Kelsey started back the way they came. Drew followed. But when they reached the other end of the alley – nothing looked the same! Even the Italian restaurant was gone.
Kelsey eyes darted left and right.
“Hey! What’s going on?” she cried. “This is so weird. Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” Drew answered, searching for a street sign. “This has to be the way we came in.”
“The restaurant was right on this corner,” Kelsey said. “I know it was.”
Kelsey stared at the spot where the restaurant should have been. In its place stood an old shingled house with boarded-up windows.
“I don’t get it,” she mumbled to herself. She’d been coming to this town practically forever. She knew every square inch of it. But suddenly she had no idea where she was.
She glanced around. The alley now led into a street. When Kelsey looked down the street, she noticed a few rundown shacks. Nothing more. In the other direction the street was dark and gloomy and lined with battered houses and abandoned storefronts.
“All right,” Kelsey said, trying to stay calm. “The beach must be that way.” She pointed to her right. “So that means our house must be this way.” Kelsey motioned to the gloomy street.
“That way?” Drew gasped. “I’ve never even seen that street before. It’s totally creepy. We’re not going down there.”
“I’m telling you, that’s the way we have to go,” Kelsey insisted and began jogging down the dreary block. “Come on!”
Drew followed her for about three blocks – until she stopped.
“Wait,” Kelsey said, out of breath. “This can’t be right.”
“I told you this wasn’t the way to go,” Drew muttered. “There aren’t any creepy old buildings like these anywhere near our house.”
“I know. I know,” Kelsey replied. “We’d better ask somebody for directions.”
“Like who?” Drew asked.
Good question, Kelsey realized. She gazed up and down the street. There was no one to ask. She and Drew were all alone.
“Where is everybody anyway?” Drew asked. “There should be tons of people everywhere – we’re right by the beach.”
“The beach,” Kelsey repeated. “That’s it. We should head for the beach. Then we’ll be able to find our way home.”
Before Drew could reply, Kelsey took off down a side street. A street she was certain headed toward the shore. But when she reached the next corner, her heart sank.
Nothing but shabby houses. Gutted storefronts. Every way she turned.
No people. No beach.
Kelsey was beginning to think that she and Drew would be lost forever. Tiny beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“This is getting really scary,” Drew said when he caught up to her. He glanced down and kicked a jagged piece of glass on the sidewalk.
“What was that?” Kelsey jumped back.
“Just a broken piece of glass,” Drew answered.
“No. That – listen,” Kelsey replied.
A dog.
Kelsey caught sight of it first.
A big, mangy yellow dog.
She gasped. It was the biggest dog she had ever seen. And it was headed straight for them.
“Let’s get out of here!” she screamed.
They crossed the street and charged ahead, but the dog ran faster. Gaining on them. Its wild barks echoed in Kelsey’s ears.
Kelsey and Drew stopped on the next corner to catch their breath. They ducked into a darkened doorway, pressing their backs against the door’s iron gate. Gasping for air.
They listened.
Silence.
“Do you think it’s gone?” Drew asked.
“I-I don’t know,” Kelsey stammered. “I’ll check.” She poked her head out from their hiding place.
A pair of crazed yellowed eyes met hers.
The dog sat on its haunches – just a few feet away. It growled. A low growl that exposed two decayed fangs – dripping with saliva.
“Run!” Kelsey cried, grabbing Drew’s hand.
The two bolted from the doorway. They flew down the street, holding hands, with Kelsey in the lead.
Kelsey glanced behind her. The dog tore after them. Howling now. And snapping its jaws hungrily.
Kelsey turned down a narrow alleyway. It looked just like the first alley. Only darker. Much darker. And the farther they ran, the narrower it grew.
They dodged around splintered pieces of wood. Shards of glass.
The wild beast charged up behind them, snarling. Its wet, gray tongue hung from its mouth. Kelsey could almost feel the animal’s sharp teeth sink into her ankles.
“Faster!” she screamed. “Run faster!”
With a burst of speed the two raced ahead, leaving the dog a few yards behind.
The alley curved sharply to the right. Drew nearly stumbled as the two took the turn.
And then Kelsey stopped. What lay ahead of her was suddenly as terrifying as the wild dog behind her.
Another dead end.
There was no way out.
“We’re trapped!” Kelsey shrieked. “We’re trapped!”
4
Kelsey and Drew pressed their backs against the building. Waiting. Waiting for the vicious dog to appear.
Kelsey held her breath and listened.
No barking. No snarling.
“Maybe we lost him,” she whispered.
“I don’t think so,” Drew whispered back.
Kelsey silently agreed. The alley went only one way. That dog would have to be pretty stupid to lose track of us, she thought.
“But why isn’t he attacking?” she asked Drew.
“I don’t know,” he replied, shaking his head.
The two waited in silence. The blood pounded in Kelsey’s head.
Another minute passed – the longest minute in Kelsey’s life – with no sign of the dog. “We can’t just stand here, Drew,” Kelsey said, finally breaking the quiet. “I’m going to check.”
Kelsey tiptoed to the curve in the alley. She peeked around the corner. Slowly.
The alley stood deserted.
No dog.
“It’s gone!” Kelsey gasped.
“This is so weird,” Drew replied, making his way to her side. “How could it just disappear like that?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t care. Let’s get out of here. Now,” Kelsey answered. “Um, you go first.”
“Gee, thanks a lot,” Drew said as he started down the alley.
They walked quickly but carefully.
Listening.
Listening for any sign of the deadly beast. But the only sound they heard was the soft thumping of their own feet.
The alley seemed even darker than before. And for the first time Kelsey noticed how sour it smelled. The stench flooded her nostrils and made her sick.
“Look!” Drew exclaimed. He stopped short, and Kelsey slammed into him.
“What?” she asked. Her heart skipped a beat. She was afraid to hear the answer.
“I can’t believe it!” Drew shouted. “Look where we are!”
Kelsey inched alongside Drew and peered out of the dark alleyway – into bright sunlight.
She knew immediately where she was. But she glanced up at the street sign for proof.
Thirteenth Street.
Less than a block away from their house.
“I thought we were totally lost,” Drew said as he started toward their street. He let out a long sigh. “And all the time we were less than a block away from home. That’s the last time I follow
Kelsey was about to shoot back a smart remark of her own when she remembered something strange. Really strange.
“Drew, do you remember what the fortuneteller told you? You know, about getting into trouble if you follow me all the time? You don’t think…”
A shiver of fear crept down Kelsey’s spine. She stopped to glance back at the alleyway.
But it was gone!
I’m going crazy, Kelsey thought. The alley is there. It must be there. I probably can’t see it from this angle – that’s all.
“Come on, Kelsey,” Drew called. “We’re really late!”
Kelsey broke into a run. The two raced the rest of the way home. As they neared their house, they spotted their parents sitting outside on the front porch.
“Where have you been?” Kelsey’s mother asked.
“Do you know how late it is?” Drew’s mother added.
