Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life, Page 4

  “He sounds completely insane,” you whisper.

  “He is,” Uncle Ed agrees. “And it’s my job to stop him.” He gazes solemnly at you. “But I need your help.”

  Flip to PAGE 123.

  “What happens if we’re late?” you ask.

  “Are the zombies going to get us?” Al adds, grinning.

  “They might.” The coach glares at Al. “Or they could just as easily get you earlier. But if you’re late, you’re disqualified. No Outdoors Medal for you.”

  “We won’t be late,” you all chorus.

  “You’ll be safer hiking in pairs,” Krump calls. “As soon as you’ve chosen partners, start the hike. See you at the campsite!”

  You see that Samantha has already paired up with Al. Ted and Tracy are starting up the trail together.

  That leaves you with … Kim?

  No way! you think. She’s lazy. She’s a complainer. Besides, you’re a good hiker. You don’t need a partner.

  On the other hand, Coach Krump told you to pair up.

  What will you do?

  To pair up with Kim, go to PAGE 118.

  To hike alone, turn to PAGE 14.

  As you slide back into your seat at the cafeteria, you notice that Pat’s lips are covered with blue egg.

  “I thought you weren’t going to eat your eggs,” you say.

  Pat shrugs. “One of the coaches made me. They’re pretty good.” He smiles weakly. His eyes look a little glazed.

  Another camper, Charlie, comes over. He’s about your height. But he’s very muscular.

  Come to think of it, all the campers look strong.

  But, hey, this is a sports camp.

  In a monotone, Charlie says, “I loved food fights at school. But” — he scratches his head, as if trying to remember something — “we must eat our eggs, not throw them.”

  Another camper shuffles over. “Yeah,” he chimes in. “We’re supposed to follow the rules.”

  You roll your eyes. What’s wrong with these kids? Haven’t they ever heard of having a little fun? You’re beginning to think this place is like an ant farm. Everyone acts like they’re in the army!

  You’re not sure you can hack this place. Maybe you should pretend to be sick and call Uncle Ed to pick you up.

  On the other hand, what if Uncle Ed thinks you’re a wimp?

  Maybe you should just stick it out.

  If you pretend to be sick, turn to PAGE 79.

  If you stick it out, turn to PAGE 58.

  “I just wanted to see the medal,” you gasp, shocked.

  “Not till you’ve completed the hike!” Coach Krump bellows. He leans over. “Understand?” he says, right in your face.

  This guy is weird, you think. You wonder if you’ve made the wrong choice.

  “To earn your medals, you must be able to read a map and get around in the wilderness,” Coach Krump goes on. He holds up a map and points to a mountain. “You must find Zombie Cave, here on Zombie Mountain, and remove a bone from it as proof you were there.”

  Zombie Mountain? Excellent. You love spooky stuff.

  “A bone?” Kim exclaims. “Ewwwww!”

  “The cave is full of bones,” Coach Krump declares. “Human bones,” he adds with a smile.

  Now he passes out maps, one to each kid. “After you leave Zombie Cave,” he continues, “we’ll all meet at the campsite on Zombie Mountain.”

  Cool, you think. First a spooky fossil hunt, then a camp-out. This is going to be great!

  “One more thing,” Coach Krump adds. He glares from camper to camper. “Watch out for zombies.”

  What? Turn to PAGE 132.

  “I’ll play forward instead,” you volunteer. “The goalie can keep his job if he really wants it.”

  The rest of the team agrees. You jog onto the field.

  PHWEEEET! The soccer coach, Goodrich, blows a whistle. And the game starts again.

  Soon you’re wishing you’d agreed to tend goal. It might have been a little easier.

  You were the star player on your soccer team at home. But these kids have legs of iron. They don’t play like humans. They play like maniacs!

  When the coach tells them to execute, nothing stops them. You can’t knock them off the ball. And their bullet shots and passes force you to duck.

  This is the first time you’ve ever been scared in a soccer game.

  By the time it’s over, you’re completely tired. You drag yourself back to your cabin and collapse on your bunk.

  Turn to PAGE 91.

  A hungry mountain lion can move a lot faster than a hungry zombie, you reason. Better take your chances with the corpse.

  “Up!” you order Kim.

  You scramble back up the cliff. Rocks and pebbles rain down around you.

  “Uurrgghh!” the zombie bellows from above. You peer up. It hefts another huge boulder. Oh, no! How can it miss when you’re this close?

  Then the zombie slips!

  “UUUURRRRRGGGHHH!” it cries as it tumbles through the air. Down, down, down.

  It lands with a sickening THUD far, far below.

  Yuck!

  “Wow, Kim,” you comment as you reach the top of the cliff. “That zombie really fell for you.”

  “Hah, hah,” Kim huffs.

  Time to check out the cave. You hike down the trail and stand nervously at the entrance. A faint light glows from inside.

  You take a deep breath.

  “Let’s do it,” you say to Kim. “Let’s enter Zombie Cave.”

  Well, go on! Enter the cave on PAGE 126.

  The yellow eyes are coming toward you — FAST!

  They’re just a few feet away. That’s when you see a long green snout.

  A snout that opens to reveal dozens of long, jagged teeth.

  An alligator!

  Think fast! What are you going to do?

  Do you have time to do a frog kick and get away?

  Or should you grab the crowbar and try to defend yourself?

  Whatever you do, you’d better do it now!

  If you do the frog kick, turn to PAGE 107.

  If you grab the crowbar, turn to PAGE 108.

  Keep running, you say to yourself. Sooner or later, you’re bound to find the camp. Or a road. Or a town.

  Or something besides zombies!

  You crash through the dark woods. All you care about is escaping.

  Finally, you spot something white ahead. A sign.

  It reads: CAMP-OUT.

  Oh, no! You’re back at the camp-out site! You ran in big circles!

  You stumble to a halt, panting.

  SNAP! A branch breaks.

  Then you feel breathing on your neck.

  Someone — or something — is right behind you!

  It’s too late to hide. Slowly, you turn around.

  Face it on PAGE 87.

  You and Brad line up, side by side.

  “What do you think they have planned for us?” you whisper.

  Brad shrugs. “I guess we’ll find out,” he whispers back. “Just remember, we’re in this together. You help me, I help you.”

  Sounds good to you. But you notice that Brad doesn’t meet your eyes. Can you trust him?

  The starting gun goes off, and you sprint out. As you approach the first hurdle, you’re in the lead. Barely.

  You take off over the water jump. Up, up, up you go.

  As you come down, your heel slaps against the water’s edge. A tiny bit of the liquid splashes on your calf.

  “OUCH!” You scream in pain. That stuff burns!

  “Don’t let a little sulfuric acid slow you down!” Coach Rex bellows at you.

  Acid? This is insane! You gaze desperately around. Any chance you could veer off the course and run to safety?

  Not much. The whole track is surrounded by the coaches. So escape isn’t likely. Just finish the race and get your prize.

  The next obstacle is approaching. You leap up, balance for a moment on top of the hurdle, and peer down at the
pool.

  You wish you hadn’t!

  To find out why, turn to PAGE 69.

  “So,” you ask Pat, pretending everything is normal. “What’s the first sport of the day?”

  “Baseball,” he answers in a dull voice.

  Pat was always a little dull, you think. But now he’s really drippy!

  You follow him out to the baseball diamond. The coach chooses up sides. You play shortstop.

  You ask the players to talk it up in the infield.

  No one does.

  You ask them to talk it up in the dugout.

  Silence.

  Everyone is hitting the ball hard and playing well. But … is anyone out here having fun?

  Finally, you’re at bat.

  You pop a weak one up to the second baseman. The next batter drones, “Coach told me to hit a homer. Must hit a homer.”

  Whoa! She knocks the first pitch right over the fence!

  Now you really want to do well.

  Next time around, the batter before you singles. The coach tells you to lay down a sacrifice bunt. But you get a fast pitch. Should you follow orders?

  Or would you rather swing for the fences?

  If you swing your hardest, go to PAGE 136.

  If you bunt, go to PAGE 27.

  You stop short. “Who are you?” you gasp.

  “I’m the Cemetery Man,” the tall figure informs you.

  The Cemetery Man? The one Coach Krump said didn’t exist?

  Uh-oh …

  You can’t see his face in the darkness. But his deep, hoarse voice is somehow familiar. “Thanks for falling into my trap,” he says, chuckling.

  “T-t-trap?” you stammer.

  “Yes. I set it up for my zombies,” the Cemetery Man rasps. “You see, they love the taste of human flesh. Especially brains. They believe eating brains will make them smarter. Imagine — an army of intelligent zombies!”

  “You can’t let them eat our brains!” you cry.

  “Can’t I?” The Cemetery Man aims a remote control at the zombies’ cage. He presses a button.

  The door springs open!

  The zombies lurch toward you. “Foo fo fawt!” they moan. “Foo fo fawt!”

  As the zombies surround you and Kim, you finally figure out what they’re saying:

  “Food for thought! Food for thought!”

  THE END

  Your only hope is to row toward that streamlet on your left.

  But the current is so powerful. Will you make it?

  Only one way to find out. You hand one oar to Kim. “Row!” you shout to her. “Row on the right side of the boat!”

  You dip your oar in the water on the right, too. Together, you and Kim row as hard as you can. The boat begins to inch left, toward the little stream.

  Up ahead, the falls rage. Closer. Closer. You glance at the white water and gulp.

  If you go over, you’ll be smashed into a million pieces!

  “Harder!” you shout to Kim. “Row harder!”

  You dig your oar into the water.

  Now the falls are only a couple of feet away.

  Are you going to make it to the little stream?

  Or are you going over the edge?

  You can’t watch. You shut your eyes.

  Turn to PAGE 129.

  You turn left at the fork. That will take you back to the main trail.

  You hope.

  “Kim?” you call. “Kim, are you there?”

  No answer.

  The trail begins to climb. Soon, you’re at the top of a steep cliff. You glance down at the sharp rocks below.

  You step cautiously onto the narrow trail along the cliff. You edge around a big rock and continue slowly, hugging the cliff.

  Then you hear a crunching sound. There’s someone behind you!

  It must be Kim, you think. You stop and wait for her to appear.

  And then you gasp.

  Whoever is coming isn’t Kim. It’s not even human.

  You watch in horror as the thing begins to come around the bend.

  All you can see are two long, sharp horns!

  What is it? Take a peek on PAGE 67.

  Already you can feel the heat from the flames.

  Beside you, Brad makes a gulping noise. He stares at the flames with round eyes.

  That’s it. This camp is some kind of weird death trap! Pat was right. It should be called Camp Run-for-Your-Life!

  “Brad!” you mutter. “We’ve got to do something.”

  “Maybe we can just run out of the stadium,” he whispers.

  “No way! Coach Rex is watching us like a hawk,” you point out.

  Brad snaps his fingers. “I’ve got it. We can both fake an injury during our routines.”

  “I’m not sure.” You gnaw your lower lip. “We might be able to escape later.”

  “First gymnast!” the gymnastics coach yells.

  “Your choice,” Brad whispers.

  “Now, camper!” Coach Rex bellows.

  Time’s up! Make your decision.

  If you fake an injury during your routine, turn to PAGE 74.

  If you go for the gusto and wait for a better chance to escape, turn to PAGE 122.

  “Let’s swim,” you suggest to Pat.

  “I hate swimming,” Pat complains. “I’m going to do hurdles.”

  “Okay.” You shrug. “Good luck.”

  Privately, you’re a little relieved to see Pat go. He seems so gloomy. You’re ready for some fun — and some sports!

  The swimming coach, Karla, orders the swimmers to follow her. As you head to the water, a voice behind you calls out, “Hey, loser, get out of my way.”

  You turn around. It’s that Brad kid. The other one who didn’t eat the eggs. He struts past you.

  “The gold is mine,” he sneers. “The rest of you are just fighting for the silver.”

  Brad is one obnoxious dude. You don’t much like him. But he’s got spirit — unlike the other campers.

  You think, Neither of us ate any blue eggs.

  Is there a connection?

  Brad’s nose wrinkles as you get closer to the water. “What’s that smell?” he demands.

  Yuck! It smells like a giant dump of rotten eggs! What could be causing it?

  Find out on PAGE 120.

  You bring the fork to your mouth. Your lips close around the eggs.

  WAIT A MINUTE!

  Let’s review the facts:

  A. This is a GOOSEBUMPS book.

  B. Those eggs are blue.

  Now get serious. You should know better.

  NEVER EAT BLUE EGGS IN A GOOSEBUMPS BOOK!

  Okay, if this is your first GOOSEBUMPS book, it’s an honest mistake. But the rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves.

  Spit those eggs out and go back to PAGE 10.

  Whew! You stuck your landing.

  The judges all hold up your scores: 9.9 — 9.9 — 9.9.

  Yes!

  You start to feel as if maybe Camp Running Leaf isn’t so bad. Maybe the events are just …creative. Maybe you didn’t really see a skull at the bottom of the lake. Maybe you should forget about escaping.

  Maybe you should really go for that special prize….

  See how Brad does on PAGE 26.

  “Watch!” the skull commands.

  As you stare in horror, the headless skeleton’s fingers begin to twitch. Its arms move. The pile of bones stands up.

  Then the space between its ribs begins to fill with organs!

  First a red, bloody, beating heart appears. Then a slimy brown liver and red stomach. Wet, gray lungs inflate with air.

  Muscles grow over the skeleton’s bones. Then skin.

  The skeleton is a living human being again!

  It steps toward you, holding out its hand.

  “Helllppp!” Kim screams, running from the cave.

  You try to follow. But — your feet! They seem stuck to the floor. “No!” you plead. “No!”

  Too late. As the former ske
leton touches you, your skin crumbles and peels off. Your organs shrivel and fall out.

  You’re turning into a living skeleton!

  The former skeleton snatches its head from your hands. Then it shoves you into the hole you dug. You fall, bones clattering.

  “Guard the cave well,” the skeleton orders. “And remember — if you want to get out of here, just use your head!”

  THE END

  You start to scream.

  And then the rest of the creature appears.

  You laugh in relief. It’s only a mountain goat!

  “BAAAAAAH!” it cries. It trots up and nuzzles your hand.

  “BAAAAAAH yourself!” you tell it, laughing. “I don’t have time to play with a goat!”

  You turn around and continue along the steep trail. You glance back. The goat is following. “BAAAAH!” it bleats.

  “Go away!” you order.

  You hike on. The trail narrows even more.

  You’re so busy keeping your balance, you forget about the goat.

  Until it butts you in the back.

  And knocks you right over the edge of the cliff.

  As you plunge toward the distant rocks below, you realize the sad truth.

  You’re a lousy hiker after all — no ifs, ands, or butts!

  THE END

  You still don’t really know what the coaches are talking about. You only know it’s something bad. Really bad.

  You’ve got to get away!

  But you can’t leave just yet. Rex and the other coach are still chatting outside. You close your eyes and wait for your chance.

  Will it ever come?

  Well, that depends on what you did today….

  If you played goalie, turn to PAGE 99.

  If you played forward, turn to PAGE 105.

  There’s nothing in the pool.

  No water.

  No acid.