t help herself. She stepped back with a cry.

“Jen!” Grant was at her side in an instant. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Jen gasped out. “It’s just—
why can’t we see it?
”

“It’s definitely still out there,” Mike said. “I think the fence stopped it. But I didn’t hear anything hit. If anything hits that chain link, it would make a noise.”

The eyes were moving again now. Back and forth, right outside the fence.

“What’s it doing?” Jen said.

“Pacing,” Grant answered shortly.

“Big cats do that,” Mike said. “Could it be a mountain lion?”

“Mountain lions have light-colored coats,” Grant said.

“What about a wolf?” Jen suggested. “We’re pretty far north.”

“We’ve got to identify what we’re dealing with,” Grant said. “But now I’m thinking only one of us should try and get closer. Lots of animals pace when they’re frightened. Maybe all of us getting closer at once wasn’t such a good idea.”

“I’ll go,” Jen offered. “I saw it first. And I feel like it’s been staring at me all along.”

“You’re sure?” Grant asked.

Jen nodded, though her stomach was all tied up in knots.

“I’m sure,” she said.

“Be careful, Jen,” Grant warned.

“I will,” Jen promised.

Slowly, carefully, she began to walk toward the fence once more.

“It’s okay. It’s all right. I won’t hurt you,” Jen murmured as she walked. Closer. Closer. Closer. “I just want to see what you are.”

She was almost at the fence, holding the light straight out in front of her. Grant and Mike’s flashlights were shining to the left and right of her. But all she could see were those round, red eyes. They had stopped moving. They were right on the other side of the chain-link fence, gazing right at Jen.

Like whatever it is, is waiting for me,
Jen thought.

And then, all of a sudden, the eyes were gone.

Jen’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. As if from very far away, she could hear Grant and Mike yelling. But Jen couldn’t understand the words. All her focus was directed at just one thing.

The eyes.

Where were they? Where did they go?

Then Jen heard the strange, deep panting sound again. This time it was right behind her.

The creature was
in the yard!

Jen spun around. The beam of her flashlight swung crazily. For a moment, she thought she caught a glimpse of Mike’s terrified face. Then her light found the eyes. Red and glowing, they stared right at her.

The creature stood between Jen and the house.

Grant and Mike had stopped yelling. Except for the sound of the wind in the trees and the frantic pounding of Jen’s own heart, the night was absolutely silent.

Jen tried to swallow, but she couldn’t. Her throat was too dry. The glowing eyes moved closer. And closer.

This was all wrong. Most wild animals fled when humans got close to them. They didn’t jump a fence to come after you.

Unless you were their prey.

Jen backed up. One step. Two steps—until she felt the cold metal of the chain-link fence press against her back.

She heard the panting sound again. She felt the animal’s hot breath. Jen couldn’t help what she did next. She reached her hand out to touch the creature.

She only touched air. There was nothing to touch. No fur. No head. No body.

And then Jen knew. The reason she couldn’t see or feel the body was because the creature didn’t have one.

It’s not an animal. It’s a ghost.

Slowly, hardly daring to move, Jen took a step sideways to the left. The burning red eyes also moved to the side. And then slowly, relentlessly, they began to move toward her.

The ghost had her trapped!

“Grant,” Jen said urgently. “Whatever this thing is, it’s coming straight toward me. I’ve got the fence at my back. I don’t know what to do.”

“Stay calm, Jen,” Grant said at once. “Don’t make any sudden moves. I’m going to try to distract it. If you see the eyes turn away from you, run toward Mike.”

“Will do,” Jen said.
Hurry!
she thought.

“Here. Over here!” Grant cried out.

Jen could see him waving his arm back and forth. For a long moment, the glowing eyes stayed steady, staring at Jen. She held her breath.

“Here!” Grant cried again. He moved the flashlight beam in fast, tight jerks. The light danced wildly. The eyes turned toward Grant. Jen heard a deep-throated growl.

“Go!”
Grant shouted.

Jen sprinted toward the light of Mike’s flashlight. She felt a strange current of ice-cold air move past her.

Then, nothing. The night around her was perfectly still. Perfectly calm.

“Whoa,” Grant said.

“What happened?” Jen gasped out.

“The eyes vanished,” Grant said. “Whatever that thing was, it’s gone.”