Overnight by R.L. Stine

Author:R.L. Stine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2020-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

“Who’s there?” Della called.

No reply.

Gary joined her in the hallway. “Who is it?” he shouted.

Silence on the other side of the door.

Impulsively, Gary turned the lock and started to pull the knob. “No, Gary—don’t!” Della cried. But she was too late. He had already pulled open the door.

There was no one on the front porch.

Gary pushed open the screen door and stepped outside. Down on the street, a car with only one headlight squealed around the corner and sped past, going much faster than the thirty-five mph speed limit. As it passed under a streetlight, Della could see that it was packed with teenagers.

That’s what we should be doing, she thought wistfully. Out cruising around, having a good time.

“Gary—please. Come back in,” Della called, watching him through the screen door as he explored the front yard.

“No one out here,” he said, sounding relieved. He stepped back onto the porch. “The ground is soft, but I don’t see any footprints.” He scratched his head of wavy blond hair.

“Maybe it’s a ghost,” Della joked.

“Someone’s playing a little joke,” Gary said, reentering the house and walking past her in the hallway. “An unfunny joke.”

Della closed the door and carefully locked it. They walked back into the living room.

Ricky, Maia, and Suki were standing tensely by the window. “Is he—is he out there?” Maia asked.

Gary shrugged. “I didn’t see anyone.”

“But who’s knocking?” Maia demanded, clenching her hands into tight fists at her sides.

“The Ghost of Christmas Past,” Della said.

No one laughed.

“Maybe we should go to the cops,” Suki said, looking worried for the first time. She was wearing an oversized turquoise sweater that came down nearly to her knees. She wrapped her arms around herself, nearly disappearing into the voluminous sweater.

“No!” Maia insisted. “We still have no reason to. It may be some neighborhood kid playing a stupid prank on us.”

“I used to play this joke,” Ricky admitted, smiling.

“Big surprise,” Suki said sarcastically.

“I used to think it was pretty funny,” Ricky said. He walked over to the couch and stretched out, laying his head on the soft arm cushion. “Now I’m not so sure.”

“We’re sitting ducks here,” Della said glumly.

“Look, let’s not go over the edge,” Gary told her. “The guy’s just playing a joke. If he wanted to get in or do something really terrible, he had two chances when the door was open. He just wants to make us squirm.”

“We’re squirming,” Ricky said. “We’re squirming!”

“Let’s be ready for him the next time he knocks,” Gary said.

“What are you talking about, Gary?” Della asked warily. Gary was a great guy and everyone liked him. But one reason why people liked him so much was that he wasn’t perfect—sometimes he did crazy, foolhardy things, things that kids would talk about for weeks afterward.

Della knew Gary really well. She had gone out with him for a long time, after all. And she knew the look on Gary’s face. It was a look she wasn’t happy to see. It was his daring look. It was his fixed expression of daring anyone to stop what he was about to do next.

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