A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting by Joe Ballarini

Author:Joe Ballarini
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

22

I squinted around the shadowy living room. Glow sticks danced in the dark. Kids didn’t care that the power was out; it only added fuel to the fire. They were playing music from their phones. A clash of electronic, country, pop, and hip-hop swirled around us. A line of shaving cream shot across the living room, spraying Melissa Beasely in the hair, covering her curls in thick tufts of foam.

Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!

The syrupy, sickening laughter of the Baby Laugh A-Lot darted behind a cluster of kids on the couch. I fired the flashlight at it, catching the boys’ eyes.

“Get that light outta my face!” threatened a kid dressed like the Grim Reaper.

A dark wind shot past the boy, blasting his hair and his robe aside.

I saw the Shadow Monster zip along the wall, snaking its hairy mass through the party. With the almighty flashlight I charged forward, elbowing past Deanna and the Princess Pack.

“Kelly!” I heard Victor call out to me.

My sneakers hit something slippery on the rug. I whooshed across the Slip’N Slide like a pro surfer.

“Whoaaa-OOOOOH!”

At the end, I tumbled into a somersault and landed on my feet in a wobbly finish. That was when I heard the party roar. Everyone was applauding.

How did I just do that? Where the heck is Liz? She should be seeing this!

“Ten points for Kelly What’s-Her-Name!” cackled Jesper.

Camera flashes exploded in my face.

The Shadow Monster scaled the ceiling and scuttled away from the light above the party, its fur hanging down. I saw that Deanna was about to take a selfie.

“Deanna!” I warned.

“Please don’t interrupt,” she sneered, and then made a kissy face at her phone.

The beast dropped beside her; its shiny, almost aluminum jaws screamed in her face, blasting her hair back.

Deanna went limp and collapsed on the ground just as she took her selfie.

Flash! THUMP.

“Deanna, what’s wrong?” the Princess Pack asked, looking up from their phones. Deanna’s head lolled back and forth as she gurgled. She was going to be okay. Or as okay as she could be.

“Stairs!” Victor shouted, pointing up the stairs.

We bolted into the second-floor hallway. It was dark and empty. My heart whumped in my chest, veins pumping blood.

“That thing is the devil!” Victor said, crossing himself.

“Not exactly,” I said. “He’s only a class two.”

“Class what?” Victor whispered.

I held up my finger and tipped my ear to the shadows. From the dark end of the hall came a muffled, mechanical giggle.

Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee.

Goose pimples rose across my arms. I beamed the flashlight into the darkness. The Shadow Monster screeched, trailing smoke as it vaulted back up onto the ceiling. My light flickered and died. I banged on the handle and toggled the switch off and on.

“Stupid batteries,” I grumbled as we stood in the darkness.

The Shadow Monster lunged toward us. I screamed and ducked.

A pale-blue light beamed into the creature’s eyes, stopping it in its tracks. Victor stood strong, holding out his phone with the flashlight app turned on. The roar of the party masked the wailing agony of the withering Shadow Monster.

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