Fifteen minutes later, where the caravan had been stationed, the other grown-ups there had gone to check on the girls. Only to discover they were gone.
Car alarms blared. Smashed fences, crumpled mailboxes...Perplexed neighbors stand outside their porch.
A section of fence has been ripped from its hinges. The building's side window is shattered. "Uh-oh…" the team murmured.
Following the abominable snowman wasn't that hard, all they had to do was follow the trail of wrecked cars, fences, and stuff. After catching up with Zach, the girls introduced themselves and offered to help.
The Snowman's trail of destruction leads right through the neighborhood towards...the ice rink.
The ice rink was deserted-or at least it seemed that way. But the monster had clearly been here. Smashed arcade games lay on their sides, crushed benches littered the ice, broken glass crunched beneath every footstep. Claw marks had shredded the walls. But there was no snowman-and no Hannah.
"We should call the cops," Champ said in a low voice as we crept toward the ice.
"Have you met the cops in this town?" Zach replied.
Champ sighed. "Fair enough."
"We should at least contact Star team or something." Kylie said glancing around.
"We snuck out, remember?" Beth reminded.
Just then they all jumped at the sound of an explosion, making Champ scream a high pitched shriek. It only took a few seconds for them to see it was a burst soda can, fizzing with Coke.
"Seriously? That's your scream?" Zach said in disbelief.
"Don't judge me!" Champ retorted.
"Hey boys?" Zaira pointed out into the ice rink. "That her?"
Hannah was standing dead center on the ice. She was spinning slowly in place, holding the open book in front of her like some kind of shield. Or some kind of weapon.
Champ snorted. "What's she gonna do? Read it a story?"
The group slip-slid our way toward her, feet skidding out every few steps. This place was cold: definitely abominable snowman territory. So where was he?
However, Hannah didn't look entirely pleased to see the boys – let alone the four girls following close behind. She's no damsel in distress that's for sure.
"What's happening?" Zach asked her. "How did that thing just pop out of a book?"
"Shhh!" Hannah hissed. "It's in here."
"We should get a gun," Champ suggested.
"A gun? We need a tank!" Zach said.
Behind them the other four girls were debating on perhaps finding rope or something to bind the abominable snowman long enough to get help.
"Wait. He's made out of snow!" Champ then said excitedly.
"Bag of salt!"
"Flamethrower?" Zach said this at the same time.
"Shhh!" Hannah said again. "It can't be killed."
"Of course not, but he can be banished, can't he…?" Kylie asked.
"Can it be detained?" Zaira questioned Hannah.
Hannah reluctantly nods. In the brief silence that followed, something dropped on the ice with a tiny ping. knelt, trying not to fall, and picked it up.
"An M&M?" Dana wondered.
Another one dropped. Then another. Suddenly it was raining M&M's. And Snickers. And Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Champ snatched a 3 Musketeers. "Uh... guys?"
They looked up just in time to see a vending machine hurtling through the air straight down!
"Look out!" Zach shouted.
They all dove in several directions, skidding across the rink as the huge machine slammed into the ice. The gigantic snowman followed, landing with a crash on the vending machine. Then he scrabbled through the heap of candy like he was digging for treasure.
"Who'd have thought he was a chocoholic?" Kylie commented.
"Come on," Zach got to his feet. "It's distracted."
Hannah didn't move. So Zach took one arm, Champ took the other, and the two boys yanked.
"You don't understand!" Hannah protested. "The only way to stop him is to suck him back into the book."
That's how?! Beth said almost in disappointment.
"New plan," Champ suggested, still moving away from the creature as quickly as he could. "Leave the book open, we'll run away, it'll suck itself back in. Job well done."
"No!" Hannah pulled herself out of the boys' grasp. "I'm not close enough!" She unlocked the manuscript with a loud click.
Too loud. The snowman turned in their direction with a glare, growling at the sight of the book. Then he came for them.
Hannah didn't back away. She held the book out in front of her, returning the snowman's fierce glare.
"What is she doing?" Champ cried.
"Just wait," Hannah said, in a steady voice.
"Hannah, open the book!" Zach urged.
The monster was thudding closer and closer.
What're you waiting for?! Beth snapped.
"Not yet," Hannah murmured. "Almost there... almost... now!"
She opened the book. The wind kicked up again, this time a funnel sucking everything in toward the pages.
Yes. Yes. It was working. It was pulling the creature closer... closer... But then the monster raised his giant, hairy arm the size of a construction girder-and smacked the book out of her hands. It went flying across the rink.
Hannah lunged for the book, and the monster lunged for Hannah. He slammed his massive fist into the ice. The rink shuddered so hard she lost her footing and stumbled.
Zach spotted a pile of hockey sticks and grabbed the closest one. Then he skidded toward the book. SMACK! He knocked it as far across the rink as he could.
"What's the plan?" Zaira cried.
"We get the book and send him back in!" Beth answered before sliding over.
"We keep him busy!" Dana added.
"No, seriously!" Zaira protested. "What is the plan?"
The snowman leaped for the book, but snagged himself on a goal net. While the monster disentangled himself, Zach pulled Hannah off the ice, and they ran for the book together.
Finally, the abominable snowman shrugged off the goal net and intended to go after them when Dana whistled shrilly to get his attention. "Hey, buddy over here!"
She and the girls might be grounded without her powers for the moment but she still had the stamina and endurance.
The snowman stomped his way toward the youngest of the group.
"Guys!" Champ shouted.
He was sitting at the wheel of a Zamboni machine. The engine roared. However there was one detail they'd overlooked: the Zamboni moved about as fast as a turtle.
"Get off that thing!"
Champ abandoned ship just as the snowman smashed it with one big, hairy punch. Champ tumbled off the ice and into the penalty box on the sidelines. The snowman roared and turned his attention toward Hannah and Zach.
"Run!" Zach cried.
This time, she listened. They skidded across the ice, trying not to look back-but you didn't have to look back to know the monster was close.
"In here!" Champ shouted, waving wildly from the penalty box.
The snowman was closing in. There was no way the trio could outrun him. But maybe... Zach yanked on Hannah's arm, hard, and they both dropped to the ice. Momentum carried them forward in a baseball slide, and they slammed straight into the penalty box, safe behind its thick Plexiglas door. Seconds later, the snowman crashed toward us, slamming his head into the door. He unleashed a deafening roar of pain-then passed out cold.
The trio of mortals were safe... for about five seconds. Then the snowman woke up.
"AAAAAAAAH!" he roared.
"AAAAAAAAH!" they screamed
The monster pounded his fists against the Plexiglas, which couldn't stand up to his impossible might. Tiny cracks spider-webbed their way across the door. It was only a matter of time, and they had nowhere left to run.
But they also forgot they weren't the only ones in the ice rink.
Just then, a black slip on shoe hit the snowman's head. He growled and turned to see where it came from.
Zaira waved her arms to get it's attention. Beth jumped on its back and tried covering the snowman's eyes only to be flung off. Then Kylie and Dana attempted to distract it.
It looked like she and the other girls intended to lead him away from the three in the penalty box.
"What are they doing?!" Hannah gaped.
"Buying time!" Zaira answered. Just minutes earlier she'd looked scared and hesitant, now she looked determined.
"For what?"
"Stop!" a voice boomed.
It was Shivers.
Shivers, standing in the center of the ice, holding the book wide open. A tornado of wind erupted from the pages with a giant sucking sound, pulling the snarling snowman toward it.
The monster dug his claws into the ice, desperately trying to battle the vacuum, but it was no use. The closer the creature got to the book, the fuzzier he got, almost like he was turning into... ink? Fur and fangs faded out, resolving into letters, which swirled back onto the page.
And then, just like that, he was gone. Shivers slammed the book shut.
For a moment, everyone looked relieved. Zaira calmly recovered her shoe and put it back on.
However the relief is short-lived when they saw the look Shivers was shooting at the youngsters.
"I'm not saying a word." Beth remarked.
"I appreciate that." Mr. Shivers was glaring at them all like they'd just committed a crime. "All of you in the car, now!" He pointed to the exit.
It was a bit of a tight fit, but they managed to fit into the Wagoneer. A solemn Beth pictured her parents being called, them arriving with the rest of star team possibly later putting them in the Alliance Bunker's cell when they return home to keep an eye on them.
Zaira was quite grimfaced. Dana stared out the window as did Kylie.
Champ was fidgeting beside Zach, while Hannah sat up in the front, staring at the window, probably trying to pretend she was anywhere else. He kept the youngsters waiting a long time. The guy knew how to build suspense.
"What are you gonna do to us?" Champ finally got up the nerve to ask.
Shivers didn't turn his eyes from the road. "Silence."
Champ leaned toward my ear. "We can't ask questions...?" he whispered loudly. "Seems like-"
Shivers exploded. "Shut up!"
Hannah spoke for the first time since we'd left the rink. "Dad, they were only trying to help."
Shivers's eyes flickered toward Zach in the rearview mirror. "I told you that if you didn't stay away from us, something bad would happen. That's the problem with kids today they don't listen." He shook his head. "You had to pick 'The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena'? Couldn't have picked 'Little Shop of Hamsters'?"
"At this rate, I'm just glad it wasn't the Werewolf of Fever swamp." Beth remarked, earning a discreet elbow from Kylie.
"You're him, aren't you?" Zach suddenly. "You're R.L. Stine."
He didn't flinch. "I don't even know who that is."
"Well, just as well," Zach said. "Because his books stink."
"Whose books?" Champ asked, confused.
"What's your opinion on old scary books got to do with our current situation?" Dana questions nonchalantly.
Hannah glanced at Zach, finger sliding across her throat in a cut-it-out motion.
"Hey, don't you dare badmouth Goosebumps, they're classic!" Zaira snapped at Zach.
"Now, Zach, I wouldn't say that." Kylie said with a shake of her head. "Personally, a few of the books were rather creative. My favorites were Welcome to dead house, A night in terror tower, the ghost next door and the Haunted mask. I can certainly relate to Carly Beth in some ways."
Beth added. "I liked Deep trouble because it had a fairy tale creature in it, but I gotta admit half the grown-up characters in 'My hairiest adventure' made me SO mad!"
"Is it because they were dishonest and always keeping secrets?" Zaira questioned glumly.
"I couldn't stand Sheena Deep, she was just so unlikable and narrowminded!" Kylie added. "Ugh, reminds me of Nat Halston."
"Well, I hated Grady's parents in the Werewolf of Fever swamp, they just made up their minds and hated Wolf long before they accused of half the stuff the werewolf did!" Dana grumbled, folding her arms.
Zach didn't really listen to the other girls' opinions. "I can't decide which one I hate more," he mused, biting back a smile, "Monster Blood or Go Eat Worms!?"
Hannah, who'd been listening to the girl's opinions, slouched in her seat, giving up on Zach.
"I'm so confused," Champ said.
"I mean, you see the endings coming from a mile away," Zach continued. "It's like, stop trying to be Stephen King, man."
Stine slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop. He whipped around in the seat, fixing Zach with a glower
"Who are you to talk about Stephen King?" he snapped. "Let me tell you something about Steve King. Steve King wishes he could write like me, and I've sold way more books than him, but nobody ever talks about that!"
Hannah grabbed his arm. "Dad, please calm down."
"That's because some people are so judgmental." Zaira said flatly.
Stine muttered some words under his breath. Then he shrugged and took his foot off the brake. The car started moving again, this time way too fast.
"Dad?" Hannah said nervously. "Your face is doing that red thing again."
That just made him bear down harder on the gas. His fingers squeezed the wheel so hard they turned white.
And Champ finally caught up with the rest of us. "No way," he said, bouncing in his seat. "You're R.L. Stine? That's you? You're famous! Really? Really?"
"Seriously?" Beth gaped.
"THE R.L. STINE?!" Kylie's eyes widened.
Zaira was surprised. "OMG, it's cheesy but there's no other word for this!"
"R.L. Stine was spying on us…" Dana said in a starstruck tone.
Champ was having some kind of fit, bouncing so hard that his head nearly hit the ceiling. "R.L. Stine! Oh, man! I never do this, but can I get a picture for my Instagram?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled out his phone and shoved it in front of Stine's face, grinning for a selfie.
The flash was blinding-and not just for them. This was gonna quite a night.
It was an endless, silent ride back to the suburbs. Finally, Stine pulled into Zach's driveway, and they all climbed out.
"So what happens now?" Zach questioned.
Stine's eyebrows knit together in a vicious V. "You go home, put on your pj's, get your blankie, go nap-nap, and in the morning, tonight will just feel like a bad dream."
"WHAT?!" The girls sans Hannah all cried indignantly.
"Are you kidding me?" Zaira scoffs in disbelief.
"Oww! I'm not dreaming, this really hurts!" wailed Beth about the bruise she'd gotten during their scuffle with the snowman of Pasadena.
Dana whines, "But I'm not sleepy!"
"It's already past YOUR bedtime!" Stine retorted.
"No, it's not!" Dana answered.
For a kids book author, he really seemed to have a problem with kids – and not just the elementary school aged ones.
He hustled Hannah into the house before the rest could even say good-bye... ... so they went in right after them. Stine was so angry, he didn't even notice.
"Go upstairs and pack your bags!" he shouted at her. "We need to get out of here before people start asking ques- tions." He strode across the room to the flat-screen TV and swung it out from the wall. There was a giant hole in the plaster, and Stine reached inside to grab a suitcase.
Hannah was arguing with her father, she didn't want to leave Madison.
Stine totally ignored her. He was staring at the floor, counting footsteps like he was following a treasure map or something. And maybe he was, because then he stamped hard on a floorboard and it popped open. Beneath it was a pile of credit cards, passports, and a whole lot of cash.
"We're not a normal family," he told Hannah, rifling through the cards. "Now pack your things."
A reluctant Hannah headed over to the fireplace and reached her hand up into the flue. She pulled out a duffel bag. Had these people never heard of closets?
"I am so over this," Hannah groaned.
Stine growled something under his breath. It sounded like, "Teenagers."
Zach went first, the rest followed. They must've been noisy steps, because Stine snapped up at the sound, grabbed a candelabra-and hurled it straight at Zach's head.
Or, rather, about ten feet to the left of his head – which Beth swiftly caught with both hands.
"I could've killed you!" Stine said when he saw who he'd nearly hit.
Zach glanced at the dent in the wall halfway across the room.
"That was a terrible throw." Champ commented.
"Why are you all still here?" Stine asked, in a tone that suggested he didn't care about the answer. "Go home!"
"No." Zach answered back. "Not until you explain what's going on."
"My thoughts exactly." Beth said sternly, after placing the candelabra on the desk.
"No, no, no. I can't explain it." Stine refused.
"We were almost just eaten by Frosty the Snowman which should be impossible by the way!" Zach snapped. "So... try!"
Kylie also walked in. "Furthermore, if my friends and I hadn't seen almost all manner of weird, supernatural stuff for five whole years I'd say it was the craziest thing I'd ever experienced. So please by all means sir, do enlighten us."
It was a miracle, but he actually did. "Okay, look, when I was younger, I suffered from terrible allergies that kept me indoors," Stine said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. "And all the other kids threw rocks at my window and call me names," he continued. "So I made up my own friends-monsters, demons, ghouls-that would terrorize my neighborhood and all the kids that ever made fun of me." he said. "And then, one day, they actually... became real. My monsters literally leaped off the page! As long as the books remain locked, we're safe. But when they open... well, you just seen what happens."
There was a brief pause. It was totally, utterly unbelievable. But given they've just witnessed, they had to believe it.
"So… they're all some subspecies of Vathek?" inquired Zaira
"What's that?" Hannah asked.
"According to the spirit guide, they're spectral forms that enter the realm of no ma- I mean mortals, through the act of writing." Zaira explained.
"As evil is a part of all things, tis a part of our world of magic. For the irony of all existence is that good would be entirely impotent without the contrast of evil." Kylie intoned sagely.
Everyone looked at her bewilderedly.
"Where do you come up with this stuff?"
"I'm allergic to dust mites," Champ said suddenly. "I'm just saying, I have allergies, too, so I understand."
Telling his story seemed to have used up all the strength Stine had left. He didn't even bother to tell Champ to shut up. "I've already told you too much," he said, sounding defeated. "Hannah, come on."
He marched up the stairs without even waiting to see if she would obey him.
She did, of course. When she headed up the stairs, Zach and the others followed her. All the way to the room at the end of the dark hallway, Stine's study, where it all began.
Kylie was the first to reach the study right behind the boys, and stopped short at the sight. "Wow."
Beth, Zaira and Dana could soon see why: The place was dusty, spacious, and stuffed with hundreds of leather-bound manuscripts fitted with steel locks Bookcase after bookcase is filled with them. Obviously these had to be all the other Goosebumps books.
"Hannah, grab A to M," Stine ordered, starting to pull books off the shelves. "I'll grab N to Z. And keep the man- eating plant away from the bug-eyed aliens. You know how-"
Stine suddenly froze when his gaze landed on a fallen book manuscript with the title Night of the living dummy. And his skin turned a chalky white.
"Oh no, not him." He mumbled in fear.
"What?"
"Who?"
They soon had their answer.
"Hello, papa."
Everyone glanced over to the big black leather chair seated in it was none other than one of R.L. Stine's most notorious villains: Slappy the dummy.
To be continued…