Every night danger moved nearer.
I shuddered, gazing at the moon. The werewolves were so powerful. They were everywhere.
Waiting, waiting.
Chapter 28
The time had come—I had to do something, even if it put my life in danger.
I told Mrs. Parker I was going to bed early. She hardly heard me, she was so preoccupied. She didn’t say much, but I could tell she was almost as worried about Mr. Parker as Kim was.
But I didn’t go upstairs. I sneaked out the back door and into the garage. Climbing into the back of Mr. Parker’s car, I scrunched down on the floor, getting as far under the seat as I could. I was wearing dark clothes but, still, if he looked in the back, he would see me.
I lay there for a long time. My arm went numb and after a while all I could think about was stretching my legs. Then the car door opened. I closed my eyes tight and held my breath, certain I was about to be discovered.
But Mr. Parker settled into his seat and put on his seat belt. I let my breath out. That was a mistake. Immediately I felt I had to sneeze. The carpet fibers were itching my nose something terrible. I rubbed my nose frantically but the sneeze kept building. I couldn’t stop it. My eyes watered and my chest burned.
I pinched my nose and pressed my face into the floor. But nothing could stop that sneeze. It burst out of me—at the same instant that Mr. Parker turned the key and the engine sprang noisily to life. I was safe. My whole body sagged with relief.
Then Mr. Parker tossed a paper bag onto the backseat. As he pulled out of the driveway, the package slipped off the seat and fell on me. A sneeze was nothing compared to this. My skin crawled with fear. As soon as he turned around to get his bag he would find me.
Desperately I pushed the bag back onto the seat. It felt soft. I peeked into the top of the bag. Clothes! Mr. Parker was taking an extra set of clothes to work. I remembered the ruined jacket in the trash. He wouldn’t want to come home in ripped clothes again—clothes torn apart by the wereing.
Shivering, I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. I wished I was home in my bed or playing a video game with Paul. I wished I was anywhere but in this car, heading for a place so dangerous I might not come out alive.
In just a few minutes the car slowed, then stopped. A heavy gate clanked. Mr. Parker rolled down his window and said something to whomever was guarding the gate.
“GRRRRRrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!” the guard growled.
At least that’s what it sounded like. Maybe I wasn’t hearing too well with my face pushed against the floor. Maybe.
My blood thudded in my ears. I was sure Mr. Parker could hear my pounding heart. He drove through the gate and a minute later he stopped again and shut off the car. Now he would turn around to retrieve his bag and see a boy lying on the floor of his car. What would happen to me then?
His hand came groping over the backseat. It almost landed right on me. Mr. Parker grunted. I felt his weight shift in the seat. He was turning to look!
Without thinking my hand shot up, grabbed the bag and pushed it into his hand. I snatched my hand back and froze. Mr. Parker grunted again and the bag disappeared into the front seat. The car door opened. Mr. Parker got out and slammed the door behind him. I waited until the faint sound of his footsteps completely disappeared.
Cautiously I sat up. The parking lot was surrounded by high electrical fences, like the rest of Wolfe Industries. And I was finally inside.
But the ride over had taken too much out of me. I’d lost my nerve. I’ll just stay in the car, I thought, until Mr. Parker comes back and drives home—somebody else can fight the monsters.
But suddenly the dark night was split with a terrible sound.
“AAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
The howling got into my blood and turned it to ice water.
Chapter 29
The howling was horrible, but it made me realize I had to keep going—I couldn’t quit now. I had to find out what the werewolves were planning.
Rolling into the front seat, I opened the door just enough to crawl out of the car. The parking lot was dark and no one was in sight.
I crouched low and zigzagged toward the building. The werewolf howl was coming from somewhere deep inside. I concentrated on finding a way in. If I let myself think about what might happen after that I’d lose my nerve again.
Reaching the building, I leaned against the wall to get my breath. I hadn’t realized how scared I’d gotten just crossing the parking lot. The wall seemed to vibrate from the hum of big machines. Taking a deep breath, I crept along until I came to a steel door. I tried the knob. It wasn’t locked!
My knees began to tremble. My brain filled with cobwebs of nightmare creatures waiting on the other side. I pushed the images out of my mind and made myself open the door. It was so dark I couldn’t have seen a werewolf if it was right in front of me. I shut the door behind me and stood there, letting my eyes adjust.
I was in a hallway with doors along either side of its length. To my left the hall was completely dark, but a faint patch of light shone to my right. The howling had stopped. The building was eerily quiet—nothing but the dull rumble of machines somewhere.
Heading for the faint light, I noticed the rooms along this hallway seemed to be offices. They all looked identical—new and unused—with a computer on every desk.
As I crept down the corridor the light grew brighter. It was shining from
