“Rrrrr.” The boots kicked at pieces of glass.
I tried to fit more of me inside the cabinet. Even curled up with my knees against my forehead, an elbow stuck out and I couldn’t close the door. If either of them bent over they couldn’t help but see me.
“That tray didn’t fall over by itself,” said a thick, mean voice. The boots began to walk toward me, stopping right beside the cabinet I was hiding in.
Through a crack in the cabinet door, I spotted the uniformed legs of a security guard. “You know what we have to do if we find an intruder?” The guard gave an evil laugh. “Make it go away. Forever.”
“There’s no place to hide in here,” said the other, familiar voice. It was Mr. Parker. He stepped a little way into the room and I could see him. He was still human but his face looked hard and wooden. “Better search the place anyhow,” he continued. “If our secret gets out it’ll destroy all our plans.”
The guard laughed again. It was more like a growl. “Nothing can stop us,” he sneered. “But you better go. I’ll take care of this little problem.”
“Okay,” said Mr. Parker. “They’re waiting for me. They don’t like it when anyone is late.”
Mr. Parker went out and the guard’s boots moved away. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he snarled. Things clanked and banged together as he moved stuff clumsily, as if he was more used to paws than hands.
“Come out! Right now! If you don’t come out right now something terrible will happen!” he roared. “I’ll find you even if I have to change to do it!”
He knocked over a glass jar and growled out of his thick human throat. “I’m getting mad,” he muttered, coming into my view.
RIIIIP!
His arm started to bulge. Wiry hairs poked out of the rip starting in his jacket. A rumbling sound came from his chest as he messed around with the equipment. His anger was making him turn into a werewolf. When he did he’d find me for sure. And there was nothing I could do to stop him.
Suddenly he let out a triumphant yell.
“GOTCHA!” he shouted, pouncing on something.
When he stood up he had a large brown rat struggling in his meaty hands. “Miserable rat!” the guard cackled.
A rat! A rat had saved me. At least so far. I felt grateful to the poor quivering creature.
“Ha!” said the guard, lifting the animal up so he could look into its little beady eyes with his big evil eyes. “Think you can wreck our lab, is that it, Mr. Rat? I’ll show you how we treat visiting rodents around here!”
Then, as I watched in horror, the guard opened his jaws wide and popped the rat into his mouth.
CRUNCH!
His throat rippled as he swallowed. A small curl of tail twitched at the corner of his lips. He snaked his tongue out, snagged the last inch of tail and slurped it into his mouth. He gulped and smacked his lips. Then he opened his mouth again and out came a long, loud belch.
“Mmmmmmm,” he muttered. “Good.”
Then he burped again and ambled out of the room.
Chapter 32
My stomach heaved and I crawled out of the cabinet onto the floor. My whole body trembled in violent spasms. I heard moaning.
The moaning was coming from me. Clamping my lips shut, I held onto my stomach until I was sure I wouldn’t throw up.
After a while—I couldn’t tell how long—I got shakily to my feet. All I wanted to do was get out of this horrible place before they found me. I started shaking again, thinking of that poor rat. I knew they would do the same to me and enjoy it even more.
Wolf-boy, they’d howl, licking their chops, mmmmmm gooooood!
On rubbery legs, I started for the door. But which way would lead me back to the parking lot? I turned the way I had come but I couldn’t remember all the twists and turns.
All the corridors looked the same—silent and empty and blazing with white light. It was like I was in a maze.
Fear crawled around inside my chest as I realized I was headed deeper and deeper into the huge building. Maybe I should turn around. But I couldn’t shake off the feeling that if I turned back I’d find that guard waiting for me, grinning with his bloody teeth.
I slumped against the wall. I’d accomplished nothing and now I couldn’t even find my way out. Tears burned my eyes. I brushed them away, angry with myself.
Suddenly I froze. What was that sound?
“GRRRRoooooooooooooooooooooooowl!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”
“RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRggggurrrrr.”
I’d found the werewolves!
Behind me that guard was lurking somewhere, lying in wait for intruders. Ahead of me were monsters—a lot of them. Plotting.
Which way should I go?
Chapter 33
I moved forward like a sleepwalker. “They’ll scent you!” my brain screamed. “Then they’ll eat you like a rat!”
But my feet kept going forward. What had I come here for? Why had I already gone through so much danger if I was just going to run away when my chance came to find out what the creatures were planning for Fox Hollow?
I poked my head around the corner. The hallway was dark. But light spilled from a large room at the end of the hall. The room glowed with soft silvery light, like moonlight. As I stared, a large shape flickered along the wall.
It was the shadow of a werewolf.
I needed to get closer. I couldn’t see or hear anything from this far away. There were darkened offices on both sides of the hall near the big room. If I could reach them I could hide inside one of the offices and spy on the werewolves.
Crouching, moving as soundlessly as I knew how, I crept into the little office next door to the werewolves.
My heart banged against my ribs. I waited for the werewolves to scent me and come hunting. There was no escape.
But nothing happened. At last
