Zombiekins - Kevin Bolger [9]
“Make it stop, Nudelman,” Knuckles whimpered. “Seriously, or else I’ll—hunh?!”
Zombiekins latched onto Knuckles’ pant leg.
“Get it off me!” Knuckles screamed, sliding down the wall. “Get it—AAAHHHHHHH!!!”
As Knuckles crumpled to the floor, his grip loosened and Stanley was able to break free and step away....
Knuckles’ eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open, but the only sound that came out was a sort of strangled gurgling—as if he was too choked with terror to scream.
For a moment, Stanley stood frozen in shock. Then, coming to his senses, he turned and bolted for the door. Behind him, the bathroom echoed with piteous smacking, smooching, puckering noises....
Stanley broke out into the hall just as Knuckles suddenly found his voice:
13
STANLEY BURST INTO HIS CLASSROOM. HIS HEART was pounding. His breath came in great heaving gulps. His head was spinning with everything he’d just seen . . . .
But his classmates were just working quietly at their desks. Nobody even noticed him come in.
“ . . . Agahgahgrrraaghagahgrraaghllhh . . . ” Knuckles’ wail echoed through the hall behind him.
Stanley started to slam the door, then caught himself and shut it carefully, with a tiny click.
Mr. Baldengrumpy looked up from his desk at the back.
Knuckles’ screams went on and on, muffled only slightly by the door.
“ . . . agahgahgahgahgahgahg . . . ”
Mr. Baldengrumpy gave Stanley a narrow look.
“You weren’t running in the halls just now, were you?” he asked accusingly.
“N-no, sir,” Stanley panted.
“I hope not,” Mr. Baldengrumpy replied, in a voice like he didn’t for one minute believe it. “Because you know we don’t run in the halls.”
Stanley waited for him to say more, but Mr. Baldengrumpy just went back to writing F’s on the students’ art assignments.
So Stanley went and sat down at his desk.
“Mrmmrngmrmarnnnnn . . . ” Felicity mumbled to herself in front of him. Stanley couldn’t make out what she was saying and didn’t bother to ask. He had way too much running through his mind.
Somebody should check to make sure Knuckles was all right, Stanley thought. For a moment he considered telling his teacher what had happened . . . .
“Mrmmrngmrmarnnnnn . . . ”
No, obviously he wasn’t thinking clearly. Mr. Baldengrumpy would never believe him. And even if he did, he’d only find some way to blame it all on Stanley.
“Mrmmrngmrmarnnnnn . . . ”
Anyway, Zombiekins was just a toy. Surely it wouldn’t actually hurt Knuckles.
But there was definitely something weird going on here. Stanley decided to talk to Miranda about it at recess. She always knew what to do.
As soon as he had made up his mind, Stanley felt a lot calmer and he was able to focus on pretending to do his work again.
“Mrmmrngmrmarnnnnn . . . ”
Except now Stanley noticed for the first time that Felicity had been moaning to herself ever since he sat down. Stanley jabbed her in the shoulder with his pencil stub.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Keep it down.”
Felicity started turning around to face him. But her movements were weirdly stiff and slow, and her shoulders didn’t turn at all. Her head just swiveled around, inch by inch, with a noise like an old gate creaking....
She was so changed Stanley hardly recognized her: Her eyes were clouded over like gray marbles. Her skin was the color of clam chowder. Her hairstyle was askew.
“Are you all right?” Stanley asked in shock.
He could tell there was something seriously wrong with her. Felicity would never let her hair get like that.
But she didn’t answer him. She just moaned again and slowly, as if it took enormous effort, reached one hand up—
—and grabbed Stanley by the throat!
“Hey—” Stanley gasped, choking out the words. “—are you—crazy?!”
But Felicity just stared right through him with blank, clouded-over eyes.
“All right class,” Mr. Baldengrumpy announced in a bored tone from his desk at the back, “put away your books and get ready for recess.”
Kids sprang out of their seats, leaped into the aisles, danced, pranced, romped and