I jumped off my bike and left it hidden behind some bushes not far from the museum, and then made my way over to a park bench. I didn't want anybody thinking that I was trying to break into the museum after dark, even if that was the case. I glanced down at the watch on my wrist that my mum had bought me for my birthday the previous year. 8:13. Amy and Andrew said they would be here by 8:05. I wondered where they could be. I sat down and a cool shiver ran down my spine as my bum made contact with the metal seat.

"Excuse me, sir," a dark voice said behind me. A hand flew down onto my shoulder and I nearly had a heart attack. I slowly turned around to see who it was, and my shock quickly turned to relief, and then anger. Amy and Andrew stood there, laughing and slapping each other silent high-fives. They thought they were the funniest people on this planet.

"What the hell were you thinking!" I shouted.

"Hey, quiet down!" Amy looked around cautiously, checking to see if anybody was around. When she was satisfied that no one saw anything, she turned her attention back to us. "It is a bit cold, isn't it?" She clasped her hands together and starting rubbing them together.

"No." I replied, despite being able to see my own breath.

"Let's cut to the chase and go in," Andrew spoke. He turned towards the building and started walking towards it. We both followed quickly.

It only took a few short moments before we reached the building. I stopped at the bottom of the concrete stairs and looked around. Other than the odd street lamp here and there, the night was completely dark, and it gave me the spooks. I suddenly wanted to be out of here and in there. I ran up the steps and caught up to them in no time.

Andrew finished walking up the cold stone steps and reached the door. He placed the key into the keyhole, turned the key, and fidgeted around with it for a few seconds. The door did not budge.

"What the?" he said, and took a step back, clearly dazed and confused. "It should open up!"

We came all this way for nothing? Surely this was not the end of our adventure, over before it had even started. "Maybe it's for the back door or something?" I suggested.

"Good idea!" He slapped me on the back, which left a stinging sensation, a probably a large red hand print. He took off down the steps and raced around the side of the museum. Amy and I looked at each other, and then ran off after him.

We got to the back, and surly enough, there was a door. Andrew inserted the key, and the second he turned it the door clicked open. We all let out a sigh of relief.

"A plus, here I come!" Amy grinned. I couldn't help but smile back. My summer was saved. There was no way I was going to fail this test and spend my break at school.

I walked through the open door and started shivering uncontrollably. It was a lot colder in here than outside, so I pulled my jacket around me even tighter and shoved my hands deep into my pockets. Amy saw this and laughed.

We made our way into the bug exhibit, and we pulled out our notebooks and started taking notes.

"Wow these bugs look even creepier now than during the day!" She shivered. I pulled out my left hand and wrapped my icy fingers around the back of her neck. She let out a loud shriek and Andrew and I laughed.

"Gotcha back," I said.

"Who'sss there?" a man hissed like snake from somewhere deep in the opposite end of the room. My body locked up and I froze on the spot. The voice seemed to cast a magical spell over all of us, because Andrew and Amy stood completely still too. "Who's there!" The voice shouted again. He seemed to be in a pretty bad mood.

"Quick, hide!" Amy whispered, and we all went dashing off into a different corner of the room. I slid across the ground and hid under a desk near the display of spiders. One jumped at me from inside the box and spat venom. Thankfully it was locked behind a glass wall. I moved as far back as I could until my back hit the wall, and I held my breath and tried to stay as still as I could. My heart was beating faster than a rock and roll drummer, and I was sure whoever was in here with us would be able to hear it.

I heard footsteps coming closer and closer to my area. I forced my hands down over my beating chest, praying that whoever it was could not hear it thumping. He stopped just before the desk I was under. He bent down and looked as he shone a torch that he was holding. Luckily I was under the next desk, but not luckily enough, as he would look under the desk I was under next! He stood back up and moved over to my desk and bent down. I could hear him hastily breathing. He sounded as if he had been smoking all his life. Some saliva dripped out of his mouth hit the ground inches from my feet. I braced myself for what was to come.

CRASSHHHHH

Something went crashing to the floor near the front of the museum. The man jerked into a standing position and spun around. "Ssssssss," he said as he ran towhere the noise came from. The trapped air in my lungs suddenly swooshed out in relief. I placed my hand on the floor and went to push myself back up, but something stung my fingers and I fell back down. A burning sensation erupted through my hand, and I had to bite my tongue from screaming out. I looked at the ground and there was now a small little bubbling hole, as If somebody had just spilt acid. 'Weird' I thought. I don't think it was there when I first arrived.

"Lets go!" Amy appeared out of know where, startling me. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me up off of the ground. Andrew was already making his way for the exit. Amy and I started to run follow his lead, but being the klutz that I am, I knocked over a display holding a few large insects that I had never seen or heard of before, causing it to crash to the ground in a thunderous roar as the glass box shattered into a million pieces. The bugs from inside wriggled around in every direction as they made their escape.

"There you are!" I heard the man shout from behind us.

As we ran outside, I glanced around to see if the man was close. Thankfully he wasn't. I got a quick look at his face, and I stopped dead in my tracks. His face looked strange, and like nothing I had ever seen before. It was covered in hair, from his forehead to his chin, and his jaw did not look human. It looked like something out of one of those horror movies my dad watches late at night. Our eyes met, and I started to feel dizzy. I felt trapped, and there was nothing I could do about it. The man started to make his way towards me.

"Quick!" Andrew slapped me on the back, shaking me out of my dream-like state. I shook my head and turned to look at him. "Let's go!"

He didn't need to tell me twice. Without looking back, the three of us ran off into the night.