by R. L. Stine
“Mick, stop torturing Jack,” Charlene yelled. “Give him back his cap and get off my bus!”
“Okay, okay. No problem,” Mick said with a sneer.
He jammed the cap onto my head, so hard my feet nearly went through the bus floor. I could feel the sticky glob of spit in my hair.
Mick trotted to the door at the front. Darryl gave me a friendly punch in the ribs. Then he followed his buddy off the bus.
I let out a long sigh of relief. I had survived another trip home on the school bus. I watched Mick and Darryl jog up the driveway to Mick’s little redbrick house. They punched each other as they ran. You know. Kidding around.
I slumped into the nearest seat. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
No permanent wounds. That meant it was a good day.
Glancing down, I saw something on the seat next to me. A silvery cell phone.
I hesitated for a moment, just staring at it. Then I reached over and picked up the phone. And that’s when the nightmare began.
2
The school bus jerked to another stop. I nearly dropped the phone.
A blond-haired girl jumped off. She waved to a friend on the bus.
I glanced down the aisle. Only two kids and me still on the bus. My house is always the next-to-last stop because I live near the border of our town.
I raised the phone and studied it. It was one of those really thin smartphones. It had a big, black screen. The phone felt cool and sleek in my hand.
I found the POWER button on the top and pushed it. A few seconds later, the screen lit up, bright blue. Then the screen filled with icons. Dozens of them. All kinds of apps.
The phone was loaded.
I flipped through the screens of icons. There were games, and magazines, and news, and sports.
I studied them for a while. Then I raised the phone to my ear.
I didn’t expect to hear anything. So the girl’s voice made me jump.
“Hi, Jack,” she said. She half-talked, half-whispered. “Don’t scream. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m your new friend.”
“Huh?”
I lowered the phone and stared at it. The screen had gone blank. Solid gray. No icons.
I pressed the phone to my ear. “Who is this?” I asked.
“It’s me, your new friend.” Her voice was soft and whispery.
I thought hard. I struggled to figure out who it could be.
“Mindy? Is that you?” I said finally.
Mindy is my little sister Rachel’s babysitter. She comes to our house after school every afternoon and stays till Mom and Dad get home.
Mindy is a real joker. She likes to play all kinds of tricks on me. Rachel always thinks it’s a riot.
I spoke into the phone. “This is one of your dumb jokes — isn’t it, Mindy.”
“It’s no joke,” the girl replied. “Don’t you want to be my new friend?”
“You sure you’re not Mindy?” I said. “You sound a lot like Mindy.”
“I don’t know Mindy,” the girl whispered. “I only know you. You’re my only friend, Jack.” “Whoa. Wait,” I said.
It couldn’t be Mindy, I told myself. How could Mindy know I would pick up this phone? How could Mindy know the number?
My mind was spinning. “I … think you have the wrong number,” I said finally. “This isn’t my phone, and —”
I heard her sigh. “If it’s the wrong number, how do I know your name?” she breathed.
“Well … Come on. So it is Mindy!” I said. “Ha-ha. I’m laughing. But enough — okay?”
“I’m not Mindy,” the girl snapped. Her voice was suddenly sharp and cold. “Don’t make me angry,” she said. “Whatever you do, Jack, don’t make me angry.”
GOOSEBUMPS HorrorLand™
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#1 REVENGE OF THE LIVING DUMMY
#2 CREEP FROM THE DEEP
#3 MONSTER BLOOD FOR BREAKFAST!
#4 THE SCREAM OF THE HAUNTED MASK
#5 DR. MANIAC VS. ROBBY SCHWARTZ
#6 WHO’S YOUR MUMMY?
#7 MY FRIENDS CALL ME MONSTER
#8 SAY CHEESE — AND DIE SCREAMING!
#9 WELCOME TO CAMP SLITHER
#10 HELP! WE HAVE STRANGE POWERS!
#11 ESCAPE FROM HORRORLAND
#12 THE STREETS OF PANIC PARK
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#14 LITTLE SHOP OF HAMSTERS
#15 HEADS, YOU LOSE!
#16 SPECIAL EDITION: WEIRDO HALLOWEEN
#17 THE WIZARD OF OOZE
#18 SLAPPY NEW YEAR!
#19 THE HORROR AT CHILLER HOUSE
GOOSEBUMPS Hall of Horrors
#1 CLAWS!
#2 NIGHT OF THE GIANT EVERYTHING
#3 SPECIAL EDITION: THE FIVE MASKS OF DR. SCREEM
#4 WHY I QUIT ZOMBIE SCHOOL
#5 DON’T SCREAM!
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ONE DAY AT HORRORLAND
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BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
SAY CHEESE AND DIE!
THE HORROR AT CAMP JELLYJAM
HOW I GOT MY SHRUNKEN HEAD
THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP
A NIGHT IN TERROR TOWER
WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE
WELCOME TO CAMP NIGHTMARE
GHOST BEACH
THE SCARECROW WALKS AT MIDNIGHT
YOU CAN’T SCARE ME!
RETURN OF THE MUMMY
REVENGE OF THE LAWN GNOMES
PHANTOM OF THE AUDITORIUM
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Goosebumps book series created by Parachute Press, Inc.
Copyright © 1992 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover design by Steve Scott
Cover art by Brandon Dorman
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, GOOSEBUMPS, GOOSEBUMPS HORRORLAND, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First printing, November 2011
“Behind the Screams” bonus material by Gabrielle S. Balkan
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eISBN: 978-0-545-38803-0
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