Resus stared at her. “And when were you going to tell us this?” he demanded.
The mummy shrieked in frustration. “Didn’t you two do any research about this place before you came bumbling in?”
Inside the room, Mrs Watson threw her head back and howled as her face stretched to form a snout, and blonde fur began to cover her body. Luke ran for the door – but it was locked.
“No!” he pleaded, his fists pounding against the wood. “Please don’t make me go through this!”
The sound of cracking bones made him turn to see his mum’s spine reshape, and the fully formed werewolf begin to stalk across the room towards him.
“Luke!” Cleo yelled, her face pressed against the window. “You have to transform. You have to fight!”
“I-I can’t,” stammered Luke from his position by the door. “I can’t fight my own mum.”
“She’s not your mum,” countered Resus. “She’s just part of this nightmare and looks like your mum.”
“Unless, of course, Mrs Watson is asleep at the moment and having the exact same nightmare,” said Cleo thoughtfully. “Then I suppose it could be his mum…”
“You really know how to put a damper on things, don’t you,” barked Resus. The vampire pressed his own face against the glass. “OK, the chances are good that she’s not your mum!” he shouted.
With a roar, the blonde werewolf pounced. Luke threw himself to the ground, the creature’s jaws snapping shut just centimetres from his face. The beast lashed out with a paw and caught his arm, delivering a deep, painful cut.
Luke half crawled, half scrabbled his way across the carpet, trying to put as many items of furniture as he could between himself and the wolf. “Please, mum,” he begged. “Please stop this!”
“Luke! You have to fight back!” bellowed Resus.
Catching sight of him and Cleo outside, the werewolf leapt at the window with a snarl, its claws dragging down the glass and squealing like chalk on a blackboard.
Luke clutched at his injured arm. Blood seeped through his fingertips and ran over the back of his hand. The werewolf darted forward again and bit down hard on his ankle as he tried to dodge the attack. Pain shot up his leg and he crashed to the ground, his hands held out to protect him from the gnashing teeth.
Somehow, over the furious growling of the wolf, Luke could hear Cleo’s voice shouting at him. “You have to put an end to this now! He’s coming!”
Luke turned his head to look up at the window. A storm was building outside. Resus’s cape flapped in a raging gale as dark clouds rolled in at an absurd pace. Rain began to pelt down, soaking his friends, and there were crashes of thunder… No, not thunder – voices.
Children’s voices, screaming for help.
The Nightwatchman’s dream was rolling towards them again.
Luke suddenly became aware that streaks of pulsing green goo covered every surface, and he stared at his own fear. He had to keep that fear and anger from taking over his mind. If he transformed, he would almost certainly fight back – and there was no knowing what he would do then. He couldn’t let that happen.
He found the strength to pull away from the creature and drag himself across the carpet to take refuge beneath the coffee table. The werewolf followed, snarling as it crashed on top of the table and clawed at the polished surface.
Outside the window, barely able to stay on their feet in the raging thunderstorm, Resus and Cleo couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
“He’s not transforming!” Cleo bellowed over the sound of the pelting rain. “She’s going to hurt him!”
“Luke – do something!” urged Resus.
Luke took a deep breath. His friends were right – it was time for action. Pulling himself to his feet, he turned to face the werewolf once again. “I know you’re not my mum!” he shouted. “I’m not scared of you!”
The werewolf leapt towards him. Luke screwed up his eyes and waited for the impact – but it didn’t come. Instead, the howling of the wind and the echoing mournful cries were joined by the sound of rhythmic tapping.
Cautiously, Luke opened his eyes and was astonished to find the room suddenly filled with performing ravens. There were some on the sofa riding tiny unicycles, a pair of them in leotards were swinging from the light fitting and a group near the fireplace were performing the dance routine from his dream the night before. There was no sign of his mum, and the trails of sticky, green fear had begun to fade.
Outside, Cleo and Resus were screaming again – but this time with joy. They hugged each other tightly, daring to believe that the nightmare might finally be over. Luke turned to face them through the rain-spattered glass and took a deep bow.
Then there came an almighty shriek. As one, the ravens had launched themselves into the air and were now flying up to the ceiling, cawing madly.
Luke ducked, but the birds weren’t interested in him. They flew in a tighter and tighter circle until they seemed to melt together, forming a single shape. It could have been human – but only the kind of human found in a nightmare world such as this. The figure grew, blocking out the light from the window. Matted hair clung to its flaking scalp and piercing white eyes flashed as they scanned the room.
Luke gasped. He was sure he had seen this monster before. Was it the shape that had followed him when he fell from the tree in the jungle? Terror overtook him as he suddenly realized it was the Nightwatchman himself.
“So, you choose not to play my little game?” the Nightwatchman growled. His voice was so deep, Luke could feel it rumbling in the very core of his bones. “Your own worst nightmare, and you refuse to be scared by it…”
“I refuse to be scared by you,” retorted Luke, hoping his trembling hands wouldn’t give him away. “I won’t let you do this any more!”
The Nightwatchman threw back his head and laughed. The sound was more hideous and more terrifying than anything Luke had witnessed so far. On the other side of the window, Resus and Cleo shuddered and clung to one another.
“You seek to challenge me, boy?” hissed the creature.
“I’ll do more than challenge you,” Luke declared bravely. “I’ll stop you!”
The Nightwatchman exploded back into a hundred ravens. The birds flew across the room and reformed behind Luke.
“You do not alarm me, child,” said the Nightwatchman. “I feed on your kind; feed on the fear that I know exists within you.”
Luke spun to face his tormentor. “This is nothing but a bad dream,” he insisted. “There’s no fear inside me.”
“We shall see…” rumbled the Nightwatchman. He clicked his fingers, and in another flash of lightning, the walls of 13 Scream Street fell away. Wind and rain lashed at Luke’s face and he fought to retain his balance.
He and the Nightwatchman were suddenly back in the jungle, standing on the roof of the black tower, twisted shards of metal scraping the sky above. Resus and Cleo stood huddled together just a few metres away.
“I shall show you fear,” growled the Nightwatchman, peering down at Luke with his pulsing white eyes. “I shall show you TERROR!”
And in one swift movement, he shot out a long, black arm, snatched up Resus and Cleo, and threw them over the edge of the tower.
Chapter Ten
The Escape
Luke raced towards where his friends had disappeared, but the Nightwatchman blocked his way.
Luke glared up at the shadowy figure. “You monster,” he spat.
The Nightwatchman bowed slightly, pleased with the compliment. “Tell me you have no fear now, boy!”
Luke tried to fight the terror building up inside him, but it was no use. What if Cleo and Resus had died inside this nightmare? If Cleo’s theory was correct, his friends would never wake again.
And it would all be his fault.
Sadness flooded every cell in Luke’s body. He wanted to drop to his knees and cry, but he didn’t want to give the Nightwatchman the satisfaction.
Then he heard something �
�� a distant voice, carried up by the wind. He began to laugh.
The Nightwatchman’s eyes flashed with anger. “Are you mad, boy?”
Luke’s laughter grew and grew.
“Stop it!” roared the Nightwatchman, clutching at his stomach.
So strong was his laughter, Luke was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. He’d got the giggles and simply couldn’t stop.
The Nightwatchman was now bent double in pain. “Stop this, now!” he screamed. “I brought you here to feed on your fear!”
Luke grinned up at him. “If it’s my fear you’re after,” he chuckled, “then I guess you’re about to go on a diet!” And, with a wink, he ran past the Nightwatchman and leapt off the roof of the tower.
Luke landed in the spiderweb next to Cleo. The mummy was trying to untangle herself from the sticky gossamer that was stretched between two trees a couple of metres above the ground.
“You’re alive!” she squealed, giving him a hug.
“So are you!” beamed Luke, catching sight of Resus standing beside the makeshift net. They both jumped to the ground.
Spider came lumbering over. “I used the power of a spider that time, Master Luke,” he said proudly.
“I know,” said Luke. “I heard you telling Resus just after the Nightwatchman threw them off the roof – and I suddenly realized what Ursula had meant when she said you’d be waiting for us on the other side. You’re asleep too, aren’t you?”
“Snoring like a good ’un!” grinned Spider. “Being a spider is my favourite – and I made the web myself.”
Cleo peered up at the thick, black hair covering Spider’s chest. “You made it your— Eurgh!”
“Never mind that,” said Luke, taking his friends by the hands. “What matters now is that we all have to WAKE UP!”
Luke and Resus snapped awake at exactly the same moment. They were still in the dormitory, along with all the other children. Further down the row of beds, Cleo was groggily trying to sit up.
Luke whipped off his straps and hurried over to help the mummy. She swung her legs off the bed and clutched at her head. “So, it’s true,” she said. “You two really were in my dream?”
“Yep,” said Resus, joining them. “Got thrown off the tower with you and everything!”
“Then how did we wake up?” Cleo asked. “Why are we awake and all the other kids still asleep?”
“Maybe it’s because we faced up to our worst nightmares and survived,” suggested Luke. “Everyone else is still suffering through theirs again and again.”
Resus shuddered.
“And if we don’t want to go back there, we’d better get going,” Luke added. “The Nightwatchman won’t stand for being tricked like that.” He pulled the magic wand from his pocket and frowned. It had snapped in two.
“Oh no,” breathed Resus.
“What’s wrong?” asked Cleo. “What’s that?”
“Our way out of here,” sighed the vampire. He tried holding the two halves of the wand together and waved it over Cleo’s head – but nothing happened.
“Hang on a minute…” Luke dashed over to the bed where the young zombie lay sleeping and unfastened his straps.
“What are you doing?” demanded Cleo. “There are hundreds of kids in here – we don’t have time to untie them all!”
“We don’t need to,” Luke assured her. “Just one.”
Suddenly the door at the other end of the room swung shut. “Well, what do you know?” smirked Resus. “I think the tower wants to play with us.” He produced the chainsaw from beneath his cloak. “Just as well I’m good at this game…”
Firing it up, the vampire plunged the power tool deep into the door, reducing it to splinters in a matter of seconds. “You two coming?” he called over his shoulder.
Floor by floor, Resus cut his way through the doors leading to the dormitories, revealing dozens of still-sleeping children in each room. One by one they began to scream, the terrible sound growing louder and louder until it almost blocked out the noise of the chainsaw.
“I don’t think the Nightwatchman approves of your DIY!” yelled Cleo.
“Wait till he sees this!” bellowed Resus as they reached the bottom of the staircase, and he thrust the whirring blade into the brickwork. The chainsaw sank through like a hot knife in butter.
Once he’d created a rectangle large enough to fit through, Resus kicked at the wall and watched in satisfaction as it crumbled. The trio stepped out into the warm jungle air. “There’s very little in life that can’t be solved by ripping it to bits with a chainsaw!” grinned Resus before slipping it back under his cape.
Ursula ran over to them. “You did it!” she cried. “You saved your friend!”
“We’ve got Spider to thank for that,” said Luke. “Is he awake yet?”
“He’s looking after Morag,” Ursula said. “She’s suddenly fallen ill.”
Luke smiled thoughtfully. “And I think I know why…” he said. “Follow me.” He led the way through the bushes and back into the clearing, and hurried past the group of astonished children to stand by the second witch. Morag lay on the ground, clutching at her stomach.
“Did you ever wonder why the Nightwatchman was able to follow you, no matter how far you travelled each night?” Luke asked Ryan, who had jumped up to join them. “Why the tower was always just the other side of the trees?”
“It’s weird,” replied the ghost. “I suppose he could have been watching us.”
“He was watching you,” Luke agreed. “From right here within the camp – night after night, day after day.” He pointed at Morag. “All thanks to her.”
“What do you mean?” asked Resus.
Luke turned to the young troll sitting with the other children by the fire. “Jorden, isn’t it? Would you come here a second…?”
Nervously, the troll crossed over to join the trio. “Look at Morag,” Luke instructed. “Tell me what you see.”
Jorden swallowed hard. “It… It’s just Morag,” he said. “She’s a witch. She, er … leads us through the jungle at night. And she’s very pretty.”
“Exactly,” said Luke. “She’s very pretty – and that was nearly enough to fool me, too. When Spider first brought us here, I couldn’t take my eyes off Ursula – but I barely gave Morag a second glance. She’s not under an enchantment charm!”
“He’s right!” gasped Resus. “I can turn away from her without feeling like I have to look back. She’s not a witch at all!”
Morag suddenly jumped to her feet. “Oh, you’re so clever, wolf-boy!” she shrieked. “But you’ll never beat us! You’ll never beat him!” In a flash, she transformed into a raven and flew at Luke’s face, claws extended.
“Spider!” Luke cried.
“Power of a sabre hawk!” yelled the ogre. Then he screeched his unearthly cry at Morag’s raven. The children clapped their hands to their ears as the sound echoed around the clearing. The bird fell to the ground, stunned, and changed straight back into human form, where once again she lay, trembling.
“Morag’s been leading you in circles,” Luke said to Ursula. “That’s why you’ve never been able to find the Hex Hatches to let you take the children home. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“I suspected you’d be the one to work it out,” said Ursula with a smile.
“It took me a while,” Luke admitted. “But I finally realized that if children’s terror was feeding the Nightwatchman, only children’s laughter could defeat him.”
“And it’s more powerful than any spell I can conjure up,” smiled the witch. “I had a feeling… But all I could do was keep Morag busy until someone arrived who could really save the Nightwatchman’s victims.”
Morag sneered at Ursula, then clutched at her stomach again.
“She’s ill,” said Cleo.
Luke nodded. “And I know the best medicine.”
Chapter Eleven
The Laughter
“Tell me why we’re doing this
again?” asked Cleo as Luke daubed her bandages with face paint that Resus had found in his cloak.
“We’re trying to recreate my dream,” Luke said patiently.
Cleo’s brow furrowed. “What? The one where you had to fight your mum?”
“No,” said Luke, painting on a red nose. “The one I was having when Kian came to tell me you were missing – about the circus.”
“I thought your dream circus had performing animals in it?”
“We’ve got Spider,” said Luke. “He can be any animal we want. The rest of it is up to us.” He held a mirror in front of Cleo’s face and smiled. “There!”
“Why do I have to be the clown?” she complained.
“Because Resus is doing acrobatics and Ursula will be performing magic tricks,” answered Luke.
“What about you?” asked Cleo. “What’s your job?”
“Keeping an eye on the tower,” said Luke. “My laughter up on the rooftop really hurt the Nightwatchman – that’s why he came flapping into my nightmare, because I’d made you and Resus smile. Now we just have to make the others laugh too.”
Cleo pulled on the brightly coloured baggy trousers Resus had found inside his cape and fastened the braces. “How will we do that?” she asked. “How can we get inside their heads if we aren’t asleep alongside them like you were with me?”
Luke pointed to Morag, who lay paralysed by the containment spell Ursula had cast over her. Her eyes were locked open and staring. “We’ve got a direct line to the Nightwatchman himself.”
“OK,” said Cleo, finally convinced. “Let’s go!”
Luke squeezed her hand, then jogged out into the jungle clearing. The rescued children were sitting in rows, waiting excitedly for the show to begin.
“Ladles and jelly spoons!” Luke announced. “Welcome to the funniest circus in the world!” Ursula clicked her fingers and fireworks erupted in the sky above them. The children watched in awe.
Terror of the Nightwatchman Page 5
