Welcome to the Wicked Wax Museum

by RL Stine

  Just what you hoped she wouldn’t say. Oh, well.

  Clenching your teeth, you brush the sticky spider webs aside until you can see the padlock. You hold it in your palm.

  Something brushes the underside of your hand. You look down.

  A big, hairy black spider crawls over your palm.

  “Yecchh!” You shudder from head to foot.

  Then the spider sidesteps to another part of the web. And the rusty padlock crumbles in your hand!

  “Nice going!” Liz cheers.

  “No problem,” you answer modestly.

  But the next step isn’t so easy. Because you don’t know what’s on the other side of that door.

  Taking a deep breath, you give the door a push. It creaks open. Liz stands back. You step inside and gasp.

  You can’t believe your eyes!

  Turn to PAGE 37.

  You stare at the levers. POWER LESS really must mean less power, you think. If the machine has less power, maybe it won’t start up. “Well,” you say to Liz, “here goes nothing.”

  You pull the lever marked POWER LESS.

  Sorry. Bad choice on your part. POWER LESS simply means you are powerless! Powerless to do anything that will save Jake. Or you and Liz.

  When you pull the lever, the men in white overalls turn to look at you. They don’t run after you. They know you’re not going anywhere. You’re powerless to move. Jake is on his way into the Skin Scraper now. You glance at Liz and gulp. Your turn in the awful machine is coming soon.

  Time to notify your next of skin. Because the end is near. In fact, it’s here.

  THE END

  You push the yellow button. Instantly screams and moans of agony fill your ears. Wall panels open, revealing dioramas on both sides of the hall.

  “AAHH!” Liz screams, too. Wax figures from the history of horror pose in gruesome scenes. You’re surrounded by villains and monsters! Not the kind of distraction you had in mind.

  Count Dracula bares fangs dripping with the blood of the wax victim in his arms. The Creature from the Black Lagoon drags a screaming woman into a steaming swamp.

  Mud Monsters, King Jelly Jam, The Mummy — monsters from every GOOSEBUMPS book you’ve ever read, every movie you’ve ever seen. They’re all here with you in this Exhibit Hall of Horror —

  But they’re only wax, you tell yourself. Exhibits in the museum. And all that roaring, screaming, and crying? It’s being pumped in through speakers. Scary, but fake. Right?

  Meanwhile, the Skin Scraping Center sign flashes on and off at the end of the hall — reminding you of the real danger ahead!

  Go to PAGE 122.

  You come to slowly. You can’t remember the last time you felt this lousy! Cautiously, you open one eye.

  What you see makes you wish you hadn’t. Across from you, eyeballs are staring back at you. They’re dangling on long strings, like garlic. Some of them look oddly familiar….

  You’ve got a bad feeling about this. You open your other eye.

  Eek!

  Take a peek at PAGE 46.

  “Jake!” you shout. You lunge to pull him back by his feet. Before you can grab his sneaker, a steel door slams down over the opening. You pull your hands back just in time.

  Kneeling on the low platform in front of the conveyor belt, you bang on the steel door. “Jake!” you shout again.

  The door slides up. The conveyor belt starts moving forward. You’re so startled, you lose your balance. SPLAT! You fall flat on your face. You’re on the belt! “Liz!” you cry in terror. “Get me off this thing!”

  Liz jumps up onto the belt to pull you off.

  The belt speeds up! Now both you and Liz are being dragged along through the tunnel.

  Up ahead, Jake lies motionless on the moving belt. And at the end of the tunnel a sign flashes on and off. It reads: THIS WAY TO STEAMING ROOM.

  Find out more about steaming on PAGE 40.

  You decide you’d rather not mess with the blowtorch. “Let’s run right at them,” you whisper to Liz. “Maybe we can fight our way through.”

  It’s a slim chance. But slim is better than none. “Bombs away!” you shout, and charge at the mass of zombie Sybils.

  You smash into Sybil 32. Weird! She’s incredibly light — as if she’s hollow. She wobbles. Bounces against Sybil 29 and Sybil 44. Falls to the floor. And lies there, helpless.

  This is easy! You and Liz plow through the Sybils, pushing and shoving. Right. Left. They topple like bowling pins.

  “Hey, I got a spare!” Liz laughs.

  “Maybe we should set them up for another frame,” you joke.

  You notice that Liz is ahead of you. “Slow down,” you call.

  “I can’t!” she yells. “I’m being pulled!”

  A second later you’re caught in the same powerful suction. Your clothes billow in front of you. It’s like being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. You dig in your heels. But you can’t stop.

  You’re dragged toward a lavender screen — and pinned. Helpless! “What’s happening?” you shout.

  “You’ll find out,” Axel’s voice says. The skull-faced driver steps out from behind some shelves and calls, “Your victims are ready, Miss Sybil!”

  Find out what’s happening on PAGE 64.

  “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day,” you tell Liz. Jumping onto the empty rack, you shove off with one foot. “You’ll never get us!” you shout to the stranger in the shadows.

  WHOOSH! The rack zooms forward. It’s just like riding a giant skateboard.

  Trouble is, you never did learn to steer your board….

  “Look out!” Liz screams as you race toward the far wall. “Go left!”

  “I’m trying!” you shout. But it’s no use. The rack is totally out of control!

  WHAM! It smashes against the wall. You and Liz go flying in different directions. You hit a rack full of wax arms. Then you slide to the floor. Oooh, does your head hurt!

  You black out.

  Go to PAGE 17.

  You freeze.

  Bad choice! The door to the closet flies open. A hand reaches in and picks you up by your shirt collar. It’s Axel!

  “Got you!” the skull-faced driver sneers. He grabs Liz in his other hand. “You didn’t think I’d drop you off and not come pick you up, did you? Not when Miss Sybil needs you!”

  Axel drags you both over to a lavender chest of drawers. He whips a rope out of a drawer and quickly lashes Liz’s arms and legs together.

  “Ow,” she moans. “This really hurts!”

  “Not for long,” Axel says with a cackle.

  He turns to you and loops the rope around your wrists. Then he pulls it tight. Rough cord bites into your flesh. You’re trying to be brave. But you can’t help groaning.

  Axel is knotting the rope when a heartrending scream rips the air. You jump. Where did it come from?

  “The horror!” a wailing voice cries. “The horror!”

  Turn to PAGE 105.

  “I’ll try the clock,” you decide. “It’ll connect us with the operator who tells you the time. We can get her to call 911 for us.” You push the button with the clock on it.

  Instead of hearing a helpful voice on the other end of the line, you hear this recording:

  “Good afternoon. At the tone your time will be … UP!”

  “Uh-oh,” Liz says.

  The limo surges forward and starts to swerve wildly over the road. At the wheel, Axel cackles like a madman. Oh, no! You’re doing 100 miles per hour — straight for the edge of a cliff!

  As the limo flies over the edge, you hear:

  BEEP!

  THE END

  “Red!” Liz says. “Like my hair!”

  The fortune-teller cackles. Two gold teeth in the front of her mouth glitter in the flashing lights. She looks pleased. “The future it shall be then, my dear.”

  A sudden wind blows through the hallway. It swirls and whirls around you, whipping Liz’s hair into your face.

  “What
’s going on?” you yell.

  “What?” Liz yells back. But you can barely hear her! The roaring of the sudden wind fills your ears.

  You tuck your head down and lean against the gust. You feel it whip around you like a whirlpool.

  It’s so strong! You’re afraid it’s going to rip you apart! It’s like a thousand iron hands, tugging at you.

  Then … you notice that your feet are off the ground.

  In an enormous WHOOSH, you and Liz are sucked up into the heart of a tornado. You shoot upward. Far below you can see the fortune-teller. She’s holding up a sign that reads, THE FUTURE IS YOURS.

  What can that mean? you think. You’re about to find out.

  Take a look at your hand. Can you find your lifeline?

  If you don’t know how to find your lifeline, turn to PAGE 126.

  If finding your lifeline is a piece of cake, turn to PAGE 103.

  At the very last instant, you manage to duck.

  The ax skims over you … glances off the wall above Liz, cutting free her tangled curls … ricochets back over your head … and spins to a quick stop. Right in the waxy back of the evil Executioner.

  His mouth falls open in a silent scream. He arches his axed back and stands frozen in that position.

  You and Liz gasp in unison.

  For the Executioner it’s

  THE END.

  But for you, it’s only the beginning of the trouble you’re heading for. You hear footsteps behind you.

  Hurry! Run to PAGE 91 and HIDE.

  You sit in the dark for a moment, not sure what to do.

  Then a blood-curdling scream echoes through the darkness! “AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!” It’s Jake. It has to be!

  “Let’s get out of here,” Liz cries. She’s frantic.

  You hear her squeezing under the lap bar and hopping down onto the track. You do the same. “Wait!” you call.

  Then you hear Liz scream.

  In the same instant, the floor beneath you gives way and dumps you through a secret opening. “We’re falling!” you cry as you drop through darkness.

  The fall seems to last forever. Then you see light below. The strong smell of melting candles reaches your nose.

  First you smell it. Then you see it. Then you’re in it. Bubbling, swirling, boiling wax. You splash right into it.

  “Two more,” you hear a man’s voice say before the hot wax seals your ears forever. “Coat them with wax. Put some new faces on them. And presto — instant wax figures. That one over there can be Dr. Frankenstein.” A finger pokes you in the side. “And this one can be the monster.”

  Well, after all, Mr. Dunning called you a little monster. Guess he was right, in

  THE END

  The track moves you and Liz toward the opening in the wall.

  Then something unexpected happens.

  Instead of the track taking you to the Skin Scraping Center straight ahead, your test tube veers off to the left.

  Spotlights flicker on along the track. You’re not in a tunnel at all now. The test tubes are moving through a well-lit cave with a high ceiling.

  Without warning, the test tubes stop moving. The doors swing open slowly.

  A recorded voice over a loudspeaker repeats mechanically: “Watch your step, please, as you are leaving your capsule. Watch your step, please, as you are leaving your capsule. Watch your step, please, as you are leaving your capsule.”

  What’s going on? Find out on PAGE 5.

  You and Liz leave by a door at the far end of the Deboner Room. It takes you to a long flight of stairs. You go up … and up … and up. At last you reach the end.

  “Whew!” you pant. “We must be really high up now!”

  You hurry into a room with two hallways branching off from it. “Maybe one of these halls leads outside,” Liz suggests. “I’ll check the one on the right. You check the left.”

  You agree. But as you’re moving toward the hall on the left, you notice a round window set into the middle of the floor. Like a porthole. Curious, you kneel down and peer through it.

  You’re gazing down on what seems to be a scientific laboratory. A black-haired girl in a long, purple robe is examining something in a test tube. Her back is to you. But as you watch, she turns around. You catch a glimpse of her face.

  You clap a hand over your mouth before the scream can get out.

  Turn to PAGE 52.

  You and Liz inspect the Deboner. It’s a giant, shallow funnel set into the floor. A cluster of metal arms hangs from the ceiling above it. Some are equipped with drills, saws, and other tools. But most of them end in wicked-looking claws.

  CLACK! CLACK! The claws snap menacingly as you draw near.

  “Isn’t it a clever toy?” someone whispers behind you.

  Axel! He sneaked up behind you! You think fast. “Liz, go left!” you order, as you dodge to the right.

  Axel lunges after you. And trips over the electrical cord of the Deboner. “Yaah!” he yells as he topples into the funnel.

  The Deboner’s mechanical arms move in a blur. Before you know it, Axel is hanging in midair, held tightly by dozens of claws. A drill hums toward his heart.

  “Help me!” he begs. Tears well up in his eye sockets. “I already lost my face. Don’t let me lose all my bones as well. Please!”

  You hesitate. You feel kind of sorry for Axel. Even he doesn’t deserve to be deboned.

  On the other hand, if you help him, you might be sorry.

  If you think you should help Axel, turn to PAGE 45.

  If you don’t think you should help him, turn to PAGE 82.

  “That tunnel must lead outside. Let’s stay on the Dumpster,” you say. “We may stink, but we’ll be free. Maybe we can even get back to the museum before Mr. Dunning misses us.”

  The Dumpster rattles into the tunnel. It’s pitch-black. But then you see a pinprick of light at the far end. The pinprick grows. And grows. It’s daylight!

  “Yes!” Liz cheers. “We’re out of here!”

  What a relief! You’re leaning forward eagerly when the Dumpster jerks to a stop. Who-o-oa! You topple forward and land flat on your face. In a mound of moldy tuna casserole.

  Big yuck! You sit up, spitting out bits of old fish. You’re just in time to see Liz being lifted off the pile by a giant scoop. She screams as she’s dumped in a bin on the back of a trash truck.

  You’re next. The giant scoop sweeps you up. Well, on the bright side, it looks as if you and Liz will go to your doom together. Friends to …

  THE END

  No time to lose. Jake needs your help! You step into the darkness. Liz clutches your arm.

  “I — I don’t like that motor sound,” she stammers.

  You don’t like it either. But it’s too late to turn back now. The heavy red door slams shut behind you. A thick bolt slides into place on its own.

  You’re locked in!

  Slowly, your eyes adjust to the strange red light that fills the room. Then you see what’s making the motor sound.

  Ahead of you a conveyor belt moves slowly through a velvet-streamered opening into a black tunnel. It reminds you of those luggage carousels at the airport. But there are no suitcases on this conveyor belt. Instead, there’s a body. Jake’s. And it’s moving slowly away from you!

  His red sneakers are disappearing into the tunnel.

  Then you notice something else. Out of the corner of your eye, you see something move. Across the room. It’s only a shadow, but there’s definitely something there! What is it?

  If you want to find out what’s moving through the shadows, turn to PAGE 93.

  If you ignore it and just go after Jake, turn to PAGE 18.

  Oh, no! The escalator is carrying you up! Back toward Sybil and Axel!

  And it’s moving very, very quickly!

  You squint up through the dimness. Bad news. Axel is standing at the top of the escalator. Light reflects off his bare skull. He’s laughing like a maniac.

  Well, after all, he is a maniac.
>
  “We’ll have to run down,” you groan.

  So you start running again. You’re trying to move down faster than the escalator can carry you up.

  But no matter how fast or slow you go, the escalator goes exactly the same speed. In the opposite direction.

  It’s hopeless. “We’ll never get to the bottom of this escalator!” Liz announces.

  She’s right. You’re stuck. And you’ll never get to …

  THE END

  “You’ve got to see this,” you tell Liz. “It’s Sybil Wicked. You won’t believe your eyes!”

  Liz kneels beside you and gazes through the porthole.

  And screams. “What a horrible face!”

  At the sound of the scream, Sybil Wicked looks up. She’s staring right into your eyes! You’re so scared you can’t move.

  Which is too bad. You’d have been better off running away.

  Sybil reaches down and pulls a big purple lever on the floor of the lab. The floor beneath you and Liz caves in.

  It’s a trap door. And you’re falling through it!

  THUD! You hit the floor of the lab — face-first. You lie there for a minute, stunned. “Oooooh,” you moan.

  Then you notice a pair of feet in front of you. Slowly your eyes travel up. Over a purple robe. Past long, black hair.

  Your gaze stops at last — on the face of the hideous Sybil Wicked.

  Turn to PAGE 62.

  “It’s so foggy here. Who can tell what this place is?” Liz whispers.

  A full moon lights the night sky. A single gas lamp casts weird shadows against the brick walls of the buildings. Liz moves the mist away with her hand and looks around. The gaslight flickers, but nothing else moves. All is quiet. All is still. “It’s a city,” Liz says softly.