Myles and the Monster Outside (5 page)

NORMAN HAZ TO GO

N
orman
had been asleep for hours.

He'd slept through Go Home High-way, two ghosts, and a creepy diner.

And a monster.

He'd slept through a rainy night and a truck crash, but NOW that they were in the middle of nowhere on the scariest road imaginable … he had to wake up and PEE?

Myles looked at his mom. No doubt about it this time, she looked worried.

“Um, Norman. Could you please hold it?” she asked quietly.

“PEE!”

One thing Myles, Bea, and their mother did
not
take for granted was Norman's bladder. There was no knowing when it was going to make itself part of the immediate needs of the family. There was no taming it.

“Mom! I
told
you we should have made him wear a pull-up!” Myles's mother shot him a “that's enough” look. The one thing that would make Norman fight them like a Bengal tiger was the word “pull-up.” Myles shut up.

“Okay, Norman, we'll stop. In. A. Minute.”

Norman booted the back of Myles's seat. Again, again, and again. He was going to pee right then and there, and then the car wouldn't just reek of chocolate milk and peanut butter anymore.

“PEE! PEE! PEE!”

Myles and his mother exchanged a look, then his mother pulled the car to the side of the road. It was not like anyone was going to come down this dark, deserted, terrifying alley of blackness, ever.

Except to find their bodies one day.

STOP!
Stop thinking scary, crazy things!

Myles willed himself not to think.

They were going to have to GO OUTSIDE.

“Okay, Norman. I'm getting you out of the car. You can go pee.” Their mother said this very quietly and evenly, like she was bargaining with a madman.

Pleading with Norman and his pee.

“Myles, you can stay here with Bea,” she said evenly. But there was no way Myles was letting his mother and little brother go out there alone.

It
was out there.

“No, Mom, I'll come. I can keep watch.” His mother looked at him oddly but didn't argue.

Then, like a well-timed machine, Myles and his mother both opened their doors. Rain lashed into Myles's face. The smell of pine trees and farmland slapped him wide awake. And it was cold. Suddenly much, much colder than it had seemed when they got into the car at the diner. The constant whine of wind through the trees filled his ears, and Victor's roar drowned out their voices. On cue, there was another theatrical roll of thunder.

Myles wrapped his arms around himself and counted to ten, then to twenty, then back down to zero. He focused on the tip of his shoe in the mud, on the rain at the end of his nose, on the wind roaring in his ears. His mom helped Norman onto the side of the road.

Norman peed into the dark ditch.

The family stood silently outside the car, Myles and his mother willing Norman to hurry up. Car exhaust blew in their faces, along with the rain. Myles counted to twenty again and again, but it was the pee to end all pees. It was never going to end. It was epic.

Hurry up, Norman!

Then … a smoky blur behind the trees! The trees swayed, a twig broke … a huge, misty head loomed above the treetops and wispy arms reached out … red eyes shone through the darkness. The monster's deep whisper filled the air.…

… I see you, Myles….

RED ICE!

M
yles
tried to scream. He very, very badly wanted to call out to his mother and his little brother that they were in danger.

But he couldn't. His voice was gone. His throat was closing. He couldn't breathe. Myles squeezed his eyes tight and hugged himself as hard as he could.

… I see you, Myles.…

The monster's voice floated through the trees, and long, streaming, misty arms reached out toward him. Myles bit his tongue as tears welled up beneath his eyelids. Suddenly, somewhere, very, very far away, on a farm across the fields maybe, a dog barked. It made Myles feel slightly … better. Like he wasn't completely alone in the world.

You're not real! You're not real! Leave my family alone! Please, please hurry up, Norman!

It was the bravest thing he'd ever done. Myles wanted, very badly, to run into the car and hide. But he couldn't leave his mother and little brother to face the thing following him, the monster of mist and fear, alone. He stood with his arms across his chest, rain slashing his face, his eyes screwed shut, trying not to scream. He wanted to be brave. But he was frozen to the spot. Another tree snapped — the misty monster was coming.…

“Finithed!” Norman's sharp little voice called into the wind.

Myles had never moved so fast. He tore open the car door and jumped inside. His mother moved just as fast, strapping Norman into the car seat then shutting her own door. She was soaked, with rain dripping off her nose.

“Well,” she said breezily, “that was an adventure!” Myles smiled weakly at her then peeked back at the woods. Misty grey arms disappeared behind the trees.

Then … “ICE!” Norman shrieked. The trees rocked back and forth. Norman saw it too!

“DRIVE!” Myles yelped.

His mother stepped on the gas pedal, and the car lurched back onto the dark road. The wipers shrieked across the windshield.

“RED! ICE!” Norman yelled from the back seat.

“Faster, Mom!” Myles was too scared to look out the window. There was a blur beside the car. Then …

… a deer raced onto the road, and for a moment all Myles could see was a white tail and hooves. Myles's mom slammed on the brakes, and everyone lurched forward.

Thank goodness for seatbelts
, Myles thought.

“RED ICE!” Norman called out again, pointing out the front window. And Myles could see what he meant. Red eyes. The deer's eyes
were
bright red in the headlight. Just like the fox, just like the chickens.

Just like the monster out there …

The buck turned to face them and lowered its head. Its huge antlers looked like ghostly arms reaching out to them. Myles gulped.

“Oh, it's so beautiful!” Bea said, yawning and stretching awake.

“He is handsome, isn't he?” Myles's mother said. Myles couldn't believe his ears. They thought the deer was beautiful? It loomed out of the darkness. It had red eyes, even Norman said so. It had antlers that looked like arms. It almost ran into them.

Why couldn't they see how scary the deer was?

His mother honked the horn, which sounded ridiculous and tiny against the wail of the rain and the wind. The deer looked at them for a moment then twitched its tail and moved across the road. They all watched the huge creature trot away and disappear into the dark trees.

“Goodbye, beautiful deer!” Bea called.

“'bye, bodieful deer!” Norman echoed.

“We were so lucky to see him,” their mother said. She pulled Victor back onto the road and they continued on.

Lucky?

Myles frowned. They'd been driving for four days straight, and this final night, these final few hours, were worse than all the hours and days before. It was like some terrible freakish horror movie, like a journey that would never end, with the main characters stuck inside the car forever and ever, surviving one creepy near-disaster after another.

“Mom, can I turn on the radio?” Myles asked.

“Okay, something quiet. Let's see if we can just please finish this trip in peace.” She eased Victor-the-Volvo down the road, slowly picking up speed. Myles fiddled with the knobs and got a weird country station that sounded weak and very far away. They drove on. Bea and Norman settled down to sleep again in the back seat.

But Myles was a ball of worry. He'd heard it.

… I see you, Myles.…

It wasn't just a deer. Or just a fox at Go Home Highway.

Was it?

And something with red eyes wrecked the chicken truck.

Myles needed to think about something else. With a huge effort, he forced himself to focus on the dark, rainy road ahead. Someone had to watch for more deer.…

But now there was a new worry. What if they missed the detour sign that would get them back onto the highway?

He had lost track of time with the stop for Norman and his epic pee, then the scary near-miss with the deer on the road. But it seemed like a lot longer than fifteen minutes had gone by since they started on the road. The workman back at the detour had said it would be fifteen minutes, then turn left, then …

… what if we missed the detour? What if? We'll just drive around and around and around in the dark forever … with the monster out there following me.…

“Mom?” It had definitely been fifteen minutes since they left the highway. They should be seeing the detour sign any minute now. Myles's mother ignored him.

“Mom?” he repeated, a little louder.

“Uh-huh?” his mother murmured.

“Mom, what if we don't find the detour sign?” There, he'd said it.

His mom didn't answer. That was just about the scariest thing she could have done. Myles turned up the radio and peeked into the back seat. Norman was fast asleep. At least he wouldn't have to pee again for a while. Bea was snoring.

Why did she get to be so peaceful? Why was SHE always so calm when Myles was a mess all the time? Didn't she realize that they were going to drive around and around on this creepy, deserted back road for the rest of their lives?

Another minute went by.

No detour sign.

Another minute.

Another minute. Another.

Myles was just about to point out the obvious (they were lost, there was no sign, they'd just keep driving around and around in the terrifying darkness forever) …

… when his mother steered the car sharply to the left.

The fork in the road! The little red detour sign was right there! She found it!

Myles's mother smiled over at her son. “You have a very vivid imagination, Myles. You really thought we weren't going to find the detour sign? Have some faith. We're back on the highway, and we'll be home in an hour. Your dad will be so happy to see us. Go to sleep.” Myles wanted to sleep, he really did. But he couldn't.

It was almost like he knew the scariest thing was still to come.

THE MONSTER OUTSIDE

T
he
rain had stopped, but thunder still boomed from time to time. Without the hum of the wipers, the car was oddly quiet.

Victor travelled slowly along the high-way, as though Myles's mother just didn't have the heart to make the old car go too fast. The blackness outside the window was endless.

The country music radio station faded in and out. Myles could hear the funny hiss of static as the signal was lost.

Norman and Bea snored softly in the back seat.

The hiss of the radio and the gentle snoring calmed Myles. He looked over the field. His family was going to be okay. They were on the right road. Soon they'd be in Nobleville, which would be a nice alternative to living in a car for the rest of their lives. He was actually starting to WANT to get to his new home, his new town, his new school. Anything would be better than this.

Whatever is out there can't get me now,
Myles thought.
All I have to do is let Mom drive a little longer, and soon this night will be behind us forever.

He almost felt himself chuckle. Maybe it
was
kind of cool … even if Bea didn't believe it, Myles knew they saw
ghosts
. Real ones. The trip had been quite an adventure, a story to tell one day. And the monster? Well, whatever it was, it was
outside
and Myles was
inside
the car.

He let his eyes glaze over and stared out into the dark …

… TWO HUGE RED EYES glared back at him.

The monster
was running along the road beside the car!

Two huge misty legs strode, wispy arms reached out, a monstrous grey head waved among the trees. Dark red eyes looked right at him.

Myles stared, too scared to scream.

The monster's eyes were red as fire, its body a dancing grey mist. Myles could faintly see the dark field behind it. A black place opened where a mouth should be.…

… I see you, Myles
.…

Then the monster
leapt over the car!

“Mom! Look out!” Myles shouted.

His mother took her eyes off the road for a second and looked at Myles. She frowned again.

“Myles, are you okay? You're white as a … sheet.” Myles was very glad his mother hadn't said “ghost.”

Myles felt sick.

What if he never got rid of IT? WHAT IF THE MONSTER FOLLOWED HIM FOREVER?

His heart hammered in his chest. It was now or never. Time to tell his mother the truth. His voice was shaky and wobbly.

“Mom, there's something following me! But you can't see it! I saw a weird man, a monster, on an island from the ferry … and I didn't tell you. But it's out there. It's following me. It's here now!” Myles's voice shivered with fear. His mother put a hand on Myles's shoulder and tried to calm him, but it wasn't all that easy since she was driving.

“Look, I understand that you're scared about something, Myles. I'm sorry. That old man and his dog … well, it's late. We shouldn't have driven all night, it's not fair to you and to Norman and Bea, I realize that now. I hoped you guys would just sleep, but it's been a terrible night, what with the …
story
at the diner. And the truck wreck and the detour, then the deer. And the storm. It's all weird. Plus you're moving to a new house for the first time in your life. I'm not surprised you're upset, when you're so tired and everything is so strange. You're a sensitive boy, Myles, plus you've got a great, some might even say overactive, imagination.”

Myles could feel his mother's voice soothing him. He tried to take a few deep breaths.

“It's okay to be scared of new things sometimes. But you can't let fear decide your journey, or your future. Soon we'll all be together again and this night will just be a distant memory. Hey, look!” She pointed at a green sign beside the highway as they drove past.

“Did you see that sign? It said
NOBLEVILLE 65
. We're almost there! We'll see Dad soon!” She sounded happy. Myles was a tiny bit relieved to see the word “Nobleville,” so solidly real, on the sign. His dad and his new home weren't far. Up until now, everything had seemed so unreal.

Myles settled into his seat. His heart slowed a bit. His mom was probably right, he was just tired and weirded out. He turned his head to look out the window.…

… and RED EYES popped up right beside his!

The huge misty body jumped onto the hood of the car and stared straight through the windshield! A darkly smiling mouth grinned at Myles.…

See me now, Myles?
it whispered.

BANGGG!

A monstrous hand slammed into the windshield, then the monster flew off into the dark.

“What on earth was that?” Myles's mother said. She pulled the car over to the side of the road.

“MOM! You saw it too! The monster!” Myles shouted. He wanted to cry, to scream, to somehow run away and hide forever. He strained his ears, but the whispery voice was gone. Then from somewhere really far away, he thought he heard a dog bark.

“Where did that huge rock come from? It broke the windshield!” his mother said. A spidery crack formed across the glass.

“A rock? It wasn't a ROCK, Mom!” Myles shouted again, almost hysterical. “It was that monster thing, the thing that's following me!” He could tell she didn't understand a word of what he was saying.

She looked at him with complete concentration and said very, very gently, “Myles, it was a rock. I saw a
rock
hit the windshield. You're seeing things. I know it's really late, and it's been a weird night, but you have to stop talking about a monster. There's no monster, Myles. Okay?”

In that moment, Myles had no choice. The monster existed, outside the car. Here, inside the car, his mother couldn't see it, couldn't hear it, like he did.

Myles was beginning to think there were lots of things she couldn't see, but he knew they were there. Like the fox. And Courage.

He nodded. He looked into the back seat where Norman and Bea were somehow still sleeping, a pile of older sister and little brother and teddy bear and Spiderman sleeping bag all knotted together.

He sighed. He was so tired. Exhausted. Maybe it didn't matter whether people could see what he saw or not. “Okay, Mom. It was a rock.”

It was a monster. But if you want it to be a rock, it was a rock. I know the truth….

Myles's mother patted his shoulder then turned her attention back to the roaring car. She pressed her foot on the pedal, but nothing happened. Victor had been making weirder and weirder sounds in the last few moments.

The car coughed, then coughed again.

Then … stopped. For a moment, everything was silent.

Myles looked at his mother. His mother looked at the steering wheel.

She gritted her teeth and said, “Victor! You CANNOT DIE NOW!” She banged her hand on the steering wheel.

She turned the key.

Nothing.

She turned the key once more. Nothing. Then with a huge sigh, steam puffed up from under the hood.
That
had never happened before.

Myles and his mother watched as the crack in the windshield spread out fast across the glass in a dark, flat line. It looked like a heartbeat that had stopped forever in one of those hospital shows.

At the very moment when the patient dies.