by R. L. Stine
“If you are at the bottom of my chart,” she continued, “you can move yourself up by being brave. Stand perfectly still. Stare the bats in the eye — like a winner!”
Her hair flew behind her in the wind. “I’ll be watching!” she boomed. “And always remember — I’m a lot hungrier than the bats! Hahahahaha!”
She lowered the megaphone and gave it to Uncle Felix. He raised it to his mouth and tried to say something. But the megaphone only let out squeals and squeaks. Finally, he gave up and set it down on the ground.
He fumbled with the whistle around his neck. Everyone tensed as he blew a long, shrill blast.
I felt all my muscles tighten. My throat closed up. It was suddenly hard to breathe.
Two spotlights flashed on. Bright beams of light swept up and down over the treetops. Small shadows flickered in the lights. I heard the flap of wings. High-pitched screeches. The shadows grew larger.
“Here they come!” Uncle Felix shouted.
Frozen in fear, I stared into the sweeping lights. I watched the shadows grow. Bat shadows.
In seconds, I could see their flapping wings. They darted low, then swooped high again as the lights brought them soaring out of the trees.
They screeched and hissed, so loud they drowned out the crackle and roar of the bonfire. And as they came flapping around the sides of the fire, I could see their red eyes. Tiny red beams of glowing light. Angry eyes. Hungry eyes.
Bats swooped low over the line of kids. The flap of their wings drummed in my ears.
I saw some girls try to duck away. One boy down the line fell to his knees with a shout. But most kids didn’t move.
The bats rose up again, screeching like angry cats. Then they dove.
“Noooo!” I couldn’t help it. I cried out as a flapping bat landed in my hair. Its talons dug into my scalp.
I swung my hands and tried to slap it off my head. But another bat, an even bigger one, dropped onto my shoulder. Its angry cries rang in my ear.
I bent and squirmed, slapping at it. But it dug into my shoulder.
I staggered away from the line of kids as two more bats thudded heavily onto my back. I fell to my knees, swatting and slapping at them.
But the more I fought, the harder they clung to me, wings flapping, red eyes staring so angrily, screeching and hissing all around me.
As I struggled to fight them off, I glimpsed the other kids. The long line of campers. They all stood perfectly still, eyes on the woods. No bats on them. The bats were ignoring them all.
I sprawled flat on my back now as a dozen bats clawed and snapped at me, flapping over my entire body.
Suddenly, Ricardo’s face loomed above me. “Tommy —” he whispered. “The bug spray! Didn’t you use the bug spray?”
“N-no,” I choked out. “I didn’t trust you. I thought it was another trick.”
Ricardo shook his head. “But I was trying to help you this time. We all used it!”
He disappeared from view as furry, warm bats covered my face.
The next thing I knew, Mrs. Maaargh was brushing the bats off me easily with her enormous clawed paws. She slapped and swiped at them and sent them flying back to the trees.
Then she bent over me, gobs of drool plopping from her open mouth. “I see you’re the only one who didn’t get the word to use the bug spray,” she said. She tsk-tsked. “You messed up again, didn’t you?”
I tried to reply, but I could only groan.
“The bats think you’re delicious, Tommy,” she growled. “I’m sure I will, too.”
Could I get to sleep that night? Three guesses — and all of them are no.
For one thing, my skin still itched like crazy and my head and hair tingled. I felt as if the bats were still on me. Still digging into my skin and scratching at me.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flapping bat wings. Red eyes. Sharp talons digging into my skin.
I tried sleeping on one side, then the other. Then I tried sleeping on my stomach with the pillow over my head. No way I could get comfortable. No way I could shut off my brain.
Ricardo snored gently in his cot across the cabin. He had no worries. He was near the top of the chart. He wasn’t going to be monster food in a few days.
I gazed through the dark at Ricardo, his blanket pulled over his chin. He really had tried to help me. He gave me the bug spray so I wouldn’t get covered in bats.
He told me the truth.
Did that mean I could trust him now?
I knew I couldn’t trust Sophie. But I was wrong about Ricardo.
If only I had listened to him …
I turned onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Outside the window, an owl hooted in a faraway tree.
A million questions flashed through my mind. Could I survive even with Ricardo’s help? Did I stand the tiniest chance of climbing up from the bottom of Mrs. Maaargh’s chart?
Or was I doomed before I even took the next two parts of The Teacher’s Final Exam?
I sat up on the cot, wide awake. I couldn’t stop myself. I crossed the cabin and shook Ricardo awake.
He groaned. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Tell me about the next part of the exam,” I said.
He blinked several times, still half asleep. “The next part?”
“Your brother took it, right? What did he say? What do we have to do?”
Ricardo sat up and stretched his arms above his head. He squinted hard at me. “You know, I can get in major trouble if I’m caught trying to help you.”
“You won’t get caught,” I said. “No way.” I shook him by the shoulders. “Give me a break. You know I’m doomed if you don’t help me.”
“Okay, okay.” He pushed me away. “Don’t totally lose it, Tommy.” He took a long drink from a water bottle. “I’ll tell you what comes next.”
I was too worked up to sit still. I started to pace back and forth the length of the cabin.
“The next part is the underground swim,” Ricardo said.
“The what?”
“There are these underground caves on the other side of the island,” Ricardo continued. “It’s pitch-black inside them. Lake water flows like a river through the caves. It twists and turns and curves around. We have to swim through the water to the end of the underground caves, see.”
I stopped pacing. “You mean in total darkness?”
He nodded. “My brother said you can’t see a thing. You can’t even see the cave walls. That’s how dark it is. But somehow you have to swim to the end.”
I shuddered. “That’s impossible. If you can’t see where you’re going …”
Ricardo grinned. “Here’s the trick.” He pulled something out from under his bed. It looked like a fat pen. “Tuck this into your swimsuit. It’s a penlight. See? You click it here.”
He pushed one end, and a light flashed on at the other end.
“Wow. Pretty bright,” I said.
“Bright enough to see where you’re going,” he said. “Here.” He reached under the bed again and pulled out another light. He handed it to me. “Remember, tuck it into your suit before we leave for the caves. My brother said it’s the only way you can finish the swim test.”
I thanked him and walked back to my cot. I felt a little more relaxed. Maybe I could get to sleep now.
I lay on my back and rolled the penlight between my hands. I felt sure that Ricardo really was trying to help me again. I believed he was being a good friend.
Could I really save myself now? Could I swim my way up from the bottom of the chart?
“You must stay alert,” Mrs. Maaargh said. “The cave walls are jagged and sharp. Don’t try to swim in a straight line. You’ll swim right into the wall and cut yourself. I don’t like my meat shredded. So follow the water as it curves.”
She stood at the mouth of the first cave. A muddy path led down to the underground river that curled through the dark caverns.
There were five guys gazing at the blackness beyond the cav
e opening. Mrs. Maaargh was taking five of us at a time for this part of the exam. Ricardo and I got separated. I was on my own with four other dudes I didn’t know.
I kept feeling the penlight tucked under my swim trunks. Making sure it hadn’t fallen out.
Every time my fingers wrapped around it, I felt a little better.
I can do this. I can definitely pass this part of the test.
“This is a real survival test,” Mrs. Maaargh said. “A winner can survive this. A winner can find his way through the darkest of waters. A loser will have to be dragged out.”
She turned and stared at me. “A loser will have to be eaten.”
Then she tossed her head back and laughed her loud, ugly laugh that echoed again and again in the dark caves.
She waved us into the cave. “Single file,” she ordered. “One at a time. Try to ignore the smell down there. There are a lot of rotting corpses of river creatures you don’t want to think about.”
That sent a cold tingle down my back.
Two counselors in swim trunks stood on either side of the cave opening. I recognized one of them — my old mud-tag friend, Bert.
“If you get in trouble, scream your head off,” he said. “Your shouts will echo through the caves. Maybe I’ll be able to find you and rescue you in time.”
Maybe?
Another shiver. And then my bare feet were sinking into the soft mud of the path. I was first in line, leading the way down.
The air temperature suddenly dropped twenty degrees. A sharp smell rose to my nostrils, nearly choking me. Cold water lapped over my ankles.
I could see the start of the underground river ahead of me. In the dim light, the water was a soupy dark green. I kept walking. The cold water climbed up to my knees.
I could hear the splash of the four dudes’ footsteps behind me as they followed me into the darkness of the cave. No one spoke.
I kept my eyes straight ahead as the cave grew wider and the light from outside faded. “Ohhh!” I let out a cry as I stepped forward and my foot touched … nothing.
The river floor dipped without warning. I sank into the cold water. It rose rapidly over my waist and up to my shoulders. Was I going to sink under the surface?
I didn’t wait to find out. I pushed my arms forward and started to swim. The current pulled me forward, forcing me to pick up speed. I could hear the splashing strokes of the four other guys echoing off the cave walls.
Just as the final rays of sunlight vanished, I glimpsed a stone shelf jutting over the water. I ducked just in time. If I hadn’t seen it, I probably would have cracked my head open on its edge.
My face in the water, I edged under the stone ledge, pulling myself with steady strokes. I’m not a bad swimmer. In fact, swimming is my best sport.
I’m on the sixth-grade swim team, and I do pretty well. Not well enough for my parents, of course. They think I should break every record and win every match.
I’m a pretty steady swimmer. But I never had to swim in pitch-blackness before.
I slowed my strokes. I squinted straight ahead. Flashes of green-yellow light washed down from up above. Just enough to see that the river curved and grew narrow as it flowed into another cave.
I let the current pull me.
Relax. Relax. The word kept repeating in my mind. But, of course, there was no way to relax. And, relaxing would have been the worst thing I could do. I had to stay alert.
The water grew warmer suddenly. A long shaft of sunlight sparkled up ahead of me. I could see the rock walls curve, and I followed the curve.
Not bad so far. I glanced back to see how the others were doing — and gasped.
Where were they?
I squinted into the ripples of light on the river surface. I raised my eyes to the wide opening of the cave I’d just come through. “Whoa.”
No sign of them.
Did they get lost? Or did I swim the wrong way?
“Hey!” I shouted. My voice echoed again and again. I treaded water, listening for a reply. I watched for them to come following me into this new, narrow passage.
“Hey! Where are you guys?” My voice trembled, and my echoes trembled, too.
I’m all alone here, I realized.
I floated into a rapid whirlpool that spun me around. The sunlight vanished. Total blackness now. And here I was all by myself, spinning in a circle in the dark.
My chest tightened in panic. I froze, struggling to breathe normally.
Now what?
The water swirled me around. Fighting away my panic, I forced myself to move.
I ducked my head under the water, gave a hard push forward — and struggled against the force of the whirlpool.
Yes!
I pulled myself out of its grip. My head spun. I gazed around. In the dim light, I couldn’t figure out which direction to swim.
But the current of the underground river didn’t give me much choice. I couldn’t fight it. It carried me forward, picking up speed. I let it carry me around another bend. Then the water dropped down a steep slope.
Like a roller-coaster ride, I thought.
Yes. This was like one of those scary swim rides at a water park. Not my favorite thing. My family loves them. But I —
“Hey!”
I splashed to the bottom, hit hard — and found myself tossed up, then back. The river rocked hard, pushing me around, lifting me, then dropping me.
I struggled to see the cave walls. If the tossing waves slammed me into the side, I could be cut to pieces.
There was no light here. No way to see.
“Hey! Can anyone hear me?” I tried to shout. But a tall wave filled my mouth with water. I started to choke. The water tasted like puke.
Another wave spun me around. Struggling to swim, I was shoved against a cave wall. It was smooth, at least. But the hard bump sent a shudder of fear that tightened my muscles.
The penlight. I finally remembered the penlight in my trunks.
Tossed up, then down in the rough waters, I reached for it.
Don’t drop it. Whatever you do …
I wrapped my fingers around it tightly, pulled it up, and held it in front of me.
I really needed it now. I needed to see what was up ahead. I needed it to find a way out of this rocking, rough water.
I slid the pen in my hand. Aimed it in front of me. And used my thumb to push the button on the back.
Nothing. No light.
I let out a groan. I pushed the button again. No. Nothing.
“Oh, wow.”
A wave shoved my shoulder into the cave wall again. I pushed the back of the pen harder. Pushed it again. I shook it hard. Then pressed it again.
No. No light. The penlight didn’t work.
I shook it again — and the top flew off. I raised it to my face and squinted inside it.
No batteries. The penlight was empty. No batteries.
Ricardo, you did it to me again!
A hard wave smacked my back into the rocky cave wall. I careened off, my back throbbing — and started to scream for help.
My scream rang off the cavern walls. I screamed again. Screamed till my voice was hoarse and my throat ached.
No one is coming for me. I’m stuck in here.
Finally, I heard splashing. Someone swimming steadily toward me.
Bert! I could see his bald head in the gray light. He looked like a big porpoise. He wrapped an arm around my waist and began to tug me out of the cavern.
That was my final exam. A total fail.
The other four guys did okay. They all made it to the end.
Why did they disappear behind me? Why did I end up all alone in the dark waters?
“Dog, you missed the very first turn,” Bert explained. “You swam into the wrong cavern. Dude, you were doomed from the start.”
Doomed was definitely my word of the summer.
I’d never had a fistfight in my life. But as Bert led me back to camp, I pictured myself fighting Ricardo … punchi
ng him until he begged me to forgive him.
Maybe Camp Winner was toughening me up, after all.
He was in one of the last swim groups. So I didn’t see him till dinner.
As soon as he walked into the dining hall, I jumped up from my chair and ran up to him. I had both fists tightly balled up. But I didn’t swing them at him.
He acted innocent. “Tommy, how’d you do?” he asked.
“Huh?” I cried. I could feel my face turning red with anger. “How did I do? How do you think I did?”
He shrugged. His hair was still wet. He had a scratch on one shoulder. Probably from a cave wall. “I heard you missed the first turn.”
“Forget the first turn,” I said through gritted teeth. “The penlight didn’t work, Ricardo. It didn’t work. It didn’t help me.”
His eyes went wide. I grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t act surprised. I know what you did. You tricked me again.”
“No way!” he cried. He pulled his shoulder free. “No way. I gave you that pen to help you in the caves, Tommy. No way it was a trick.”
I shook both fists in the air. “There were no batteries in the penlight,” I said. “It was totally empty.”
Ricardo blinked a few times. He backed away from me. “I had two lights, remember? One for me and one for you. I thought they both had batteries. Wow.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Tommy. Seriously. We should have tested them both.”
“You’re a liar,” I said. “You gave me the one without batteries because you wanted to win.”
“Not true,” he insisted. “I wanted to help you. I wanted to save your life. Do you know what will happen to me if Mrs. Maaargh finds out I tried to help you?”
I didn’t answer. I stared at him, studying his face. I was trying to decide if he was telling the truth.
I couldn’t decide.
I turned and saw Mrs. Maaargh rumbling into the dining hall.
“I’ll help you with the last part of the Final Exam,” Ricardo whispered. “I promise. This time we’ll make sure you’re safe.”
He spun away and trotted to the food table. He didn’t want Mrs. Maaargh to see him talking to me.
Again, my head was spinning. I didn’t know what to believe.
