The principal’s eyes gleamed. His stare fell on me. A red glow flashed. “You’ll be amazed at what comes out of the swamp at night. Just amazed, isn’t that right, Gruff?”
His eyes blazed on me as he grinned, showing me a glimpse of his sharp teeth. I jumped up from my seat. I couldn’t help myself.
“Don’t get off bus!” I cried, looking wildly at all the kids around me. I grabbed Paul’s arm. “Don’t go! If you want to live, stay here!”
Chapter 34
Mr. Grunter’s strong hands grabbed hold of me. He held me up in front of Mr. Clawson as easily as he’d grasp a sack of potatoes.
Mr. Clawson clucked his tongue and shook his head sympathetically. “Poor boy,” he said. “Clearly unbalanced. Perhaps it was too soon to bring him back to the woods. But we can’t let one boy ruin the whole field trip, can we?”
How could it be that no one else saw the twitching claw at the end of the finger he pointed at me?
“This is really too bad,” said Mr. Grunter with a sigh, shaking his head at me. “What should I do with him?” he asked.
“Lock him in my car,” said the principal, his eyes flashing red again. “He’ll be safe there. Safe enough.”
Mr. Grunter nodded and led me off the bus. I looked back. Kim and Paul were glum and sad. But I could see they were just worried that I was crazy. They still didn’t believe a word I’d said about the werewolves!
Still holding my shoulder carefully, as if he thought I might bolt or turn around and hit him or something, Mr. Grunter brought me to the black car. He opened the back door and nudged me inside.
“Sorry about this, Gruff,” said the gym teacher. “But it’s not often Mr. Clawson takes the kids out of school. They’d all be pretty upset if we had to cancel the field trip on account of you. But you’ll be fine here. Maybe you can take a nap until we get back. It won’t be more than a few hours. ‘Bye, Gruff.”
Mr. Grunter locked the car carefully and pocketed the keys. All the kids had already filed off the bus and formed two lines at the head of the trail.
With Mr. Clawson leading, they began to head down the trail and into the swamp.
My chest tightened. I began to feel like I couldn’t breathe. I banged on the window with my fists and yelled for them to stop. But the car was so heavily built, no one could hear me.
A few kids looked back before they disappeared into the woods. Kim and Paul waved in my direction, looking sad. I pressed my face against the car window, begging them not to go.
But I knew they couldn’t hear me. The windows of the car were so darkly tinted, they couldn’t even see me.
A moment later all the kids were gone, as if the swamp had swallowed them up.
I stared after them in disbelief. The monsters were going to get them and I was locked up in a metal box. Frantically I began pulling at the door handle next to me but it wouldn’t budge.
I had to get out of here.
The clearing was deathly quiet. And the sun was going down.
Chapter 35
There were no lock buttons on the tops of the doors. It was as if the car had been specially made to hold prisoners like me.
I had to break a window. Lying down on the backseat, I drew my legs in. I shielded my head with my hands to protect it from shattering glass. Then I kicked out, slamming my feet into the window as hard as I could.
Pain shot up my legs from the impact. But my feet bounced off the window harmlessly. I stared in disbelief. What kind of window could be that strong?
I kicked again, even harder. And again and again until my legs were numb with pain and I was out of breath. The window wasn’t even cracked. I tried the rear window and the windshield but they were made of the same tough material.
Panic rose into my throat. I couldn’t be trapped here. I couldn’t! I leaned forward and buried my head in my hands. But no great ideas came to me. In frustration I began to pound my fist on the flat area between the two front seats.
SNICK!
I was making so much noise I almost missed it.
SNICK, SNICK, SNICK!
Little buttons had popped up on each of the doors. The lock buttons! I must have accidentally banged the control that worked all of them. Mr. Clawson probably figured the wolf-boy was too dumb to find the switch. And he was almost right.
I slid over and tried the door handle. The door swung open. Fresh air poured over me. I leaped out of the car as if I thought it might lock itself up on me again.
There was no time to lose. The sun was below the tops of the trees. The light was fading fast.
I took off down the trail, following the kids, straining my ears for some sound of them.
But the swamp was quiet. Too quiet. Where were the birds and squirrels?
A creepy feeling slithered down my spine. Something didn’t feel right. But I knew I was on the trail of my friends. I could see their footprints. I could smell their human smell.
Smell them? I stopped, the hair prickling on the back of my neck.
And suddenly a snarling beast exploded out of the underbrush! A blur of fur and claws, it leaped straight for my face!
Chapter 36
I ducked, throwing up my hands and letting out a shout. The creature screamed and shot over my head.
I whirled and saw its ringed tail disappearing fast into the bushes. It was only a raccoon. But it had been terrified of me. Of me!
I looked up, dreading what I
